Desktop Administration

Outline

Through this guide I will explain the concepts of the Tab and DashboardState relationship.

- What is a dashboardstate?
- Why do we provide several ways to add a tab to your desktop?
- Which type of add-tab-option should you be using in different scenarios?

These are questions I will try to answer through this guide.

Basics

A Desktop contains one or more tabs.

Think of a tab as a way to trigger an action. The action is to display content in the big content area. In the current version of Business Analyze the tabs can trigger display of:

  • Dashboards
     
  • Webpages

 

 

Administrate desktop

To be able to administrate or edit a desktop, you need to be granted the privileges of a Business Analyze System Administrator. If you have System Administrator privileges, you will find a edit icon right next to the desktop name in the dashboard navigation menu.

Click this icon to set the desktop in edit mode.

Once the desktop is in edit mode the tabs get a new icon next to the tab name and you will also be presented with a context menu if you rightclick tabs in edit mode. These options will be described below.

 

Create a new tab

Once you have your desktop in edit mode, a new icon is displayed next to the desktop edit icon which lets you add a new tab to your desktop.


By clicking this icon, you will get this "Add tab" dialog:

To create you new tab, provide a tab name and description and select which dashboard you want to be triggered when this tab is clicked.
You can select an existing dashboard or you can select "New dashboard" which will create a new empty dashboard canvas that you can edit and build after you new tab is created.

Optionally you can choose to create the tab to trigger display of a webpage by selecting the "Internet address (URL)"-option in the dialog. By selecting the webpage option, you just insert your URL in the inputfield that is displayed below your option.

The rest of the options in this dialog (Add existing tab and create new tab with copy of dashboard) will be described below in the advanced section of creating tabs.

 

Remove a tab from the desktop

To remove a tab from your desktop, just rightclick the tab and select "Remove tab".

 

Reorder tabs on the desktop

To reorder the tabs on you desktop, drag and drop the tab into the desired position.
Attn: You have to drag the tab by the drag-icon floated to the right of the tab.

 

Create a new tab (Advanced)

There are three ways to add a tab pointing to an existing dashboard and one way to add a new tab pointing to a blank dashboard.
 
Why all these options?
-The answer is Dashboard States!
 
ATTN!
If you do not have a clear understanding what a Dashboardstate is, you should read "What is Dashboard State? (new window)"  before proceeding.
 
 

Add existing tab

As the option clearly states, by selecting this option you just takes an existing tab and places it on your current desktop.
When you reuse an existing tab, you will also reuse both any dashboardstate that is associated with this tab as well as the dashboard definition itself.
This means that any changes to both the dashboard definition and the dashboardstate will affect the view equally on all the places this tab is used.
 

Create new tab pointing to an existing dashboard

This option is the same option as we used in the basic add tab description above.
By selecting this option you will create a new tab but you choose to reuse the existing dashboard definition.
This means that changes to the dashboardstate associated with this tab is only applied to this view.
Since you chose to reuse the existing dashboard definition, any changes to this dashboard surface will affect this view along with other places this dashboard is linked.
 

Create new tab pointing to a copy of an existing dashboard

This option differs from the previous one by checking the "Make copy of the selected dashboard" checkbox below the dashboard dropdown list.
By selecting this option you will create a new tab as well as a copy of the selected dashboard definition.
This means that changes to the dashboardstate associated with this tab is only applied to this view as in the previous example.
You also chose to make a copy of the selected dashboard definition so changes to this copy of the dashboard surface will not affect views that uses the original definition you chose to copy.
 

Create a new tab pointing to a new dashboard

This option will create a new tab and a new dashboard definition. By clicking this tab after saving the dialog, you will only see a blank dashboard surface.
Changes to either dashboard definition nor dashboardstate will affect any other tabs (until some other desktop / tab references this tab or dashboard).
 

Wrap up

So how do I determine which "add tab"-type to choose?
-It depends on how you plan use your new tab (and dashboard):
 
When you are going to add a new tab, you need to consider how you want to use it:
How to use it? This is the correct option
 
Use existing dashboard surface
- I will not make changes to dashboard surface
 
Use existing startup configuration
- I will not make changes to startup configuration
 
 Add existing tab
 
Use existing dashboard surface
- I will not make changes to dashboard surface
 
I need to set different startup configurations
- I am going to make changes to startup configurations
 
 Create a new tab pointing to an existing dashboard
 
Use existing dashboard surface
- I am going to make changes to dashboard surface
 
I need to set different startup configurations
 
 
 Create a new tab pointing to a copy of an existing dashboard

Create a completely new dashboard surface linked to your new tab

 Create a new tab pointing to a new dashboard
 
To wrap it up, below is a short comparison of how changes to dashboard definition and dashboardstates will affect views added by the three options:
 
  Dashboard Definition changes Dashboardstate changes
Add existing tab Applied to all views Applied to all views
Create new tab, existing dashboard Applied to all views Applied to this view only
Create new tab, copy dashboard Applied to this view only Applied to this view only