The User Data Source option allows users, with the relevant permissions, to upload and configure their own Data Sources from CSV and Excel files.

To access the User Data Source functionality, click Data Source.

This will display all currently uploaded User Data Sources, with the Refresh button available to display any changes made to the underlying structures.

Creating a New Data Source

Click New Data Source to start the process.

There are multiple steps to complete. When all options for a step have been completed, click the Next button. To return to a previous step, click the Back button.

1. Select Data Source

In this step, the data will be uploaded and the build process specified.

Click Choose File to open the file browser, where the CSV or XLSX file can be selected. 

If a CSV file has been selected, specify the Delimiter and Text Qualifier using the relevant textbox.

If an XLSX file with multiple sheets has been selected, specify the sheet number using the Sheet textbox.

The Build Type options relate to when the Index is refreshed to account for any changes.

Selecting the Complete option will result in all items in a Data Source being re-Indexed. Once complete, a new version number is applied to the Index. Each run completely refreshes the Index.

Building an Incremental Index enables an optimised refresh process when rebuilding Indexes to account for any changes. Rather than rebuilding the entire Index, only data that has been modified or added will be processed.

To set the contents of the first row as the column headings in the resulting output, enable the Use First Row as Header option.

Use the Add to Search Engine drop-down list to select a Search Engine the new Data Source will be added to once configured.

2. Select Columns

Now the columns have been mapped, the unnecessary columns can now be removed from the output.

Deselect the checkbox above the columns that are not required. Only columns with the above checkbox enabled will be imported.

3. Rename Columns

The imported columns can now be renamed.

Enter the new name, if required, in the textbox next to the original column name.

4. Field Types

To ensure the data is imported correctly, the data type must be correctly configured for each column.

Next to each field, a Type drop-down list is available. While the data type is detected automatically, the following options are available for conversion:

Data Type Conversion

Use the Data Type Conversion options to convert individual fields to a number of different formats.

The Force Date Field, Force Number Field and Force Text Field options will change how the field is recognised in other functionality areas, while the Timestamp option will attempt to convert the contents of the field into a time field matching the format selected in the subsequently available format drop-down list. 

If a number or date type is selected, specify the format using the relevant drop-down list under in the Format column.

Strings

The Strings options allow string values to be systematically modified to enforce consistency across the source data.

The HTML Field option will convert the field into HTML format, while the JSON option will output the data in JavaScript Object Notation format. These options are especially useful when reporting requirements dictate a specific data format.

Selecting Literal will import the field without removing any leading or trailing spaces.

Modify the presentation using the Lower Case option to display contents in lower case, the Proper Case option to display fields with the first letter of every word capitalised, the Remove Spaces option to delete spaces between words or the Upper Case option to display contents in upper case.

Obfuscation

Using the Obfuscation options allow selected fields to be obscured, preventing individual records from being identifiable.

The Anonymise option will number fields to obscure the original field names, while the Dual MD5, Dual SHA-2, Dual SHA-3, MD5, SHA-2 and SHA-3 options will hash or double hash the fields to suit individual security requirements.

Third Party

The Third Party options allow the conversion to a number of supported data types.

The JD Edwards Date CYYDDDD (Century, Year, Day of Year) and JD Edwards Date CYYMMDD (Century, Year, Month, Day of Month) options provide conversion to the J.D Edwards format of recording dates and the MS Excel Date Serial Number option will convert date fields to the sequential serial number used in Microsoft Excel to retain compatibility with Excel calculations.

The SQL Latin 1 General CP1 CI AS Numeric option will convert the fields into a SQL collation string using Latin rules, code page 1, case insensitive and accent sensitive string.

5. Advanced

Use the Options drop-down list to access the available settings.

Metadata

Specify a Description that will be visible to those who have access to the report, and specify the Count Description to customise the wording displayed on the Home screen for the number of contained documents.

Dates

Selecting Dates will present all of the specified date fields and the options to split individual parts of a date field into separate fields.

Use the Split Column drop-down list for the relevant field to select an individual component of the date field. Make note of the Format column, where the available components for each date field are detailed.

Selecting a field from the Split Column drop-down list will create a number of fields depending on the original field format and the option selected. The new fields are detailed below, and can be renamed by editing the relevant textbox in the Field column. To delete new fields, click the X icon next to the first field of the format

Total Fields

Specify the fields that will be used as totals by enabling the checkbox next to the relevant field in the Total column.

Crosstab Field

Specify the fields to exclude from the Crosstab and Venn diagram functionality by enabling the checkbox next to the relevant field in the Exclude column.

Managing Created Data Sources

Created Data Sources are displayed with a number of options used to maintain and modify the data made available to users.

Below the Options column, click the Advanced Options icon to reveal the options available in Step 5 of the creation process. Use the Options drop-down list to configure the key areas of the Data Source and click Save to save the selections made, or click Cancel to discard changes.

To apply any changes made to a Data Source, Click the Run icon. This will ensure any further configuration is applied to the underlying data. Click the Refresh button to monitor the build progress found in the Status column. Note that each build will update the number displayed in the Version column.

To revisit the complete configuration options, click the Edit icon. Once every step has been completed, the build will automatically be refreshed to apply the changes made.

To delete a Data Source, click the Remove icon. This will permanently remove all reports and associated data.