February 11-13
Raleigh, NC
Introduction to Informer 5
Pre Conference Training
Welcome to Informer 5
New Concept in Informer 5 - Dataset
Can I use Ad-hoc queries?
➢Of course you can
➢For Run-time reports only
➢Dashboards/Comparison boards are not built from ad-hoc queries
➢You can schedule ad-hoc queries
➢Imported Informer 4 reports come in as ad-hoc queries in Informer 5
Advantages of using Datasets?
➢Performance on the database
➢One Source of Truth
➢Over select data to use for multiple Reports
➢Use to feed data into Dashboards/Comparison boards
Let’s Get Started
Home Page Navigation
• Newsfeed - Allows users see the
actions taken with objects they
own.
• Pins - Informer allows users to
customize their front page by
pinning Reports and dashboards to
it.
• Overall search to find Datasources, Mappings, Datasets, or
Reports
• User Profile – Set up personal preferences
• Navigation – Use to move between objects in Informer
Datasets
• All Items- All Datasets user
have access to
• Folders – Datasets can only
belong to one folder
• Personal – Datasets created
by user that is logged in
• Datasources- will list all
Datasources and associated
Datasets
• Tags- a Dataset can have
more than one tag
Datasets (Continued)
Data
Pivot Table
Discover
Visuals
Sharing
Jobs
Comments
Settings
3 Dots = Actions
Column Edit Options• Format – Change formatting of Column
• Hide – hide column from results screen
• Remove – remove column from Dataset
• Change Field Alias- alias’ are used in calculated columns and powerscripts to reference
those columns. Changing the field alias gives is a more user friendly name.
• Group- group by field (Date fields will give you options to group by Year, Month, Date,
etc.)
• Aggregates – Aggregate that column to create Totals, Max, Min or Count
• Change Data Type
• Date/Time Format – change the date/time format
• Move – move columns in the Dataset
• Sort – sort by column
• Pin – Pin column to the right or left to allow scrolling other columns and leaving
column pinned
• Show Field Alias – displays the field alias below column header
• Remove Hidden Fields – you can remove hidden fields completely from dataset display
(they will not show up greyed out)
• Manage Fields – Gives you a view of all fields in dataset and allows you to change
column name, field alias and data types
Edit Datasets – Adding fields
When adding data fields, users
can create links that do not
exist in the mappings. Only
users with certain roles will
have access to build links from
this page.
• Click the + sign next to Fields to Add fields to Dataset
• It shows the table you started the dataset with in addition to all links tables. Click on the name of
table to get fields from that table. Use the search to help find fields
• Use the magnifying glass (sample) to view data in that field
Edit Datasets – Managing fields
➢ View Code – Gives you the SQL/U2 code for the query
➢ Remove all Fields – Removes all fields at once from the dataset
➢ Manage Fields – allows you to change column name, alias and data
type in bulk or delete multiple fields at a time
➢ Remove all flow steps – Removes all flow steps from the dataset
➢ Clear Field Settings – if you have made any changes to the format of
the columns, this will set them back
Edit Datasets - Criteria
Type of Criteria
• Field – Use this if you are comparing a field value with another field value
• Value – Enter in a static value –each time the Dataset runs, it will use this value in the query
• Inputs – Use Inputs as a prompt value for the Dataset or as a prompt to use in a Power Script.
• Datasets will be set to run on a Job, so the inputs will need to have a default value for Datasets to update
Edit Datasets – DATE Criteria
• Click on ? to get a list of date keyword to use in criteria
• Date keywords are case sensitive
• Use date keywords to automate processes in
conjunction with Jobs (For Example: You can refresh a
dataset on the 1st of the month for the last 30 days)
ComPLEX criteria conditions
• Use grouped criteria using Match One of to create an OR statement
• Use a combination of conditions with static values and conditions with Inputs
• Remember not to limit your Dataset too much as Informer 5 allows for post query filters
INPUTSInputs can be used in criteria as a prompt for the Dataset or it can be referenced in a calculated column or
Power Script. Because most Datasets will be scheduled, there can be a default value set in the input. Below
are the different types of inputs:
➢ Autosuggest- Informer will autosuggest the values based on values in that
column in the Dataset
➢ Checkbox – creates a checkbox list of all values a specific column
➢ Chips – Entered values create chips instead of values separated by
commas, semi-colons, lines, etc.
➢ Date picker – gives the user a calendar prompt to choose value for a date
field
➢ Input box- Allows users to enter values separated by delimiters
➢ Number slider – create a number slider or the ability to choose the
number for criteria
➢ Radio Buttons – just like checkboxes but radio buttons
➢ Select Dropdown- values will be available in a dropdown list
➢ Switch – Use for Boolean fields – True/False criteria
INPUTS - Used in Criteria (DISTINCT VALUES)
• Using inputs in criteria allows you to have a prompt when running the Dataset or allows you to have a set
default value for a scheduled Job
• Create an Input by choosing Input in the criteria, then choose the type of input
For Example: Choose Distinct Values and it will give you the choice of Multi value
or Single value autosuggest or Checkboxes when it prompts. Distinct values brings
back all values in that field so you may not want to use it for a field that has a lot of
values.
INPUTS – Criteria (value label pairs)
• Works similar to a code file – allows you to chose the Value Fields and the
Label Field Name from the database
• When running the query, it will prompt and autosuggest with the Value
field(Customer) and the Label Field (CompanyName).
• Both of these fields have to be from the same mapping.
Using autosuggest will
prompt as you type and
checkbox will give you list
of checkbox options
INPUTS – Used in criteria (Input box)• Allows you to enter in text values separated by the delimiter of your choice
• Change the delimiter on the fly when you run the query
• Set a default value – if you choose not to require the value and don’t enter a value at run-time it will run
against the default
• Allow multiple or single value entries
Change the delimiter by
clicking on the type (ex.
comma)
INPUTS – Criteria (CHIPS)
• Chips are similar to Input Box, however they create chips for each value you enter
• You would not use this if you were copying and pasting values in a list of some sort
• Hit Enter after each value
INPUTS – Criteria (Dropdown & Radio Buttons)
Select Dropdown: Allows you to create your own code file so you don’t have to bring in all
values in the field.
Radio Buttons: Setup is the same but when running the query, you will see radio button
options instead of autosuggesting the values
You can choose how you want the
values to display. In this example,
you choose the label but it will
run the query against the value.
Inputs values can also be used in a powerscript flowstep
Inputs – Used in Powerscripts
Go to Inputs and create the Input of your choice
You can manually enter the input alias
or you can click on the $ icon on the
right side panel to add to the
Powerscript.
When refreshing the dataset, you will need select Change Inputs to change the value. With Ad-Hoc
queries, it will prompt you each time the query is run.
Inputs – Used in Powerscripts
When you run the query, it will
prompt you for the value of the Input
and then run it through the
Powerscript and return the results
Flow Steps – Add Value to your Data• Use flow steps to add data to your Dataset that does not live in the
database
• Use flow steps to pull data from other data sources
• Use flow steps to clean data, merge duplicates, and normalize multi-value
data
• Use flow steps to create calculations like percent of total or location
coordinates
• Using Powerscript allows you to create multiple calculated columns in
one script and allows you to reference the new columns within the same
script
Modifying Dataset with Filters
Post Query Filters
3 Ways to Create Post Query Filters
Use Drop Next to Column Header Start Typing Name of Column in Filter Click on + Filter to pick a field or a saved
filter
Saving and Modifying Filters
• Click on Actions (…) to bring up
options to modify filter
• Change Match all to any or none to
change the filter
• Click Configure to Exclude values
Click on + to add more
filters
Click on Save As to
save filters. This
will merge multiple
filters together
Apply saved filters by selecting the plus and
choosing the saved filter.
Actions and Exporting Data
• Click 3 Dots to get to Actions
• Assign Dataset to Tags or Move to Folders
from here
• Copy a Dataset
• Delete a Dataset
• Change Owner. When sharing a Dataset,
you may change the owner to the team
depending on who is allowed to edit.
• Benchmark – helps identify why a query
might be slow
• Create a Data View Report- creates a Data
View that is saved in the Reports area
• Create a data access token –Lets you create
an api token to allow access from external
applications
• Move to folder – moves dataset to folder
Pivot Tables
Choose Rows Choose Columns Choose Aggregates 3 Dots = Actions
Discover
Maximize Chart to full screen 3 Dots = Actions
• The order you click the
boxes changes how the
data is displayed
• Aggregate defaults to
count
• Defaults to top 10 values
• Chart rendered depends
on type of field chosen
Actions
• Download visual to
PNG,HTML,JPG,SVG
• Configure to change visual
settings
• Pin to Homepage to create
customized user page
Chart Type
Group By
Split By
Stacking
Add Filter
Use the above icons to make changes to visuals without
having to go into configuration
Configuring Visuals (Settings)
• Select Dataset – Choose Dataset
• Group By – Choose the field you want to group by
• Sort Groups By – choose your sorting
• Number of Groups – Defaults to 10, change to what you would
like to see on the chart
• Step – set the nth label – For example if you want the chart to
show every other label set it to 2
• Include Empty/Null items – defaults to not showing them
• Split By – Create a second grouping and split by a second field
• Number of sub-groups to show- set default split by grouping
number
• Zoom – set which axis you want to zoom in on
• Stacking
• Normal stacks the values to equal all totaled together
splitting by groups.
• Percent – creates a column of 100% and separates groups
based on the percent it represents of the whole group
• X-Axis Title – Name the X Axis
SETTINGS
CONFIGURING VISUALs (Series)
Series
• Create multiple series to compare different aggregates
• Per Group – totals amount per group set
• Overall – Creates a line for aggregate to compare to other
series
• Literal – choose a literal value (ex. Goal) to compare against
grouped value
Values
• Choose count or other delivered aggregate options(ex.
Total, Average, Min, Max)
• Choose Custom Expression in the Value field to create
other calculated amounts that are not given as choices.
Click question mark to give you examples.
Axis
• Add an additional axis if the numeric values for the series are
drastically different making the charts not display values.
Set Global Color Per
Value
Set Labels in
Visuals
Choose to have
labels display in-
line
Configuring Visuals (Axis and Legends)
Associate the correct axis with the
appropriate series
• Choose whether to show legend or not
• Float legend over chart
• Set alignment for placement of the legend
Axis 1 Axis 2
Configuring Visuals (Drilldowns)
• Enable users to view data
when drilling down
• Enable users to drill down
• Enable users to drill down on
all fields
• Enable users to drill down on
selected fields
• Users can choose to not
enable view data but enable
drill down for charting. In this
case, they will only see the
graphs but not the data
In this example, we chose not to enable data
view and choose specific fields to drill down on.
You can see the option to drill down on data is
not available.
Jobs
If you click on Jobs from the Dataset, it will display all Jobs scheduled from that Dataset. For
administration purposes, it gives you the status of the Jobs and which Datasets ran, failed, or are
scheduled for the future
Use Jobs to schedule Dataset refreshes or run Ad hoc queries. Add multiple actions to one Job to
automate business processes.
Jobs
To create a new Job, click
NEW JOB
To set your Dataset to refresh, add the
Dataset, and ensure to have the Refresh on
Job Run box checked
To Add a filter to your Dataset inside the
Job, click on the filter button, which will
open the filter options at the top of the
Dataset. This is useful if you want to
send a filtered set of data via a scheduled
email.
Filter
Jobs (Sending Emails)
Add Actions to a Job
➢ Add email to the To email
addresses
➢ Addresses will auto populate with
Informer users
➢ Change the From address
➢ Add attachments
➢ You can have more than one
Dataset in a Job allowing for
more than one attachment in an
➢ Attach a static file
➢ Upload Zip files
Click on the + to add aggregates to email
Customize Email Text with aggregates
Jobs (Sending Burst emails)Add a Burst Email Action
• Choose the email field to burst the data on
• Email can be a data field in the database or a calculated
column created in Informer
• Change From address from default
• Choose attachment of ‘User data only’ to separate
rows of data based on email address value
• Users can attach both User data and All data
• Modify email text with formatting options
• Add aggregate totals to email text if preferred
Jobs (FTP and SEND to FILE)
Enter FTP Settings to upload to FTP
Informer needs access to the FTP site
or network drive
Send to File system by entering
directory path
Settings to Enhance Jobs
➢ Append to a Dataset –adds data to Dataset each time it is refreshed – does not overwrite
data – good for archiving
➢ Timestamp – add a timestamp column to Dataset to reflect date of refresh
➢ Set data buffer size
Reports (Dashboards)
Add Saved Visuals Use Discover or create chart on the fly
Reports (comparison boards)
➢ Choose Dataset
➢ Choose Visuals
➢ Choose comparison
➢ Add as many visuals as
you want
➢ Add as many
comparisons as you
want
➢ Add Filters to saved
comparison board
➢ Add multiple Datasets
to one comparison
board
Comparison boards allow you to have an extra way to slice and dice your data and show
side by side comparisons. As an example, it is a great way to show year over year data.
Reports (Data View)
Users and Teams
•Define ownership
• Share content
•Control access to sensitive information
Users and Teams
Users
• Two types
• Normal
• Super User = Administrator equivalent
• Sources
• Local
• LDAP/Active Directory
• Copied into Informer
• SAML (SSO)
• External (Plugin)
Teams
Functional grouping of users
Sources
Local
LDAP/AD
Copied into Informer
External (plugin)
Members have a role
Membership Roles
Member
Designer
Data Wizard
Publisher
Admin
Roles
Member
• Consumers only
• Cannot create new content
• Can use Discover, Pivot Tables
Designer
• Create content from available Datasets
• Upload spreadsheets as Datasets
Data Wizard
• Create Datasets from Datasources
Publisher
• Share Team-owned content
• Edit Team-owned Datasets
Admin
• Manage Team Members
• Create Datasources
• Share Team-owned Datasources
Ownership & Sharing
• Ownership
• User or team can be owners
• Team ownership adds credibility
• User-owned = owner can modify owned content
• Team-owned = Role defines who can modify
• Sharing
• Can only share to Teams
• Role defines what User can do
• Read-only
Sharing Datasources & Restricted Fields
Sharing Datasources
• Sharing controls access for creating Datasets and Ad-hoc Queries
• Does not affect access to shared Datasets
• Control who sees Restricted Fields
Restricted Fields
• Control access to sensitive data
• Hides in query designer
• Note: Does not remove from Dataset until refreshed by restricted Teams
Access to Restricted Fields
Mapping sets
Define access to restricted fields in each set
Logical grouping of Mappings
Sharing Datasets
• Do not need access to underlying Datasource
• View all records or a filtered subset
Thank you! Any Questions?
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