Dashboards are implemented by putting Web Parts
together on a Web Part page and configuring the connections between the
Web Parts so that they interact. The connections function as a mechanism
that passes values between the Web Parts, letting other Web Parts know
what values to filter on.
A connection consists of four different pieces:
Get Values From:
This is the Web Part sending the specified parameter to another Web
Part. Filters are usually source Web Parts as the user usually directly
interacts with filters to select desired filter values.
Send Values To:
This is the Web Part receiving parameters from another Web Part.
Reports are usually target Web Parts as they typically display different
data based on what was selected in the Filter Value Web Part.
Source Value:
These are the types of values sent to the Send Values To Web Part. For
instance, a member selection filter has two possible source values:
Display Name and Member Unique Name
Connect To:
These are the ways in which a Web Part can receive the source values.
For example, there are several different options applicable to a
Scorecard Web Part, such dimensions on rows, columns, or page (both rows
and columns).
Note
The terminology varies
between Dashboard Designer, SharePoint Designer, and SharePoint in the
browser. The terminology here is based on Dashboard Designer
terminology. The concepts are the same for all three editors.
A connection must have all
four of the pieces defined earlier to be valid. In addition, there is no
error-checking on invalid-connection combinations. For instance, you
will not receive an error when connecting a member selection filter’s
display name source value to a row dimension connect to value for an
analytic report. After the Dashboard has been deployed, viewing this in
the browser will result in an error.
Note
There is also a special
type of connection available called Display Condition. This does not
pass a value like the other connections; instead, it toggles this
display of the Send Values to Web Part based on selections in the Get
Values from Web Part. One typical configuration that takes advantage of
this feature is a scorecard that, depending on which KPI is selected by
the user, displays different reports in a stacked zone in the dashboard.
Source Values
This is a list of the major source values available in Get Values from Web Parts (see Table 1). The two typical Get Value from Web Parts are filters and scorecards.
Table 1. Source Values and Applicable PPS Objects
| Source Values | Applicable PPS Objects | Description |
|---|
| Member unique name | Filters Scorecards | A fully qualified dimension member name. This is the source value to use when applying filters to scorecards or reports. |
| Display value | Filters Scorecards | The display text associated with the dimension member. |
| Time formula | TI filters | The Time Intelligence formula. |
| Date time | TI filters | The date and time. |
| Property value | Scorecard | Custom properties defined in Dashboard Designer for the KPI that was selected. |
| Cell context | Scorecard | An
XML blob containing information on the KPI currently selected in a
scorecard. Primarily useful when connecting to a KPI Details report. |
Connect To Values
This is a list of the major Connect To values received by a Send Values to Web Part (see Table 9.2). Scorecards and reports are typical kinds of Send Values to Web Parts.
Table 9.2. Filter Source Values and Begin Points
| Source Values | Begin Point | Description |
|---|
| Column | Member unique name | Applies the specified dimension filter to all dimensions on the columns of a scorecard. |
| Row | Member unique name | Applies the specified dimension filter to all dimensions on the rows of a scorecard. |
| Page/background | Member unique name | Applies
the specified dimension filter to all dimensions on the entire
scorecard, regardless of whether they have been placed on rows or
columns. |
| Hierarchy | Member unique name | Replaces
the dimension currently on the scorecard with the dimension selected in
the filter. The dimension is completely replaced; so if an entirely
different dimension is sent as a source value other than what it is
connecting to, the original connect to value will no longer apply to the
scorecard. |
| Named value | Display name | This
is a value that shows up in many different nonanalytic reports. Often,
it is used for showing the currently selected filter values for SQL
Server Reporting Services (SSRS) or Web page reports without incurring
an extra round trip to the database. |
| Formula | Time formula | The
Time Intelligence formula currently selected in the filter. Note that
this uses the formula, not the member unique names returned by the
formula, and the formula will then be reevaluated. This is especially
useful when many members are returned in a TI formula and performance is
a concern. |
| Date time | Date time | Sets the current date for Time Intelligence features. Used with the Time Intelligence Connection Formula filter. |
| Context | Cell Context | Accepts a cell context source value from a scorecard. Applies only to the KPI Details report. |
