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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. Each field originally selected will initially be unattached. The process of adding columns to the view requires that metadata be applied. Drag columns from the unattached table list to the folders you wish to apply them to.
  2. Fields are categorised into folders. These folders are related to the view category. The purpose of this is to assist end users to find the columns they require. Columns displayed in the list provide some indication of their metadata, such as; hierarchies, dimensions or metrics, and business name.
  3. Click the edit category link to create or delete categories for the current view type.
  4. On the field edit section a set of tabs provides reference to the metadata and business logic you can apply.
  5. The definition tab allows you to change the Business Name and Description of the column, as well as setting it to metric/dimension and active/draft.

Define View 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 be able to differentiate the fields during import and export processes.

Field Meta Data

Each field has to be defined in your view prior to it being used for report generation. Some of the field information is automatically loaded into the field list from the database but additional information is required.

  1. Once a field has been added into the main folder section double click the field name to open the edit tabs.
  2. Give the field a business name – this is the name displayed on the report.
  3. Add the field to a category – this is used on the report data page to group fields into logical groups. If you need new groups click the edit category link.
  4. Determine the type of field that it is – dimension or measure. Yellowfin will automatically allocate a type based on the type of field that the column is in the database. For example if the field is a numeric then Yellowfin will default the meta-data type to a metric.