How to Configure a Data Source for a Dashboard

Click on New Model to Configure a New Data Source

Click on Data Source to configure Data Source Model

Configure Data Source

When you first create a data source model you'll be shown the standard default page of Author

Data Source Models can be configured with 3 types of data retrieval

• Component is used to fetch data for one type of component in a model
• Form is used to fetch data from a type of form
• SQL Query is used for more complex queries that may need to merge data from different parts of BusinessOptix or to filter data to a certain range of value

When you have configured a data source you can select Output/View HTML to preview the data retrieved

Component Data Sources are used to return properties for each component within a model type. For example the Activities within a Process model or the Steps in Work Instruction models.

To configure a component based source in Author:

1. Click on Component Menu
2. Select Data Source from Menu Option
3. Click on Component Configuration Area
4. Blank Data Source Stencil appears
5. Go to Component Properties
6. Give a Name to the Data Source
7. Select Component from Type dropdown Menu
8. Model Type dropdown Menu Appears 
9. Component dropdown Menu Appears

The list of model types will vary depending on the library. And the component types will vary depending on the configuration of the model types in a library. Some examples could include:

Whilst the data available for a different models and component types vary the configuration mechanism is the same across them. 

In order to configure a data source using Forms, you first need to create a form or select one of the forms previously created in the library.

To configure a Forms data source:

1. Click on Component Menu
2. Select Data Source from Menu Option
3. Click on Component Configuration Area
4. Blank Data Source Stencil appears
5. Go to Component Properties
6. Select Forms from Type drop down Menu
7. Select the Form to be used for Data Source in Form Drop Down.

Once you have selected a form type you need to select which fields from the form you want to include in the data source. When you click on the data source you'll be shown a list of the available form fields and the associated data type.

1. Select the form data source that you want to add data fields to
2. Go to Component Menu
3. Select Data Field
4. Go to Component Properties
5. Select appropriate the Field Type from the Drop down
6. Select appropriate Form Field from the Drop down. Options in Form fields are based on the Form Model Configuration.

SQL Data Sources are used within BusinessOptix to deal with more complex data retrieval where you may need to:

• Merge the data from different component types or even model types (in SQL often a JOIN)
• Apply advanced filtering criteria to limit the data being presented (in SQL part of the WHERE)
• Perform calculations on the properties captured in BusinessOptix (most probably an aggregate function in SQL)

When you select a SQL data source the first thing you need to add is some SQL. One way to get started more easily on the SQL is to copy the SQL from a component or form data source. To do this first create the Component/Form Data Source and then preview the output. When you are viewing the Data Source output there is an option to view the SQL for the data source.

As with other data sources you need to say which data you are interested in and you need to add a column name and field type for each data field. The data field name and the column name need to match in order that the data will be shown.

The BusinessOptix data model has been designed to easily store the different types of data captured in the model, it's components and the properties associated with the component. Please review the BusinessOptix Data Model to understand the structures and contact your support team if you require assistance.

Selecting Output/View HTML on a data source model provides you a preview of the data retrieved.

When you select a Process Model the Components available are based on the on-screen elements of a process model such as Activity, Event, Lane, or Data Store.

To select the component type

1. Go to Component Properties
2. Give a Name to the Model
3. Select Component from Type dropdown Menu
4. Model Type dropdown Menu Appears – Select Process
5. Component dropdown Menu Appears – Select Model

Data Fields

The data fields available will vary depending on the component selected.

1. Go to the Component menu and select Data Field
2. Default Data Filed is added to the Data Source Stencils
3. Go to Data Field Properties
4. Name of the Data Field
5. Select Field Type from the Drop Down Menu
6. Select Property from the Drop Down Menu
7. Data in Field Identifier Pops up automatically

Some example data fields include:

A category field is typically based on information that is captured through a drop-down menu on a form or a component. For example the type of model or the model status. On a process activity it would also include the type of activity (i.e. manual, user, system) and the swimlane the activity is part of.

The list of category fields shown will vary depending on the form or component type that has been selected. Here's a sample for a Process Model with the Model component selected

The User field type is used when you want to know who created or modified a model, submitted a form, who a task is assigned to or who the process owner or author is.

Date data fields are used to stored either dates or timestamps. 

Numbers are used to store either integers or decimal numbers.

Timers are used to represent a duration. An example of duration is working or waiting time on an activity.

The text field type is used to represent any text values (excluding any rich text with formatting)

The Rich Text field type is used in models and forms and allows the user to use various formatting and embedding of content from elsewhere in the library (or external).

The List field type is a specialized form of category (or user) where the form field or model property allows the user to capture more than one value.

Check box field types are used when the value is either true/false or yes/no.

The URL field type is used to present URLs that have been entered on models or forms. The URL could be to somewhere else in the BusinessOptix library or could be an external system.

The Id field holds a unique identifier. The most common ids used in BusinessOptix are the ones that are automatically created to uniquely identify a model or component.