On July 18, Syncfusion hosted a webinar entitled “Exploring Syncfusion’s Dashboard and Report Servers,” presented by Aaron Melamed and moderated by Marissa Outten. In this blog post, you will find the Q&A portion of the webinar. You may review a recording of the webinar on YouTube.
After creating a report with table wizard, how can you modify the column group or values of the table wizard?
Once the table is created with the wizard, those can be edited by selecting internal elements (cells).
How do you compare values from the current year and last year in the same widget?
We have included the ability to add computed columns to the dataset being viewed. You can use that as a source. You can also use the notion of current vs target that is available with several widgets (though not directly suitable for comparison to a past year, it can be used to compare against a desired target).
Does the Syncfusion Dashboard Designer have an import data mode like PowerBI? Or some DAX syntax?
We don’t have direct DAX-like support. We do have multiple options for import, like simple import using the data designer. Joins, filters, computed columns, etc., are supported directly. We also have a very powerful Data Integration Platform that can handle pretty much any import scenario. It can be found here.
How can I integrate Azure Active Directory B2C in Dashboard Server?
We can provide details through support. This is a first-class scenario for us. We use it internally, as do several customers.
“How many records can the Dashboard Designer handle from a SQL data source before needing to switch to a Big Data source?”.
You should be able to display several thousand detail rows. It depends on the client system and data connection, as well.
Does the Dashboard/Report Server work with predictive analytics results, e.g., PMML models?
Yes.
Is it possible for an authenticated user in my web application to access a dashboard without setting them up first in the Dashboard user manager?
We are still seeking this answer and will post it in a follow-up blog.
Is it possible to implement custom dashboard components?
Not yet.
Is it possible to “mix” the Report Server and the Dashboard Server?
They are hosted as separate instances.
Is there a timeline for implementing custom widgets?
We are still seeking this answer and will post it in a follow-up blog.
Does the web API data source support OAuth2 connections?
Yes, the web API data source supports OAuth2 connections for REST API-based sources.
Can I use a real-time stream as a data source?
The system relies on ANSI SQL queries to communicate with the back end. These are generated by the dashboard system. A real-time source that is compatible will work. Another option is to expose the data using web services.
Do dashboards automatically refresh and display the datastream as it comes in?
Yes, we have autorefresh settings for achieving this. It can be found here.
Do you support row level security based on user login?
This will work since the security context is shared with the back end. The back end ultimately enforces this.
Is it possible to email a copy of the report being viewed from the Report Viewer to myself?
Yes.
How do I email a copy of a report from the Report Viewer to myself?
The server interface allows for notification settings to be set.
Is it possible to deploy a report created with the Syncfusion designer to MS Report Server and vice versa?
Yes, the formats, with some minor differences, are compatible.
Can we ask for new widgets as polar (radar/spider) to be delivered within the application? Or any other type of charts?
Yes. We have at least four releases a year. We are always adding features.
What is the average time for including new widgets?
We are still seeking this answer and will post it in a follow-up blog.
You mentioned that the Report Dashboard can take data from sources besides databases. Can I, as a programmer, give the dashboard a dataset that I create in-memory?
Yes. You can expose a web service and make it work that way. Another option would be a SQL store that can be held in memory.
How do you apply a customer number or similar to a query for use in multitenant databases?
Please refer to this link for details on this and related scenarios. The key is the use of URL parameters. These can be understood by the system and used for filtering. Without creating a dashboard for each customer? This can be achieved through the user-based filter with which, after publishing the dashboard to server, only the records that meet the criteria set for a specific user will be viewed based on the logged-in user.
Will calculation functions like % total of column, % total of rows, and so on be available?
Yes. These are available.
Is this in the help, or where can we find them?
Yes, functions are documented in the help, which can be found here: help.syncfusion.com.
Are you planning to have a platform that we can use to see dashboards and reports together?
Yes, we are working on better integration.
How can I create a filter access where a sales person will see only their customers, but in the same dashboard as other sales managers?
We have the notion of group-based permission. Dashboards can be shared with specific groups.
How many servers, developers, and end users can we have in the community version?
There’s a five-developer limit. Please refer to the community license page for complete details.
Is it possible to integrate a specific dashboard using web services to embed the dashboard online in other solutions?
Yes.
Can we edit the grids and save data to a database?
No. The dashboard widgets are non-editable. This can be supported, however, programmatically (through Dashboard Platform SDK) through embedding a grid in a webpage and a dashboard in a separate div and establishing interaction between the grid and the widgets in the dashboard.
Can reports be integrated in dashboards?
They can be linked from dashboards with context.
Can you provide examples of advantages provided by your RDL editor and viewer components over the ones provided by Microsoft?
There aren’t many major technical differences. The key difference is licensing. With our solution, you get a free and clear distribution license. There is no requirement for your customers to license SQL Server or obtain CALs. Free and clear distribution.
Can a report act as a data source for a dashboard?
It should be possible. Ideally, the same data source should be used for both.
Is there a way to get these dashboards into an MVC application using the Report Viewer? We have Essential Studio® Enterprise Edition. Is the functionality being shown included with that edition?
You can directly display them using a browser from an MVC application. If you have Enterprise Edition, you have access to Dashboard, as well.
It sounds like we’re already licensed to use this. Where do I go to install the Report Server to my machine?
You can download the Report Server here. It’s easiest to download directly from the Report Platform product page.
Can you please explain how to design these dashboards in UWP?
Dashboards can be designed only through the Dashboard Designer. But the created dashboard can be embedded in UWP applications. Here is a sample walkthrough.
Can we move these dashboard widgets into a UWP app?
There is no design support within a UWP app. Designer is a standalone WPF app.
Can I use the same server (Virtual Machine) for the Dashboard and Reporting Servers?
Yes, if the server has enough resources, this should work.
Can I bind lists or collections from my MCV application to be used as a data source in my embedded reports? Or do I need to define a data source for the report always? Something like creating the data source on the fly.
Yes, this is supported directly.
Can we have designers embedded in an MVC application?
Designers in an MVC app will be coming later this year.
How can we edit axis names on a stacked column? I don’t see this option in Properties.
We are still seeking this answer and will post it in a follow-up blog.
Also, how can we edit the label names on a stacked column? I don’t see this option in Properties. I don’t want the (Distinct Count of ID) to show for every label.
We are still seeking this answer and will post it in a follow-up blog.
How can I use this with UWP?
Here is a sample walkthrough about its possibilities through Dashboard Platform SDK.
We’re already licensed to use UWP controls. How can we work with the Dashboard Server in UWP?
Dashboards can be displayed using WebView.
Does it support web API?
Yes.
Can I use Dashboard with Windows applications?
Yes. End-user dashboards are viewed using a browser. They can also be embedded in any Windows Application. Dashboard viewer is a web component so we can render that in any platform using a web view.
Can we share dashboards with roles with others?
We have groups in the Dashboard Server and you can make use of groups to share dashboards.
Can we apply alerts in dashboard?
Yes. The server supports this. This is possible through configuring alerts in Dashboard Server.