Introduction
Apps are designed for easy data collection and reporting across the enterprise. You can access your Apps by selecting Apps from the navigation bar.
This guide will walk you through the various actions users can perform in three different roles: App Contributor, Reviewer, and Approver.
App Navigation
The Apps page shows all the Apps accessible to you on the left pane.
When an App is selected, all related Plans, or App Instances, appear in the right pane. App Instances, or Submissions when used in workflow, are different versions of the same App.
- Create a new Plan from an App by clicking NEW
. - Continue to work with an existing Plan by clicking
. - Click
to delete an App Instance. Deleting a saved view will not delete your data—just like deleting a file/folder shortcut on your laptop will not delete the original file/folder. - If you have many Apps, you can input the name of your target App in the
search bar to narrow down the selection.
Note: If you cannot create multiple Apps, please contact your App Designer. There is an option to enable multiple App Instances in the Dashboard App configuration.
Use the ACTION filter to display the App Instances available to you by action. For example, if you select the Approve action, it will show you only the App Instances you can approve.
New App Instances automatically open on the App's starting page. Existing App Instances will open on the page you were on last.
As Apps are fully customizable by the App Designer, you could find navigation in other styles and in different positions on the page. In the example below, the navigation resides on the top part of the page.
App Control Buttons
App actions are organized in the top right corner of the page:
- Refresh: this will refresh all forms and charts on the page.
- Export: this will export forms to Excel.
- App Information: this will show the App Information window.
App Information
Click to view App Information.
The Approval tab shows the approval chain for the current App Instance if the workflow type of the App is set to Advanced.
ACTION
The ACTION is a drop-down list of actions that you can perform on the App. This list includes general actions, together with workflow actions, that are available to you based on your workflow role.
Post
Post the values entered in Forms to the Database. For convenience, most Dashboards are built with buttons, such as Update pictured below. After entering data into a Form, either click an Action button or select Post directly from the drop-down menu.
Save
As the name suggests, clicking Save records your current page, formulas, and filter selections to the database. This allows you to come back and start from where you left off. Saved views are private to the user who initially saved the App.
When saving, give the App Instance a name in the Name field. This will be the name you see on the Apps page later. You can also leave comments on the App if you wish.
Tip: It is a good practice to keep your saved App Instances as organized as possible. For example: Save and rename your App Instances with friendly names; restart from existing App Instances if possible; delete unused App Instances over time.
Note: Saving does not affect the data you entered in the Forms. The data entered is saved to the database when you click Post.
Discard
If you want to delete an App Instance, select Discard. A window opens to confirm the action.
Exit
Clicking Exit will open the following window:
- Click Save to save your formulas, filter selections, etc. You can also rename your App Instance at this point.
- Click Exit to exit without saving updated metadata (if any) about your App. Please note, all data entered is saved to the database when you click Post.
- Click Cancel to close the Exit App window, and you can continue working on your App.
Filters
Filters help you navigate between different sets of data.
The following actions are available in the Filter window:
- Search: Members in the filter grid are searchable. Enter the search in the field below Member Name.
- Expand All: Displays parent categories and descendants.
- Collapse All: Displays parents, which can be individually expanded.
- Clear: Remove the current filter selection.
- Multi-Select: Select multiple Members.
Linked Filter
In an App, you may find that certain filters are linked with other filters.
Tip: Ask your App Designer if you would like to change the behavior of the linked filters.
Forms
Color Codes
Color codes indicate different type of data cells. The default colors are shown below, but the App Designer can always change to your desired colors.
Take the above Form as an example:
- Read-only numbers/text
- Number input
- Text input for annotation
- Drop-down selection
- Aggregation line
Form Action Icons
- Show rows with empty data
- Hide rows with empty data
- Show columns with empty data
- Hide columns with empty data
- Enter into full-screen view
- Exit out of full-screen view
Numeric Data Entry
By default, data cells for numeric data entry are highlighted in yellow.
Drop-Down Entry
Drop-down menus enable controlled entry. Users must select from a defined range of valid inputs for a particular field. Drop-downs can be configured so that each set of input values varies depending on the particular data cell.
Text Data Entry
You can enter text into data cells using the following two methods:
- Right click and select Insert Comment.
- Enter text directly into the annotation data cells.
The Add Comments window allows users to input comments for a data cell. This window also supports the Clear action which clears any comments from the cell.
Cells with comments are marked by a red triangle in their top-right corners.
The second method of entering text is directly into an annotation cell. When users enter text into an annotation cell, the annotation is stored to the data model.
Note: Comments and annotations need to have the Query includes annotation and text cells option enabled in the Form Advanced Settings.
Formulas
Forms support full arithmetic operators, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, “=1+3/3+2*2” results in the value of 6. In addition, Forms support these following functions:
|
Worksheet Function |
Syntax |
|---|---|
|
SUM |
=SUM(D6:E6) |
|
AVERAGE |
=AVERAGE(C9:E9) |
|
IF |
=IF(FALSE, "DISPLAY TRUE","DISPL AY FALSE") |
|
VLOOKUP |
=VLOOKUP(105,C2:E7,2,TRUE) |
|
HLOOKUP |
=HLOOKUP("B", A1:C4, 3, TRUE) |
The image below shows an example of a cell with a formula:
Clear Data Cell Input
Right-click an input-enabled data cell and you will see three options to clear data:
- Clear Changes: Clear the change and revert back to the cell value pulled from the server.
- Clear Formula: Clear the formula but keep the value.
- Delete Data: Delete any contents in the cell.
Cell Details
Cell Details allows you to see the properties of a data cell.
Here is an example of the Cell Details window and its fields:
| Field | Function |
|---|---|
| Value | The value of the cell. |
| Formula | The formula of the cell. |
| Comment | The comment stored within the cell. |
| Is Lowest | Checks if ALL the Members are on the lowest level of the Hierarchy. If this were false, we could use the Slice information below to investigate further. The value is the MemberId of the Dimension. It has to be non-zero. If its value is 0, it means that we’re not on the lowest level. |
| Is Writeable | Checks if the user has permission to write to the Model and Dimension to which the cell is linked. |
| Is Input |
Checks if ALL the Members that define the cell have their Input attribute set to 1. |
| Is Annotate |
Checks if ANY of the Members have their Annotation attribute set to 1. |
| Is Locked | Indicate whether the cell is locked or not. This property is determined by the app lock option. This option is in the Dashboard App configuration. |
| SLICES | One or more Dimension Member that show the context of the cell. |
All the dimensions of an input enabled cell must be set to the leaf levels within their hierarchy. Only data at the leaves of a hierarchy will be allowed for data entry. You can use Cell Details to investigate when a cell is not input enabled when it is supposed to be. A cell is editable when you have the following:
- Is Lowest: TRUE
- Is Writeable: TRUE
- Is Input: TRUE
- Is Locked: FALSE
For text input cells, this will need to be set:
- Is Annotate: TRUE
Freeze Pane
Right-click the data grid and click Freeze Pane.
Both the row and the column will be frozen in place, as indicated by the solid lines.
To unfreeze the pane, right-click any cell in the Form and select Unfreeze Pane.
Drill-through (Analytical)
Drill-through (Analytical) allows you to drill down to a lower level of data in the cube. Right-click any numeric data cell in a Form and click Drill-through (Analytical).
You can drag and drop different slicers from the left pane into the analysis design region on the right side.
To view the data, click Drill-through and you will be taken to the RESULTS tab.
You can go back and forth between the CUBE DETAILS tab and the RESULTS tab to analyze your numbers, or click Cancel to exit the window.
Drill-through (Transactional)
Drill-through (Transactional) allows you to drill-through the data in the transactional database.
You can perform drill-through in a Form only when:
- You are an Advanced Contributor of the App, and
- Your App Designer has defined transactional drill-through in the Form
If these two criteria are met, you can right-click on any data cell in the Form and click Drill-through (Transactional).
The SOURCE DETAILS tab will list all the available drill-through definitions on the Form.
Select a source and click Run. You will be taken to the RESULTS page.
Click Export to save the results as a .csv file to your local machine. You can click the SOURCE tab to perform another drill-through, or click Cancel to exit.
Rules
There are multiple methods to run a rule within an App:
- Run on Post
- Run Dashboard Rules
- Run from a Form
- Run upon Workflow Actions
Run on Post
One or more rules can automatically be triggered to run on a user Post action. On Post rules are configured by the App Designer. Usually, these rules calculate metrics or accounts based on user inputs on Forms.
Run Dashboard Rules
A user can click on a Dashboard Rule button to run a rule on demand.
A dashboard rule can be triggered immediately after clicking, or open a window to gather the user's desired parameters. A parameter can be a numeric value, free text, or selection from a pre-defined list.
Run from a Form
A user can right-click a Form and run Rules.
You can run rules on a Form only when:
- You are an Advanced Contributor of the App
- Your App Designer has enabled Show Run Rules on the Form
Right-click one or multiple data cells on the Form and see the available rules. Rules are tied to the icon 
on the right-click menu.
Selecting the desired rule will bring up the Run Rules window, where you can enter the required data.
Click Run to run the rule and leave the Run Rules window open, or click Run & Close to run the rule and close the Run Rules window.
Run upon Workflow Actions
A rule can also be run upon a workflow action, such as Post, Approve, Reject, etc. Click here for more details.
Workflow Process
For Apps that have Advanced Workflow, multiple users can participate in a workflow process where users can submit, approve, and reject based on their particular role.
Workflow User Types
There are three types of workflow users:
- Contributor: Contributors are the main group of workflow users who submit data updates via an App. Use the HOME tab to view the Apps where you are a contributor.
- Reviewer: Reviewers can review App submissions from Contributors. Reviewers have the workflow action of Comment which allows them to provide their feedback during a workflow process. Use the REVIEW tab to view the Apps that are available for review.
- Approver: Approvers are the final gate-keepers for any submitted Apps. Approvers have the ability to approve or reject submitted Apps made by Contributors. Use the APPROVE tab to locate available App Instances for approval.
Workflow Actions
App Contributor Usage
The following workflow actions can be available for a Contributor:
- Post allows Contributors to apply updates to the App’s data directly to the model. If the App has not yet been saved before a post action, then the App submission will prompt the user to save before the data is posted.
- Save action will save the current App configuration. This includes which Dashboard page is open, the current filter selections, and other configurations that don't affect the data.
- Submit is used to finalize the changes made to the App by the Contributor. By submitting, the Contributor indicates the changes are ready for approval. If there is no Approver in the workflow, no approval is needed. In this case, the submit action will simply result in data being written to the model.
If approval is required for the App, the user will need to pick an Approver to submit to. When an App Instance is rejected, the Contributor will need to re-submit the changes in order for it to be available for approval again.
- Discard removes a selected unfinalized App Instance from the workflow process. Discarded App submissions can no longer be accessed. Only the creator and approver of the App submission have permission to discard it.
- Recall revokes a submitted App Instances before an Approver approves/rejects them. Recalled App submissions will enter into a saved state, which is not available for review or approval until it has been posted. If there is no approval required on the submission, then there will be no Recall action available after the user Submits.
App Reviewer Usage
As a Reviewer, you can view Apps that require your review from the Apps page by selecting the REVIEW tab. Clicking on an App will show the existing App Instances on the right pane. You can click on the Start 
button to access the dashboard.
Note: As a Reviewer, you will always see a Read-Only App Instance on the right pane. It allows you to preview the data without having to wait for contributors to submit their app instance.
The following workflow actions are available for Reviewers:
- Comment: Reviewers have the ability to use the Comment action to add in their review notes during a workflow process. The Comment action does not change the state of the App Instance.
- Open: Reviewers can view a list of existing app instances and select one to open without going back to the Apps page.
- Exit: Exit the App Instance and return to the APPS page.
App Approver Usage
As an Approver, you can view Apps that require your approval from the Apps page by selecting the Approve tab. Clicking on an App will show the existing App Instances on the right pane.
When you click on an App, you will see the App Instances that have been submitted to you on the right pane. For each submission, you can view the approval process—every chevron represents a user along the approval chain. Hover over a chevron to see the username and their latest action.
Click on the Start button to access the dashboard.
The following workflow actions can be available for an Approver:
- Post: Allows Approvers to apply immediate updates from the App Instance’s data directly into the data model.
- Approve: Sends the App Instance into the approved state. Once an App Instance is approved, no further workflow actions can be applied to the approved App Instance.
- Reject: Rejects a submitted App Instance by an Approver. Rejected App Instances can be re-submitted to send the App Instance back to the approval process.
- Open: Opens a list of existing app instances. Approvers can select one to open without going back to the APPS page.
- Exit: Exit the App Instance and return to the Apps page.