102

VISTA VIEWS REPORT BUILDING

PowerCampus

Version 8.3.2

RECAP OF 101 – WHAT IS VISTA VIEWS?

• A tool used to create custom views with Vista Reports

• Users can select pre-defined tables and other custom views

• Views and tables can be secured by profile, user name/operator id, or formal name(this view is not for you)

• Users can add columns, create joins, develop where clauses, group by, sort, and customize data, etc

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RECAP OF 101 – WHAT IS VISTA VIEWS CONTINUED

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• Custom views, pre-defined tables, security settings, and other important features (joins, where clauses, group by, sort, compute, syntax preview)

Data Tables – Holds data on students, applicants, inquires, etc

Code Tables – Hold the various user-defined code tables for your institution

System Views – Hold any system-defined views which are currently on the system

User Views – Hold any views that you have created

System Tables – Holds the various system tables which are currently on the system

Where clauses filter data. Some examples include:

•Defining a specific year, term, and/or session

•Defining a specific program, degree, and/or curriculum

•Separating enrolled from withdrawn students

•Eliminating non-credited students from results

Group By is a feature used to group data. Examples include:

•Displaying the number of classes a student is taking

•Displaying the number of terms a student has been enrolled in

Compute allows the user to:

•Customize reports for requestor’s use, personal use, or meeting other reporting needs by

• Manipulate strings• Perform mathematical computations • Working with null values

Rows can be unique by clicking Distinct

Syntax tab allows the user to edit the SQL syntax directly (System Administrator Role)

Preview shows results from the SQL syntax tab

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

• Joins are needed when selecting more than one table

• Tables need to relate to each other in order for syntax to run successfully

• Joins help to relate tables to one another• Three types of joins can be created• Equal Join• Right Outer Join• Left Outer Join

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VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Illustration – Equal Join

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All of the matching records from Table A and Table B

Equal Join = A&B intersected

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Example – Equal Join

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Table A = PeopleTable B = Telecommunications

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Illustration – Right Outer Join

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All of the records from Table B and all the records from Table A that match Table B

Right Join = Table B + (A&B) intersected

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Example – Right Outer Join

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Table A = PeopleTable B = Telecommunications

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Illustration – Left Outer Join

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All of the records from Table A and all the records from Table B that match Table A

Left Join = Table A + (A&B) intersected

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Example – Left Outer Join

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Where clause is the same as the example for the Equal Join and Right Outer Join

Table A = PeopleTable B = Telecommunications

VISTA VIEWS 102 - JOINS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONT.

Overall Results

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Inner Joins Results

Equal Join 862

Right Outer Join 302651

Left Outer Join 938

• Equal join results include students from the People Table that have alternative email addresses

• Right join results have all the students from the Telecommunications that have alternative email addresses and those students in common with both tables (Telecommunications and People)

• Left join results include all students from the People table with or without an alternative email address

Phone, Address, Demographics and IPEDS Ethnicity

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – TROUBLE JOINING TABLES? QUICK ACCESS SLIDE

Education

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – TROUBLE JOINING TABLES? QUICK ACCESS SLIDE CONT.

GPA’s and Credits

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – TROUBLE JOINING TABLES? QUICK ACCESS SLIDE CONT.

VISTA VIEWS 102 – CHANGES IN JOIN TAB

• Join tab changes start with PowerCampus version 8.4 and higher

• Joins are between Tables as opposed to Tables and Columns

• Left Outer, Right Outer, and Equal Joins can be set up between Tables• Columns will have to be set up for Left and Right Outer Joins• Equal Joins are Cross Joins instead of Inner Joins (Cross Joins act

like an Inner Joins with a Where Clause)

• Filters have been added for Outer Join Tables. “And” is given for all filters

• Syntax for Vista Views are now written in new SQL. Square brackets are used to differentiate between Tables, Columns, and custom column names

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – CHANGES IN JOIN TAB CONT.

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – CHANGES IN SYNTAX

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – MODIFICATIONS

Case When Examples – Undergraduate Population

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – MODIFICATIONS CONT.

Left, Right, and Substring Examples

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VISTA VIEWS 102 – USEFUL WEB RESOURCES FOR MODIFICATIONS

Websites:

Stackover flow - http://stackoverflow.com/

Sql Server Helper - http://www.sql-server-helper.com/default.aspx

Microsoft Developer Network - http://msdn.microsoft.com/library

W3schools - http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp

Google – http://www.google.com (your problem sql or sql your problem)

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VISTA VIEWS 102 - REFERENCES

• PowerCampus Vista User Guide Release 8.1, June 2012

• PowerCampus Release Guide Release 8.4, November 2013

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VISTA VIEWS 102 - DISCUSSION

Questions/Comments Contact Information

Name: Anthony Williams

Title: Dir. Institutional Research

College: Metropolitan College of New York

Email: awilliams@mcny.edu

Office #: 212-343-1234 ext 2830

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