Aggregating in pipes

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• Set up aggregate attributes on pipes
• Read aggregate attributes from pipes into a Stream

In this exercise you will create a report of total and average last billed amounts, aggregated by Region:

• In your model, add a new Stream:
• Hover over Customers in England, and press  - Add a new Stream
• Give the new Stream the Name: Customer Summary by Region
• Double-click on the new pipe to open the details form
• Go to the tab Sort/Group:
  • Drag the Attribute Region from the left-hand box into the list of sorting/ grouping attributes
• Go to the Aggregate Attributes tab:
  • Press  to add a new aggregate attribute
  • In the new aggregate attribute form:
    • Set the Aggregate Function to Count
    • Leave the Attribute blank
    • Set the New Attribute Name to CountRecords
    • Press 
  • Add another aggregate attribute: press  - Show the list of Attributes
  • Drag the attribute BILLAMOUNT into the aggregate attributes list
    • Note that this already uses the attribute function Sum – leave this as it is
  • Update the name of the aggregate value:
    • Double-click on the new aggregate attribute
      • Update the New Attribute Name to TotalLastBillAmount
      • Press 
    • Add another aggregate attribute: press  - Show the list of Attributes
    • Drag the attribute BILLAMOUNT into the aggregate attributes list
    • Update the details for this new aggregate attribute:
      • Double-click on it
      • Update the Aggregate Function to Average
      • Update the New Attribute Name to AvgLastBillAmount
      • Press 

Now you need to configure your output Stream:

• Drag the Attribute Region from the Sort/Group tab of the pipe onto the Stream Customer Summary by Region
• Drag the aggregate attributes you added from the Aggregate Attributes tab of the pipe onto the Stream Customer Summary by Region
• In the main pipe configuration form, press 

Remember to save your model layout.

• Run Analysis on Customer Summary by Region
• Have a look at the data in this Stream – check that the aggregated report has been generated correctly