Defining the Data Sources

Owned by Nicolás Palombo (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 03 Nov, 2008Version comment
5 min read
Unknown macro: {scrollbar}

Through the definition of Data Sources it can be established where the data to measure the performance of indicators will be captured from.

Adding a new data source

Indicators can obtain values from different data sources. When prototyping it is also possible to define its values manually.
An indicator can have several associated data sources.

To add a new data source, follow these steps:

  1. Select the indicator to which you wish to add a new data source and display the menu with the right button of the mouse.
  2. Choose the data source option from the menu so that it will be added.
  3. Select the source and define its properties

Deleting Data Sources

When deleting a data source, the view associated to the data source is also eliminated.

To delete a data source:

  1. Select the data source to delete
  2. Right-click the data source and choose Delete.

Using the clipboard to copy and paste data sources

To copy an element to the clipboard you must choose the Copy option from the right-click drop-down menu, once the element you wish to copy has been selected.

To paste an element from the clipboard you must choose the Paste option from the right-click drop-down menu on the element below the one you wish to paste the clipboard's contents.

You may also copy an element. In order to do so, hold the CTRL key down while the element is dragged with the mouse to the destination location.

Properties of the "General" tab

A name is entered to identify the data source and its description.

Properties of the "Detail" tab

The data sources associated to the indicators are Ideasoft O3 views. Through the association of views to the indicator we can easily relate one dimension of the cube to the indicator's concept and if necessary, another one to the filter.

To do so, both dimensions must be placed as rows (if a view in table mode is taken as reference), or on the series axis if you have some kind of graph.

The measures in the view are connected with some of the parameters used in the calculation of the indicator. For instance, a measure can determine the value of the indicator while another one determines the goal you wish to reach. If necessary, a third measure may be related to the tolerance defined for the indicator.

Besides measures, it is also possible to relate calculated columns defined by the user, to the parameters used in the calculation of the indicator. This gives you more flexibility, as we not only may choose between the measures offered by the cube, but we can also use calculations based on them to define the value associated to an indicator.

Once the view with the dimensions and measures you wish to relate to the parameters of the indicator is defined, you should click on the "Capture View" button in the Details pane and then make the relation between the indicator and the data captured from the Ideasoft O3 view explicit. To do so you select the desired element from the list offered in the "Name" column in the Dimensions table and in the "Method Parameters" in the measures table respectively.

It is possible to associate more than a data source to each indicator. This may be necessary to define an indicator whose possible values are provided by different cubes. In the case that two or more data sources provide values for the same element in the indicator, only the value provided by the first data source associated to the indicator will be taken into account.


To sum up, the data that must be defined in this pane is:

  • Cube's URL: It contains the name of the cube corresponding to the view used to define the indicator. The Open button lets you define this association.
  • "Dimensions" Table: Dimensions are associated with the concept and the filter in this table.
  • "Measures" Table: It enables the association of measures present in the view with the parameters of the calculation method of the indicator.

The "Go to View" button lets you open the cube and position yourself on the chosen view, once the indicator has been defined.

The "Capture View" button lets you capture the data shown in the view to establish the associations with the parameters of the indicator, that is, concept, filter, goal, value, etc.

Associating a View to a Data Source

To associate a view as a data source, the following steps must be taken.

  1. Define the URL of the desired cube, by pressing the "Open" button associated to the "Cube URL" field. As a result, a new window containing the specified cube is opened.
  2. Drill the cube to the desired view according to the considerations seen in the previous paragraph. That is that the dimensions you wish to associate to the concept and filter of the indicator are on the series axis and the measures you wish to associate to the method parameters are on the X-axis.
  3. Go back to O3 Scorecard Editor window and capture the view. When performing this action the lists associated to the "Dimensions " and " Measures" table in the "Detail" paneare loaded.
  4. Link the dimension to the Concept and Filter if necessary by choosing them from the "Name" column in the "Dimensions" table.
  5. Link the measures to the parameters of the calculation method, by choosing them from the "Measure" column in the "Measures" Table.
Unknown macro: {scrollbar}