Business Views Page

The Business Views page enables you to create and manage business views.

To access
  1. On the masthead, click , then select Customize. The Project Customization page opens.
  2. In the Project Customization window, in the left pane, click Business Views.
See also Creating and Managing Business Views

User interface elements are described below:

UI Element

Description
Saves changes made in the Business Views page.

Opens the New View dialog box. Enter the following information:

  • Label. The name of the view which is used for identification purposes only. For example, in the Views tree, and when selecting views in the Analysis View module, views are listed according to their labels. You can change the label in the selected fields grid. For details, see <selected fields grid>.

  • Technical name. The name of the view which is used as part of the DQL query. The name cannot contain spaces.

Click OK. The view is added to the Views tree.
Duplicates the selected view. The duplicated view is added to the Views tree.

Deletes the selected view.

Note: You will no longer be able to view reports or graphs based on the deleted view.
Validates all views.

Opens the Save As dialog box, enabling you to save the selected view as an .xml file.

Tip: To select multiple views, press the Ctrl key and select the desired views.

Opens the Open dialog box enabling you to import views.

Note: By default, imported views are not valid.
Views tree

Displays pre-defined as well as user-defined views. The icon next to the view's name indicates the view's status.

  • The view is valid and is published.

  • The view is valid and is not published.

  • The view is not valid.

Note: Views are listed alphabetically according to their labels. Place the cursor over the label to view a tooltip displaying the view's technical name.

This tab enables you to customize business views.

User interface details are described below (unlabeled elements are shown in angle brackets):

UI Element

Description

Determines the view of the Query Designer tab. Click the arrow to select the desired view:

  • QBE Only. Hides the DQL Query Builder.

  • DQL Only. Displays only the DQL Query Builder.

  • QBE and DQL. Displays the entire Query Designer tab. This is the default view.

Opens the Model pane on the right of the tab, enabling you to select project entities to add to a view. For details, see Model pane.

Opens the Add Related Entity dialog box, enabling you to define joins between selected entities.

For user interface details, see Add Related Entity Dialog Box.

Opens the Query Results pane at the bottom of the tab. For details, see Query Results pane.

Validates the selected view. The following checks are performed:

  • That the DQL syntax is correct.

  • That the query contains only fields from selected entities.

Defines whether the selected view is available for use in reporting.

  • Published. The view is available.

  • Not Published. the view is not available.

Note:  

  • When changing a view from Not Published to Published, ALM first validates the view before changing the status.

  • When changing a view from Published to Not Published, you will no longer be able to view reports or graphs based on that view.

Opens the SQL Query dialog box which displays the SQL query which is run against the database server.

Invalid views. The Messages tab displays details about problems with the view. Place the cursor over the message text to view a tooltip displaying the full message.
Main pane

Displays a <Project entity> dialog box for every entity that has been added to the view, as well as defined relationships between entities.
<project entity> dialog box

Appears in the Main pane after you add a project entity to the view. The dialog box displays all available fields within the entity. Use the check boxes to select fields to add to the view.

Default: All fields all included in the view. The check boxes appear unchecked.

Model pane

Displays available project entities.

To add an entity to the view, select it and click the Add button . Alternatively, you can add entities by dragging them to the Main pane.

Note: Entities are listed alphabetically according to their Labels, with their technical names in brackets.
<selected fields grid>

Enables you to define filter criteria for entity fields.

To add a field to the grid, in the <project entity> dialog box in the Main pane, use the check boxes to select the desired fields.

Tip: You can use the Alias column to change a field's label.

Note: You cannot change a label for a field in a sub-entity.
DQL Query Builder

Displays the business view query.

The query updates automatically as you add entities and define relationships.

You can create and edit a view by entering the query directly in the DQL Query Builder. For details about working with DQL, see Working with DQL.
Query Results pane

Appears when you click Preview on the Query Designer tab toolbar. Displays the following information:

  • Query Results. Valid views only. Displays a preview of the view.

  • Query Messages. Invalid views only. Displays messages detailing problems with the view. Place the cursor over the message text to view a tooltip displaying the full message.

This tab enables you to view or edit the selected view's details.

User interface details are described below:

UI Element

Description
Label

The name of the view which is used for identification purposes only. For example, in the Views tree, and when selecting views in the Analysis View module, views are listed according to their labels.

Tip: You can change the label in the selected fields grid. For details, see <selected fields grid>.
Technical name

The name of the view which is used as part of the DQL query.

Note: The technical name cannot contain spaces.
Description tab A description of the view. Click in the text box to display a toolbar for formatting and spell checking the text.

This tab enables you to view messages detailing problems with the view.

User interface details are described below:

UI Element

Description
Message Severity

The severity of the error.

Note: Business views with warning messages can be published. Business views with errors cannot be published. Some business views with warning messages can cause the business view reports not to be generated. For example, a business view created with duplicate fields or aliases generates a warning message, but no report is generated from this business view.
Message Text

The full error message.