Overview

Introduction : Data Connections and Data Sources

Alpana Designer allows to access your data by providing a variety of Connection types. Once the appropriate credentials are validated, you will be able to navigate the data structure and retrieve the raw data.

Now, in order to feed your Dashboard with data, you will need to choose what data table from your Connection will become a Data Source.

In a basic workflow, this is enough. However, Alpana Designer lets you compose more complex preparation on your data when needed. For example, you can join tables together, including from multiple Connections (new in v2.0!), filter data, create Expressions, …

Connections

What is a Connection

The Connection represents how you access the data :

  • the Connection type, e.g. : Wonderware Historian, SQL Server, Excel, …
  • for server-based Connections : the server address
  • for file-based Connections : the file address
  • the necessary credentials : authentication mode, user name, password

Note

For a complete list of supported Connection types, please check the Connecting to Data section.

How Connections are managed in Alpana Designer

In Alpana Designer, you can :

  • [Create a Connection]
  • [Edit a Connection] to modify one of its parameters
  • [Delete a Connection] to remove it from the current Dashboard

Data Sources

What is a Data Source

The Data Source is a representation of your data that you prepared from your created Connection(s). It’s what your Widgets (and your Dashboard) see.

A Data Source can be created by adding one or more element from one or more Connection(s) and joining them together :

  • a data Table
  • a data View
  • a Stored Procedure
  • a Custom Query (new in v2.0 !)

On top of that, further data preparation can be made :

  • [hiding or renaming columns] to simplify the Data Source usage
  • [filtering] the Data Source to limit the data
  • [creating Expressions] in order to make more complex calculations

How Data Sources are managed in Alpana

In Alpana Designer, you can :

  • [Create a Data Source]
  • [Edit a Data Source] to adjust what data your Dashboard will see
  • [Delete a Data Source] to remove it from the current Dashboard
  • [Duplicate a Data Source] to start working on a copy
  • [Export a Data Source to a file] for sharing locally
  • [Publish a Data Source to Alpana Server] for sharing remotely

Next Steps

When your Data Source is prepared, you are ready to bind it to a Widget.