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[CLOSED] Self Service Application vs Guided Adhoc
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Master
posted
Can someone guide me with differences between Self Service Application and Guided Adhoc application?

I have done multiple adhoc interfaces with lot of dropdowns, check boxes, radio buttons, list boxes etc.

What exactly is a self service application?
Please guide me through some documentation

Thanks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Kathryn Henning>,


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Posts: 484 | Registered: February 03, 2009Report This Post
Virtuoso
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A self service application is like : Info Assist where users normally have access to the master file (or cluster or business views) and are "free" to play with fields, print, sum, join, etc (when no DB security applied).

A guided ad-hoc, will be more "controlled" because you will only give user access to fields that you want (same as accessing a reporting object). You can also control the print, sum, where clause, join, etc; what you're normally don't with self service (except if you've created "controlled" cluster or business view).


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
 
Posts: 2409 | Location: Montreal Area, Qc, CA | Registered: September 25, 2013Report This Post
Master
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by MartinY:
A self service application is like : Info Assist where users normally have access to the master file (or cluster or business views) and are "free" to play with fields, print, sum, join, etc (when no DB security applied).

A guided ad-hoc, will be more "controlled" because you will only give user access to fields that you want (same as accessing a reporting object). You can also control the print, sum, where clause, join, etc; what you're normally don't with self service (except if you've created "controlled" cluster or business view).


at my client...there are around 50 tables in different business areas and around 400 columns (fields). they want only one self service application for the whole thing. building front end seems to be ok but how do i develop back end (report or fex file) for this? please suggest any starting point? how can a query be built on fly based on what user selects? (fields, filters etc)?

yes, Self service app seems to be like info assist but again in infoassist, we build the reporting object abd that has all the fields and users see those fields and play with them..but how do we start building a self service app?


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Virtuoso
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Here is a tutorial on how to built a guided ad-hoc (gah):

Guided Ad-hoc part 1
Guided Ad-hoc part 2

Using this solution, one gah will have to be develop per table but you can add "security" (limit what they see and access: fieds and records) and WHERE clauses without having to include db security feature.

If users wants to be able to access the whole 50 tables as they want with only one application, you probably should go with InfoAssist (IA), have built business views (bv) (or reporting objects (ro)) on each tables and have IA access to these bv/ro only. But you won't be able to limit access without db security: it's gonna be a self service. So users will choose what they want.

Another way to build gah, it's to create them yourself by coding the fex and html, but it's a longer way and cannot be describe here. Similar to above gah but done manually. One advantage of that solution is that Multilanguage can be managed, which is not possible with gah as shown above because it will only kept default language as for field's title.

Using this solution you can create a parameter where first of all, the user will have to select the table he want. Then generates available fields list he can choose from. In other words, build a gah but where the first parameter is the table's name. You can then display fields and WHERE according to that table. It's not going to be simple, but it's feasible.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MartinY,


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
 
Posts: 2409 | Location: Montreal Area, Qc, CA | Registered: September 25, 2013Report This Post
Master
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by MartinY:
Here is a tutorial on how to built a guided ad-hoc (gah):

Guided Ad-hoc part 1
Guided Ad-hoc part 2

Using this solution, one gah will have to be develop per table but you can add "security" (limit what they see and access: fieds and records) and WHERE clauses without having to include db security feature.

If users wants to be able to access the whole 50 tables as they want with only one application, you probably should go with InfoAssist (IA), have built business views (bv) (or reporting objects (ro)) on each tables and have IA access to these bv/ro only. But you won't be able to limit access without db security: it's gonna be a self service. So users will choose what they want.

Another way to build gah, it's to create them yourself by coding the fex and html, but it's a longer way and cannot be describe here. Similar to above gah but done manually. One advantage of that solution is that Multilanguage can be managed, which is not possible with gah as shown above because it will only kept default language as for field's title.

Using this solution you can create a parameter where first of all, the user will have to select the table he want. Then generates available fields list he can choose from. In other words, build a gah but where the first parameter is the table's name. You can then display fields and WHERE according to that table. It's not going to be simple, but it's feasible.


thanks for the detailed reply martin. security is not an issue as its not needed. they don't have license for infoassist, so they want to build a self service app manually using webfocus, that seems to be the problem and im not sure where to start..


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Guru
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Enigma006,

You can create a single Launch Page that allows the users to select the business area / tables they want to report on. Once they select an area you then send them to another HTML page that is more specific to their request. This HTML page can then either send them to another HTML page based on selection , or you can build an HTML page that allows them to create their report. This HTML page can have a group of dropdown lists of fields, filters, comparisons etc


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Posts: 398 | Registered: February 04, 2008Report This Post
Virtuoso
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So you should build an HTML page (everything can be in one single page) that has a list of area/table to select from that will populate other controls with the list of by/sum/print/filters/etc fields based on selection made from that area/table list.


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
 
Posts: 2409 | Location: Montreal Area, Qc, CA | Registered: September 25, 2013Report This Post
Master
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by MartinY:
So you should build an HTML page (everything can be in one single page) that has a list of area/table to select from that will populate other controls with the list of by/sum/print/filters/etc fields based on selection made from that area/table list.


martin, this is not what i want. this is what i suggested..they want a huge double list box control with all fields from all business areas..its like 500 fields...and may be 15 filters...based on tables and filters they select, query gets built on fly from around 50 tables...i said this is not good for reporting.


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Posts: 484 | Registered: February 03, 2009Report This Post
Master
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by RSquared:
Enigma006,

You can create a single Launch Page that allows the users to select the business area / tables they want to report on. Once they select an area you then send them to another HTML page that is more specific to their request. This HTML page can then either send them to another HTML page based on selection , or you can build an HTML page that allows them to create their report. This HTML page can have a group of dropdown lists of fields, filters, comparisons etc


srquared, this is same thing where business areas are split...they want all data in once place...they want a huge list box with all fields from all business areas..its like 500 fields...and may be 15 filters...based on tables and filters they select, query gets built on fly from around 50 tables...i said this is not good for reporting.


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Posts: 484 | Registered: February 03, 2009Report This Post
Guru
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Enigma009,

I have a couple of questions for you.
1. How many fields do they want on any one report?
2. How many 'By' fields ?
3. Can you give them a dropdown of which Tables / Joined Tables to select from?

You can create an HTML page with a very large number of dropdowns that contain the different information. IE a list of Tables, a list of fields - repeated a number of times, etc.


WF 7.6.11
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Windows NT-5.2 x86 32bit
 
Posts: 398 | Registered: February 04, 2008Report This Post
Virtuoso
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Your users cannot have a list of all existing fields from 50 tables and think that they can build a report by selecting any of them...it needs relationship between tables prior to execute a query on the data. I don't have to make you that understand, you know it :-)

Maybe there is only a misunderstanding of the need. I think that your next goal it's to make them understand the issue of what they are asking. They are asking you to mix fruits and vegetables :-)

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

You may should contact your IBI salesrep and have this person speak with your users. It could be a good approach to make them understand. Otherwise, solution describe above is the only way : first select table, then populate available fields...

Good luck Wink


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
 
Posts: 2409 | Location: Montreal Area, Qc, CA | Registered: September 25, 2013Report This Post
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