Data Templates

Templates provide the ability to create document templates that can be used automatically when exporting data from the system. Any predefined templates are provided to the user as an option when exporting the data rather than just viewing the raw results.

Data Template Features

Templates work against all data exports from the system. These include exporting the data of any Entity Type (including Custom Entities), and any SQL Wrapper.

Currently the system supports the following types of data templates:

  • Excel

Whenever you have setup a Data Template you can mark what it is a template for; An Entity Type or SQL Wrapper.
The system will then provide the user with an option whenever they export data from that source to open it with any pre-configured template, or to just open the raw data.

Tip

Because Templates also work against SQL Wrappers, they essentially work against anything that has an underlying SQL Wrapper as well, such as Charts, Pivots, and Datasets too.

Excel

The excel template enables you to quickly and efficiently create powerful templates that can perform analysis, pivots, reconciliations, etc all automatically from your exported data.

All exports into excel are done with named ranges. The following named ranges are inserted into excel covering the data being exported:

  • HeaderAll:
    Encapsulates all the header column cells
  • Data_XXX
    For each XXX column being exported, the system will encapsulate that column of data (excluding the header cells) with the named range Data_XXX
  • DataAll
    Encapsulates all the data columns in one named range, again excluding the header cells
  • HeaderDataAll
    Encapsulates all the header and data cells in one named range for all the exported data

The best place to start in order to create an Excel Template, is simply to export some data into Excel from he system to start with as this will give you something to build a template from.
You can then simply create as many new excel sheets as you like, and base your analysis, report, pivots, etc off the named ranges the data was exported into. The named ranges are far more powerful than just using cell references as the named ranges provide the following benefits:

  • Your template is resistant to changes in the source data.
    For instance columns moving order, or the addition of columns, etc wont affect your template as it refers to the name range of the data it wants about and doesn't care where it is.
  • You don't need to care about how many rows are returned, the named range automatically covers that, so by just using the named range in your pivot/etc it contains all the data regardless of how many rows are returned
Note

You can create as many different sheets as you like referring to the data source named ranges and any other data you want to include in the template itself. You can even include formulas that get data from other systems in order to perform automatic reconciliations.

Once you've created your template you can simply save the file as an XLS excel file for your template to be complete. If you like you can also delete the original data so it's not included in the template itself.

Tip

When you create a Data Template in the platform you can load that excel template into it, and you're done! Whenever you export that type of data again the system will automatically provide you with the option to export as raw data into excel, or into the template you just created (or any other templates). In that seamless process users can simply export, select the template and their done.

Views

Data Templates are managed through the following views: