Skip to main content

Data Explorer

The Data Explorer lets users analyse an app's data on their own: they pick fields, group, filter, choose a period, then read the result as a table, a pivot, a chart or KPI cards — without writing a query. It works on any connected application whose data is reached through a SQL connector.

An operator first describes the data once, as a model, in Settings → Explorer. Users then open the explorer from the compass in the header, which appears when at least one model is available to them.

At a glance​

Data ExplorerCRM pipeline — deals, customers, activitiesCRM pipeline · crm · pipeline ▾Analyses (2)Dashboards (1)Won deals by country ▾SaveSave asExcelPDF⌕ Search fields…▾ Deals1..1StageOwnerClose dateNameΣ MeasuresΣ Amount▸ Customers1..1▸ Activities1..n+ New calculated fieldDeals ▾▦⊞▮∿◔KPIDetailTop100▶ RunMeasureSum of Amount ▾ColumnsAutomatic ▾ShareNoneof parentof total▣ PeriodClose date ▾This year ▾RowsCountryStageMeasuresSum ▾ Amount+FiltersIndustry = IndustryCOUNTRY › STAGETOTAL▾ France165 00086 %Negotiation120 00063 %Proposal45 00023 %▾ Belgium27 00014 %Qualified27 00014 %Total192 000100 %Analyses, dashboardssaved, shared, exportedFields paneclick, funnel or dragCalculated fieldstyped, tested on the serverModelone per data martViewstable, pivot, charts, KPI, detailPeriodon any date fieldShelvesrows, measures, filtersA click drillsto the rows behind a figure

The pieces​

PieceWhat it isPage
ModelOne data mart of an app: a central entity (the hub, such as deals or invoice lines) and the entities around it (customers, activities…), each read by a query of a connector, joined by relations. An app can have several models.Build a model
AnalysisWhat the user puts together on the page: rows, measures, filters, a period, a view.Analyse data
Calculated fieldA field computed from the others (AMOUNT * 0.6, year(CLOSE_DATE)), typed and checked on the server.Calculated fields
Saved analysis, dashboardAn analysis kept under a name, private or shared; a dashboard is a grid of saved analyses. Both export to Excel and PDF.Saved analyses and dashboards

Who sees what​

  • A model is offered to the holders of a role that grants it: in Settings → Access → Roles, Beyond the menus, type Data Explorer, then a model, or every model of an app. Superusers see every model. See Roles & permissions.
  • The role's data scope applies inside every query the explorer runs: a user who sees one company's rows in the screens sees the same rows in the explorer, the totals included. See Data scope.
  • A menu entry can open the explorer on one model (/explorer/<app>/<model>), so each functional folder of an app reaches its own data; the model picker still lets the user switch. See Menu item types.
  • Only a superuser edits Settings → Explorer, and sees the SQL of an analysis and the model's warnings (a column that disappeared, a measure that is not numeric).

What it is not​

  • Not a SQL editor. Users never type SQL: the explorer builds one statement from the model, the same on Oracle, PostgreSQL and SQLite. A calculated field is a small expression language, compiled by the server.
  • Not unlimited. An aggregate reads at most 50,000 grouped rows (beyond that, a note says the figures are partial) and shows the Top N groups (up to 10,000). The detail view pages through the rows; an export holds up to 3,000 rows per section.
  • Not a replacement for dashboards. Dashboards are designed by an operator over chosen queries; the explorer lets users build their own views over a model.

What's next​

  • Build a model — Settings → Explorer, from scratch or from a Screen Assistant preset.
  • Analyse data — the page, step by step.