Intermediate User Training Guide
IFS Energy and Resources (Deactivated)
IFS Energy & Resources
Bobby Lo (Unlicensed)
Dawn Robinson
- 1 IFS Reporting for End Users Intermediate Training Guide 2.0
- 1.1 In this Guide
- 2 Course Overview
- 3 Lesson One: Advanced Functions in Ad Hoc Views
- 4 Lesson Two: Ad Hoc View Types
- 5 Lesson Three: Creating a Dashboard
- 6 Lesson Four: Advanced Dashboard Topics
- 7 Appendix A: Advanced Chart Formatting Examples
- 8 Appendix B: Segmenting Data by Fields
- 9 Appendix C: Additional Resources
IFS Reporting for End Users Intermediate Training Guide 2.0
In this Guide
Lesson One: Advanced Functions in Ad Hoc Views
Ad Hoc View Overview
The Ad Hoc View Editor
Creating an Ad Hoc View
Calculated Fields
Calculated Measures
Ad Hoc View Tips
Lesson Two: Ad Hoc View Types
Working with Tables
Working with Crosstabs
Working with Charts
Formatting Charts
Highcharts: Advanced Chart Formatting
Lesson Three: Creating a Dashboard
Dashboard Overview
The Dashboard Designer
Creating a Dashboard
Dashboard Properties
Dashlet Properties
Previewing a Dashboard
Editing a Dashboard
Lesson Four: Advanced Dashboard Topics
Overview: Dashboard Filters
Adding Filters
Mapping Filters
Editing Filters
Overview: Dashboard Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks: Drilling Down
Hyperlinks: Drilling Through
Dashboard Tips
Appendix A: Advanced Chart Formatting Examples
Appendix B: Segmenting Data by Fields
Appendix C: Additional Resources
Course Overview
This class will provide an in-depth look at advanced functionality with Ad Hoc Views and Dashboards.
With successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Create calculated fields and measures in an Ad Hoc View.
Create and format charts in an Ad Hoc View.
Create a Dashboard.
Format a Dashboard and Dashlets.
Apply filtering and shared Input Controls to a Dashboard.
Create Dashboard hyperlinks to drill down and drill through reports.
Understand best practices for performant reports.
Lesson One: Advanced Functions in Ad Hoc Views
An Ad Hoc View can be used to explore data, and provides analysis options (such as slice, pivot, and filter) to help you recognize trends and outliers in your data. You can drill into specific details, or analyze your data at a very high level.
The Ad Hoc View Editor is the interactive tool for exploring your data and designing views. Figure 1 and Table 2 explain the components of the Editor and their functionality.
Figure 1. The Ad Hoc View Editor Components
Table 1. Ad Hoc View Editor Components.
Component | Description |
Change Data Source or Fields | Change the Topic or Domain for the Ad Hoc View. All data and formatting are lost when you select a different Topic or Domain. |
Data Selection Panel | Displays available fields and measures. Measures are summarized values.
|
Filters Panel | Displays any filters defined for the view. |
Filter Controls | Changes the display of filters, either collectively or individually. Each filter menu allows the user to select the conditional operator value to apply with the filter. |
Canvas | Shows the data subject to the fields, measures, and filters applied. Also, a sample of how the data will appear in any report created from the view. |
Layout Bands |
|
Tool Bar | Provides icons and menus for working with the view, including:
|
View Type | Determines how data is displayed in the canvas (as a Table, Chart, or Crosstab). |
Data Mode | Determines the amount of data displayed in the canvas (None, Sample, Full Data). |
Title Bar | Click to edit the title of the view. |
Figure 2. Creating an Ad Hoc View: Crosstab
To create an Ad Hoc View:
On the IFS Reporting menu mar, click Create, and then Ad Hoc View.
On Select Data, expand the folders to view the Domains, and then click the Domain you want to use for your Ad Hoc View. Click Choose Data.
To select a data source and move all fields to the Selected Fields column, click
.
To select a data source and fields, highlight fields in the Source column, and then click
to move them to the Selected Fields column.
To select a group of fields, click the Control key and highlight the fields before clicking
.
To save your selected data, click OK.
Select one of the three view types, as shown in the top right corner in Figure 2.
The default type is Crosstab. See section Ad Hoc View Types descriptions of other types.
To add a Field, expand on a data set in the Fields panel on the left and double-click on a field.
By default, fields are added to Rows. You can click to drag a field into Columns.
To add a Measure, expand on a data set in the Measures panel on the left and double-click on a measure.
By default, measures are added to Columns. You can click to drag a measure to Rows.
Once a measure has been added to the Rows or Columns, it is prefixed with a "#", as shown in the Columns data bar in Figure 2. To move the measure between Rows and Columns, you must place your cursor on the "#" and drag it.
To save the Ad Hoc View, on the Ad Hoc Editor toolbar, click the Save icon (
).
Type in a Data View Name.
Browse to a folder to save the Ad Hoc View and click Save.
Calculated fields are user-generated fields that allow for manipulation of data in the Ad Hoc Editor. The most common type of calculated field is a concatenation; for example, combining the ID and Name of an entity into a single calculated field.
Figure 3. Ad Hoc View: Calculated Field
To create a calculated field:
In the corner of the Fields panel on the left, click the calculation icon (
).
Select Create Calculated Field.
Type in a Field Name.
In the Formula Builder tab, type in a formula.
Formulas apply functions to fields and measures.
A list of the available Fields and Measures is located below the Formula Builder.
A list of Functions is located below the Formula Builder. To view the description of a Function, click on it.
In the example in Figure 3, a new calculated field has been created that combines field Account Group ID with a space and the field Account Group Description.
In the Summary Calculation tab, select a calculation. None is appropriate for many calculated fields.
To check the syntax of your formula, click Validate.
To save, click Create Field.
For more examples of calculated fields, read the Jaspersoft Community Documentation called Calculated Fields Reference.
Calculated measures allow you to manipulate numeric data. They can be mathematical, like computing the inverse of a number, or logical, including IF statements.
To create a calculated measure:
In the corner of the Measures panel on the left, click the calculation icon (
).
Select Create Calculated Measure.
Type in a Measure Name.
In the Formula Builder tab, type in a Formula.
Formulas apply functions to fields and measures.
A list of the available Fields and Measures is located below the Formula Builder.
A list of Functions is located below the Formula Builder. To view the description of a Function, click on it.
Example mathematical formula: "Expense" * -1.
Example logical formula: IF("Account Group ID" == 'LOS', "Gross Amount", 0).
In the Summary Calculation tab, select a calculation. Sum is the most common for calculated measures.
To check the syntax of your formula, click Validate.
To save, click Create Measure.
For a list of mathematical and logical operators that can be used for calculated fields and measures, read the Jaspersoft Community Documentation on Operators Ad Hoc Views.
The computational demands of reporting can be taxing for a database, causing views to take a long time to render. The recommendations below can help you reduce the complexity of your views and increase performance.
In general, it is best to limit the number of complex calculations a view must perform.
Limit the total number of calculated fields and measures in a view.
Limit the number of calculated fields and measures that reference other calculated fields and measures.
Conditional (IF) statements are particularly demanding and it is strongly advised to look for other ways to generate your results. Items 4 and 5 below are methods that can help you avoid conditional logic in your views.
Utilize fields to segment your data instead of IF statements. See Appendix B: Segmenting Data by Fields for an example of this.
Move calculated measures to your domain, or even better, to your database level.
Database: A database is much more efficient at computations and data transformations than a reporting application. This is true for all reporting applications, including IFS Reporting. If you have access to create views or tables (tables are more performant than views) to perform your calculations and transformations at the database level, you should always do this.
Domain: If you do not have the ability to create tables or views at the database level, consider creating a calculated field or derived table at the domain level instead of in your view. A domain is often more efficient than a view or report at performing calculations. Domain-level calculations are especially advantageous for calculations that you will use in many views and reports. Additionally, domain-level calculations have the advantage that computations are performed only once – the first time you open a view – and do not need to be made again each time you change values for your input controls. The IFS Reporting Advanced Training Guide covers creating calculated fields and derived tables in a domain.
Lesson Two: Ad Hoc View Types
The Ad Hoc Editor allows you to select from three view types:
Tables: Used to view values in the database and to summarize the values in columns.
Crosstabs: Used to aggregate data across multiple dimensions. Crosstabs are more compact representations than tables; they show only computed values, rather than individual database values.
Charts: Used to summarize data graphically. Charts compare one or more measures across multiple sets of related fields. Time series and scatter charts use time intervals to group data. Other chart types compare summarized values for a group; for example, a bar chart that compares the sum of Payments Received for each of the products in each of the cities.
Crosstabs aggregate data across multiple dimensions. They are more compact representations than tables: they show only computed values, rather than individual database values. Crosstabs have different data, layout, and format options than tables or charts.
Fields, Row Groups and Column Groups in Crosstabs
Fields can be added to crosstabs as row groups or column groups. Measures can be added to crosstab rows or columns as well, but all measures must be included in a crosstab as either a row or a column -- that is, you can add one or more measures to the crosstab as columns, or add one or more measures to the crosstab as rows, but you cannot have one measure as a column and another as a row in the same crosstab.
When creating a crosstab-type view, keep in mind that row and column groups are arranged in hierarchies. The group headings can be dragged to rearrange the hierarchy. The right-click option also allows you to select a heading and then move the headings. Rearranging the groups may change the preview data in the editor.
To add a field or measure to a crosstab group:
In the Data Source Selection panel, click to select the field you want to add to the crosstab as a group. Use Control-click to select multiple items.
Drag the selected item into the Columns or Rows box in the Layout Band.
Crosstab Measures
Measure labels are displayed in the crosstab based on their status as a row or column:
Rows: Measures appear in the crosstab below the Measures heading.
Columns: Measures appear in the crosstab to the right of the Measures heading.
Measures are arranged in cells. You can add any number of measures. All the measures appear together in every cell. Measures can be re-arranged by dragging them in the measure label area. A right-click menu also provides the following options:
Change Summary Function
Change Data Format
Remove from Crosstab
Create Filter
Move Up or Move Down
Pivoting
Pivoting switches all row and column fields in a crosstab to visualize your data where your rows or columns now iterate as their opposite. This provides the ability to analyze data in a different and possibly more intuitive way.
Pivoting removes any custom sorting applied to headings in your crosstab. It does not affect column or row sorts.
You can pivot a crosstab in two ways.
To pivot the entire crosstab: To switch the row and column places, click the Pivot icon (
).
To pivot a single group:
To pivot a single row group, right-click it, and then select Switch to Column Group.
To pivot a single column group, right-click it and select Switch to Row Group.
Slicing: Keep or Exclude Groups
The slice feature lets you keep or exclude group members in a crosstab. You can select multiple row groups or multiple column groups; you cannot slice by both row groups and column groups at once.
To slice a group:
Right-click a group member and select one of the following options:
Keep Only to remove all groups except the selected one from the crosstab.
Exclude to remove this group from the crosstab.
To select multiple groups to keep or exclude, use Control-click and Shift-click.
Summarizing Group Data
This feature allows you configure group summaries. By default, all row and column groups are summarized automatically.
NOTES: For the Summary options:
The Delete Summary option is available only for the outermost group on either axis (that is, either the outermost row group or the outermost column group).
The summary functions for numeric fields are Sum, Average, Maximum, Minimum, Distinct Count, and Count All.
Distinct Count is the number of different items in the row or column
Count All is the total number of items.
For example, if there are 3 widgets of type A and 3 widgets of type B, Distinct Count is 2 and Count All is 6.
To configure summarization:
To turn off a group summary, right-click any heading in the group and select Delete Row Summary or Delete Column Summary.
To reapply the summary, right-click the heading and select Add Row Summary or Add Column Summary.
To select the summary function and data format for a measure, right-click the measure label and select.
Sorting
By default, the rows and columns of crosstabs are sorted in alphabetical order of the group names. When the crosstab includes more than one row group or more than one column group, the inner groups are also sorted according to your selection. Only one measure can be used for sorting at any one time; changing the sort order for another measure resets all others to the default.
To change how your crosstab is sorted:
Right-click the heading you want to use to sort your crosstab.
Select a sorting option to apply: Sort Ascending, Sort Descending, Don't Sort.
The crosstab is updated to reflect your sorting option. A blue dot appears in the context menu next to the currently applied sort option.
Resizing and Layout
Many of the layout and formatting options that are set manually in tables are set automatically in crosstabs. Row and column sizes are fixed and no spacer is available.
Drilling Through Data
Drill through functionality allows you to explore your data from multiple perspectives. Drill through functionality is automatically enabled for crosstab data. It is like adding additional filters to a view, because when you click on a data point in the crosstab, it opens a crosstab in a new window that shows data for that specific fact.
To view the drillthrough table for a value in your crosstab:
Click a cell to display additional columns from that specific fact data.
By default, the drill through table opens in its own window or tab, depending on your browser settings.
Ad Hoc charts are a flexible, interactive way to explore your data graphically. You can choose different levels of aggregation for rows and columns, change a field from a column to a row, pivot the entire chart, hide chart values, and zoom in to see chart details.
The following sections explain how to populate, edit, and format an Ad Hoc chart. Many tasks related to working with charts are identical (or very similar) to those for tables and crosstabs. For any tasks not discussed in this section, see section Working with Tables.
Using Fields and Measures in Charts
You must add at least one measure to view a chart. The initial display only reflects the measures you add; it does not change when you add fields or dimensions. For example, for each measure you add to a bar chart, you see a bar with the total value of the measure, regardless of how many fields you add. This means you can add, remove, and arrange measures and fields without waiting for the display to update. Once you have the fields and measures you want, you can use the sliders on the right to select the level of detail you want.
All available fields are listed in the Data Selection panel, as either standard fields or measures.
Standard fields can be added to a column or a row.
Measures contain summarized values. They are typically numeric fields that determine the length of bars, size of pie slices, location of points (in line charts), and height of areas. They can be added to rows or columns, but must all be in the same target — that is, you can add one or more measures to the chart as columns, or add one or more measures to the chart as rows, but you cannot have one measure as a column and another as a row in the same chart.
When creating a chart, keep in mind that row and column groups are arranged in hierarchies, with the highest member of the hierarchy on the left. For an Ad Hoc view based on an OLAP data source, you can change the order of distinct dimensions by dragging, but you cannot change the order of levels within a dimension. For an Ad Hoc view based on a non-OLAP data source, you can drag the field headings to rearrange the hierarchy; the highest level in a group should appear to the left; the lowest level in a group should appear to the right. For example, it doesn't make sense to group first by postal code then by country, because each postal code belongs to only one country.
To add a field or measure to a row or column:
In the Data Selection panel, select the field you want to add to the chart as a group. Use Control-click to select multiple items.
Drag the item to the Columns or Rows box in the Layout Band.
Selecting a Chart Type
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
) to show the Canvas Options menu.
Select Chart Types.
In the Select Chart Type window, click the type of chart you want to apply. The selected chart type is outlined in blue.
Leave the Select Chart Type window open to rapidly switch between chart types, or to close it, at the top right, click the Close icon (
).
For a list of the available chart types, and any rules affecting their usage, read the Jaspersoft Community Documentation on Selecting a Chart Type.
Setting Levels
When you add a field or dimension to a column or row, a multi-level slider located at the top of the Filters pane allows you to set the level of aggregation to use for viewing the data. The number of fields or dimensions in the row or column determines the number of levels on the slider; measures are not reflected in the slider.
You cannot adjust levels on a time series chart.
Figure 4 shows the effect of the slider on a chart with one level of aggregation for both rows and columns.
Figure 4. Setting Levels in Charts
The sliders help you explore your data visually in several ways:
The slider reflects the hierarchy of the row or column groups, as determined by the order in which fields are arranged in the Layout Band.
Hovering over a setting on the slider shows the name of the field or dimension corresponding to that setting.
When you pivot a chart, slider settings are persevered and applied to the new target. For example, if you have the Row slider set to Month, the Column slider is set to Month when you pivot. See Pivoting a Chart for more information.
When you remove the currently selected level from a row or column, the slider is reset to the total; when you remove a field that is not selected, the level remains the same. When you add a field or dimension to a row or column, the number of levels of the slider changes to reflect your addition. When you change the order of the fields in a row or column, the level on the slider changes to reflect the new level of the field corresponding to the selection.
Changing Date Grouping
If your chart includes data based on a date field, you can change the level of aggregation for the time data. (Time Series charts can only use day, or smaller, intervals.)
To select the unit of time to chart:
In the Layout Band, right-click on the date field and select Change Grouping.
From the cascading submenu, select a time period.
The view updates to reflect the new date grouping.
Changing the Summary Function of a Measure
You can get a new view of your data by changing the summary function of a measure, for example, from sum to average.
To select a new summary function for a measure:
In the Layout Band, right-click on the measure and select Change Summary Function.
Select the function you want from the cascading submenu.
The view updates to reflect the new summary function.
Pivoting a Chart
Like pivoting a crosstab, pivoting a chart switches row and column data to flip how the chart iterates to possibly visualize data in better way. Pivoting removes any custom sorting applied to headings in your crosstab. It does not affect column or row sorts.
Figure 5. Pivoting a Chart
To pivot the entire crosstab: To switch the row and column places, click the Pivot icon ( ).
To pivot a single group:
To pivot a single row group, right-click it, and then select Switch to Column Group.
To pivot a single column group, right-click it and select Switch to Row Group.
Hiding Data on a Chart
Use the chart legend to hide or show members of the data groups in a chart, as shown in Figure 6. NOTE: Hidden members cannot be saved as part of an Ad Hoc view. When you save a view, or create a report from a view, the chart is automatically reset to show all members.
Figure 6. Hide Chart Data
To hide data on a chart:
To hide a group member, click on the member name in the chart legend.
The member is removed from the chart and the legend is grayed out.
To unhide a group member, click on the grayed-out legend for the member.
Reduce the Number of Labels
By default, every field included in your chart has a label displayed along either axis. Measures show up as numeric values, often along the Y axis, and fields being measured show up as text along the X axis. On some charts - especially those with many fields - these labels may overlap, crowd together, or become difficult to read. You can alleviate this problem by "stepping," or reducing, the number of labels displayed on your chart.
To reduce the number of labels on your chart. In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
On the Axis tab, in the Interval between X-axis labels entry box, type in how often the axis label should appear, as in Figure 7. For instance, to display every other label, enter 2.
Repeat this process for all measures along the Y axis.
Click Apply, and then Close. The labels appear as entered.
To display every label, open the Chart Format window and in the numeric entry boxes, type in 1.
Rotate Axis Labels
By default, labels on your chart are displayed horizontally. When you have many labels, or very long ones, this can also make chart labels difficult to read. You can change the direction of these labels, on both the X and Y axes, to improve chart readability.
To rotate axis labels:
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
On the Axis tab, in the Rotation of X-axis labels entry box, type in the rotation angle to apply to the labels, as in Figure 7. For example, to rotate labels clockwise 45 degrees, enter 45; to rotate labels counter-clockwise, enter -45.
Repeat this process for all measures along the Y axis.
Click Apply, and then Close. The labels are rotated.
To return the labels to their original horizontal position, open the Chart Format window and in the numeric entry boxes type 0.
Display Properties: Measure Names, Legend, and Data Points
By default, in charts that include only a single measure, that measure's name is not displayed. For instance, if your measure displays the number of employees each store in the region has, that measure's label (which shows the number of employees) appears along the Y- (or value) axis, but the name of the measure ("Number of Employees" or similar) does not. You can, however, choose to display that measure name to clarify the information on your chart.
To display measure name on the value axis:
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
On the Labels tab, click to select Show measure name on value axis box, as in Figure 7.
Click Apply, then Close.
To change legend settings:
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
On the Labels tab, select a Legend Position from the dropdown, as in Figure 7.
Click Apply, and then Close.
To display data points:
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
In the Appearance tab, click to select Show data points.
Click Apply, and then Close.
P2 Reporting HTML5 Javascript Charts are defined with default formatting. While the Ad Hoc Designer provides some basic formatting control via properties that are selected from the Chart Formatting window, in some cases you may require more control over a chart's appearance. The Advanced tab is designed to let you enter formatting commands. With advanced formatting you can apply almost any customization to your chart via Highcharts, an SVG-based charting library that allows usage of JavaScript functions as property values.
Figure 8. Advanced Chart Formatting
Notes
Placing two slashes at the beginning of a property causes it to be commented out. Use this to disable a property without having to delete it.
Property names and values are case sensitive. Incorrect casing will cause a property to be ignored. If the Properties names or 'Values' are input incorrectly, the chart will not change.
For examples of applying Highcharts JavaScript functions to charts, read the Jaspersoft Community Documentation on Advanced Chart Formatting.
For more information on chart configuration options, read the Highcharts API Reference page.
For a list of syntax for common formatting options, See Table 9 in the Appendix.
To apply a Highcharts property:
In the Ad Hoc View panel, click the Properties icon (
), and then select Chart Format.
On the Advanced tab, click Add New Property, as in Figure 8.
In the Property text box, type in a JavaScript function.
In the Value text box, type in a value.
To save your changes, click the green checkmark icon (
).
To keep the Chart Format window open and view the property change, click Apply.
To apply the changes and close the window, click OK.
Lesson Three: Creating a Dashboard
Dashboard Overview
A Dashboard displays Ad Hoc Views, Reports, and other BI objects in a single, interactive space. By combining types of related content, you can create appealing, data-rich dashboards that quickly convey trends. A Dashboard can also include input controls that allow users to filter the data displayed in the Dashboard.
The Dashboard Designer is a web-based UI for building dashboards. You can compile dashboards that include pre-existing elements, such as reports and views, and create new charts, tables, and crosstabs from your data sources directly from the designer. Figure 9 and describe the components of the Dashboard Designer.
Figure 9. Dashboard Designer Components
Table 2. Dashboard Designer Components
Component | Description | |
| Hide/Show Available Content | Hide or show the Available Content panel. |
| Existing Content Menu | Change the display method (List or Folder view) or filter content. |
| Preview | View and interact with the Dashboard before committing the changes. |
| Save/Save As | Save with the current name (overwriting the existing Dashboard) or to save the Dashboard with a different name. |
/ | Undo/Redo | Undo or redo the most recent action(s). |
| Undo All | Revert to the last saved state of the Dashboard. |
| Parameter Mapping | The parameter mapping dialog box allows you to specify which dashlets and parameters are affected by an input control (see sections Mapping Filters and Hyperlinks: Drilling Through). |
| Properties | The Dashboard properties dialog box allows you to view and edit the basic appearance of the Dashboard and its dashlets, and to define refresh settings. |
| Show/Hide Grid | The grid overlay displays a grid on the Canvas of the Dashboard Designer to help you align the Dashboard elements. |
| Filter Manager | Display or hide a filter pop-up dialog box. This button appears when you enable filter dashlet pop-ups in Dashboard properties (see items 6 and 7 in section Adding Filters for Filter Manager options. |
Building a Dashboard involves creating, adding and formatting Dashboard content. More complex aspects of a Dashboard, such as filtering and hyperlinking, are described in Lesson Four: Advanced Dashboard Topics.
Adding and Deleting Dashboard Content
Each element in a dashboard is called a dashlet. Dashlets have unique names and resource IDs, and editable properties that vary depending on the dashlet type. Content is added to a Dashboard by dragging items from the Available Content panel on the left of the Dashboard Designer, and dropping them onto the canvas. Each item added to the Dashboard canvas is a dashlet.
Figure 10. Creating a Dashboard
Table 3. Dashboard Designer: New Content
New Content Item | Description |
Chart / Crosstab / Table | Dropping one of these items onto the Canvas launches the Ad Hoc View Editor, so that you can create dashlet content directly in the Dashboard Designer (refer to section Creating an Ad Hoc View). |
Text | Dragging the Text item to the Canvas displays a free-form text entry field. This item can be used for titles and instructional text on the Dashboard. |
Web Page | Dragging this item to the Canvas displays a web page address URL entry field. The Dashboard points to the content at this URL and displays it in a frame in the dashlet. For example, you might include a frame that points to the logo on your corporate website; when that logo changes, the dashboard automatically updates to reflect the branding change. |
Image | Dragging this item to the Canvas displays an entry field for a web address or a URI from the IFS Reporting Library. A Repository URI includes the folder path to the content and must start with "repo:". For example, repo:/User_Content/Dharol /MyLogo.png. |
To add new content:
To create a Dashboard, on the IFS Reporting menu bar, click Create, and then Dashboard, as in Figure 10. Table 3 shows the types of content that can be added.
The top section of the Available Content panel is New Content.
To create the content directly within the Dashboard Designer, drag a New Content item to the Canvas.
Repeat step 3 for each type of new content you add.
When adding existing content:
The bottom section of the Available Content panel is Existing Content. Existing Content includes Ad Hoc Views and Reports saved in the IFS Reporting Library.
When the Existing Content menu is in List View, hovering over an item displays the Library path and description of the item.
In Folder View, you can drill down into folders to find the content you want to add.
To search the Library for content, type in a keyword in the search box at the top of the Existing Content Menu, and press Enter. The keyword can be part of the Ad Hoc View or Report title, path, or description.
You can also use the Existing Content menu to filter and view only Ad Hoc Views or only Reports.
To move a dashlet:
To move a dashlet, click and drag it to a different location on the Dashboard.
The dashlet will automatically resize to fill an empty space on the Dashboard.
If the dashlet is dragged to part of the Dashboard that already contains a dashlet, the existing dashlet will shrink in half to make room for the new or moved dashlet.
To resize a dashlet:
To resize a dashlet, click and drag any of the four sides or corners.
To delete a dashlet:
To delete a dashlet, right-click to view the dashlet menu, and then click Delete.
Table 4. Dashboard Properties Window
Property | Description |
Canvas: Background color | Sets a color for the background of the dashboard. |
Canvas: Set custom size | Changes the size of the dashboard (default is 1280 x 800 pixels). |
Dashlet: Show filter dashlet as pop-up window | Shows dashboard filters (input controls) in a pop-up window. When viewing the dashboard, the pop-up window is opened by clicking the Filter icon ( ) on the dashboard toolbar. By default, filters are displayed in an input control panel on the dahsboard. |
Dashlet: Show borders | Shows or hides the thin lines around each dashlet. |
Dashlet: Outer margin | Configures the desired width, in pixels, of the space between dashlets. |
Dashlet: Inner padding | Configures the desired width, in pixels, of the space inside each dashlet. |
Dashlet: Title bar colors | Sets the text and background colors of the dashlet's title bar. |
Toolbar: Show export button | Displays the Export icon ( ). This allows the user to export the dashboard to a file (e.g., MS Powerpoint, PDF, PNG). |
Refresh: Auto-refresh dashboard contents | Enables or disables automatic refresh of your content. |
Refresh: Interval | Sets the number of minutes or seconds between each content refresh. |
You can view and edit the appearance of and basic information for each dashlet on your dashboard, and determine the refresh settings, through the Dashlet properties. The properties vary based on the type of dashlet you are working with.
To view and edit the Dashlet properties:
To open the Dashlet Properties window, right-click on the dashlet, and then select Properties.
Make changes to the Dashlet Properties, as shown in Figure 12 and Table 5.
Click Apply.
Figure 12. Dashlet Properties Window
Table 5. Dashlet Properties
Dashlet Property | Description |
Dashlet Name | Editable field for the name that will be displayed on the dashlet. Applies to all dashlet types. |
Resource ID | Non-editable ID taken from the original dashlet name. Applies to all dashlet types. |
Source Data | Non-editable path of the source data (e.g., the Ad Hoc View or Report URI). |
Show/Hide Dashlet Elements | Shows or hides the title bar. |
Scale to Fit | Allows you to define how the data element (Report or Ad Hoc View) is scaled in the dashlet. |
Refresh Settings | Allows you to enable or disable auto-refresh, and use the text entry and drop-down menu to set the time between each content refresh. This setting overrides refresh properties set at the dashboard level. |
Web Page URL | Editable field for the URL displayed in the dashlet. |
Text | Editable field for the text displayed in the dashlet. |
Font | Allows you to set the font, font size, font style, alignment, and font color for the text displayed in the dashlet. |
You can select Input Control values to verify that your filters are working in the preview state.
To preview a dashboard:
On the toolbar, click
.
To return to the Dashboard Designer, click
.
Dashboards can be modified to meet your unique needs.
To edit a dashboard:
Select View, and then Repository and search or browse for the Dashboard you want to modify.
By default, the repository includes the Dashboards folder where you can store dashboards.
Right-click the dashboard, then, from the context-menu, select Open in Designer.
The designer appears, displaying the dashboard.
To edit the dashboard, you can add, remove, resize, or drag content.
Lesson Four: Advanced Dashboard Topics
The true power of dashboards is harnessed by mastering their interactive functionality, such as filtering and hyperlinking.
As with Ad Hoc Views and Reports, you can add input controls to filter the data displayed in a Dashboard. The Filters panel on the left of the Dashboard Designer displays the filters (input controls) that exist within the content that you have added to the Dashboard. When you add an Ad Hoc View or Report that has input controls to a dashboard, the controls do not appear on the dashboard until you explicitly add them, one-by-one.
Figure 13. Dashboard Designer: Expense Example
You can add filters to define what data is displayed in a dashboard. The input controls of each dashlet appear under the dashlet names in the Filters panel.
An input control only needs to be added to the Dashboard once. For example, Dashlets 08.01 Expense by Field and 08.02 Expense by Well both have the input control State. After adding State to the dashboard from one of these dashlets, use the Parameter Mapping feature to filter both dashlets by State (see section Mapping Filters).
To add a filter:
Locate the Dashboard in the repository, right-click the name, and then select Open in Designer.
The available input controls appear in the Filters section of the Available Content panel.
To add an input control, drag it onto the canvas.
The input control now appears in an Input Control panel on the canvas. In Figure 13, State and Occurrence Date is after were dragged to the Input Control panel.
To move or resize the Input Control panel, click and drag the sides or corners of the dashlet.
By default, input controls that have been added to the dashboard appear in an Input Control panel on the dashboard.
To make the Input Controls appear in a pop-up window, on the Designer Toolbar, click the Properties icon (
), and then check Show Filter Dashlet as pop-up window, as in Figure 11.
To filter more than one dashlet with the same filter, the Parameter Mapping window is available to help refine your filter mapping. With the Parameter Mapping window, you can specify which dashlets and which parameters are affected by a filter.
The Parameter Mapping window contains the columns described in Figure 14 and Table 6. The Source Dashlet Filter Group contains the filters that you have added to the dashboard.
In the example in Figure 14, the input control State 2 is being used to filter three dashlets: "08.01 Expense by Field", "08.02 Expense by Well", and "08.03 Expense by Account".
The parameter used to filter the dashboard may have different names in the dashlets. For example, Occurrence Date is after 2 is being mapped to Occurrence Date is after in 3 of the dashlets, and mapped to Record Date is after in the fourth dashlet.
Figure 14. Dashboard Filters: Parameter Mapping Window
Table 6. Dashboard Filters: Parameter Mapping Window
Column Name | Description |
Source Dashlet | The name of the filter. |
Filter/ Parameter | The name of the input control that was added to the Dashboard. |
Dashlet Affected | The name of the dashlet that will be filtered by the input control. |
Filter/ Parameter Affected | The name of the parameter on the selected dashlet in the Dashlet Affected column. |
| Adds a new dashlet/parameter combination to a filter. |
| Deletes a dashlet/ parameter combination from a filter. |
To refine filter mapping:
To open the Parameter Mapping window, on the Designer Toolbar, click the Mapping icon (
).
To add another filter to the Dashboard, on the bottom right of the Parameter Mapping window, click Create New Filter.
In the Dashlet Affected column, from the dropdown menu, select a dashlet.
From the Filter/ Parameter Affected column, select a field.
To add more dashlets that will be filtered by this Source Dashlet, click the Add icon (
), and then select values for the Dashlet Affected and Filter/ Parameter Affected columns.
To delete a dashlet from a filter, to the right of the Dashlet Affected, click the Delete icon (
).
To save your filters, click OK.
You can change the labels, or display names, of individual input controls and filters within a dashlet.
To rename an input control or filter:
Right-click the input control dashlet, and then select Properties.
In the Filter Properties window, change the Filter Label from State 2 to State, and then click OK.
The input control label is updated.
IFS Reporting Dashboards can implement hyperlinks, which allow you to drill down into your data. In other words, you can click data in the Dashboard to open more detailed reports about that data series or point. Hyperlinks can also help you drill through your data. This means you can click in the dashboard to update data in the other dashlets on the Dashboard. Drilling through your data can reveal more detailed information about the data series or point.
A hyperlink is constructed as follows:
Wiki Markup
\[Hyperlink already constructed via the browse functionality\]?companyId_1=$P\{companyId_1\}
Where $P{companyId_1} is the parameter value of the dashlet Ad Hoc View you are passing a value from. If multiple values are being passed, the $X is used in place of the $P.
Using the Dashboard Designer, you can specify other reports within IFS Reporting to drill down to from Ad Hoc View dashlets. After you have setup a hyperlink, with or without passed parameters, you can click your dashlet or values within your dashlet to generate a report.
NOTE: Hyperlinking functionality is enabled in preview mode, so you can test that your hyperlink is set up correctly.
In Figure 15, the action is set to Open new page, so clicking the dashlet will cause a report to open in a new browser window.
To create a chart hyperlink:
Right-click on the dashlet you would like to drill down from, and then select Properties.
On the Hyperlinks tab, select Enable chart hyperlinks
Select an option from the Action menu
In Web Address/Repository URI, type the URL for the report you would like to display. You can also use the Browse functionality to select a report from the IFS Reporting Library.
To keep the Dashlet Properties window open, click Apply
To close the Dashlet Properties window, click OK.
To preview the dashboard, Click
.
Adding Parameters to Hyperlinks
Adding parameters to hyperlinks allows you to pass values in your current dashlet to filter the results of the report being generated.
A hyperlink is constructed as follows:
Wiki Markup
\[Hyperlink already constructed via the browse functionality\]?companyId_1=$P\{companyId_1\}
Where $P{companyId_1} is the parameter value of the dashlet Ad Hoc View you are passing a value from. If multiple values are being passed, the $X is used in place of the $P.
Figure 16. Finding the ID of an Input Control
To add parameters to a dashlet hyperlink:
Right-click on the dashlet then select Properties.
On the Hyperlinks tab, modify the URL to add a parameter that provides a value for an input control in the target report.
To find the correct name of the input control in your target report:
In the Domain Designer for the dashlet, edit the domain associated with the dashlet you are adding a hyperlink to.
Under the Display tab, select the field the Ad Hoc view is using as a filter, and then find the ID value on the right.
The name of the input control is the ID and appending a "_1". In Figure 16, the input control value for company ID is companyId_1.
The link is constructed as follows:
Wiki Markup
\[Hyperlink already constructed via the browsefunctionality\]?companyId_1=$P\{companyId_1\}
Where $P{companyId_1} is the parameter value of the dashlet Ad Hoc View you are passing a value from. If multiple values are being passed, then use $X in place of the $P.
Drill through functionality allows you to explore your data from multiple perspectives within the Dashboard itself. Adding drill through hyperlinks is like adding filters to a dashboard, because you are filtering dashlets by selecting input control values in another dashlet.
For example, in the Expense Dashboard in Figure 13, the user can click on the data series for the account "Cash" in Dashlet "08.03 Expense by Account", and Dashlets "08.01 Expense by Field" and "08.02 Expense by Well" will update to display field and well data for the "Cash" account.
Table 7 and Figure 17 and Table 8 explain the hyperlink mapping displayed in the Expense Dashboard in Figure 13.
Table 7. Dashboard Hyperlinks: Parameter Mapping Window
Column Name | Description |
Source Dashlet | The name of the dashlet that, when clicked, will filter the Affected Dashlets. |
Filter/ Parameter | The name of the input control of the Source Dashlet that will be used to filter the other dashlets. |
Dashlet Affected | The name of the dashlets that will be filtered by the input control of the Source Dashlet. |
Filter/ Parameter Affected | The name of the parameter on the dashlet from the Affected Dashlet column. |
| Click to add additional dashlet/ parameter combinations to a Source Dashlet. |
| Click to delete a dashlet/ parameter combination from a Source Dashlet. |
Figure 17. Dashboard Hyperlinking: Parameter Mapping Window
Table 8. Dashboard Hyperlinking Example
Source Dashlet | Parameter | Effect |
08.01 Expense by Field | Field |
|
08.02 Expense by Well | Well |
|
08.03 Expense by Account | Account | Dashlet "08.02 Expense by Well" is updated to show the wells for the selected account. |
08.03 Expense by Account | Occurrence Date | This parameter is not being used to filter other dashlets. |
08.04 Production by Well | None | This dashlet has not been mapped to have drill through functionality. |
To add drill through hyperlinks:
Locate the Dashboard in the repository, right-click the name, and then select Open in Designer.
To open the Dashlet Properties window, right-click on a dashlet, and then click the Hyperlinks tab.
Check Enable chart hyperlinks, and then select Update Page from the Action dropdown menu.
Repeat this step for each dashlet for which you want to enable drill through hyperlinking.
To open the Parameter Mapping window, on the Designer Toolbar, click the Mapping icon (
).
The Parameter Mapping window contains the columns described in Table 7.
Figure 17 and Table 8 explain the hyperlink mapping displayed in the Expense Dashboard in Figure 13.
To save your mapping, click OK.
To preview the drill through functionality, click the Preview icon (
). The hyperlinking functionality is enabled in preview mode.
To return to the Dashboard Designer, click the highlighted Preview icon (
).
When a Dashboard contains a large number of dashlets, it may take longer to refresh.
Use input controls to limit the number of rows returned in tables and crosstab dashlets.
Keep reports small because dashboards typically contain more than one. In particular, reports should not be too wide, as horizontal room is always at a premium in a dashboard. The server strips margins from an Ad Hoc report when displaying the report on a dashboard.
The queries executed by a Dashboard are stored in the server cache, so a Dashboard will open more quickly if you have opened it previously.
To walk through an example of creating a dashboard, read Jaspersoft's Community Documentation on Creating a Dashboard.
Appendix A: Advanced Chart Formatting Examples
This appendix contains example syntax for formatting Highcharts in an Ad Hoc View.
Table 9. Advanced Chart Formatting Examples
Property Description | Property Syntax | Value |
X Axis: Tick: Change Interval | xAxis.tickInterval | 12 |
X Axis: Add Crosshair | xAxis.crosshair | "true" |
X Axis: Label: Disable | xAxis.labels.enabled | "false" |
X Axis: Label: Change Decimals | xAxis.labels.format | {value:,.0f} |
X Axis: Label: Font Size | xAxis.labels.style.fontSize | "8px" |
Y Axis: Label: Format | yAxis.labels.format | {value}% |
Y Axis: Set Min | yAxis.min | -1.00 |
Tooltip: Change Decimals | tooltip.pointFormat | "{point.y:.0f} Completions" |
Tooltip: Value Prefix | tooltip.valuePrefix | $ |
Colors: Assign Manually | Colors | ["#00A1ED", "light blue"] |
Pie Chart: Convert to Donut Chart | plotOptions.pie.innerSize | "50%" |
Pie Chart: Start Angle | series.startAngle | -90 |
Pie Chart: Label: Enable | series.dataLabels.enabled | "true" |
Pie Chart: Label: Format | series.dataLabels.format | {point.name}: {point.percentage:.1f}% |
Line Chart: Lines: Connect Nulls | plotOptions.line.connectNulls | "true" |
Appendix B: Segmenting Data by Fields
Learning to design views and reports that utilize your existing data fields to segment the data can significantly impact simplicity and performance. This appendix demonstrates how to generate the same chart using fields to segment data instead of using IF statements.
This method of data segmentation can be applied to tables and crosstabs, with the same performance benefits.
Figure 18. Segmenting Data
Example 1: Using IF Statements
The chart on the left side of Figure shows a chart that generates production volumes for three products using the following three IF statements:
Gas: IF("Account Group ID" == '-REV-G', "Amount", 0)
Oil: IF("Account Group ID" == '-REV-O', "Amount", 0)
NGLs: IF("Account Group ID" == '-REV-N', "Amount", 0)
Example 1: Using IF Statements
The chart on the right side of Figure shows a chart that generates production volumes for three products by displaying the Measure Amount and segmenting this measure by the Field Account Group Type.
To segment a measure by a field:
From the Measures panel, drag the Measure Amount to the Columns band of the Layout Band.
From the Fields panel, drag the Field Account Group Type to the Columns band of the Layout Band.
Appendix C: Additional Resources
Release Notes: On the P2 Store
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