PhixFlow Help

Building dashboards

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

  • Create a dashboard
  • Apply filters on dashboard charts
  • Apply sort orders on dashboard grids

Create a new dashboard

  • In the left-hand sidebar in PhixFlow, press - Show the list of dashboards

A list of all dashboards configured in this installation of PhixFlow will be shown.

  • Press  - Add a new item to create a new dashboard
  • When the dashboard details form appears, set Name to Debt Overview
  • Leave the Owner field blank – it will default to you (Train)
  • Tick the Public flag
  • Leave All Users Can View Data ticked
  • Leave Open Maximised unticked
  • Press 

A new blank dashboard will appear.

  • Drag the new dashboard to one side of your screen
  • Bring up the model Dashboards and Forms 01-08: Views, filters and dashboards and drag this to the other side of your screen, so that you can see this and the dashboard pane
  • Open the list of views from the hover menu on the Stream Overall Debt Levels
  • Select Debt levels by payment means and drag it on to the dashboard pane
  • Right click on the chart Debt levels by payment means in the dashboard and select Add Horizontal Bar
  • Drag Debt levels by payment means 2 into the space
  • Right click on the chart Debt levels by payment means in the dashboard and select Add Vertical Bar
  • Drag Debt overview by payment means into the space
  • Press - Save and lock the form layout

Remove dashboard elements

  • Open the Dashboard Debt Overview
  • Press - Modify the form layout

You decide that you want to see, instead of Debt levels by payment means 2, two versions of Debt levels by payment means – one with all records, one with only records for the last 40 days.
You first need to remove Debt levels by payment means 2:

  • Click in the banner of Debt levels by payment means 2 in the dashboard
  • Press - Show additional buttons
  • Press  - Remove this item from the dashboard

Add view

  • Drag Debt levels by payment means into the space on your dashboard
  • Press - Save and lock the form layout

Set dashboard to maximise on opening

Set your dashboard to that it automatically maximises when it is opened:

  • Press
  • In the dashboard configuration form, tick Open Maximised
  • Close and open the dashboard, it will now be maximised

Apply filters on dashboards

You will now filter one of the views Debt levels by payment means to show only the last 40 days:

  • Go to the copy of Debt levels by payment means in the top left hand corner
  • In the banner press
  • Press - Show chart details
  • In the chart parameters configuration form:
    • Tick the flag Use Custom Default Filter
    • Select the filter Last 40 days
    • Press  - Apply
    • Press - Close

Using background filters

Over the next two exercises you will create a dashboard that supports investigation into debt issues. First, you will create a view with a background filter:

  • Open the configuration form for the view Overall Debt Levels
  • Go the Advanced tab
  • Set the Background Filter to Last 40 days
  • Save your changes to the view
  • Create a new dashboard, called Debt Investigation
  • Drag the view Overall Debt Levels onto it
  • You will see that the data appears with the filter Last 40 days applied (102 records showing)
  • Add a new filter:
    • Name: Cash Only
    • Conditions: PaymentMeans equals CASH
  • The resulting data set will contain records with PaymentMeans = CASH and within the last 40 days (34 records showing)

To verify this, open the Default View on the Stream Overall Debt Levels and apply the Cash Only filter; all CASH rows will be shown (100 records)

A background filter will always be applied – in addition to any other filter applied to the view. Once a background filter is applied on a view, it is not possible to see the data without this filter. In this way background filters differ from a default filter – default filters can be overridden (or even removed) simply by selecting a different filter.

A background filter can be set on a view, as in this exercise, or in the properties of the view on a dashboard (press on the view in the dashboard).
When you set up the view assess whether you will always want the background filter to apply in all circumstances; or whether the background filter needed will vary across different dashboards.

Using prompt for value filters

To complete the dashboard for investigating debt issues, you will now create a filter that will allow users to enter a value in a pop up form:

  • Add a filter to the view Overall Debt Levels on the dashboard Debt Investigation:
    • Name: select Payment Means
    • Conditions:
      • Where ALL the following are true
        • PaymentMeans equals _prompt.PaymentMeans
        • Press the ABC button - this will now say fx
    • When you have completed all these details press 
  • A form will pop up prompting you to enter a value – type in CHQ and press OK
  • The data will refresh to show entries for payment means CHQ (34 records showing)

Every time that this dashboard is opened the user will be prompted to enter a value. If you enter a value and want to change this, you can re-select the filter and you will be prompted to enter a new value.

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