Manage portlet data sources

This topic introduces portlet data sources and provides details on how to create and maintain portlet data sources.

Overview of portlet data sources

A portlet data source defines the following:

  • The filter fields found on the edit preferences page of the portlets that use the data source in the portlet definitions
  • The SQL query used by the portlet definitions to retrieve data from the PPM database
  • Who can edit the data source

Portlet definitions and portlet data sources have the following relationships:

  • A portlet definition can be linked to only one portlet data source.

  • A portlet data source can be linked to multiple portlet definitions.

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Create portlet data sources in Workbench

Create and update portlet data sources from the Workbench.

To create a new or update an existing portlet data source:

  1. Click the Administration button in the masthead.

  2. From the Administration menu, click Workbench > Open Workbench on Desktop.

  3. From the shortcut bar, select Dashboard > Data Sources. The Data Source Workbench opens.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • In the Query tab, click New Data Source.
    • In the Results tab, click New.

  5. Provide information for each of the following areas before proceeding to the next step.

    Area Description
    General information
    • Data Source Name: Specify a unique name for the portlet data source.
    • Time-out: The number of seconds to wait before the portlet data source's query times out.

      • If the Time-out field has a value of Use Default, this field displays the default time-out value used.

      • If the Time-out field has a value of Data Source Specific, specify the time-out value. Type any integer greater than zero.

    • Reference Code: A default value is provided, but you may specify a unique name for the data source reference code. PPM uses this code to identify specific entity types. This code does not change, regardless of whether its name is changed or translated.
    • Description: Description of the portlet data source.

    • Enabled: whether or not this portlet data source is available for use.

      To allow incremental saving of your settings without impacting any users, set the Enabled field to No when initially defining the portlet data source. Once the portlet data source definition is complete, reset this field to Yes.

    • Use Reporting DB: Whether or not you want to run the portlet data source's query against reporting database.

      • Yes: Run the query against PPM reporting database. If the reporting database is defined in the REPORTING_JDBC_URL parameter, the query runs against the database. If the reporting database is not defined or throws an error, PPM runs the query against PPM database.
      • No: Run the query against PPM database.
    Data Source tab

    Use this tab to define the columns of the portlet data source and create the SQL query.

    For details, see Complete the Data Source tab.
    Filter Fields tab

    Use this tab to create the filter fields found on a portlet's edit page.

    For details, see Complete the Filter Fields tab.
    Portlet Definitions tab

    This tab allows you to view all of the portlet definitions currently linked to the portlet data source. A new portlet data source has no portlet definitions associated with it.

    • Open the portlet definition by clicking on the portlet definition name. The Portlet Definition wizard is populated with the information for the selected portlet definition.

    • Create a new portlet definition by clicking New Portlet Definition. This opens the Portlet Definition wizard.

    Ownership tab

    Use this tab to set who can edit the portlet data source.

    1. Indicate whether to allow changes to the portlet data source to be made by:

      • All users with the Edit Portlet Definition access grant

      • Only groups listed below that have the Edit Portlet Definition access grant

        Use the Add and Remove buttons to refine the list of allowed users.

    2. Click Save to commit your changes. Click OK to save your changes and close the window.

  6. (Optional) At any time, you can click Save to commit your changes.

    You can also click Cancel to discard any changes. However, if you have provided a unique Data Source Name and clicked Save (at least once), the portlet data source has been created with the information provided as of the last Save.

  7. (Optional, although highly recommended) On the Data Source : <Data Source Name> window, click Verify to validate the SQL statement.

    Make any necessary corrections to the SQL by clicking Edit Query on the Data Source tab.

  8. Click OK to save your changes and close the window.

    Tip: On the Results tab, click Data Source Name to have the portlet data sources appear in alphabetical sequence. Clicking Data Source Name a second time reverses the sort order.

    Note: If your PPM instance supports multiple languages, any data source you create is defined in the language you selected at logon (your session language). After the data source is created, it can be modified only in its definition language. For more information, see the Multilingual User Interface.

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Create portlet data sources from request types

You can create portlet data sources from request types, saving time on defining data source columns and filters.

To create a portlet data source from request type:

  1. Click the Administration button in the masthead.

  2. From the Administration menu, click Demand Sets & Processes > Manage Request Types.

  3. Open the desired request type and then go to the Data Source tab.

  4. Click Create dashboard SQL data source from request type fields and provide a name and reference code for the data source.

  5. Click Create.

    A data source is created from the request type, using all visible request type fields as columns and all searchable request type fields as filters. For visible and searchable fields, see Create request type fields using Web UI.

    The filters created from the request type are basic placeholders with simple SQL logic. It is essential to customize all these filters in the Workbench to ensure they accurately reflect the expected filtering logic based on the searched fields. For details, see Create portlet data sources in Workbench.

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Search for portlet data sources

To search for a portlet data source:

  1. From the shortcut bar of the workbench, select Dashboard > Data Sources. The Data Source Workbench opens.

  2. On the Query tab, provide the search criteria.

    To display all portlet data sources, click List without providing any search criteria.

  3. Click List. The Results tab displays the search results.

  4. To view a portlet data source, do either of the following:

    • Double-click a portlet data source.

    • Select a portlet data source and click Open.

      Tip: Use the Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple portlet data sources.

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Edit, delete, and copy portlet data sources

Action Details
Edit a portlet data source

You can edit any portlet data sources except the PPM-supplied ones.

To edit a portlet data source:

  1. Open the data source. See Search for portlet data sources.
  2. Edit the data source's details. For information about the details, see Create portlet data sources in Workbench.
Delete a portlet data source

You can delete any portlet data sources except the PPM-supplied ones.

To delete a portlet data source:

  1. Search for the data source. See Search for portlet data sources.
  2. In the Results tab of the Data Source Workbench window, click Delete, and click OK in the pop-up message dialog.
Copy an existing portlet data source

You can create a new data source by copying an existing one as the basis.

To copy an existing data source:

  1. Search for the data source. See Search for portlet data sources.
  2. In the Results tab of the Data Source Workbench window, click Copy.

  3. In the Copy Data Source window, provide a unique name and a unique reference code for the new portlet data source, and click Copy.

    If your instance supports multiple languages and the data source is defined in a language other than your session language, the Copy existing translations checkbox is enabled. To copy all of the content that is translated for the data source, select this checkbox. To copy only the content that has been translated to your session language, do not select the checkbox. For more information, see the Multilingual User Interface.

  4. If you would like to edit the new data source, click Yes in the Question dialog. For details about what to edit, see Create portlet data sources in Workbench.

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See also: