Prepare

Overview

Once a view has been defined either through the View Builder, SQL clause or straight from the database you will need to define the field definitions and apply business metadata to them.

1. View name: The view name displayed here can be edited by double-clicking on the text.
2. Table Fields column: This column won't appear by default, but is easy to access (via the Create tool — see item 10 in this list). Each field originally selected will initially be unattached. The process of adding fields to the view requires that metadata be applied. Drag fields from the Table Fields column to the folders in the View Fields column to place them appropriately for your view.
3. View Fields column: Fields are grouped into folders. This helps end users find the fields they require, and lets you group fields according to business logic instead of database logic. Fields displayed in the list provide some indication of their metadata, such as; hierarchies, dimensions or metrics, and business name.
4. Field Name column: Each time you add a field to the View Fields column, it will be added as a Field Name column here, along with some sample data below it. Click on the field name to rename it.
5. Profiling bar: The profiling bar displays a histogram of the data profiling result. Clicking on this will open the data profile panel on the right of the screen. See Data Profiling for more information.
6. Folder bar: The blue heading bar displays the name of the field folder the fields are grouped into.
7. View toolbar: The view toolbar contains additional settings via tools for full control over view access, automation and more (see the section below called Navigate the view toolbar). 
8. Data Profile panel: The Data Profile panel shows a full breakdown of the profiling applied to the selected field. See Data Profiling for more information.
9. Toggle tool : Clicking on this tool lets you toggle the display of field and table names between database names and business names.
10. Create tool : Clicking on this tool to display a menu with a number of field-related options to choose from (see the section below called Navigate the Create tool).

11. Preview options bar: The options on this bar let you control how to preview data on the Prepare step. Note that this does not mean these changes are saved. The options are:

    • Raw Data toggle: If toggled on, this displays the data as it would have been returned from the database. If toggled off, data is displayed with any additional formatting applied within the view.
    • Auto Refresh toggle: Toggle this on to automatically refresh the preview panel as changes are made to the view set up, such as adding or removing columns.
    • Rows field: Type the number of rows to be previewed into this text field.
    • Refresh Preview link: If auto refresh is disabled, click on this to refresh the view data manually.

Navigate the view toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the screen contains access to a variety of settings that you should explore before publishing your view. See the table below for further information about each item on the toolbar

Navigate the Create tool

The Create tool contains a number of options relating to field characteristics such as formats, field calculations and more. See the table below for more information.

Add Fields

A major process of setting up a new view and creating meta data is column definition. Using Yellowfin you can give columns sourced from your database business terminology or create new columns derived from data included in the view. This section includes information on managing and updating the columns included in your view.

Making Fields Available for Reporting

Unattached fields are grouped into their source table folders in the Unattached Field list. Click on the field name and drag it into the appropriate folder.

Note: You can add the same field multiple times into your view. This is useful if you wish to use the same field in multiple hierarchies or with different formatting applied.

If you do add the same field multiple times, ensure that the business descriptions are unique, since Yellowfin needs to differentiate the fields during import and export processes.

Removing Fields

Fields can be removed from the view by dragging them from a folder into and area that doesn't accept fields. You will know your fields are about to be removed as an orange message is displayed below them.

Field Folders

Fields are categorized to help business users better understand the context of the field that they are adding to a report. Categorization lets you, for example, group columns into particular subject areas.

Add/Edit Folders

You can add existing folders into the view or create brand new ones. You can also move folders around using this dialog box.

In the following steps, make sure you have loaded Yellowfin and have enough access to edit a view. Make sure it's a test view, such as one you've already copied, to avoid any accidental changes that might affect dependent content.

1. Open a view in the View Builder and click on the Prepare tab
2. Click on the Create tool in the bottom left of the screen to display a menu
   
3. Select the Add/Edit Folders menu option to display the Field Folders dialog box
   Here, you can choose from preselected names for field types from the dropdown menu, or manually add your own, which is what we'll do
   
4. Click on the Add Field Folder link
5. Type Test Folder in the empty field
   
6. Click on the Add button to add the new folder to the bottom of the list of field folders
7. Scroll down the list to see your new folder and hover over its burger bun
8. Drag Test Folder up one or two folders in the list and release it
9. Click on the red cross to delete Test Folder
10. Repeat the steps above to once again add a folder called Test Folder
11. Click on the Submit button to close the dialog box
    Your new folder will appear in the list of field folders
    
    You can now drag table fields into your test folder

Field Display Order

You can modify the display order of fields for the Report Builder from the View Builder. Do to so, in the View Builder, click on a field and drag it above or below the other fields, or to a different folder. 

Note: If you are moving a field below a hierarchy of fields then a single move up or down will move the field past the entire hierarchy, not just a single field.

Navigate the field dropdown menu

Each field in the view has a dropdown menu with access to a range of options related to it. This menu can be accessed via two methods:

The options available will depend on the type of field that has been selected. Options you may see are listed in the table below.