Insights Dashboards¶
The Insights dashboards read the BusinessObjects metadata, audit and job history that MetaMiner has pulled, and present the estate as panels you can filter, drill into, export and turn into SQL.
How it works¶
Every dashboard is built from named queries called blocks. A block runs against the MetaMiner Database (MMDB) with your current filters bound as parameters, and returns the rows behind one panel: a tile, a chart or a grid. Nothing is sent to BusinessObjects; the figures are as fresh as the last pull and audit collection.
Results are cached for 30 seconds (5 seconds on WebI Live), so a refresh within that time returns the same answer. Use Refresh in the top bar to reload the current page.
Where the dashboards are¶
The dashboards sit in several modules of the BO console sidebar. The documentation pages use short names; the console uses the names in the third column.
| Documentation page | Sidebar module | Console page name |
|---|---|---|
| Estate X-Ray | Insights | Estate X-Ray |
| Blast Radius | Insights | Blast Radius |
| Job Floor | Insights | Job Floor |
| Upgrade Readiness | Insights | Upgrade Readiness |
| Security and Exposure | Insights | Security & Exposure |
| Sessions and Usage | Insights | Sessions & Usage |
| Web Intelligence | Reliability | WebI Live |
| System Information | System Info | one tab per list |
| Publications | Publications | one tab per view |
| Common Controls | (shared parts) | filter bar, coverage strip, object cards |
The Home module summarises five signals from these dashboards (reports opening, WebI servers, scheduled jobs, publications, MetaMiner data age) as tiles that link to the page each number comes from.
Image of Insights > Estate X-Ray with the filter bar, coverage strip, a row of tiles and two panels, each panel showing its SQL button
../../images/web-console/bo/insights-xray-overview.png
Common controls¶
Filters¶
The filter bar at the top right of each page holds the environment buttons, the time window and the service-account switch. Filters are kept in the page address, so a bookmark or a copied link reopens the same view, and they carry over when you move between Insights pages. Details: Common Controls.
Blocks and panels¶
| Panel element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tile | One headline figure for the current filters. Tiles on Home link to the page the figure comes from. |
| Chart | Bars, stacks, heatmaps, treemaps or time series. Hover for values; click a bar or cell where the page offers a drill-in. |
| Grid | A sortable table: click a header to sort, type in filter rows to narrow, use Columns to hide or show columns. |
| Object name | Click a report, universe, connection, user or group to open its card with usage, data sources, schedules and dependencies. |
Rows¶
A grid loads up to 500 rows of its block by default (System Info and Publications lists page through 100 or 500 rows at a time). When more rows exist, the row count says (first N) and its tooltip reads "More rows exist; Excel/CSV export the full list". Narrow the filters, or export.
Export¶
Grids with a data source show Excel and CSV buttons. The export runs the block again on the server with the current filters and returns up to 50,000 rows as an .xlsx or .csv file named after the panel and today's date. Cell values that a spreadsheet could read as formulas are neutralised in CSV files.
Image of an Insights grid toolbar with the filter rows box, the row count showing (first 500), and the Columns, Excel, CSV and SQL buttons
../../images/web-console/bo/insights-grid-toolbar.png
Show SQL¶
The SQL button on a panel copies the SQL behind it to the clipboard, with the current filters written in as literal values and a header comment naming the dashboard, block and page state. Paste it into Meta Query on the Web or the MMC Meta Query to run, adapt or schedule it. Where a page has a page-level SQL button, it lists every block the page has run so you can pick one.
Timestamps are UTC
The MMDB stores timestamps in UTC. Dashboards show them in your browser's time zone; the copied SQL works in UTC.
Settings that change the figures¶
| MMA label (Preferences > Settings... > WebApps) | Effect on the dashboards |
|---|---|
| Service accounts: | Logins added to the service-account list, besides the login MetaMiner uses on each environment |
| Internal mail domains: | Recipients outside these domains count as external (publications, security) |