Portals

In a CortexDB, any information is available for various work processes. For selections and evaluations these are accessible via different methods. One of these possibilities is the so-called "portal". This provides users with predefined selections, which are subdivided into groups and subgroups.

Among other things, this function is used for regularly recurring selections, but it can also be used for mapping work processes ("workflows"). Since datasets change over time and can assume different states, they also pass through the various selections in a portal. For example, tasks are managed and assigned to different employees.

The example shown here shows the simple selection for processing in a hotline. Accrued messages are selected accordingly and displayed in a list by clicking on the line. If a message is edited and thus receives a new status, the values displayed here in the portal change.

Based on the authorization system, only the permitted portals are accessible. In practice, this has an effect, for example, in a sales hierarchy: the managing director has all the portals unlocked, while the sales managers see the evaluations in their area. The individual sales employees see their numbers / customers, but not their colleagues.

Portal configuration

You can configure portals by predefining selections and assigning them an output list. At the beginning, a portal can be provided with an "empty list". At the first call, a list can then be configured and later assigned to the portal.

The list content is not limited to data of the selected dataset, but can also integrate related information from other (so-called "linked") datasets. If lists already exist, you can use them, change them and save them under a new name.

You can configure as many portals as you like. Therefore, you should aim for meaningful divisions and names of the portals, for example adapted to the operational processes.

In order to be able to define portals, you need appropriate authorizations for the system settings or the plugin for the portal configuration. This allows you to configure and maintain different portals.

Portal division

Basically, a portal is divided into three levels. The adjacent illustration
shows these using the colored markings. At the top level is the portal, which is described by a name (marked in red), followed by a group (green), in which individual lines are added (blue).

Portal name

When creating a new portal, first define a name and define whether the portal should be automatically reloaded after a certain time (minutes). Setting "0" does not automatically update. With "ok" the input is confirmed and you can define groups and lines.

Group

Groups form a summary of related lines of the same topic. These groups receive only a name, further settings are not necessary.

Lines

A group can have multiple selections. These are given a name, the assignment of a list for the output of the result set, if necessary a description as an aid to the users, a window ID (windows with the same ID replace each other), if necessary another list for an "expansion" and possibly a reference date that is set immediately after the output list is called.

In the simplest case, set a name and choose an output list (if available). All other fields are left blank.

Window-ID:

If you want to use the results of different portal (rows) in parallel, different window IDs must be defined. Basically, the portal results always use the same place (ie the same tab) and thus replace each other.

Expansion list:

Certain selections may display the same dataset several times in the result list. To avoid this, an expansion list can reduce the results to unique values. For example, all customers who received an invoice last year could be selected in a database. Since a customer may have received more than one invoice, this would be issued multiple times. The expansion list then uses the customer's dataset ID to reduce the result list to unique values.

Example

The example shows the configuration with the basic settings. The portal name was "People"; This is followed by a group for "Birthday" and within the group a line called "Today".

Up to this point, only the basic structure has been defined and no selection has been configured. This is done with the help of the selection parameters.

Selection parameters

Within a row, the parameters for the selection are defined.

Here you can access any field within the database and have it selected in combination with other fields. There are three basic selection options available:

• Simple selection (fixed values or variable search with so-called "wildcard characters")
• Selected terms (for example "Meier", "Müller", ..., possibly with so-called "wildcard")
• Selection ranges with from/to information 

Field selection

After entering the group line, a configuration is necessary. It selects the data field (data fields) that forms the basis for the evaluation. Any existing field in the database can be used for this, ie both the system fields you have defined and those that exist. The content of the field can then be compared with given values, whereby the validity of the field content is determined. You can also link to an Internal Reference field. You select the fields and can also use certain dataset types for the limitation.

Rider "from*"

Search for fixed values and with wildcard characters

After you have selected a field, enter a selection criterion. For example, the value "1". This restricts the selection to all datasets that contain a "1" in this field.

[Note: ]The field selection also provides the option of using system fields. Please note at this point that the use of the field "Dataset type" (synonym: " #T") is only suitable for a small amount of data to carry out a selection. Ideally, you should refrain from using this field.

Rider "a, b, c"

Search by enumeration

The second tab allows the selection of several values. It is therefore an "or" link that selects the datasets that contain one of the values in the selected field.  

Rider "a ... c"

Search via value ranges

Via the third tab "a ... c" the selection is possible over from/to areas. For example, for dates with start and end dates.

Note here that decimal values (floating-point numbers) are handled separately in databases. These can therefore only be found via from/to\ areas and not via a simple selection.

Note

When selecting dates, you can use variable information that applies based on the current or specified date. For example, such a selection would be possible via "-2ws" for the start of the week from two weeks ago. The following list shows the available variables for date values:

y     year
m     month
ms    month start
me    month end
w     week
ws    week start
we    week end
d     day
q     quarter
qs    quarter start
qe    quarter end
js    year start
je    year end

b     Birthday
bh    Birthday today
bwa   Birthday at the beginning of this week
bwe   Birthday at the end of this week
bwa - bwe     Birthday in this week

Comparison operators

You can combine several fields with their value ranges. This is done with the comparison operators "& +", "& -", "OR". Values added with "& +" are combined. Criteria collected with the "& -" operator are excluded. Both possibilities can be carried out with an "OR" condition (ie "or").

Note

Note that even a single criterion must be added with "& +" and that it is not possible to use only one exclusion criterion. If you want to exclude datasets, min. a &-criterion must exist.

Link chaining

A link chaining (mini icon with gear wheel) must be selected if there are selection criteria in other data sets via linked data sets.

Example: All persons of a postcode area who work in companies of another, specific area should be selected.

Using the displayed options, you can then select the link field from the "target data record type". You select the field from the corresponding data record type in the same way and then only set the corresponding value.

Example:

You would like to select all persons from a postal code area. The persons have a reference to separate data records with location information (postcode, city name, geo-coordinates, ...). The chain of references thus appears: 'Person -> postcode area'.

• For the selection activate the link chain (small gear wheel).

• In the field link chain choose the link field from the person data record type

• In the field choose the field of the postcode from the location information

• In value you set your selection value

note

You must have a basic set of personal data records before link chaining.

User variables

Within portal selections, it is often necessary and useful to use certain fields of a user. There are three variables that make it possible to design user-specific queries. Using the link chaining, it is thus possible to select exactly those datasets that affect an user (depending on the user's own information). The variables return to specified system fields of the user dataset.

user variables

#LOGINIID -> is the id of the user dataset

#LOGIN -> #Unam

#USER -> #UsrNam

Within the user management of the system settings, the user data can be removed (except for the # LOGINIID).

!!! note Note The username can be changed arbitrarily and at any time. If, for example, portal configurations are based on this variable and these are stored in various datasets (for example, for employee administration), care should be taken to adapt them accordingly.