0% found this document useful (0 votes)

1K views1,531 pages

Sisense Technical Documentation V8.0

Uploaded by

Ranjita Satyanarayana Yaji

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

1K views1,531 pages

Sisense Technical Documentation V8.0

Uploaded by

Ranjita Satyanarayana Yaji

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 1531

Sisense V8.

0
Technical Documentation

www.sisense.com
Table of Contents

New to Sisense ........................................................................................... 12

Minimum Requirements and Supported Platforms ..................... 16
Sisense Basic Concepts and Terminology ........................................ 28
Sisense User Roles.................................................................................... 46
Sisense Architecture................................................................................ 51
Downloading and Installing Sisense .................................................. 58
Setting Up Your Production Environment ....................................... 67
Customizing the Installation ................................................................ 72
Performing a Silent Installation .......................................................... 75
Installing Sisense Offline ....................................................................... 78
Backing Up Sisense .................................................................................. 84
Researching Your Upgrade ................................................................... 93
Backing Up Sisense .................................................................................. 95
Performing an Upgrade ........................................................................103
Testing Your Upgrade ...........................................................................111
Licensing Terminology .........................................................................114
Launching Sisensethe Sisense Web Application ..........................117
Tutorial: Getting Started with Sisense ............................................119
Release Notes ...........................................................................................144
Manage Data .............................................................................................145
Data Models .........................................................................................................145
Navigating the Data Page .....................................................................149
ElastiCubes ...............................................................................................151
ElastiCubes – Technical Overview .............................................................153
Creating ElastiCubes..............................................................................160
Navigating the Model Editor ...............................................................161
Introduction to Data Sources .............................................................163
Changing Connectivity Settings for Data Sources........................171
Working with Data .................................................................................174
Finding Tables and Columns ..............................................................175
Creating and Removing a Relationship between Tables ..........177
Previewing Data from a Table ...........................................................179
Managing Tables and Columns ..........................................................186
Creating Data Dictionaries ..................................................................192
Importing and Exporting ElastiCube Data .....................................196
Handling Relationship Cycles.............................................................198
Many-to-Many Relationships .............................................................205
Chasm and Fan Traps ............................................................................219
Handling Ragged and Unbalanced Data Hierarchies .................223
Overview ...................................................................................................231
Working with Build Logs .....................................................................233
Transforming and Enriching Data ....................................................235
Augmented Text Deduplication.........................................................236
Adding a Custom Column .....................................................................247
Editing Field Formulas .........................................................................251
Adding a Custom Table .........................................................................253
Editing SQL Statements ........................................................................254
Previewing Results ................................................................................256
SQL Reference ..........................................................................................258
ElastiCube for Advanced Business Scenarios ...............................264
Integrating Data ......................................................................................268
Reformatting Data..................................................................................284
Enhancing Data .......................................................................................288
Functions Overview ...............................................................................324
Date and Time Functions .....................................................................325
Logical Functions ....................................................................................327
Mathematical Functions .......................................................................329
String and Text Functions....................................................................334
Web Functions .........................................................................................337
Building ElastiCubes..............................................................................341
ElastiCube Build Settings .....................................................................344
Scheduling Data Loads ..........................................................................357
Changing an ElastiCube ........................................................................359
Live Connect .............................................................................................360
Creating Live Models .............................................................................363
Adding Live Connections .....................................................................364
Working with Live Models...................................................................365
Enabling Relationships between Tables in Live Models ...........369
Publishing Live Models.........................................................................372
Working with Live Widgets.................................................................373
Deleting ElastiCubes and Live Models .............................................379
Sisense Server Console .........................................................................381
Dashboards...............................................................................................384
Creating Dashboards .............................................................................388
Adding Widgets to a Dashboard ........................................................394
Area Chart .................................................................................................402
Bar Chart ...................................................................................................408
Box & Whisker Plot ................................................................................411
Calendar Heatmap .................................................................................415
Column Chart ...........................................................................................419
Indicator ....................................................................................................424
Line Chart ..................................................................................................428
Pie Chart ....................................................................................................434
Pivot ............................................................................................................439
Limitations ...........................................................................................................446
Polar Chart ................................................................................................448
Scatter Chart.............................................................................................451
Scatter Map ...............................................................................................454
Sunburst Widget .....................................................................................460
Table ...........................................................................................................463
Adding Text Widgets .............................................................................467
Treemap ....................................................................................................469
Widget Designer .....................................................................................473
Selecting Colors in Widgets .................................................................479
Renaming Fields in Widgets ...............................................................485
Formatting Numbers in Widgets .......................................................486
Changing a Widget’s Visualization ...................................................490
Combining Two Types of Visualizations in a Widget .................491
Creating a Continuous Chart with Missing Date Values ............493
Adding Drill Hierarchies to Widgets ................................................496
Managing Widgets ..................................................................................499
Field Suggestions ....................................................................................504
Introduction to Filters ..........................................................................506
Interacting with Filters as a Viewer .................................................507
Interacting with Filters as a Designer .............................................510
Creating Dashboard Filters .................................................................511
Editing and Deleting a Dashboard Filter ........................................530
Creating Widget Filters ........................................................................534
Creating Dependent Filters .................................................................537
Configuring How Filters Affect the Dashboard and Widgets ...540
Limiting Filters to Specific Values with Background Filters ...547
Locking Filters .........................................................................................549
Restoring Filters .....................................................................................550
Switching Filters On and Off ...............................................................551
Saving Your Default Filters View.......................................................552
Introduction to Formulas ....................................................................554
Formula Editor ........................................................................................556
Creating and Editing a Formula .........................................................559
Reusing Formulas...................................................................................563
Using R in Formulas ...............................................................................566
Creating Formulas Based on Criteria and Conditions (Filters)579
Conditional Statements ........................................................................585
Working with Functions.......................................................................589
Quick Functions ......................................................................................590
Function Reference ................................................................................594
Building Formulas with Functions ...................................................691
Fiscal Years ...............................................................................................697
Date and Time Fields.............................................................................704
Customizing the Dashboard Layout .................................................706
Changing the Dashboard’s Color Palette ........................................714
Creating a Dashboard with Multiple Sources ...............................719
Changing a Dashboard’s Data Source ..............................................721
Exploring Dashboards ..........................................................................722
Interacting with Filters as a Viewer .................................................725
Changing Sisense’s Language .............................................................728
Making Selections in a Widget ...........................................................730
Drilling Down in a Widget ...................................................................733
Leverage AI to Uncover Hidden Insights ........................................735
Reporting in Sisense ..............................................................................747
Exporting Widgets..................................................................................748
Exporting and Sharing Dashboards .................................................749
Creating PDF Reports ............................................................................750
Customizing PDF Reports ....................................................................752
Managing Dashboards ..........................................................................755
Viewing Dashboards..............................................................................756
Locating Dashboards.............................................................................761
Duplicating Dashboards.......................................................................763
Organizing Dashboards ........................................................................764
Deleting Dashboards .............................................................................765
Exporting and Importing Dashboards ............................................767
Best Practices for Promoting Dashboard Adoption ...................772
IntroductionSisense Pulse ..................................................................779
Sisense Alerts ...........................................................................................781
Creating Data Alerts ..............................................................................784
Creating Build Alerts .............................................................................787
Sisense Pulse ............................................................................................789
Managing Tiles in Sisense Pulse ........................................................792
Advanced Settings ..................................................................................799
Notifying Additional Users ..................................................................800
Setting Notification Channels .............................................................802
Configuring Additional Options.........................................................814
Customizing Notification Messages ..................................................816
Administration ........................................................................................819
Managing Sisense Users .......................................................................821
Managing Dashboard Users ................................................................822
Managing User Groups..........................................................................829
User Sessions ...........................................................................................837
Customizing User Roles ........................................................................842
Integrating Active Directory ...............................................................856
Account Lockout Thresholds ..............................................................867
Introduction to SSO ................................................................................872
SSO via JWT ...............................................................................................873
SSO via SAML 2.0 .....................................................................................883
Managing Your Users Dashboards....................................................893
Data Management ..................................................................................896
Adding and Removing ElastiCube Servers .....................................897
Sharing ElastiCube Models ..................................................................901
Managing Drill Hierarchies .................................................................904
System Settings .......................................................................................907
Changing the Sisense Web Application’s Language ....................908
Internationalization and Localization ............................................914
Translating Sisense Metadata ............................................................915
System Configuration ............................................................................925
License Utilization..................................................................................927
Configuration Manager.........................................................................929
Sisense Migration ...................................................................................934
Migrating ElastiCubes ...........................................................................936
Editing .ecube Files ...................................................................................940
Building ElastiCubes with the PSM ....................................................940
Editing the .ecube File..............................................................................942
Migrating Dashboards in Sisense......................................................946
Embedded Analytics ..............................................................................955
OEM Architecture ...................................................................................959
Embedding Dashboards and Widgets .............................................969
Displaying Custom URLs ......................................................................976
Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails ..........................................977
White Labeling Sisense .........................................................................992
Rebranding Sisense Mobile .............................................................. 1005
Security at Sisense............................................................................... 1022
Security Bulletin .................................................................................. 1023
Sisense Security Overview ............................................................... 1026
Data Security ......................................................................................... 1034
Setting Up SSL ....................................................................................... 1043
Optional Security Hardening for Sisense Web Pages .............. 1050
Multi-Node Deployments .................................................................. 1056
Supported Deployments ................................................................... 1073
Installing the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard ......................... 1079
Model 1: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node/Build Node....... 1083
Distributing ElastiCube Builds to Query Nodes ........................ 1144
Scenario 1 – Single Stack ..................................................................... 1157
Scenario 2 – Distributed Stack .......................................................... 1161
Setting Up ElastiCube Sets ................................................................ 1171
Routing Queries in ElastiCube Sets ............................................... 1185
Securing the Message Broker's Communication ...................... 1187
Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node Deployments 1190
Using ElastiCube Models in Multi-Node Environments .......... 1191
Supporting Usage Analytics in Multi-Node Environments .... 1197
Overview ................................................................................................ 1206
Activating Usage Analytics ............................................................... 1210
Dashboard Analytics .......................................................................... 1213
Domain Analytics................................................................................. 1215
General Analytics................................................................................. 1217
Groups Analytics .................................................................................. 1219
User Analytics ....................................................................................... 1221
Restoring Usage Analytics ................................................................ 1223
Extracting Usage Analytics Data ..................................................... 1225
Managing Plug-ins ............................................................................... 1226
Setting Up a Custom Email Server.................................................. 1228
Activating a Sisense AMI from the AWS Marketplace ............. 1232
Getting Started with Linux ............................................................... 1235
Step 1. Verifying System Requirements....................................... 1236
Step 2. Planning Your Configuration ............................................ 1240
Step 3: Configuring Port Settings ................................................... 1246
Step 4: Initializing Sisense on Linux ............................................. 1252
Step 5: Creating Data Groups........................................................... 1268
Step 6: Monitoring Sisense on Linux ............................................. 1272
Linux Connectors ................................................................................. 1278
Linux Frequently Asked Questions ............................................... 1282
Uploading Files through the File Manager.................................. 1287
Migration from Sisense Windows Deployment......................... 1290
Upgrading Sisense on Linux ............................................................. 1305
Uninstalling Sisense from Linux..................................................... 1306
Debugging Cloud-Native Sisense on Linux .................................. 1307
Sisense CLI Commands ...................................................................... 1311
Linux Release Notes ............................................................................ 1322
The Sisense Cloud Managed Service ............................................. 1345
Accessing the Desktop ElastiCube Manager ............................... 1354
Accessing your Sisense Server from a Dynamic Location ..... 1357
Transferring Files to Sisense Cloud .............................................. 1363
Uploading CSV and Excel Files ........................................................ 1365
Restarting Sisense Services ............................................................. 1368
Welcome to Sisense Labs .................................................................. 1369
Overview ................................................................................................ 1370
Installing Sisense BloX....................................................................... 1376
BloX Design Panel ............................................................................... 1379
Creating Interactive Dashboards ................................................... 1381
Customizing Your BloX Widget's Look and Feel ....................... 1403
Embedding BloX Widgets ................................................................. 1408
Sisense BloX Reference ..................................................................... 1409
Collected Product and Usage Data.......................................................... 1444
Sisense BloX Tutorials ....................................................................... 1446
Sisense Boto .......................................................................................... 1464
Sisense Enabled Bulb ......................................................................... 1485
Sisense Alexa Skill ............................................................................... 1499
Viewing Dashboards on Mobile Devices...................................... 1508
Glossary ......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
New to Sisense
This section describes how Sisense works, how to set Sisense up, and provides a
tutorial for building your first dashboard from scratch.
Learn how Sisense Works
Sisense's end-to-end, single stack solution simplifies complex data in 3 short
steps:
Model: Blend massive amounts of data from a variety of sources into the
Sisense ElastiCube.
Analyze: Once your data is inside the ElastiCube, interact with it in a visual
way to get deeper understanding, or zoom out to understand the holistic
data landscape.
Impact: Create dashboards that make it easy to get insights and take action.
The topics below describe in more detail how Sisense works.
Sisense Basic Concepts and Terminology
Sisense Architecture Technical Overiew
Set Up Sisense
Before you start building ElastiCubes and designing dashboards, you need to set
Sisense up, the topics below explain how:
Downloading and Installing Sisense
Setting Up Your Production Environment
Customizing the Installation
Performing a Silent Installation
Migrating Sisense
Upgrading Sisense
Launching Sisense
Give Sisense a Try
Now that you've set Sisense up, it's time to play. See the tutorial below to learn
how to import data and build your first dashboard.
Tutorial: Getting Started
See Minimum Requirements and Supported Platforms to see what you need to
support Sisense.
Minimum Requirements and
Supported Platforms
This page includes prerequisites and supported platforms that are required
when working with Sisense.
Below you can find links to the section relevant for you:
Supported Web Browsers
Supported Operating Systems
Hardware Requirements
Sisense Recommendations
Considerations
Supported Web Browsers
The Sisense Web Application runs in the following HTML5 supported browsers:
Internet Explorer 11
Google Chrome
Firefox
Safari version 7 and higher
Note: When embedding iFrames, Sisense supports Safari 10 and higher.
Microsoft Edge is not currently supported.
The Sisense Web Application also works in mobile phone and tablet browsers
that support HTML5. Click here to learn more about mobile compatibility.
Supported Operating Systems
For Windows
The ElastiCube Server and ElastiCube Manager can be installed on the following
64-bit operating systems:
Windows 7, Windows 10
Windows Server 2008 R2 through Windows Server 2019
If you are installing Sisense in Windows Server 2019, see Disabling Windows
Defender Real-Time Protection.
Note: While Sisense supports different versions of Windows, it is highly
recommended that your production environments use Windows Server 2008 R2
and later.
For Linux
Sisense Linux Cloud- is certified to run on the following operating systems:
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
RHEL 7.x
Centos 7
Amazon Linux 2.0
Hardware Requirements
Sisense scales up to billions of records with typical query response times in
under a few seconds.
This section suggests hardware requirements for various performance capacities
of the ElastiCube Server when connecting to data sources with Live connections
or importing data into an ElastiCube. Actual capacity requirements are provided
after consultation with Sisense. Extreme scenarios may require additional
resources.
Note the following:
For Sisense Viewers, only an HTML5 compliant web browser is required.
For cloud deployments, regardless if you are using
AWS/Azure/Rackspace/etc., you must choose a machine that meets the
recommended hardware configuration described in the table below.
System Requirements

Live Models
When connecting to a Sisense Live data source, Sisense recommends a minimum
of 16GB memory with 8 cores. For use cases with 100s of users concurrently
connecting to your data source, contact your CSM for more information about
Sisense's minimum requirements.
You can create up to 400 Live models on one Sisense instance.
ElastiCube Models
The table below describes the minimum requirements for your production
Sisense Server responsible for managing ElastiCubes. It is important to note that
it is possible to exceed the large-scale machine deployment size given in the table
below with machines that have more memory and cores.
Deployment Size Small Scale Medium Scale Large Scale

CPU 8 Logical Cores 16 Logical Cores 32 Logical Cores

System Memory 16GB 64GB - 128GB 256GB - 512GB

Sisense Installation Directory ~20GB ~20GB ~20GB

ElastiCube Data Directory ~50GB ~200GB ~800GB

Application Logs Directory 3G 5G 5G

Sisense Recommendations
Sisense recommends that your Sisense server meets or exceeds the
recommendations listed above. The actual requirements of your Sisense server
may vary depending on the number of concurrent users, builds running in
parallel, number of ElastiCubes hosted on a server, the complexity of the
ElastiCubes, and additional factors specific to your server, for example, non-
Sisense applications running on the same server. When deploying Sisense on a
single server, it is recommended to plan in advance for possible additions (for
example free slots for RAM or hard disk) on physical machines or virtual scale up
(for example adding computing resources) on virtual machines. It is also highly
recommended to use a dedicated machine (physical or virtual) and refrain from
using the Sisense server for other services.
For optimal performance, Sisense highly recommends that your servers have a
processor that supports AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions), which is leveraged
by Sisense for improved query performance and user concurrency.
The following table lists sizing recommendations for a Sisense installation
deployed on a single Windows server, based on average use cases and hardware
demands. The specific recommendations depend on the specific query load
patterns and use cases.
If you find that you are running in the upper limits of the large-scale
recommendations, consider splitting the server functionality into multiple nodes
or a Linux architecture deployment.
Small- Mid- Large-
Scale Scale Scale

Users 50 200 500

Active (Concurrent) Users 10 40 100

Small- Mid- Large-
Scale Scale Scale

ElastiCubes 5 20 40

Number of tables per ElastiCube 20 50 70

Parallel ElasticCubes Build Processes 2 4 4

Live Models 100 400 400

Max Number of rows per Table 20M 300M 1B

Number of Custom Tables in an ElastiCube 5 10 25

Number of Custom Columns in an ElastiCube 10 20 50

Number of Different Sources (Connectors) per 3 5 10

ElastiCube
Expected Usage for a Single Machine

Sisense customers vary in terms of production deployments that represent

different needs. The following is typical usage for a single Windows machine,
which can serve as a good indication of the typical single machine load. Such a
machine will be mid-scale or large-scale, depending on the number of concurrent
users and the load of the build process. If your expected usage is approaching the
maximum values, consider splitting the server functionality into multiple nodes
or a Linux architecture deployment.
Note that maximum values represent the maximum load tested in different
scenarios, however, there is no hard limit that will prevent a Sisense system on a
single machine from crossing these values*(1).
Category Typical Deployment Maximum

Number of ElastiCubes 5-10 40

Number of Tables per ElastiCube 5-15 150

Data Size (Total ElastiCubes) 20-30 GB 1000 GB

Concurrent 10 100
Users
*(1) Appropriate license may be required to reach a certain load. For example,
the number of maximum rows in a table can be limited by the purchased Sisense
license regardless of the system capabilities.
Considerations
The following are some considerations to take into account when deploying
Sisense:
CPU Considerations
Each Sisense widget produces at least one query to the ElastiCube or Live source
when viewed. As a dashboard is a collection of widgets, viewing a dashboard
produces multiple queries, which in turn raises CPU usage. Concurrent queries
affect CPU utilization and are independently spread between different CPUs.
While this concurrency is a core activity of Sisense, it is important to consider the
correlation between the number of concurrent users/active dashboards and
increasing CPU usage. It is especially important to track CPU usage when
increasing the number of concurrent users or active dashboards. Lack of CPU
resources will cause dashboards to load slowly. When CPU usage consistently
increases above 80%, it is recommended to add CPU resources.
In addition, custom tables and custom columns will increase the CPU load at the
end of a build process according to the complexity of the functions used by those
custom tables and columns. In this case, adding more CPU resources will help to
decrease the total build time.
Building an ElastiCube can consume a lot of CPU resources. However, CPU
consumption is not linear while performing parallel builds, and it is possible to
run several builds at the same time. A single Windows server supports up to four
parallel builds. Sisense is typically capable of running four parallel builds while
consuming only half of the CPU resources compared to the same builds run
separately. It is possible to run build processes and view dashboards at the same
time, however, as both are CPU consumers, Sisense recommends that you
schedule builds to run at times of low dashboard viewing, like during the night.
RAM Considerations
Building ElastiCubes and viewing dashboards both require memory. While it is
possible to view dashboards at the same time as running build processes, the
RAM resources required for those activities will be aggregated. When using a
single-server Sisense deployment, it is important to take both into account and
plan RAM usage accordingly. To prevent out-of-memory build failures, it is
advisable to run the build process at low-usage schedules or separate the build
and the query nodes to different machines.
The size of your ElastiCube model, whether it is the row-count per table, the
number of tables, or a combination of the two, has a major impact on the memory
consumption of a Sisense server during a build and query. Memory consumption
often peaks when building a custom table. Columns with unique data types, like
strings, which are indexed during the build process, are cached in memory, for
example, large string columns with many unique values may increase memory
consumption.
There is a correlation between the data size on the disk and the required RAM.
Sisense InChip© technology will load large portions of the ElastiCube to the
memory hence the number of active cubes and the cubes total size is a very
important sizing factor for the RAM size.
Disk Space Considerations
The Sisense installation file is typically around 1.5GB in size. Once Sisense is
installed, Sisense uses about 20GB of space. In general, when determining how
much disk space to reserve for Sisense, keep in mind the size of the data to be
imported into your ElastiCube models. You should keep additional space to
support your ElastiCube models, as these are duplicated during the build
process. The duplicate copy is not removed at the end of the build process but
serves as the basis of the next build.
An additional important consideration is the custom columns and tables, which
are materialized on the disk during the build process. Hence it is important to
add the required disk space for these data to the total estimated data size.
In addition to the imported data size, the ElastiCube also holds metadata like
indexes. Actual cube size on the disk will be extended due to this internal
metadata, hence it is good practice to plan for 20% overhead on top of the
imported data and custom tables.
Typically the ElastiCube data is stored compressed. However, it is good practice
to plan for the required disk size without taking the compression into account,
since in different scenarios one may choose to disable the data compression for
build and query performance improvements.
If you need to store your ElastiCube models in another location other than the
default C drive, see Change the Location of ElastiCube Data Folders.
For staging or demo environments, consider using high-speed hard disks (e.g.
7200RPM+) for the home directory and backups, while for production
environments, use Solid State Disks (SSD) utilizing NVMe to ensure high I/O
performance.
Page File Considerations
Windows OS page size settings have an effect on performance and should be
considered. The default recommendation is to set the page size to 150% of the
RAM size. When possible, and disk space is not an issue we recommend to set the
page size to 300% of the RAM size. By extending the page size one can use
storage resources to avoid out-of-memory errors but need to consider that when
paging is used the system will respond slower. In a large system with 128GB
RAM or more, it is not always feasible to set a huge amount of page file on the
server as it requires very large disk space. For the server's with a large amount of
RAM, you might want to limit the page file size equal to 128 GB at least.
In addition, it is recommended to split page files on two different drives
(Preferably on two different Physical/Virtual Disks) on the server for better disk
I/O performance.
Data Sources Considerations
Connectors affect memory consumption linearly. The usage of each connector
has a predefined (and configurable) memory allocation, hence increasing the
number of different connectors which are used during the build process
increases the memory consumption.
Sisense Basic Concepts and
Terminology
Sisense Architecture
The Sisense system is comprised of the following components.
ElastiCube Manager

Sisense is a visual environment in which you create ElastiCubes. Sisense is

available online or locally on the desktop where Sisense is installed. Sisense
enables you to structure and import multiple data sources, create relationships
between data, and perform ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) processes to
prepare data for analysis and visualization. For more information, see ElastiCube
Manager.
ElastiCube Server

The ElastiCube Server is installed locally on your computer and enables access to
ElastiCubes. Both the Sisense Web Application and Sisense query the ElastiCube
Server and receive results.
Sisense Server Console

The Sisense Server Console provides administration functions for managing

ElastiCubes on the ElastiCube Server.
Sisense Web Application

The Sisense Web application is an interactive web application that provides the
user interface in which users can design, share, view and explore dashboards.
The Sisense Web application runs in popular web browsers and enables access to
the Sisense server. Dashboards can also be viewed on mobile devices.
Sisense Application Server

The Sisense Application Server is installed locally on your computer and hosts
the Sisense Web Application.
Data Models
Data models are abstract entities that organize your data and determine how
your tables relate to one another. Sisense has two types of models, Live models
and ElastiCube models. Which model you use depends on how you connect to
your data source. If you are connecting to a live data source, you will use a Live
model. If you are importing your data into Sisense, you will use an ElastiCube
model.
Data models enable you to mash up terabytes of data from a variety of sources,
for example:
Traditional relational databases, such as SQL Server, MySQL or Oracle
File-based data sources, such as spreadsheets (Excel) and CSV files
High Performance databases such as Snowflake, Redshift, Big Query
Online web services, such as Salesforce.com, Google AdWords, Google
Analytics, Zendesk and more
Live and ElastiCubes models are created and managed from the Data page.
Both are described in more detail below.
Live Models

Live models are a type of data model used to manage the schema over your Live
data source. Live connections are useful for getting near real-time updates, with
changes in your data reflected in your dashboard. For more information, see
Sisense Live.
ElastiCube Models

ElastiCube are Sisense’s proprietary super-fast data stores. ElastiCubes are

specifically designed to withstand the extensive querying typically required by
business intelligence applications.
ElastiCubes are based on Sisense’s proprietary In-Chip technology, which
leverages the Sisense engine. Read more about the technology behind ElastiCube
in Sisense's technology section.
ElastiCube Sets
Sisense ElastiCube Sets are collections of ElastiCubes with identical schemas that
support high availability by allowing you to query running ElastiCubees within
the ElastiCube Set while other ElastiCubes are building.
For more information see ElastiCube Sets.
Widgets
Each widget is a dynamic visualization of data. You pick the type of data to
appear in a widget and you pick the type of visualization (chart type). A few
examples of widgets are displayed below:
Column Chart Widget
Indicator Widget
Pivot Widget
Scatter Chart Widget

To learn more about the different widget types, click here.

Dashboards
A dashboard is a collection of one or more widgets that visualize the data that
you select and design.

You define which widgets appear in the dashboard, their design, how they are
organized and the filtering of the data that appears.
You can access your own dashboards and dashboards others shared with you.
Sisense allows you to create as many dashboards as you need. No limitations!
When you create a dashboard, you are the dashboard’s owner. Owners can share
dashboards that they have created with other Sisense users.
Sisense provides a variety of built-in automatic dashboard sharing features. You
can easily share a dashboard with others in the Sisense environment or have a
dashboard automatically delivered to your chosen recipients by email (on a
scheduled basis or upon each data update).
Fields
Widgets are composed of fields that represent the data in your data sources. You
create widgets by simply selecting from the fields displayed in a Data Browser,
which appears in various places across the product. Each field represents a
column of data in the ElastiCube.

When designing widgets, fields can be categorized into three groups:

Numeric Fields: Numbers (quantified data), such as salaries, sales, scores,
number of clicks and so on. This is data that you may want to aggregate or
calculate. For example, the sum of sales or the average of costs.
Date Fields: Dates can describe both date and time values. Dates can be used
to organize your data into hierarchies according to year, quarter, and month
or into buckets of time such as by hour or 15 minute intervals. For more
information, see Working with Time.
Descriptive Fields: Items used to label and categorize, such as Products,
Locations, Categories and so on.
Generally, widgets combine both these types of fields.
For example, to show the sales of a product over time, Sales is the numeric data
and both Products and Time are descriptive data.
Descriptive data can be considered as numeric when it is simply a count of the
number of items. For example, Activities can be considered numeric when it is a
count of the number of Activities. A number can be considered as descriptive
when it is an actual entity. For example, an identification ID or phone number.
For information regarding Sisense internals and a more advanced explanation of
the Sisense architecture, click Sisense Architecture Internals.
Sisense User Roles
Sisense licenses three categories of roles:
Administrator
Admin: Administrators can access the Admin page of the Sisense Web
Application from where they can manage all system configuration, data
sources, ElastiCubes, users, user groups and more. Sisense supports
multiple Administrators.
Note: Sys.Admin is a special type of Administrator who installs Sisense on
your system. There is only one Sys.Admin per account.
Data Admin: Data Administrators can manage all data sources in the system.
They have access to the Admin page of the Sisense Web Application where
they can only manage ElastiCubes and live connections. Data
Administrators can also add and manage servers. This is useful for
migrating Sisense across environments. Data Administrators do not have
access to User Management and System Configuration.
Designer
Data Designer: Data Designers can create and edit ElastiCubes they created
or were shared with them. Data Designers can access the Admin page of
the Sisense Web Application where they can manage the ElastiCubes and
live Connections they have access to in the Data Sources page. In addition,
Data Designers can see servers, but can not add new servers. Data
Designers do not have access to User Management and System
Configuration.
Designer: Designers can create, design, edit and share dashboards. Sisense
Designers determine whether the user with who they share a dashboard
has editing rights (is a Designer) or only viewing rights (Viewer).
Viewer
Viewer: Viewers can view, explore, drill down, make selections and filter the
dashboards that Designers share with them. Viewers only need a standard
web browser; no plugins or downloads. They cannot create new
dashboards or edit existing ones.
Note: This roles can be customized through the Sisense REST API. For more
information, see Customizing User Roles.
Administrator Designer Roles Viewer
Roles Roles

Admin Data Data Designer Viewer

Admin Designer

System Management
Access Admin Page ✓ ✓ ✓

Edit System ✓
Configuration

Configure SSO ✓

User Management
Create/Delete Users ✓

Create/Delete Groups ✓

Add Active Directory ✓

Users

ElastiCube Management
Add/Delete Servers ✓ ✓

View Servers ✓ ✓ ✓

Add Live Connections ✓ ✓ ✓

Create/Delete ✓ ✓ ✓
ElastiCubes

Edit ElastiCubes ✓ ✓ ✓

Share ElastiCubes ✓ ✓ ✓

Edit Servers ✓ ✓ ✓

Create ElastiCube Sets ✓ ✓

Administrator Designer Roles Viewer
Roles Roles

Admin Data Data Designer Viewer

Admin Designer

Delete ElastiCube Sets ✓ ✓

Manage Hierarchies ✓ ✓ ✓

Configure Data Access ✓ ✓ ✓

Rights

Stop/Restart Servers ✓ ✓

Stop/Restart ElastiCubes ✓ ✓ ✓

Set Up Data Security ✓ ✓ ✓

Access Data Page ✓ ✓ ✓

Dashboard Design
Create/Edit/Delete ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Dashboards

Copy Dashboard to ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Another Server

Restore Dashboards ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Change Color Palettes ✓

Create/Edit/Delete ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Widgets

Rename Widgets ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Duplicate Widgets ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Change Widget Type ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Administrator Designer Roles Viewer
Roles Roles

Admin Data Data Designer Viewer

Admin Designer

Drill into Widget ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Reorder Widgets ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Create/Delete Dashboard ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Filters

Toggle Dashboard Filters ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

On/Off

Create/Delete Widget ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Filters

Toggle Widget Filters ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

On/Off

Sharing
Export Dashboards to ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
PDF, Img, CSV

Share Dashboards ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓*

Migrate Dashboards ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓*

Pulse
Access Pulse ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Create Data Alert ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Create Build Alert ✓ ✓

Delete Alerts * ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Administrator Designer Roles Viewer
Roles Roles

Admin Data Data Designer Viewer

Admin Designer

Edit Scripts ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
* The user must be the owner of the dashboard, ElastiCube, or alert.
Sisense Architecture
This topic provides an advanced description of Sisense’s architecture for IT
managers and Administrators responsible for supporting Sisense in their
organization.
For a high-level overview of the Sisense architecture, click "Sisense Architecture
" on page 29.
When working with Sisense, there are two possible types of deployments. The
first type is a Single Server Deployment in which Sisense is installed on a
single server. Single Server Deployments can be leveraged to support single
integrations or as proof of concept integrations for larger deployments.
The second type is a Distributed Deployment where Sisense is installed on
multiple machines, but only part of the components are active on each one. This
type of configuration is used to support heavier traffic loads and "Multi-Node
Deployments" on page 1056.
The Sisense full-stack solution is provided in a single installation process. After
installing Sisense on a server, you will have access to all of the Sisense
functionality.
The diagram below describes the main components of a Sisense installation and
how Sisense supports a full-stack solution:
In this diagram, the yellow components specify Sisense client applications or
APIs. The blue components specify components of the Sisense server.
The Windows service and application names that you can see in the Windows
Task Manager under the Services or Processes tabs appear in a dark blue font.
When Sisense is installed on a single server, the dotted line indicates the
boundaries of the server firewall. The lines between the components indicate
communication between them, and its direction. When the Sisense Server listens
on a specific port for inbound traffic, the relevant ports must be open in the
firewall for the communication to succeed.
The diagram above describes the ports used by the services, for more
information about communication ports, see Communication Ports for Single
Server Deployments.
Sisense Architecture
Sisense supports a full stack solution from data, such as transaction details, user
information, and machine-generated data, to dashboards accessible by viewers.
The Sisense Server is responsible for managing data. Before you can begin to
manage data however, Sisense communicates with remote servers for importing
data sources, licensing information, tracking and similar activities.
The Sisense Server manages data and supports the Sisense Web Server, which
hosts the Sisense Web Application. In a Single deployment, the Sisense Server
resides locally on your machine. In a Clustered deployment, the Sisense Server
can reside on one of your machines or across many machines depending on your
needs. For example, if you want to support a high availability environment, you
may install the ElastiCube Server on one machine, the Application Server on
another, and the Multi-Node Orchestration server on another machine.
Sisense Server

The Sisense Server is comprised of the following components:

Web Server: The Sisense Web Server is installed locally on your computer
and hosts the Sisense Web application. It provides access to Sisense
dashboards and Sisense Admin screens for user management. Each
dashboard created is maintained within the Web Server catalog and
application database, which contains metadata regarding users, groups,
dashboards, data models, and system settings. The Web Server is comprised
of many additional services required by the Sisense front-end, including a
Proxy service for routing application requests, query services that
transform JAQL to SQL, plug-in management, and more.
There are three main client applications that communicate with the
Application Server:
Sisense Web App: This Sisense Web Application is the client
application for dashboard creation and access, and system
administration.
Sisense Mobile App: This Sisense Mobile Application is an Android and
Apple-device compatible application for viewing dashboards across
devices.
REST API: The Sisense REST API provides programmatic access to the
Sisense Application Server functionality including managing
ElastiCubes, user and group management, white labeling, user roles,
reporting, and security.
ElastiCube Server: The ElastiCube Server supports the management of
ElastiCubes and the data they contain. The Sisense Server also supports the
Application Server, which queries the ElastiCube Server where the
ElastiCubes are hosted. Within the ElastiCube Server are the following main
components:
ElastiCube Catalog: The catalog maintains a list of ElastiCubes
contained within the ElastiCube server.
Data Connectors: The Data Connectors service is responsible for
managing both native and 3rd party connectors.
Client Applications:
Sisense ElastiCube Manager: A Windows client application for
managing data sources. The ElastiCube Manager provides the GUI for
creating ElastiCubes, including importing data sources, preparing
them, and building the ElastiCubes.
Sisense Shell (PSM.exe): A command line interface for managing
ElastiCubes, such as building an ElastiCube, attaching and detaching
ElastiCubes from a server, updating data sources, etc. The Sisense Shell
can also be controlled programmatically.
Sisense Server Console: A Windows application that controls Sisense
servers, including attaching ElastiCube folders to Sisense servers and
starting and stopping ElastiCubes.
Licensing: This service checks and validates licensing information.
Multi-Node Orchestration: The Sisense Orchestrator Service is an
automated service that can be configured to synchronize builds across the
ElastiCube Set.
Remote Support Analysis: This service is responsible for controlling
logging, monitoring and automatic software updates.
Message Bus: The Message bus is a module responsible for transporting
events across Sisense components.
Sisense Remote Servers

Sisense remote servers are used for license management, monitoring and
software updates.
Data Sources

Data sources may be files or databases located on servers on a local network, or

remote locations and web services such as SalesForce and Google AdWords.
Sisense supports a variety of data sources through native connectors, customer
REST connectors, and ODBC drivers. These connectors are used to import data
into the ElastiCube Server.
Downloading and Installing
Sisense
This topic describes how to download Sisense and the installation process for
getting Sisense up and running.
Downloading Sisense
If you want to try Sisense for the first time, sign up for the free trial at
Sisense.com.
Otherwise, you can download the latest version of Sisense here.
See Sisense Release Versions if you need to download a previous version of
Sisense.
Installing Sisense
The entire Sisense solution can be installed from one file, either locally or in a
central place in your organization within a couple of minutes.
All Sisense components are installed with a default configuration, as follows:
Sisense Web Application
ElastiCube Manager
Sisense Server Console
ElastiCube Server
Note: To install Sisense, you must have administrator privileges on the machine
where you are installing Sisense and your environment must meet the Minimum
Requirements and Supported Platforms. In addition, Internet Explorer's
enhanced security option should be disabled.
Note: If you are installing Sisense in Windows Server 2019, see Disabling
Windows Defender Real-Time Protection.
To install Sisense:
Open the downloaded executable file to run the installation.
Note: If your Window Firewall is active, click Allow access to continue
installing Sisense.
If you are not logged into Sisense, enter your username and password to
confirm licensing and begin the installation process. If you are logged in
already, the activation screen is not displayed.
After entering your login details, select Get Everything to run the default
installation:
If you are upgrading your version, click Upgrade.
Installing Sisense behind a Firewall
The standard installation requires internet access to download the necessary
components. For machines behind a firewall, or without internet access, you can
download and install the full self-contained installation file.
For detailed instructions, see Installing Sisense Offline.
Recommended Antivirus Exclusions for
Sisense
Some folders, processes, and services may have to be excluded from anti-virus
scanning when you use anti-virus software. If these are not excluded, you may
see unexpected behavior such as problems accessing or installing Sisense.
See Sisense's Recommended Exclusions for the complete list of services,
processes, and folders that need to be excluded.
Related Topics:

If you need to customize your installation, see Customizing the Installation. You
can customize your installation during the first installation or after an
installation, but not during an upgrade.
If you want to install Sisense on a remote machine, see Performing a Silent
Installation.
If you are migrating your installation to a different machine, see Backing Up and
Migrating a Sisense Installation.
If you have any problems installing Sisense, see the Installation And Upgrade
FAQ.
Setting Up Your Production
Environment
This topic describes how to set up a production environment for hosting your
Sisense implementation.
Sisense recommends installing Sisense in a staging environment, where you can
check all of your ElastiCubes and dashboards, as well as test different
configurations and customization options. When everything is working as
expected, deploy Sisense in your production environment. To learn more about
migrating your installation, see Migrating Sisense.
Note: Port 8081, or 443 for secure connections, should be reserved for the
Sisense application only. No other applications should run on these ports on your
server.
Providing Remote Access to the Sisense Web
Environment
To maximize the Sisense experience, you will want to make your dashboards
accessible to external users outside the organization’s network. This requires the
following configurations:
Open TCP port (default is 8081) to access the Sisense Web Application
internally.
Ensure that your Sisense machine has a public IP address or domain name
associated with a public IP for external access.
Open port 443 if you are using SSL. Sisense recommends using SSL for secure
connections or a VPN solution. For more information about implementing
SSL, see Setting Up SSL.
External users who were granted access can view dashboards by entering the
machine’s IP and the port number, for example: xx.xxx.xx.xx:8081 or
my.company.com:8081
Click here to learn more and see troubleshooting tips.
Providing Remote Access to Sisense
In some cases, you may want to provide external access to Sisense for designing
and modeling your ElastiCubes. In such cases it is necessary to consult your
Sisense Success Manager to make sure your licensing terms allow this option.
In addition, make sure that ports 811, 812 on your Sisense machine are open.
Note: To avoid exposing your data, do not open ports 811/812 without the
proper security measures.
Sisense Email Server
Sisense provides you with an email server for sending reports and notifications
to your users from Sisense, to be used in POC and testing environments. When
you migrate your deployment to a production environment, you should configure
your own custom email server, so you can manage your emails according to your
company's policies.
For more information, see Setting Up a Custom Email Server.
Base URLs
Base URLs are the consistent part of a web address for a site or web application.
In Sisense, the default address is localhost:8081. Sisense allows you to specify a
Sisense hostname as a subfolder of a domain, for example,
baseurl.sisense.com/reporting.
For more information, see Configuring Base URLs.
Customizing the Installation
This topic describes how you can customize the settings for your web server
application during the installation process or after Sisense is installed.
For example, you can configure your server to use the Long index edition of
Sisense if your ElastiCubes are expected to contain a table with over 300 million
rows.
Note: You cannot customize the settings during an upgrade process. If you
upgraded Sisense and want to customize settings, refer to the post-installation
option described below.
To access the customization options during the installation process:
While installing Sisense, click Customize Installation, and define the
settings as described below.
To access the customization options after you have already installed
Sisense:
Open the Control Panel, and go to Programs > Programs and Features.
Right-click Sisense, and click Change.
Click Continue > Change Features, and define the settings as described
below.
Settings
ElastiCube Server
Select the Long Index edition if your ElastiCubes are expected to contain a table
with over 300 million rows.
It is not recommended to use this configuration setting for ElastiCubes in which
the largest table does not include at least 300 million rows.
Performing a Silent
Installation
This topic describes how to install Sisense silently.
You can install Sisense using the command-line interpreter, for example, when
you need to run an installation on a remote machine.
You can also customize the installation using variables, for example, install
Sisense without the sample dashboards.
To perform a silent installation:
Download the latest sisense version.
Open the command line interpreter and type in the installation commands as
follows:
Full installation (without previous user activation)
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe -q -username="<>" -
password="<>"
Full installation (for user already activated by Sisense)
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe -q
Full offline installation (requires a license key from Sisense)
Note: To get an offline license, go to My Account and click GET KEY, or
contact your Sisense Success Manager.
After attaining your key, copy and paste it after -offlinelicense= (replacing
<offline_license_key> in the example below).
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe -q -
offlinelicense=<offline_license_key>
Installation without Sample ElastiCubes and dashboards
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe -nosamples -q
Choosing Sisense Website name and port
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe -q -
webname=<website_name> -webport=<website_port>
Silent Customized Installations
There are two options available for customizing silent installations:
bigdata: Add if you want to install the Long Index version of Sisense. Long
Index determines how Sisense transforms your data when loading it in to
an ElastiCube. Sisense builds your ElastiCube using pointers that represent
your data. These pointers are used to find the actual values so no
information is lost. To reduce memory consumption and improve
performance, Sisense builds ElastiCubes with 32-bit pointers reducing the
size of the pointers. You may experience “Out of memory” errors when
working with big data such as: 300 million rows of numeric fields 2GB of
string fields For example, let’s assume that your data contains strings with a
length of 1024 characters and 4,194,304 unique rows such that
1024*4,194,304 > 4GB in content after indexing, you should install the Long
Index version of Sisense. By installing the Long Index edition, Sisense will
use 64-bit pointers. While this is fine for big data, you should use the default
installation of Sisense when working data smaller than the figures
mentioned above for faster performance. edition if your ElastiCubes are
expected to contain a table with over 300 million rows.
It is not recommended to use this configuration setting for ElastiCubes in
which the largest table does not include at least 300 million rows.
webport: Add to customize what port Sisense runs on.
For example:
SisenseLatestFull.exe -q -bigdata -webport=80
After Sisense is installed, the only option to change the port is through the Port
field in the Configuration Manager.
To uninstall Sisense using the command-line interpreter:
In the command-line interpreter, enter:
<Location of downloaded executable
file>\SisenseLatestFull.exe /q /uninstall
Installing Sisense Offline
The standard installation of Sisense requires internet access to download
additional necessary components. To support machines behind firewalls, or
without internet access, you need to download and install the full Sisense
installation file. After you have installed Sisense, you need to provide an offline
activation key.
The steps below describe how to install Sisense offline and activate it.
Prerequisites
Before installing Sisense offline, make sure you have the following installed:
Microsoft .NET 4.6.1 Framework
IIS – Internet information Services (Microsoft’s Web server), see the
following instructions per your operating system
Windows 7 or 8
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2012
Installing Sisense
Note: If you are installing Sisense in Windows Server 2019, see Disabling
Windows Defender Real-Time Protection.
To install Sisense offline:
Download the latest full version of Sisense.
Open the installation file and click Run. The Welcome to Sisense window is
displayed.

In the Welcome to Sisense window, click Activate.

In the Sisense Activation window, click Behind a Firewall. The product ID is
displayed.

Copy the product ID.

On an online machine, open http://www.sisense.com/my-account/ and log in

with your Sisense credentials.
In the My Account page, from the left menu, select GET KEY.
Paste your product ID from the Sisense installation into the field and click
GET KEY. Your Off License key is displayed.
Copy the key and paste it into the key area in the Sisense Activation window.

Click Install. Sisense is activated and you can begin to install Sisense.
Backing Up Sisense
The backup process requires backing up your ElastiCubes and the Sisense Web
Application.
In addition, if you have any custom plugins located in the directory C:\Program
Files\Sisense\PrismWeb\plugins, this folder should be backed up as well.
The procedures below describe how to back up your ElastiCubes, the Sisense
Web Application, and Sisense in high availability environments.
Backing Up Your ElastiCubes
Your ElastiCube Server contains information about your ElastiCubes, including
the schema and the data that was imported when the ElastiCube was built. This
information is saved in a collection of folders stored in the ElastiCube Data
folder. The files and folders in the ElastiCube Data must be saved and their
structured maintained to ensure your implementation will work as expected on
the migrated machine.
To back your ElastiCubes:
In Windows Services, stop Sisense.ECMS.

Open the directory:

%ProgramData%\Sisense\PrismServer\ElastiCubeData
Note: This is the default path. To check which path is being used, open the
Sisense Server Console and click on the Server Preferences icon to verify
the correct path.

Copy the data to your backup location.

Backing Up the Sisense Web Application
The Sisense Web Application uses information stored in an instance on the
Sisense application database where the Sisense Web Application is installed. This
instance stores data about users, dashboards, widgets, and other information.
This information must be stored to ensure your Sisense Web Application runs
properly.
To back up the Sisense Web Application:
In Windows Services, stop the Sisense.Repository and Sisense.Discovery
services.
Open the directory:
%ProgramData%\Sisense\PrismWeb\Repository\DB
Copy the data to your backup location maintaining the same file structure.
Open the directory:
%ProgramData%\Sisense\Infra\Discovery
Copy the data to your backup location maintaining the same file structure.
(Optional) Back up your custom plugins by copying the directory:
C:\Program Files\Sisense\app\plugins
For information on how to automate the backup process, see Automatically
Backup Sisense Web Data.
Backing Up Sisense in a High Availability
Environment
If you have implemented a high availability environment for Sisense and want to
back up your installation, the files described below should be backed up in
addition to the files described above in Backing Up Your ElastiCubes and Backing
Up Your Sisense Web Application:
Build Node(s):
C:\Program Files\Sisense\Sisense.Orchestration\config\config.json
Web Node(s):
C:\Program Files\Sisense\Infra\MongoDB\keyfile. See Creating a KeyFile for
more information.
C:\Program Files\Sisense\Infra\MongoDB\mongodbconfig.conf
C:\Program Files\Sisense\Infra\Discovery\conf\zoo.cfg
Upgrade Guide
Sisense releases several major versions a year, and a few minor versions in
between. Each version includes new features and enhancements as well as other
improvements.
Sisense allows you to decide when you want to upgrade to the latest version.
There are no automatic updates for Sisense. If you decide to upgrade, follow the
steps below to ensure a smooth upgrade. These steps include best practices,
instructions for upgrading in single server versus Multi-Node environments, and
suggestions for avoiding potential problems that can occur.
Important: Which version you are upgrading from matters. If you are upgrading
from a version earlier than Sisense V7.2, see the Sisense V7.2 Upgrade guide. If
you are upgrading from Sisense V7.2 and later, there are no special
requirements.
The following are a list of steps you should review or perform when upgrading
Sisense.
Researching Your Upgrade
Backing Up Sisense
Performing an Upgrade
Testing Your Upgrade
Upgrading Your Production Environment
Next Steps
Researching Your Upgrade
Upgrade Guide
Sisense releases several major versions a year, and a few minor versions in
between. Each version includes new features and enhancements as well as other
improvements.
Sisense allows you to decide when you want to upgrade to the latest version.
There are no automatic updates for Sisense. If you decide to upgrade, follow the
steps below to ensure a smooth upgrade. These steps include best practices,
instructions for upgrading in single server versus Multi-Node environments, and
suggestions for avoiding potential problems that can occur.
Important: Which version you are upgrading from matters. If you are upgrading
from a version earlier than Sisense V7.2, see the Sisense V7.2 Upgrade guide. If
you are upgrading from Sisense V7.2 and later, there are no special
requirements.
The following are a list of steps you should review or perform when upgrading
Sisense.
Researching Your Upgrade
Backing Up Sisense
Performing an Upgrade
Testing Your Upgrade
Upgrading Your Production Environment
Next Steps
Researching Your Upgrade
Researching Your Upgrade
Before you upgrade, you should learn about the new features and enhancements
in the version you are upgrading to, and check if there are any breaking changes.
See the Release Notes for more information. Also, check Sisense’s Minimum
Requirements to make sure your environment meets Sisense’s
recommendations, and that all the necessary communication ports are open.
If you are upgrading from a version earlier than Sisense V7.2, review the Sisense
V7.2 Upgrade guide first for some important changes.
Best Practice: Sisense recommends that you never install a beta version of
Sisense in your production environment. You should also never restore your
production environment using a backup of a beta version.
Sisense recommends that you review the following:
Release Notes
Minimum Requirements
Communiction Ports
If you are upgrading from a version of Sisense earlier than Sisense V7.2, see the
Sisense V7.2 Upgrade Guide. If you are upgrading from version Sisense V7.2 or
later, there are no special requirements.
Next Steps
Backing Up Sisense
Backing Up Sisense
The backup process for Sisense requires backing up your ElastiCubes and the
Sisense Web Application. In addition, if you have customized your environment,
you may want to back up your customizations as well.
This topic describes how to back up your ElastiCubes, the Sisense Web
Application, and any customizations you may have performed.
Backing Up Your ElastiCubes
Your ElastiCube Server contains information about your ElastiCubes, including
the schema and the data that was imported when the ElastiCube was built. This
information is saved in a collection of folders stored in the ElastiCube Data
folder. The files and folders in the ElastiCube Data must be saved and their
structured maintained to ensure your implementation will work as expected on
the migrated machine.
To back your ElastiCubes:
In Windows Services, stop Sisense.ECMS.

Open the directory:

Copy the data to your backup location.

For a list of dashboards, see the Analytics page in List view.

Next Steps
Performing Your Upgrade
Performing an Upgrade
After backing up your Sisense files and configuration, the next step is to upgrade
Sisense. If you are hosting a single Sisense server, then you can upgrade Sisense
using the Sisense Installer. If you are hosting multiple Sisense servers, you can
use the Multi-Node Deployment tool to silently upgrade each of your servers
remotely.
Best Practice: Upgrade a staging environment so you can know how the
upgrade will affect your users and your configuration before upgrading your
production environment.
Upgrading a Single Server Environment
To install the latest version:
Download the latest version of Sisense. For more information, see
Downloading and Installing Sisense.
Run the installation file as a Windows Administrator. Sisense automatically
detects if a version is already installed, and displays the upgrade wizard.

Click Continue.
Click Upgrade.
Upgrading a Multi-Node Deployment
To upgrade a Multi-Node deployment, you can use the Multi-Node deployment
tool. This tool supports Sisense V7.2 and later. The Multi-Node deployment tool
remotely installs or upgrades Sisense on your server to the version you select in
the tool.
Before proceeding with the installation, ensure that the relevant communication
ports are available on each of the servers. See Communication Ports for Multi-
Node Deployments for more information.
To upgrade a Multi-Node deployment:
Download the Deployment Wizard. See Installing the Sisense Multi-Node
Deployment Wizard if you have not already downloaded and installed it.
After installing the Deployment Wizard, the screen below should be
displayed. If you have closed the Deployment Wizard, in your Sisense High
Availability Configuration directory, run SisenseHAWizard.exe.
Enter your Sisense login credentials and click Sign In.

Select the version of Sisense you are upgrading to.

Click Download Agent Installation to install the Sisense Agent and click
Next.
In the Deployment Wizard, enter your Windows server credentials. These
credentials will be used to connect to each of the servers in your
environment, so the user name and password should be the same for each
server and the user must have Admin privileges.

In the Server Configuration area, enter the address of your server in the
Add Server field.
In Role, select the role of the server. There are two possible roles,
Application Node and Build Node. If your server is going to support
Sisense's web services or act as a query node, select Application Node. If
your server is going to be the build node where ElastiCubes are built and
then distributed to other nodes, select Build Node.
If you selected Application Node as your server's role, you need to define
what components it will support. There are three options you can select:
Web: Supports the web services of Sisense
Query: Responsible for running queries and hosting ElastiCubes
Web and Query: The server will support the web application and act as
a query node
Click Add Server and repeat Steps 6-8 for each server you wish to add.
After each of your servers has been configured, click Next.
(Optional) If you have a load balancer, enter its IP address in the Load
Balancer field. Your load balancer routes requests from your application
nodes to your active query nodes to maximize performance and capacity
utilization. This ensures communication between your load balancer,
Sisense, and the nodes in your Multi-Node environment.

In the MongoDB Configuration area, create a replica set for supporting

your application database. This ensures that each application database has
the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters. For more
information, see Creating Replica Sets.
Click Next. Sisense will automatically complete the setup of your Multi-Node
environment. Close the Deployment Wizard once the setup is complete.
After you have created your environment, the next step is to define how
builds are distributed across all your servers. See Distributing ElastiCube
Builds to Query Nodes.
Next Steps
Testing Your Upgrade
Testing Your Upgrade
After you have upgraded your staging environment or your production
environment, Sisense recommends you test the following to verify that your
upgrade was a success:
If you have implemented SSL, access the Sisense server from an external
network, using SSL, and ensure the dashboards load as expected.
If you have implemented SSO, log in to Sisense using SSO, and make sure that
a user can see all of their dashboards.
If you use any plugins or add-ons, load dashboards using plugins, and make
sure it’s loaded correctly.
If you have rebranded Sisense, check the following:
Rebranded emails are sent and are displayed as expected
Homepage and logo are displayed as expected
Dashboards that are embedded into your site and application are
working as expected
If you have implemented active directory, log in to Sisense using an account
from active direcotry and make sure your user can log in and see all of their
dashboards.
Create a new ElastiCube and import a data source (Excel or CSV file, or any
other).
If you have dashboards or widgets using custom scripts, load the dashboard
or the widget to make sure they’re loaded correctly.
Run a build of an existing ElastiCube successfully.
Create a new dashboard, and add a Table or Pivot widget. Ensure the widget
loads data.
If you collected information about your environment, including how many
ElastiCubes, dashboards, users, and groups you have, verify that the
number of assets in the upgraded deployment is correct.
Export a widget to Excel. Ensure the file is downloaded and has the relevant
data.
Export a dashboard to PDF. Ensure the PDF is created and opened
successfully.
Send a PDF report of a dashboard through Sisense and ensure it’s received.
If you have a multi-node deployment, in addition to the list above, test the
following as well:
Shut down one of the query nodes and verify that dashboards return the
correct result.
Verify that ElastiCube distribution works and that the Last Build time in the
Data Source section of the Admin page changes.
Next Steps
Upgrading Your Production Environment
Licensing Terminology
The following is a list of some of the terms defining license scope or product
options that will be reflected on the Sales Order defining the license granted in
the Software.
“Administrator(s)” means the Authorized User(s) who are Personnel of
Licensee who have the authorization and access for server, user and data
management.
“Advanced IT Package” means a set of features that are bundled in a license
option for Authorized Servers, that is licensed hereunder if specified on the
applicable Sales Order and that includes:
SSO is defined at this link: /documentation/configuring-single-sign-sso/
API is defined at the following links:
REST API – https://documentation.sisense.com/sisense-rest-api/
SQL API – https://documentation.sisense.com/sql-api/
SDK means the Software Development Kit, a component of the Software,
which allows the development or configuration of the Software.
“Authorized Users” means individual users granted access to use the Software
on a named basis. Each Authorized User shall receive a personal login and
password which shall be maintained securely by Licensee from unauthorized
use. The number of Authorized Users licensed hereunder is specified on the Sales
Order(s) executed hereunder.
“Authorized Servers” means the number of Licensee’s servers on which the
Software may be installed as specified in the applicable Sales Order. For
purposes of this Agreement, each Authorized Server shall be licensed for a
specific number of Rows or Cores as specified on the applicable Sales Order.
“Backup/Development Server” means a Software instance that is to be used
for the sole purpose of development, backup, staging and other non-production
uses and may not be used in any way for production use.
“Central Monitoring Service” means a set of features permitting monitoring
by Licensee of certain technical aspects of the operation of the Software. The
features are bundled in a license option for Authorized Servers, that is licensed
hereunder if specified on the applicable Sales Order. The features currently
consist of:
Sisense Monitor: a service that collects data about query, build and
Authorized Server performance and displays this information in a
dashboard to assist Licensee in monitoring and troubleshooting potential
issues.
Note: Licensing of Authorized Servers with the Advanced IT Package is a
prerequisite for licensing the Central Monitoring Service. The Advanced IT
Package includes a license to permit use of the Central Monitoring Service
on up to two (2) Authorized Servers. Use of the Central Monitoring Service
on additional Authorized Servers must be purchased and reflected on the
applicable Sales Order.
“Core” shall be a collection of one or more processor threads and a set of shared
execution resources. A processor thread is the architectural state within a
processor that tracks execution of a software program thread/task.
Hyperthreading and other current and future technologies that materially
expand the processing capacity of a Core shall not be permitted to increase the
licensed processing capacity of the Core-based licenses granted under this
Agreement unless otherwise agreed by the parties.
“Dashboards” means the graphic representation of data extracted from the data
source(s) ingested into the Software as designed and created by Designers
and/or Administrators using the Software in accordance with this Agreement.
“Designer(s)” means the Authorized User(s) who are Personnel of Licensee that
are authorized to create, edit and share data models and Dashboards.
“Natural Language Package” means a set of natural language generation
features available for license as an add-on to the Authorized Server licenses as
described in the Documentation.
“Personnel” shall mean employees and contractors of Licensee where such
personnel’s access to the Software is controlled by Licensee.
“Row”shall be a single record in a table of a Sisense data model. For licensing
purposes, only Rows in tables that were added to the data model from external
sources are counted (i.e., Base table). If a base table is used by several data
models, it is counted only once.
“Viewer(s)” means the Authorized User(s) who are Personnel of Licensee that
are authorized to view and filter the Dashboards that Designers share with them
via a standard web browser. An Unlimited Viewer license allows unlimited
Viewers to be authorized to access the specified Authorized Server. Please note
that while there is no legal limit to the number of Viewers, the technical capacity
of the server may limit the number of Viewers that may actually access the
Authorized Server.
Launching Sisensethe Sisense
Web Application
This topic describes how to launch the Sisense Web Application and ElastiCube
Manager.
To launch Sisensethe Sisense Web Application:
Use one of the following options to launch Sisense:
If you have Sisense installed on your machine, select Sisense from the Start
menu.
From a standard browser, go to the URL of the Sisense environment provided
to you by your System Administrator.
To launch Sisense:
Use one of the following options:
From Windows: Open the Windows Start menu and select Sisense ElastiCube
Manager. This opens the desktop version of Sisense.
From the Sisense Web Application: Click Data in the top menu. This opens
the Data page where a list of your ElastiCubes is displayed.
To log into Sisense:
If you installed Sisense, you can use the same credentials to log into Sisense.
If an account has been created for you, you should receive a password
activation email. Click on the link to activate your account.
After logging into the Sisense Web Application, the Analytics page is displayed.
From the Analytics page, you can see dashboards that have been shared with
you or some sample dashboards provided by Sisense.
Tutorial: Getting Started with
Sisense
Welcome!
In this basic tutorial, you will learn how to connect to data, and how to build your
first dashboard.
The demo data in this tutorial is based on sample E-commerce data, and a
common market analysis scenario will be used.
If you have already connected to data sources, you can skip this step and go
directly to Step 2 – Your First Dashboard.
Step 1 Connect to Data
Introduction
To work with data in Sisense you need ElastiCubes. An ElastiCube model is
Sisense’s proprietary analytical database, which enables you to connect multiple
data sources and run complex queries in split seconds.
You can connect to databases (like SQL Server, MySql, Oracle, etc.), files (text, csv,
Microsoft Access, etc.) and online web services (Google AdWords/Analytics,
Salesforce, Zendesk, etc.).
In this tutorial you will create your first ElastiCube model using some sample
ECommerce data.
Please download the following two sample files:
GettingStarted ECommerce.csv – A CSV file with a few hundred thousand
entries.
GettingStarted Brands.xlsx – An Excel file with data on brands sold in our
ECommerce sample.
1. Open the Data Page
Look for Sisense in your Windows Start Menu and open it.
From the menu bar, select Data > + ElastiCube. This creates an empty
ElastiCube model. You can also choose to create a Live model where you connect
directly to your data source, but for this tutorial, let's stick with an ElastiCube.

Now, give your ElastiCube model the name “Tutorial”:

You just created an empty ElastiCube. The next step is to add some data to it.
2. Add Data Sources
In Sisense, you can import data into the ElastiCube, or connect directly to your
data source with a Live connection. With our CSV and Excel files, we will import
these into the ElastiCube.
Table #1 – CSV File
Import the base table, which is in the form of a CSV file. This table contains info
about what kind of products have been purchased, and how much they cost.
Click and select CSV from the list:
You will be prompted to choose how you want to upload your CSV file. Select
File Upload.

Drag the GettingStarted.CSV file to the Upload area or click browse and
navigate to the
file.
After you upload the CSV file, select it from the Uploads list and click Next:

Select the GettingStarted Ecommerce file from the Select Table list. You can
preview the data inside it by clicking . This displays some more settings
you can use to customize your data, but for now, click Done.

Congratulations, you have connected to your first data source. You can now see
the CSV file in your schema.
The name of the table in the ElastiCube model defaults to the file name in this
case. You can double-click the title to rename it and remove the CSV extension.
Your ElastiCube model should look like this:
Table #2 – Excel File
Information about the brands that were sold in the main table exists in another
table, this time in an Excel file.
Click Add Data and select Microsoft Excel File from the list.
You will be prompted to select an Excel file. Find and select “GettingStarted
Brands.xlsx”, which you downloaded in Step 1 (you can also download the
file here).
In the new window leave the default settings and click Add.
Congratulations, you have now added your second table, an Excel file.
To rename the table, click the table once and select and rename the table to
“Brands”.
Your ElastiCube model should look like this:
3. Connect Different Data Sources
So far you have added two tables from two different data sources. Now let’s see
how to connect them.
In the ElastiCube model, creating and deleting relationships between tables is as
simple as drag and drop.
Any two fields of the same type (numeric/text/date) can be connected. In this
sample, both tables have a “Brand ID” column. Let’s connect them:
Drag the Brands table onto the Ecommerce table. This opens the
Relationships pane.

Select Brand ID from both tables and click Done. You should now see the
two tables are joined through the column Brand ID.
4. Build the ElastiCube
Now that you have defined your ElastiCube model, you are ready to build it. This
will pull the data from the data sources into the ElastiCube model.

Click Build in the top menu.

The build will start. You will see the progress in Build log. Wait for the build to
finish:
Congratulations! You have successfully built your first ElastiCube model.
5. Dashboard Time!
Click Analytics in the top menu to open the Sisense Web Application and create
a new dashboard.

Step 2 Your First Dashboard

Welcome to Step 2 of the Sisense tutorial. In Step 1 – Connect to Data of this
tutorial, you connected to data and built your first ElastiCube model. Now, you
are ready to jump right into creating your first dashboard.
Although it is recommended to complete Step 1 in advance, you can jump right
into Step 2 if you wish.
If you’re arriving directly from Step 1, you should already be in the process of
creating a new dashboard after clicking Analytics in the top menu of Sisense:
Introduction
Sisense is designed to let business users easily create powerful and meaningful
dashboards, without being a developer or data scientist.
To get a feel for the process, Sisense has put together this tutorial which shows
you how to do a quick market analysis to identify what products are meeting
customers’ needs, and in which markets. You will use appropriate visualizations
to create a dashboard that provides answers to four questions:
Sales Trend: Is annual revenue increasing?
Optimal Product Mix: What product lines should we grow?
Segmentation: Which customer segments should we develop?
Market Size and Growth: Where are our best markets located?
To make things interesting, your data set is based on sales and customer data
from an E-commerce site.
1 – Create a New Dashboard
Click + to create a new dashboard on the Analytics page.

In the Data Set field, select the ElastiCube model to which you want to
connect. If you’ve completed Step 1 – Connect to Data, select ‘Tutorial’ in the
Data Set field, otherwise choose ‘Sample ECommerce’.
A default title name matching the ElastiCube model name will be given to the
dashboard. Feel free to change it.

Click Create.
Now that you have a dashboard, you can start adding widgets to it.
2 – Create Your First Widget: Sales Trends
Create your first widget to get a general idea of your sales performance.
Click Select Data on the left side of the screen:

A list of available fields will be displayed grouped according to the table they
belong to. This window is called ‘Data Browser’, and lets you easily find the
fields available in your ElastiCube model. Select the ‘Revenue’ field:
Now you immediately get a ready made widget that shows you all revenue to
date. We call this kind of widget an “Indicator”.
But to understand revenue over time, add a time field to the mix:
Click + Add More Data:

In the data browser, hover over the Date field and click More… Then select
Quarters:

Click Create to add the line chart widget to the dashboard.

The revenue trend is also positive showing annual growth, so now go ahead
and explore what’s driving this growth. It would be interesting to uncover
profitable product categories.
3 – Create a Scatter Chart to See Cost and
Revenue
Now try to understand the interaction of cost and revenue to discover the most
profitable product lines.
On the top of the dashboard click .
Click Select Data and select the ‘Category’ field.
Click Add More Data and select the ‘Revenue’ field.
Click Add More Data again and this time hover over the ‘Cost’ field and click
More… > Average.
Now select the scatter chart icon from the widget buttons on the left, and
click Create.

It’s simple to see that product categories on the right generate the most
revenue and those products in the lower left have the lowest cost and
revenue. Hover over each scatter point to see the category behind it, to
discover that Cell Phones and PDAs generate most of the revenue.
You now understand which product lines to sell, but to get a complete view
of your market, you need to identify optimal customer segments to target in
each market – start by creating segments based on age.
4 – Creating Pie Charts to Visualize Customer
Segmentation
On the top of the dashboard, click New Widget.
Click Select Data and select the ‘Age Range’ field.
Click Add Data and select the ‘Revenue’ field.
Now select the pie chart icon from the widget buttons on the left, and
click Create.

You can clearly see that customers between the ages of 65+ are the most
valuable in terms of the revenue they generate. This insight can be used to
focus advertising budgets and develop unique campaigns to grow these
customer segments. Now, you can turn your attention to identifying which
markets are growing at the quickest rate.
5 – Creating a Map to See Market Growth
Before you focus on growth, you should focus on a specific year first, by adding a
filter.
The Filter panel on the right of the dashboards lets you add dynamic filters to
the dashboard.
Click Filter Your Dashboard on the right side of the dashboard.
In the Data Browser, click on the Date field.
Click the multi/single selection button to make it a single selection filter.
Leave only 2013 selected, and click OK.

Your dashboard is now filtered to show data only for the year 2013.
Now create a map:
Click at the top of the dashboard.
Click Select Data and select the Country field.
Click Add More Data again and select the Revenue field.
Click on the scatter map button type on the left.
Now you see a map, where the biggest circles represent the countries with
the highest revenue. But if you want to concentrate on the markets with the
biggest growth in revenue, its easy:
Hover and click to open the menu of the Total Revenue field and select Quick
Functions > % Change Over Time > Growth.

Click Create.
Now the biggest circles on the map represent countries with highest
growth. You can see for example that the United States is very hot right
now. You can use this information to focus resources as well as further
analyze these markets to understand revenue drivers.
6 – Rearrange the Widgets in the Dashboard
You can rearrange the dashboard by dragging and dropping, and resizing the
widgets. Dragging one widget on top of another splits the area in the dashboard
and allocates space for both widgets.
See this animation to get a feeling of how to rearrange widgets:

Go ahead and rearrange your dashboard however you see fit.

You can now easily see all four visualizations showing sales trends, product mix,
customer segments and fast growing markets. You can explore and drill into the
details to get further insight.
7 – Filtering and Drill Downs
In our pie chart we can clearly see that our strongest age range is 65+. Let’s
explore this age range a little more:
Click the 65+ slice in the pie chart.
As a result, a new filter is added to the filter panel on the right, and the entire
dashboard is now filtered to focus on this age range.
Taking a look at the updated scatter chart, you can see that Monitors are by
far the most revenue generating category for this age range.
Right-click the 65+ slice in the pie chart and select Drill Into… from the
menu.
A Data Browser will pop up, letting you select any field to drill into. Click on
the Brand field.
You can now see which brands contribute the most to the revenue of your
selected age range.
You can make direct selections by dragging the mouse over the points that
interest you in the scatter and line charts as well.
8 – So What Did We See Here?
The dashboard you created enables you to interactively analyze three market
priorities – where to sell, what to sell and who to sell to. More importantly it
makes it simple to see the interaction of product categories, client segments and
revenue, to optimize marketing and sales activities and track performance
targets.
This was just a quick glimpse of what you can do. Now it’s time to start exploring
on your own.
Release Notes
Sisense WindowsClick to open the Sisense on Windows
Release Notes

Sisense Cloud Native LinuxClick to open the Sisense

Cloud Native Linux Release Notes
Manage Data
This section describes data models in Sisense, how to connect to data sources,
and how to avoid common mistakes when preparing your schemas.

Data Models
In Sisense, there are two types of data models, ElastiCube models and live
models. ElastiCubes are Sisense’s proprietary, high-performance analytical
database specifically designed to withstand extensive querying typically required
for your business intelligence application. With ElastiCube models, you import
data from a variety of data sources into a Sisense ElastiCube, which becomes the
database that supports your dashboard. These models then need to be updated
as the data in your sources changes.
Unlike ElastiCube models, live models run queries directly against the data
source. Sisense performs no additional caching on the data. This provides you
with near real-time data updates in your dashboard, though live connections rely
on the source database for all queries. This means the queries are only as fast the
data source.
In Sisense, Designers create data and live models to represent how data is
brought into Sisense and how should it be used when supporting your
dashboards. Which model you choose is determined by what you want to do with
your dashboard. ElastiCube models tend to be faster when you are working with
complex dashboards with large data sets while live models are preferred when
you need near real-time updates. ElastiCube models and live models can be used
together in a single dashboard to support both use-cases.
From the Data page, you can see a list of all the data models that you have
created or that were shared with you.

Related Topics
Navigating the Data Page
ElastiCubes
With ElastiCubes, you connect to your data sources and import your data. Once
your data is in Sisense, you can then design your ElastiCube model in the Model
Editor.
After you have designed your schema, it's time to build the ElastiCube. Building
an ElastiCube takes all your data from all your sources, and imports it into the
ElastiCube.
The topics below describe ElastiCubes and how to model them.

Related Topics
ElastiCubes
Creating ElastiCubes
Navigating the Model Editor
Introduction to Data Sources
Working with Data
Transforming and Enriching Data
Functions Overview
Building ElastiCubes
Build Settings and Data Accumulation Behavior
Elasticubes for Advanced Business Scenarios
Live Models
To create dashboards built on live connections to a data source, you create live
models. These data models include connection and credential details to the data
sources. After you have created your live model, you publish it. Publishing the
live model adds it to your list of data models from which you can select when
working with dashboards.
The topics below describe live models, and how to create and publish them.
Related Topics
Sisense Live Connect
Creating Live Models
Adding Live Connections
Working with Live Models
Publishing Live Models
Working with Live Widgets
Navigating the Data Page
From the Data page of ElastiCube Manager, you can manage your ElastiCubes
and view their current states.
The Data page contains a list of all the ElastiCubes and live models you have
created or that have been shared with you.

To locate ElastiCubes or live models easily, on the right side of the page, you can
view ElastiCubes and live models you recently worked on, that were created by
you, or that were shared with you. In addition, on the left side, you can locate an
ElastiCube through the Search field.
Each tile contains information about the status of the ElastiCube and live model,
its owner, and who its shared with it. You can open your ElastiCube by clicking
on its tile or you can manage your ElastiCubes by clicking and selecting one of the
following options:
Stop: Click to stop the ElastiCube. ElastiCubes that have been stopped cannot
be queried. This is useful for troubleshooting ElastiCubes and issues with
your dashboard.
Duplicate: Click to create a copy of a live or ElastiCube model. See
Duplicating Data Models for more information.
Restart: Click to restart an ElastiCube that you have stopped.
Dependencies: Click to see what entities are using the ElastiCube or live
model. Entities include data security rules, drill hierarchies, dashboards,
widgets (from other dashboards), and Pulse alerts.
Schedule Build: Click to schedule builds to automatically synchronize with
the underlying data source to ensure all data is up to date. See Scheduling
Builds for more information.
Delete: Click to delete an ElastiCube or live model. If the ElastiCube or live
model does not have any entities dependent (dependencies) on it, then you
will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the ElastiCube. Otherwise,
you will be prompted to remap your dependencies to another data source.
See Deleting ElastiCubes for more information.
Cancel all Queries: Click to cancel all current queries to the ElastiCube.
Go to Admin: Opens the Data Source tab in the Admin page where you can
manage your ElastiCube or live model.
Some features and functionality supported in the desktop version of Sisense are
not supported Sisense currently. These features will be added in the near future.
In the meantime, you can find workarounds for missing features at Sisense V7.0
Backwards Compatibility.
ElastiCubes
Introduction
The ElastiCube is Sisense’s unique, high-performance analytics database with
super-fast data stores that are specifically designed to withstand extensive
querying typically required by business intelligence applications.
ElastiCubes allow you to bring in data from multiple sources, and then merge,
manipulate and query the data as if it was one consolidated data set. ElastiCubes
perform so well, that in most cases the creation of dedicated OLAP cubes and/or
optimized data marts are completely unnecessary – even when dealing with
hundreds of millions of rows of raw data.
One of the biggest advantages of ElastiCubes is the ability to easily mash up
multiple data sources. It is made up of fields where each value in one field has a
corresponding value in another field. The data for an ElastiCube can come from
one source, multiple sources or even from multiple physical locations. Once the
data is inside the ElastiCube, it is all the same and every field coming from every
table can be analyzed in the context of any other – quickly.
Benefits
ElastiCube technology make queries over hundreds of millions of rows of raw
data return in seconds, with moderate hardware requirements including
standard desktop-class computers with commodity hardware. More importantly,
ElastiCubes can do this without having to pre-aggregate and pre-calculate the
data ahead of time and store it on the hard-drive, thus radically reducing
required import/processing time and storage space.
ElastiCubes are most useful when one or more of the following is true:
Large amounts of data need to be analyzed
Data for analysis originates from multiple disparate sources

ElastiCubes – Technical Overview

Relational databases (RDBMS) like SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL and even Access
all store tabular data row-by-row. This structure is best for
transactional/operational systems that require large numbers of concurrent
insertions. With indexes, it can also provide realistic query response times for
row-based queries that do not frequently require aggregations or joining of
many tables.
Data analysis often requires aggregation of data as well as merging of data
located in multiple disparate tables. When dealing with these types of queries,
relational databases reach their limits pretty quickly. The only way to extend
these limits is by putting in stronger hardware and pre-aggregating data to
reduce the amounts of calculations that occur in real time.
The ElastiCube Columnar Database

ElastiCube data is held in a Columnar Database Management System (CDBMS)

that stores data field-by-field. Each field is individually stored in a memory-
mapped file, the same mechanism the Windows operating system pagefile uses
for memory dumping and loading.
When a query is executed over an ElastiCube, only fields referenced in the query
need to be loaded into memory. This leaves enough space for actually processing
the query entirely in memory without any read/write to the hard-drive – the
prime reason for poor performance of queries. Once a field is no longer used, it is
removed from memory and its consumed space is freed.
This approach has several advantages:
Query Response Time
Queries over data sets containing millions of rows of data return in seconds even
under modest hardware configurations such as desktop computers.
Materialization Time
ElastiCubes do not require pre-aggregations and/or creation of indexes to assure
fast query response, therefore the actual creation of an ElastiCube takes a
fraction of the time of a data mart or an OLAP cube.
Storage Space
Pre-aggregations and the creation of indexes are not needed to assure fast query
response, making an ElastiCube’s size significantly smaller than a datamart or an
OLAP cube.
High Compression
This columnar storage strategy makes the data much more suitable for high
levels of compression, without loss of detail or accuracy. This means less
hardware is needed; less disk space and less RAM than for an equivalent-sized,
traditional Business Intelligence DB.
64-bit Support
Written and designed to natively support 64-bit processing, it vastly increases
the amount of memory the system can address at any given time. 64-bit
architecture means you can work with virtually unlimited amounts of data.
True Multi-User, Multi-Application Architecture
ElastiCubes are not tightly coupled with the application layer of the system. This
frees up a single ElastiCube to handle multiple applications and users. Not having
to reproduce your data model for every application saves significant time
developing and maintaining your dashboards and reports.
Just-In-Time, In-Memory Processing

Smart Cache and Instruction Recycling

CPU cycles and RAM space are the two most precious resources in any computer,
and ElastiCube is designed to use both as efficiently and speedily as possible.
Using our sophisticated caching algorithm, the data is only loaded into memory
when it’s needed. As part of this algorithm, compute- and time-intense
calculations are also intelligently cached to further reduce I/O calls.
Cache-aware Algorithm
Additional sophisticated algorithms further increase Sisense’s performance. Once
data is loaded into memory, the main performance bottleneck becomes CPU
cache misses that naturally come with random access. The ElastiCube is
specifically designed to minimize these errors by employing a unique cache-
aware algorithm, further increasing Sisense’s performance by an additional
order of magnitude.
Compressed Calculations
Every DB compresses data to save disk space and RAM. ElastiCube is designed to
work directly on this compressed data, so that the need for decompression is
virtually eliminated, further increasing ElastiCube’s performance.
Designed with Standard Hardware in Mind

Just about every new computer on the market—even portables like iPhones and
iPads—are built with very powerful multi-core processors, putting several CPUs
into one. ElastiCube was built specifically to take advantage of these powerful
CPUs, further increasing Sisense’s performance on standard hardware, enabling
you to run multiple applications and support multiple users.
Highly RAM-efficient
The thing we know for sure about DBs is that they grow. Fast. So no matter how
much fancy footwork is done with completely in-memory DBs, eventually you
run out of RAM space and need to upgrade—at least your RAM (best case) or
your entire hardware platform (worst, very expensive, case). At Sisense we know
this, so we spent years designing the ElastiCube to be able to handle terabytes—
billions of rows—of data efficiently and quickly, even on standard PC hardware.
Unified Analytics Engine

Sisense can execute queries against a wide variety of data sources as if they were
all of the same type, essentially making the individual characteristics of each
physical data source unimportant. Our Unified Analytics Engine is what makes
this possible.
When Sisense imports data, the Unified Analytics Engine creates a metadata
layer, or abstraction layer, which is then used to formulate queries across any
number of tables from any number of data sources in any number of formats. It
even supports the combined querying of resident and external (live) database
sources without first loading data into the database!
These capabilities provide the user with unparalleled flexibility and speed in
creating, executing and sharing highly complex reports, dashboards, and analytic
applications, with any number and variety of data sources.
Compliant with Industry Standards

Supports SQL-92 Standard

Even with all this advanced technology, we knew that none of it would be any
good if our users couldn’t access their existing data. So, we built in an SQL layer
to the system, which allows users to integrate Sisense to external applications
without needing to learn new scripting languages.
Seamless Integration with Existing Data Sources
Got an ODBC/OleDB compliant DB today? Great, we built in the ability to access
those, too. ElastiCube will seamlessly connect to those data sources so, again,
there is no need to learn a new language or write special code to connect to your
existing data. With ElastiCube there’s no need to start over, you just get faster,
easier, and more scalable, with minimal need for IT.
Creating ElastiCubes
Before you can analyze dashboards, you need to add data to Sisense and then
model it. The first step then is to create an ElastiCube. Once you create your
ElastiCube, the Model Editor displays an empty canvas where you can begin to
import and model your data.
For a short video overview of creating an ElastiCube, see the tutorial below.

To create an ElastiCube:
Open Sisense and click Data in the top menu. Your ElastiCubes and live
models are displayed.

Click . The Add new ElastiCube dialog box is displayed.

Name the new ElastiCube and click Save.
The Model Editor is displayed, where you can start creating your data model.
Navigating the Model Editor
The first time you create an ElastiCube or a live data model, its empty until you
start adding some data. Once you connect to your data source and select what
data is going to be imported or queried, its represented in Sisense as circular
nodes. Each node is a table. The color of a node is determined by its data source,
for example, data imported from a CSV file is one color while data imported via
SQL is another. The colors of the data source are described in the legend on the
bottom right of the editor.
The size of the table reflects the number of relations and the number of columns
the table has. So, a table with several relations and a lot of columns will be larger
than a table with a single relation and fewer columns. For example:

The ‘Conditions time of stay’ table is a custom table with a single relation and the
‘Admissions’ table contains data from a CSV file and has four relations.
The Model Editor contains a variety of information and functionality that lets you
prepare your data model as needed. A sample screen is shown below.
Navigation Pane: This area contains a list of your tables and their columns.
On the left side of the table name is an icon that indicates what type of data
is included, Date, Numeric or Text. On the right side is a join icon when
the column is connected to another table.
See Finding Tables and Fields more information.
Schema: The schema contains your data model that represents all the data to
be added to the ElastiCube and the relationships between the table. Some of
your tables might appear with icon attached them. These indicate the status
of your build and table. For example, indicates that the table has changed
since the last ElastiCube build while indicates that a custom expression
is currently in draft mode. See Working with Data for more information.
Schema Menu: This menu lists the following buttons:
Data: Click to add a new table to your ElastiCube.
Custom: Click to add a custom table to your ElastiCube.
Relationships: Click to open a preview window where you can join two
tables. See Creating Relationships for more information.
Build: Click Build to initiate an ElastiCube build.
Undo/Redo: Click these buttons to undo or redo any recent changes to
your schema.
Legend: The legend lists a description of all your data sources in the
ElastiCube and the color that represents them in your schema.
Introduction to Data Sources
Connecting to your data is the first step in analyzing your business information.
Sisense has native connectors to many SQL databases, NoSQL sources, and
popular web applications.
For a short video overview of connecting to data, see below.

There are two ways you can connect to your data sources. You can either import
the data into the ElastiCube or you can connect directly to the data source, which
is known as a live connection.
Which connection type you choose depends on your use case and the data source
itself. Importing your data into the ElastiCube takes advantage of Sisense high
performance database. However, if your data changes frequently and your
dashboard must reflect this, than a live connection is probably the best choice.
Keep in mind however that live connections work only as well as the data source.
The tables below provide a list of supported data sources and links to the
documentation for ElastiCube and live data sources.
Live Connectors
Connector Download Link More Information

Google BigQuery Pre-Installed Documentation

MemSQL Pre-Installed Documentation
MySQL Pre-Installed Documentation
Oracle Pre-Installed Documentation
PostgreSQL Pre-Installed Documentation
Redshift Pre-Installed Documentation
Snowflake Pre-Installed Documentation
SQL Server Pre-Installed Documentation
ElastiCube Connectors
Connector Download Link More Information

Access * Download Documentation

Bing Search* Download Documentation
Box * Download Documentation
CSV Pre-Installed Documentation
Custom REST Pre-Installed Documentation
Dropbox * Download Documentation
DynamoDB * Download Documentation
Elasticsearch * Download Documentation
Exact Online * Download Documentation
Excel Pre-Installed Documentation
FTP * Download Documentation
Generic JDBC Driver Pre-Installed Documentation
Generic ODBC Driver Pre-Installed Documentation
Generic OLE DB Driver Pre-Installed Documentation
Gmail * Download Documentation
Google AdWords Pre-Installed Documentation
Google Analytics Pre-Installed Documentation
Google BigQuery Pre-Installed Documentation
Google Sheets Pre-Installed Documentation
Heroku Postgres Pre-Installed Documentation
Connector Download Link More Information

Hive * Download Documentation

HubSpot * Download Documentation
Intacct * Download Documentation
JSON * Download Documentation
MailChimp * Download Documentation
MemSQL Pre-Installed Documentation
Microsoft Active Directory * Download Documentation
Microsoft Dynamics CRM * Download Documentation
Microsoft Dynamics Nav * Download Documentation
MongoDB Download Documentation
MySQL Pre-Installed Documentation
Oracle Pre-Installed Documentation
PostgreSQL Pre-Installed Documentation
Quickbooks Desktop * Download Documentation
Quickbooks Online * Download Documentation
Redshift Pre-Installed Documentation
Salesforce Pre-Installed Documentation
ServiceNow * Download Documentation
SharePoint Excel Services * Download Documentation
Sisense ElastiCube Pre-Installed Documentation
Snowflake Pre-Installed Documentation
SparkSQL * Download Documentation
Connector Download Link More Information

Splunk * Download Documentation

Stripe * Download Documentation
SQL Server Pre-Installed Documentation
Xero * Download Documentation
XML * Download Documentation
YouTube * Download Documentation
YouTube Analytics * Download Documentation
Other Connectors * Download Documentation
* Certified connectors are provided by our certificated partner. Sisense carefully
evaluates and certifies each external connector to work with Sisense. This helps
us ensure that our external connectors are always up-to-date and fully
supported.
Notes for the certified connectors:
The drivers are certified for Sisense v7.2 and above.
Click the above links to download a 30-days free-trail of the driver. Contact
Sisense for the full license version.
Sisense v7.4 and above: Click the above links to download a ready-to-use
driver.
Sisense prior to v7.4: Click the above links to download a 30-days free-trail of
the driver. Contact Sisense for the full license version.
Technology Partner Connectors
Technology partners provide the service of connecting to data sources via the
data pipeline, managing API changes and limits, and delivering comprehensive
support as part of their service. Import your data into a data warehouse
(Redshift, Google BigQuery, Snowflake, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and
more) to access your data with either ElastiCube or live data models. Contact
your Account Executive or Customer Success Manager to discuss the full
functionality our technology partners provide, as well as to start your free trial.
For more information, click here.
Connector Connector Connector

Adobe Analytics Apple Search Ads AppsFlyer

DoubleClick Facebook Facebook Ads

Freshdesk Jira LinkedIn Ads

Magento Marketo Netsuite

Pardot Shopify Twitter Ads

Zendesk And more...

Vendor JDBC Connectors
With the Sisense's generic JDBC driver you can leverage native JDBC connectors
provided by the data source vendors to connect to additional data sources.
Connector More Information

Athena Download
Azure Data Explorer Download
Dremio Download
PrestoDB Download
Teradata Download
Vertica Download
Connecting to More Data Sources and
Frameworks
You can connect to many additional data sources by leveraging Sisense’s generic
frameworks such as the generic ODBC driver, JDBC driver, or Custom REST
Framework.
Sisense supports these frameworks with frequent upgrades and new
functionality. However, full connectors to specific data sources created through
these frameworks are not supported.
Changing Connectivity
Settings for Data Sources
This topic describes how to change the connectivity settings for an existing data
source.
For a short video overview of changing connectivity settings, see below.

After you have modeled your data in the ElastiCube, a data source may have
changed location or you may want to change a table without importing a new
table into your schema from scratch. If this happens, you can update your
connection settings to the data source.
When updating connectivity settings, you can choose one of the following:
Change Provider: This enables you to change the source of the data being
accessed, for example changing a provider from SQL Server to MySQL. After
you select the new provider, you need to choose the relevant database and
tables from the new provider. This is useful if you want to replace a table in
your schema with a new data source, but don’t want to change your schema.
Change Connection: This enables you to use the same provider, but change
your credentials to the data source or the database previously selected.
Change Table: This enables you to use the same provider and credentials,
but change the database previously selected.
If a table has changed, but the source and its settings are the same, for example a
new column was added, and you want to update your schema without importing
the data into the schema all over again, click Refresh in the table’s menu.
Note: The data source name, columns, and column types must remain the same
for existing widgets in the dashboard to be able to reference the data correctly.
The table below describes which sources support changing connectivity settings
in the web-based ElastiCube Manager:
Data Source Connection Change Table Sync
Settings Database Settings Columns

Excel N/A N/A Yes Yes

CSV N/A N/A Yes Yes

Google Sheets Yes Yes Yes Yes

MySQL Yes Yes Yes Yes

SQL Server Yes Yes Yes Yes

PostgreSQL Yes Yes Yes Yes

Oracle Yes Yes Yes Yes

Redshift Yes Yes Yes Yes

To change connectivity settings:
In your schema, select the Data Source view in the Navigation Pane.

For the relevant data source, select > Connection Settings and one of the
following options:
c
Change Provider: Selecting this option opens the first step of the
Connection Wizard where you select the data source. In the Connection
Wizard, click to select a data source connection type, for example, change
MySQL to an Oracle database. When done, enter the connection credentials
and select the relevant tables.
Change Connection: Selecting this option opens the second step of the
Connection Wizard where you define the connection settings of the data
source. In the Connection Wizard, click to edit the login details to the data
source. When done, select the relevant tables.
Change Table: Selecting this option opens the third step of the Connection
Wizard where you select the relevant database from a list of databases in
your data source. In the Connection Wizard, select the relevant database.
After you have selected the relevant database in the Connection Wizard, click
Done. The connection settings are updated.
Working with Data
Once your data is imported into Sisense, Designers can organize the data in a
variety of ways. One of the most common ways is to create a relationship
between tables. After you create a relationship, the tables behave as a single
table, which can make analyzing your data more easy and accurate.
The following topics describe how you can create relationships with your data
and how to avoid some of the pitfalls of working with complex data:
Navigating Sisense
Finding Tables and Columns
Creating and Removing Relationships
Previewing Data in a Table
Managing Tables and Columns
Handling Relationship Cycles
Many-to-Many Relationships
Chasm and Fan Traps
Finding Tables and Columns
Through the ElastiCube Search tool, you can locate field tables and fields. The
Search tool is displayed in the Navigation Pane of the ElastiCube Manager.

When you perform a search, all the relevant tables and columns are returned as
you begin to type.
To organize the results displayed in the pane, toggle between the Data Source
icon and the Tables icon .
Each result has an icon on the left side of it. These icons indicate what is being
returned.
The meaning of each icon is as follows:
Data source
Table
Text data
Numeric data
Date data
To find a table or field in your ElastiCube:
On the left-side of the schema, enter the table or field in the Search field. As
you begin typing the letters or name of the table/field you are searching, the
results are displayed below and the relevant table or field is highlighted in
the schema.
Creating and Removing a
Relationship between Tables
Relationships specify the connection between tables and enable you to pull data
together in meaningful ways. For example, order information is more useful
when you know which customer placed each order.
However, you don’t need to store both the customer and order information in the
same table. Customer and order data can be stored in two related tables with a
relationship specified between the two tables to view each order and its
corresponding customer information.
In practical terms relationships allow you to query and combine data from
multiple tables in your dashboard.
For a quick overview of joining data, see the video below.

To manually create a relationship between tables:

Drag a table with the relevant field onto another table with the relevant field.
The Relationship preview window is displayed.
Click the columns to be joined from each table. Ensure both fields that you are
using to create the relationship are of the same type, for example decimal
fields.
See the video below for a quick example.

To check or change the field type, in the left pane, click the field type of the
field you want to change and select the new type from the list of possible
types displayed below it.

Click Save to join the tables.

To delete an existing relationship:
Click on any part of the existing relationship. The Delete icon is displayed.
Click to delete the relationship.
Previewing Data from a Table
The Preview table lets you see all the values for all the rows and columns in a
table. This includes any custom columns, tables, and ETL processes that have
been applied to your table.
The Preview table makes it easy to verify that the data in your table is accurate
and complete.
In addition to displaying a preview of your data, from the Preview table, you can
view which columns are connected to other tables and add custom columns.
Note: To view underlying table data, you will first need to build your ElastiCube.
To review the underlying table data:
Click the relevant table and select the magnifying glass icon to display the
Preview table.

The Preview table contains a variety of information and functionality that relate
to your table. A sample preview is displayed below.
Name Description

1 Column In the left pane, you can search for columns in your table. As
Filter you begin to type, any relevant results are displayed in the left
pane. This does not affect the results displayed in the preview.

2 Connected This icon indicates that the column is connected to another

Table table. Click the icon to disconnect the relationship or to view
more information about the connection. See Creating and
Removing a Relationship between Tables for more information.

3 Table This information describes the number of columns and rows

Details included in the table.

4 Menu This is a list of tasks you can perform on a column. Hover over
Options the column to display the menu and click it to display the
options.

5 Filter Click to apply filters to the data in the column. You can filter
Column numeric data and text data. See Filtering Columns for more
information.

6 Sort Click to sort a column. Hover over the column name to display
Column the sort icon. You can sort the column by date, numerically, or
alphabetically depending on the type of column.

7 Add Click to add a custom column to the table. See Adding a New
Custom Custom Column for more information.
Column

8 Sample Click to see a sample of your data. See Sampling Data for more
Data information.
Filtering Columns
You can filter data displayed in your Preview table’s columns by defining
conditions for numeric data and text data. To limit what data is displayed in the
preview, you can add multiple conditions that you define. For example, a Text
filter can limit what strings are included in the preview.

Filtering the data in the Preview table does not affect the data itself, just what
you see in the preview.
Filtering your preview is useful if you need to check specific data to verify its
accuracy of your table’s completeness.
To filter entire rows or columns of data from your preview:
In the Preview table, hover over the header in the of the relevant column to
display the Filter icon.
Click the Filter icon to define the filter’s conditions.
Text Numeric
Define your filters. Click Add Condition to add more conditions to the filter
or click Clear to erase all the conditions.
After you have defined your conditions, click Apply to update the preview.
Sampling Data
If you are working with a large dataset, you may want to restrict the amount of
data displayed in your Preview table. Sisense provides three options for
displaying a sample of your data:
Top: The first rows that are contained at the top of your data.
Bottom: The last rows that are contained at the bottom of your data.
Sample: A random selection of rows contained in your table. Sisense selects a
sample of your data randomly by rows. If you open the preview again, the same
rows will be displayed until your next ElastiCube build.

With each sampling option, you can determine how many rows are display
according to the value of the Number of Rows field. You can modify this value
to display as few as 10 rows or include as many as you like up to the full amount
of rows included in the table.
To view a sample of your data:
In Sisense, open a preview of your table.

In the top-right corner of the Preview table, click the Sampling Icon.
Select the relevant sampling option for your data and enter the amount of
rows to be included in the sample in the Number of Rows field.

Click Done. Your Preview table is updated.

Managing Tables and
Columns
After you have imported your data into Sisense, it’s time to shape it into a data
model that can support your dashboard and provide accurate information to
your Viewers.
You can modify your data on two levels: the Table level and the Column level.
Any changes you make to your schema are reflected in the ElastiCube only and
do not affect the data in your data source.
For a short video overview of managing the tables and columns in your data
model, see below:
Table Level
You can manage tables imported into the ElastiCube through the Navigation Pane
or through the table itself in the schema.

The table below describes the menu options available from the Navigation Pane
and the corresponding icons available in the table’s menu. Either method allows
you to modify and manage your tables.
Navigation Table Icon Description
Pane

Preview & Edit Displays a preview of your table’s

data. See Previewing your Data for
more information.

Relationships Displays related tables together side

> by side. See Creating Relationships for
more information.

Rename Allows you to rename the table.

Navigation Table Icon Description
Pane

Duplicate Allows you to duplicate the table.

Refresh Allows you to update a table’s

Schema > columns if there was a change on the
data source without having to add the
table again.

Tags & Allows you to tag a table with

Description > metadata that you can use to
organize your data and search for it
later. See Tagging Your Data for more
information.

Hide Allows you to hide a table. Hidden

> tables are not seen by Dashboard
Viewers, but might be used for
custom calculations.

Add Custom Allows you to add a custom column to

Column > the ElastiCube. See Adding Custom
Columns for more information.

Build Behavior Allows you to define the build

> behavior for a specific table. See Build
Settings and Data Accumulation Behavior
for more information.

Delete Allows you to delete a table.

Navigation Table Icon Description
Pane

-- By default, tables are pinned when

you import your data. You can click
this icon to unpin your tables so your
tables are organized by Sisense
around other pinned tables.
To view your table’s meta, including its name, path, provider, location, and the
number of columns it contains, hover over the table in the schema or in the
Navigation Pane.
Column Level
You can manage tables imported into the ElastiCube through the Navigation
Pane. Columns that are part of a table are displayed below the table. On the left
side of the column is an icon that indicates what type of data is in the column,
Numeric, Date, or Text. You can click this icon to convert the column into another
data type.

On the right side of the column’s name is an icon that indicates if the column is
conducted to another column through a relationship. You can hover over the icon
to view more details or disconnect the relationship.
For each column, you can hover over its name to display a menu from where you
view the following options for managing your columns:
Menu Option Description

Relationships Displays related columns together side by side. See

Creating Relationships for more information.

Edit Allows you to edit a column’s relationship. This option is

Relationship only available when the column is connected to another
table.

Rename Allows you to rename the column.

Menu Option Description

Duplicate Allows you to duplicates the column in the table. This is

useful if you need the same column with some
modifications.

Hide Allows you to hide a column. Click this option if you want
to import the data associated with this column, but do not
want this column available to dashboard designers and
viewers.

Indexed Allows you to index the column data for quicker processing
in subsequent builds.

Drop Allows you to remove column from the table.

After dropping a column, you can view all your dropped
columns by previewing the table. In Preview mode, you can
restore the column by opening the column's menu and
clicking Restore.

Change Data Allows you to change the data type of your column in the
Type ElastiCube. This does not change the column type in the
original data source.

Description Allows you to tag a column with metadata that you can use
to organize your data and search for it later. See Tagging
Your Data for more information.

Is Allows you to enable accumulative behavior for date and

Accumulated integer fields in tables imported by the JDBC connector.
by See Enabling Accumulative Build for JDBC Connector for more
information.
Creating Data Dictionaries
To provide you with greater flexibility and improved ease-of-use when modeling
your data, Sisense allows you to tag your data and add descriptions. Tags and
descriptions allow you to group tables and columns by defining metadata and
providing the basis of a data dictionary without affecting your actual data. For
example, you can tag several tables with a unique word or description, and then
locate that group of columns through the Search field to see all the tagged tables
across your schema regardless of which tables the columns belong to. While both
are searchable, the difference between a tag and a description is that tags are
associated with tables and descriptions are free text fields associated with
columns or tables.
After you have tagged your data, you can easily locate your tagged columns and
tables in the Search field by entering #, which displays a list of all your tags that
you can select to filter your data.

To tag or add a description to your data:

For Tables:
Open your data model.
In the Navigation Pane, click the relevant table’s menu and select Tags &
Description.
In the Tags field, enter a tag and click + to add the tag. You can repeat this
step to add multiple tags.

Select a color for the tag. The color of a tag is to help you organize related
tags.
Click Done to save your changes.
For Columns:
Open your data model.
In the Navigation Pane, click the relevant column’s menu and select
Description.

In the Description field, enter a description for your column.

Click to save your changes.

Importing and Exporting
ElastiCube Data
Note: This feature is currently available in the desktop version of Sisense. This
feature will be migrated to the web-based ElastiCube Manager in the near future.
For more information, see Sisense V7.0 Backwards Compatibility.
ElastiCube data can be transferred to different machines. This is useful when you
are deploying on a new machine or need to transfer the data to a different server.
The transferred data is stored in a compressed ecdata file. The file contains all of
the information contained in an ElastiCubeData folder (including the source
data), and is used by the Sisense Server Console to build a new ElastiCube.
To export data:
Open the Sisense Server Console.
Click on the relevant ElastiCube.
Click Stop to stop the specific ElastiCube (not the entire server).
Click Export. Enter a name for the file you are saving, and click Save.

To import data:
Open the Sisense Server Console.
Click on the import ecdata file icon .
Select the location of the ecdata file and click Open.
A window will appear showing the import progress. Once complete, the new
ElastiCubes will be added to the list of existing ElastiCubes. Make sure the
ElastiCube is running before accessing it.

Note: You can also transfer data by copying the folder where Sisense stores the
data locally, instead of exporting and importing the compressed file.
Handling Relationship Cycles
Note: The image on this page were taken in the desktop version of Sisense,
however, the same principles described on this page also apply to the ElastiCube
Manager.
Good relationships between tables are the key to pulling in data in logical ways.
ElastiCubes are usually created from more than one table. To perform
calculations on fields that reside in separate tables, you must define a
relationship between the tables so the calculation mechanism knows how to
navigate from one field to another.
When a single possible path exists between two fields, there is no issue. For
example, performing a query involving the Customer Name and Amount field on
the ElastiCube schema below can yield only one result, since there is only one
possible path leading from the Customer Name field to the Amount field.
Relationship Cycles
In some cases, more than one path exists leading from one field to another.
Sometimes this is due to poor database design, and other times it is just a
realistic necessity due to the way the data is structured. In such cases, there is no
absolute way to determine the required path to take to calculate results.
For example, in the ElastiCube schema below, the Customer Name and Amount
fields now have multiple paths between them:
Customer —> Sales History (over the Customer ID field)
Customer —> Commercial (over the Customer ID field) —> Sales History
(over the Business ID field)
Customer —> Private (over the Customer ID field) —> Sales History (over the
Customer ID field)
Automatically Dealing with Relationship
Cycles
Theoretically, any one of these possible paths could be the correct one in terms
of the results you are trying to calculate. When the calculation engine encounters
numerous possible paths, it picks the shortest path, which will have less impact
performance-wise on query processing. Below are some general guidelines.
The calculation engine will always prefer paths that have no many-to-many
relationships. If all possible paths contain many-to-many relationships, the
path with the least number of this type of relationship is preferred.
Similarly, the engine will prefer one-to-one relationships over one-to-many
relationships.
If at the end of the first selection process more than one possible path still
exists, the engine will prefer the path containing the least number of tables.
Finally, if numerous paths are still possible, one is picked at random.
Breaking Relationship Cycles in Sisense
To ensure the calculation engine takes the path you want it to take, the cycle
must be broken. There are a few techniques to do this depending on the required
results.
Removing Relationships

One option is to remove one of the relationships in the cycle. For example,
removing the Customer ID relationship from the Sales History table will
eliminate the cycle. This approach is only applicable when the removed
relationship is not used by other queries.
Duplicating Table Elements

Duplicating table elements is another method to break relationship cycles. In the

example below, the Sales History table was duplicated and renamed Private
Customers Sales History. In addition, the Customer ID relationship was removed
from the original Sales History table. This results in the creation of two separate
Amount fields, one for commercial customers residing in the original Sales
History table, and one for private customers residing in the new Private
Customers Sales History. As the Customer ID relationship was removed from the
original table, whichever field you use will determine the correct calculation
path.
Breaking Relationship Cycles in the Sisense Web Application

You can also use the Sisense web app to invoke a specific path to be used during
query execution (as opposed to the solutions mentioned above that are defined
on the schema level, in Sisense).
Each widget in Sisense has an associated data layout. If you have more than one
path connecting corresponding fields between two tables, you can enforce a
specific path by filtering the widget, and selecting just the field that you want to
use. For example if the Commerce table is connected to Brands via the Brand and
Brand ID fields, then add a filter to the widget and select Brand ID to use that
path in the query.
Many-to-Many Relationships
Note: The image on this page were taken in the desktop version of Sisense,
however, the same principles described on this page also apply to Sisense Online.
In databases, a Many-to-Many relationship exists when the value in each field
used to create a relationship between tables is included multiple times in each
table.
The problem with Many-to-Many relationships is that it can cause duplications in
the returned datasets, which can result in incorrect results and might consume
excessive computing resources. This section provides solutions and
workarounds to common scenarios with many-to-many relationships.
Example: A hotel may have a table with reservation data and a table with
payment data. Both tables include the name of the guest. A guest can have
multiple reservations under their name as well as multiple payments recorded
on their name. If a relationship exists between the reservation and payment
tables based on the guest’s name, a many-to-many relationship is created, as the
guest’s name appears multiple times in each table.
Summary of Relationship Types
One-to-One Relationship: In this scenario both sides of the relationship
have unique values for every row.
One-to-Many Relationship: In this scenario one side of the relationship will
contain unique values for every row, but the other side of the relationship
will contain duplicate values for any or all of the corresponding values in
the first table.
Many-to-Many Relationship: In this scenario, both sides of the relationship
will hold duplicated values, causing excessive calculations for every query
run against it.
There are several methods to resolve and bypass a many-to-many relationship.
The solution depends on the business model and the logic of the business
questions at hand. The following solutions differ by business logic and the
schema at hand; each solution can be applied to each schema respectively.
The following sections cover:
Testing your schema to see if it includes many-to-many relationships
Understanding which scenario best fits your current schema
According to your schema logic, applying the respective solution
To check if a relationship is Many-to-Many, you need to check the cardinality of
the relationship, and determine the number of unique and duplicate values on
each side of the relationship.
Testing if a Relationship is Many-to-Many

Many-to-Many relationships occur when two tables are joined on a field

containing duplicate values on both tables. For example the same guest may have
multiple reservations and multiple payments at a hotel, thus joining on the guest
between the reservation and payment table would result in a M2M relationship.
When testing, if you get the same value for both the unique and duplicate values,
then there is no duplication, and this will either be a One-to-Many or a One-to-
One relationship. If the number of duplicate values is larger than the number of
unique values, then this side of the relationship has duplicated values, and you
will need to investigate the other side of the relationship. If the other side of the
relationship yields unique values, this is a one-to-many relationship. If not, you
have a many-to-many relationship.
Use the following SQL statement to test for potential M2M relationships:
In Sisense, open the relevant ecube file.
Click Add Data> Custom SQL Expression.
Enter and adjust the SQL statement below.
SELECT [Do I have duplications?]
FROM (
SELECT distinct_count(t1.col1)<>count(t1.col1) AS [Do
I have duplications?]
FROM [Table1] t1
UNION all
SELECT distinct_count(t2.col2)<>count(t2.col2)
FROM [Table2] t2) AS temp
GROUP BY [Do I have duplications?]
In the top right of the expression editor window, click Parse SQL Expression.
If the expression parses successfully, click Preview result table.

If the returned result is ‘True’ in both lines, a many-to-many relationship

exists, and will need to be considered in the ElastiCube design.
Many-to-Many Relationship Prior to Resolution

If the two values are equal, all guest IDs appear only once, making all values
unique. Even if the other side of the relationship has duplicate values for guest
ID, this is till a One-To-Many relationship, where the unique values are on the
reservations side, and the duplicate values are on the Payments side.
If there are more than two tables connected to this relationship, that is, if there
are more than two tables merged on the same field, a few more options exist. The
solution for the single many-to-many relationship will be a sub-problem of this
scenario. In this case, you’ll need to run the test on every table to see the
uniqueness or duplication of the merged fields.
Two Tables with One Relationship
This section describes two possible workarounds when you have a schema that
includes two tables with one relationship:
Two Separate One-to-Many Relationships
Creating an Aggregated Table
Two Separate One-to-Many Relationships
The direct solution for such a problem is to break this relationship into two
separate one-to-many relationships.
You can use the following diagram to understand the logic behind this testing:

1 – Create a custom SQL expression in the Elasticube. In the expression of this

table select all the individual values for the identifier column from both sides.
The expression should look like this:
SELECT * FROM
(SELECT DISTINCT r.GuestID, r.GuestName
FROM [Reservations] r
UNION
SELECT DISTINCT p.GuestID, p.GuestName
FROM [Payments] p) AS G
This query will take all Guest ID values from both tables, and using the UNION
statement, will bring in only the unique values from both tables, making this a
complete list of all distinct Guest ID values.
2 – Merge the Guest ID field from the new ‘linking’ table to the other two Guest ID
fields from the other two tables, thus creating two One-To-Many relationships.
You can now use this Guest ID field as the rows or axes elements of a widget,
pulling in the unique values from the new Guest Dimension, with measures from
the two other tables. See image above.
Creating an Aggregated Table
In situations where you have more than one fact table (a Fact table is a primary
table containing the measures or fields used for calculations in the dashboard) in
the Elasticube, there are several situations when an aggregated table can resolve
a many-to-many relationship.
Two fact tables
Assuming you want to segment your data according to a few different
dimensions, creating relationships directly between these fields can and will
create many-to-many relationships in one of two ways, according to the schema:
Both tables don’t hold unique values, and all values from one table are held in
the second table. In this scenario either a linked dimension (as described in
the first solution – Two Separate One-to-Many Relationships) or an
aggregated table can be created which will hold all the unique values and
the desired calculations for one of the tables. To create an aggregate table,
create a custom SQL expression and aggregate values from the table that
includes all values; its own, and the subset present in the other table with
the following expression:
SELECT i.OrderDateKey, i.ProductKey,
sum(i.DiscountAmount), sum(i.SalesAmount),
avg(i.UnitPriceDiscountPct)
FROM [FactInternetSales] i
GROUP BY i.OrderDateKey, i.ProductKey

This custom SQL expression will select the distinct OrderDateKeys and their
corresponding ProductKeys from the FactInternetSales, grouped by these fields,
together with single value aggregations for the different fields, in this case,
Discount Amount, Sales Amount and the average unit Price discount. After
merging the OrderDateKey and Product Key to the two other tables, you will be
able to pull the values from this new table into the rows or axes panel of a widget
in the Sisense Web Application with measures and additional aggregations from
the two other tables.
Note: The non-aggregated table needs to be a subset in terms of the primary
fields from the aggregated table.
Both tables don’t include unique values, and there are different values for
several fields in both the tables. Resolving this scenario incorporates both
solutions mentioned above. In this scenario, create an aggregated table and
a dimension table (both described above). The final resolution should look
like this:
Two Fact tables with a date dimension table and an aggregative Products
table
More than Two Tables with More than One Relationship
This section provides two possible workarounds when you have a schema that
includes more than two tables with more than one relationship:
Options include:
Using the Lookup function
Concatenating two tables into one
Using the Lookup Function
In most scenarios, you will aggregate values according to a given ID from the
unique side of the relationship to the duplicate side. However in specific cases
it’ll be vice versa.
For example in the following scenario, in which we have three tables, and
between them two one-to-many relationships, this can potentially create a many-
to-many relationship, if you query the two leaf tables. This means that the query
result table will have multiple rows which won’t be distinguishable one from the
other.

Two consecutive M-to-M relationships

Using the Lookup Function, you can import values from a remote table by
matching values in a different column. This will create a new column in the table
where you want to perform an aggregation of a given field(s), with the matching
value of the identifying field from the other table. Taking the example of tables
T1, T2 and T3, we’d like to run a query that will display aggregations from the
duplicate IDs from T1, with a measure from T3. If you run the query as is, you
will get multiple values for the query’s result set, and we will not be able to run
this aggregation. To resolve this, use the Lookup function to import the values
from T3 into T2 and then re-run the query only on tables T1 and T2. Using the
lookup function, available in the ‘Miscellaneous Functions’ in the custom SQL
editor, you can import the values of ‘M3’ from the ‘T3’ table into the ‘T2’ table.
Create a new custom column, and use the Lookup function to import the values
of attribute, In this case, the Lookup function should look like this:
Lookup([T3],[T3].[M3], [T2].id2,[T3].id2)
Running this statement in table T2 will import the matching values of M3 from
T3 according to the matching results in ID2 between the two tables.
LOOKUP(remote_table,remote_result_column,current_match_column,
remote_match_column)
Matches the current value with another value from a remote table. The result will
be the value in remote_result_column for which the corresponding
remote_match_column equals the current_match_column.

Two consecutive M-to-O relationships after Lookup fix

Concatenating Two Tables into One
Assuming you have two separate tables with duplicate ID values in each, and
each including different columns for each ID, you can create a new table
including all values for every ID, and pull the aggregations from this new table.
Note that the two original tables; Table_1, Table_2 have different columns.

Concatenating tables
Using the following SQL statement, you can import the data from both tables,
with the IDs and the columns respectively:
SELECT s.id AS id, s.m1, s.m2, ToInt( NULL ) m3 , ToInt(
NULL ) m4
FROM [Table 1] s
UNION
SELECT t.id, ToInt( NULL ) , ToInt( NULL ) , t.m3, t.m4
FROM [Table 2] t
This will create a table with five columns:
Id
M1 (from table_1)
M2 (from table_1)
M3 (from table_2)
M4 (from table_2)
The values missing from each table respectively will be NULL’s which will result
in the following table.
Concatenated table – result set
Chasm and Fan Traps
Note: The image on this page were taken in the desktop version of Sisense,
however, the same principles described on this page also apply to the web-based
ElastiCube Manager.
Chasm and fan traps should be avoided when building your ElastiCube schemas.
Chasm Traps
A chasm trap occurs when two “Many-to-One” joins converge on a single table,
and the query includes measures from both leaf tables. As a result multiple rows
are returned from the tables when processing the query.

If you were to calculate both measures (Qty and Value) simultaneously, like in
the following example, the values for Customers will be multiplied due to the
inner join between the leaf tables, and the results may be incorrect:
Fan Traps
A fan trap occurs when two “many-to-one” joins follow one another in master-
detail form (OrderDetails), and the query includes a measure from both the leaf
table (OrderDetails) and its immediate master (Orders).

If you try to aggregate both measures simultaneously (using the query below),
you will probably get incorrect results:

The “Qty” measure, corresponding to the leaf measure table (OrderDetails) is

calculated correctly, but the “Value” measure, corresponding to the measure held
in its master (Orders), is not. This is because we get the “Value” of every OrderID,
which may inflate the expected results.
The web application translation module separates the calculations, and unions
the results by generating a query for each of the measures’ paths (path in terms
of tables to go by). Then the web application translation module will group all the
measures with the same tables’ paths into one query and union it with all the
other “same path measures” with different paths.
The described “Chasm Trap” can be prevented like this:

And the “Fan Trap” will be prevented this way:

Handling Ragged and
Unbalanced Data Hierarchies
BI tools are designed to ingest data organized in standard hierarchies:
hierarchies that have a field on each level of the hierarchy. Thus, complex data
hierarchies, such as ragged and unbalanced hierarchies, can be difficult to model
and query. If your data is organized in such a hierarchy, you will have to resolve
it, meaning to get it into a form that BI tools can ingest, before you can use it in a
dashboard.
Depending on the structure of the data, Sisense offers several solutions for
resolving complex hierarchies. These solutions range from simple table
modelling using a dashboard hierarchy to transforming the data with SQL. This
page focuses on several specific types of complex hierarchies. Use the approach
delineated below to resolve complex hierarchies.
Types of Data Hierarchies
A balanced hierarchy has an equal number of levels in each branch and is easiest
to handle. The example shown below is a natural hierarchy of years > quarters >
months.

An unbalanced hierarchy has at least one branch which does not reach down to
the lowest level. The below example of a company org chart is typical of an
unbalanced hierarchy. Some divisions have more levels than others.

A ragged hierarchy is characterized by having entities whose parents 'skip a

level'. The below screenshot exemplifies this. The city Washington DC and the
Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki roll directly to the Country instead of to a
State.
Hierarchies can also be both ragged and unbalanced, adding an additional level
of complexity.
The Scenario
In the below scenario, data hierarchy is represented by the following diagram.
Note that it is both unbalanced (some branches do not reach down to the lowest
level) and ragged (some branches skip a level).

We start off with a hierarchy defined recursively, as shown below:

The Solution
To address this scenario, in Sisense you need to create placeholder values
where a level is skipped in a ragged hierarchy.
To start with, you create a new table to identify skipped entities. A new
table 'Hierarchy1' has been created for this purpose using the SQL below.
For simplicity, numbers are hard-coded to correspond to the levels, and
only single levels are skipped.
This SQL can be easily modified for other scenarios using the same core
logic.

Next you need to consolidate all the branching entities that roll to the same
placeholder parent to the same entity.
You then need to union the placeholder values back into the main hierarchy
table, and join and replace the appropriate parent IDs. This can be done in
either order, but the screenshot below shows the union, then the join.

The non-ragged hierarchy now logically looks as below. It is ready now to

resolve using a standard flattening approach. The Entity Name field is used
in place of IDs for simplicity.
The SQL to do so looks like the following.

Note the N/As in the table. These account for the unbalanced branches
where the placeholder values account for the ragged hierarchy.
Now it is a simple matter of mapping the new resolved hierarchy table back
into the data model. If the facts all roll to the lowest level of the hierarchy,
the above logic and resulting table will work as-is. If the facts need to be
attributed across different levels of the hierarchy, you would split the
structure into different tables. The resolved parent IDs can be used to link
across the hierarchy (see example below).

Roll-ups should now work seamlessly when using these new dimensions,
and this should be easily consumed on a dashboard.
Overview
When you build a data model, Sisense displays an intuitive build log that
describes each step of the build.

Build logs are useful for investigating problems that occurred during your build.
The log displays each table being built as its being built. You can click the table’s
name in the log to zoom in on the table in your schema. If a table fails to build,
you can click its name in the log and then open the table within your data model
to investigate potential causes for the failure.
Note: Your build log is available after your first build in Sisense V7.3 and later.
Once your build is complete or if the build failed, you can export a detailed log
file by clicking in the build log.
The exported log is a JSON file that provides details about each table. For
information about understanding the log file, see Working with Build Logs.
In addition, you can create a new dashboard from the build log or open any
existing dashboards related to the data model.
Working with Build Logs
If you need to troubleshoot an issue with a build, you can download the log from
the build log.

The build log is a JSON file that contains build objects. The build objects contain
key:value pairs that describe the build process for each table.
As the reasons for build failures vary and may be quite complex, there isn’t a
single solution for resolving build errors. If you are not able to solve the issue
yourself, save your logs and provide them to Sisense Support for additional
assistance.
The table below describes some of the keys that might be included in your log
and their possible values.
Key Description
Key Description

timestamp The date and time the table was built.

verbosity The type of information provided, such as Info, Warning, or Error. Info
indicates that the build was performed. Warning indicates that something
unexpected occurred, but the build was able to proceed. Error indicates that
an error occurred and the build could not be continued.

type The type of action being preformed by Sisense. There are a variety of
actions that may be performed, some are relevant to the table, others to
Sisense itself.

title The title of the action being performed.

serverId Identifier for the server where the build was performed.

serverName The name of the server where the build was performed.

cubeId The name of the ElastiCube.

buildSeq The place in the order of build operations.

typeValue This is a generic object that contains information about the build process.
The keys in this object vary depending on the build stage.

dbfarmpath The location of the ElastiCube on the server.

Transforming and Enriching
Data
After you have imported data from your data sources, Data Designers can
transform and enrich data in the ElastiCubeso Data Designers can prepare easy-
to-use data sets for Dashboard Designers. Sisense provides several features that
make it easy to prepare, blend, and analyze data that can be fed to the Sisense
Web Application and consumed by Viewers.
The following topics describe how you can transform and enrich your data in
Sisense:
Related Topics
Adding a Custom Column
Editing a Custom Field
Adding a Custom Table
Editing a Custom Table
Previewing Results
SQL Reference
Function Reference
Augmented Text
Deduplication
As your data comes from a variety of sources, many times you need to aggregate
the same dimension that is represented differently in each source. In some
sources, an attribute can be spelled one way, and in another source, a different
spelling. In some cases, attributes may not have been spelled correctly when they
were added. One way to deal with this is with custom SQL CASE statements, for
example:
case [Name]
when 'John Smith' then 'J. Smith'
case [Country]
when 'Afrika' then 'Africa'
However, this can be very time consuming and lead to mistakes. Leveraging
machine learning, Sisense can analyze your data and group similar dimensions
automatically for you.
Sisense analyzes and groups your data from your ElastiCube on the column level.
This means that Sisense looks at each column and identifies similar strings, and
groups them together into a single attribute.
All the group's attributes are then added to your data model as a custom table
that you can use in your dashboard.
How Does it Work?
After you have imported your data and built your ElastiCube, a list of columns
are displayed. For each column with a string data type, you can have Sisense
analyze that column and group by similar attributes.
The first time Sisense analyzes the column, you choose how Sisense analyzes it
and how inclusive the results should be.

Sisense has three methods for analyzing data:

Similarity: Sisense applies a soft TFIDF (term frequency–inverse document
frequency) algorithm where similar strings are grouped together by rank.
Terms that appear too often, such as company and inc are scored lower as
they are less unique.
Spelling: Sisense groups strings similar in spelling.
Phonetic Similarity: Sisense groups strings terms that sound similar, for
example, strings that use ‘f’ or ‘ph’.
Recommendation: Sisense recommends you test each method, and find the
results that work best for you.
Next, you select how inclusive the results are. The default is less inclusive, which
means it’s more precise. The more inclusive the results, the less precision there
is. If your results are too inclusive, you may need to spend time editing the
members in your group.
Less Inclusive
More Inclusive
Most Inclusive
After analyzing the data according to your settings, Sisense creates a set of
groups of similar attributes.
On the left side, are the Group Members. This is a list of members that have
been grouped together according to the algorithm. On the right side is the Group
Name, or how they should be named. If you think of this as a CASE statement, the
members on the left are the conditions, when 'John Smith', and the Group Name
on the right is the result, then 'J. Smith'. The group name determines how all the
members should be called.
Sisense provides these recommendations based on the algorithm you selected,
however, you can move members to different groups. For more information, see
Modifying Groups.
Once you are satisfied with your groups, click Done, and Sisense adds a custom
table to your data model. Keep in mind that the new table isn’t included until
your next successful build.
Creating Custom Columns with Grouped Data
If you have already built your ElastiCube, you can create custom columns from
data grouped together by Sisense.
To create custom columns:
Create or open an ElastiCube model.
The model must be built before your data can be grouped. If you have not run
a build, build the model.
In Table view, click the table that contains the column whose data should be
grouped.
For the relevant column, open the column’s menu and click Group Similar
(Dedupe).

Click Analyze Data and Sisense will analyze the data and display a list of
groups. The method Sisense uses by default is to group similar strings and
make it less inclusive.
OR
Click Change Grouping Method to modify how Sisense groups your data.
After you have selected the relevant method, click Analyze Data.
A list of groups and their members are displayed.
Modify the group as required and click Done. A new custom table is added to
your data model.
Modifying Groups
Before creating your custom columns, you can modify Sisense’s recommended
groups manually. The Group Similar window contains a variety of options for
modifying your groups.

Enter the name of a group or its members to filter the list of members
displayed.
Click to sort the list of groups by size or alphabetically.
Select which members are to be grouped when adding to your custom
columns. By default, all groups are selected.
Click the Group Name to rename it, replace it with another group, or merge
the group with another group. When merging with another group, the
members of the first group are added to the group you select. When the
column is created, all members receive the group name of the group they
are merged to.
Click a member to move it to another group or create a new group from that
member.
Editing Grouped Custom Columns
After you have created your custom columns, you can edit your groups. Any
changes you make to the groups affect the data displayed in your dashboards
after your next build.
From your ElastiCube model, you can edit the groups by selecting the relevant
table and click Group Similar (Edit).

Note: If you edit the table by clicking Edit & Preview, any changes you make are
overwritten the next time group your data.
After you click Group Similar (Edit), the Group Similar window is displayed
with a list of your groups. You can now modify the groups as necessary. For more
information, see Editing Grouped Custom Columns. As you make your changes,
new values are highlighted in yellow and you can sort
Limitations
Sisense supports up to 1000 unique values based on the largest groups.
Custom columns can be migrated with your ElastiCubes, but if you want to
make any changes after migrating them, you must regoup your data from
scratch
Sisense supports grouping data on tables up to 10 million rows
Adding a Custom Column
Sisense makes it easy for you to add new columns to existing tables. This can be
useful if you need to combine data from different existing columns, and when you
need to cleanse and prepare data. The new columns also provide Designers with
additional fields to use as is, or as a basis for even more advanced calculations in
their widgets. You can use SQL to customize the values contained within the
custom columns.
For a short video overview of adding a custom column to your data model, see
below:

To add a new column:

In the Navigation Pane, select > Add Custom Column.

OR
In the ElastiCube model, select the table and click and Add Custom
Column.
The new column will be added to the table, and an SQL Editor is displayed
where you define your custom SQL expression.

In the New Custom Column field, enter the name of your custom column
and click .
In the SQL Editor, enter your custom expression.
Click to add your column to the table.
Custom Field Use Cases

Here are some typical scenarios for creating custom fields.

Row Level Calculations
Calculate revenue from your sales data.
Gross Revenue = (Unit Price * QuantitySold)
Net Revenue = (Unit Price * QuantitySold) - (Unit Cost *
QuantityPurchased)
Time Difference Calculations
Work out the arrival time based on due and actual arrival dates.
daydiff (DueDate,ReceivedAt)
Relative Difference Calculations
Figure out the relative difference between your price and competitor price.
((CompetitorPrice-MyPrice)/((CompetitorPrice+MyPrice)/2))
Buckets
Create data buckets according to your required business break points.
CASE
WHEN [PriceVsCompetitor%] < -0.05 THEN '-5%'
WHEN [PriceVsCompetitor%] >= -0.05 AND
[PriceVsAvgCompetitor%] <= 0.05 THEN '-5%/+5%'
WHEN [PriceVsCompetitor%] > 0.05 THEN '+5%'
end
Attributes
Create attributes to translate data talk to more coherent categories.
CASE
WHEN Region = 1 THEN 'USA'
WHEN Region = 2 THEN 'EUR'
WHEN Region = 3 THEN 'ASIA'
end
Date Conversions
Convert dates into a numeric representation.
getyear(Date)*10000+getmonth(Date)*100+getday(Date) AS
DateNum
Convert text into dates.
createdate( toint('20'+RIGHT([Timesheet_Date],2)),
toint(LEFT(Timesheet_Date,2)),
toint(StrBetween(Timesheet_Date,'/','/'))
)
Date Period Comparisons Over Time
Create month to date and year to date calculations.
Click here to read our support article.
Surrogate Keys
EmployeeID+tostring([DateNum])+tostring(CustomerID)+tostr
ing([Project_ID])
Importing from Another Table
Use the lookup function to import a column from a different table. See "Adding a
Custom Table" on page 253 to read more.
Editing Field Formulas
Sisense makes it easy to edit custom tables. You can use SQL to customize the
fields contained within a custom table.
When you edit a custom table, any changes you make are saved when you click
Save unless the expression did not successfully parse. In this case, you are
prompted to save a draft of the invalid expression.

If you save the invalid expression, Sisense continues to use the last valid
expression that was saved when building an ElastiCube, but the next time you
open a preview of the table, the invalid expression will be displayed. This allows
you to continue building working ElastiCubes while letting you save incomplete
expressions for later.
If you wish to display the last valid expression, you can click the Refresh button
in the menu bar and then press Save.

To edit a custom table’s SQL expression:

Select the custom table you want to edit and click .

The custom table area is displayed

Enter SQL statements to access tables and fields that exist in the schema. See
related topics for more details on SQL and Function References.

To view results based on the SQL statement, click .

Note: At least one build including the relevant base table must have been
completed in order to preview results.
Click Save to save your changes.
Adding a Custom Table
With Sisense, you can easily create custom tables that can combine existing data.
This is useful for preparing and cleansing data. Follow the steps below to learn
how to add custom tables using SQL.
For a short video overview of adding a custom table to your data model using
SQL, see below:

To create a custom table:

In Sisense, open the schema of the ElastiCube you want to add to a custom
table to.
In the menu bar of the schema, click . The New Custom Table area
is displayed.
Enter the name of the custom table, and click .
Enter SQL statements to access tables and fields that exist in Sisense schema.
See also "SQL Reference" on page 258 and "Functions Overview" on
page 324.

To view results based on the SQL statement, click .

Note: You can save an incomplete or invalid SQL expression, however when
you build the ElastiCube. only the last valid expression will be included. If
you have not built an ElastiCube with a valid expression, then the invalid or
incomplete expression will not be saved.
Click Save to save your changes.
Tip
Press Ctrl + Space to complete an SQL statement.
To make it easier to access table fields, give the table name an alias and
reference the alias to bring up the related fields. For example SELECT A.
FROM A.
You can add comments in expressions by using the ‘–’ for a single line or /…/
for blocks.
Editing SQL Statements
Sisense makes it easy to edit custom tables. You can use SQL to customize the
columns contained within a custom table.
When you edit a custom table, any changes you make are saved when you click
Save unless the expression did not successfully parse. In this case, you are
prompted to save a draft of the invalid expression.

To edit a custom table’s SQL:

Select the custom table you want to edit and click .

The custom table area is displayed

Enter SQL statements to access tables and fields that exist in the schema. See
related topics for more details on SQL References and Function References.

To view results based on the SQL statement, click . (Note: At least

one build including the relevant base table must have been completed in
order to preview results.)
Click Save to save your changes.
Tips
Press Ctrl + Space to complete an SQL statement.
To make it easier to access table fields, give the table name an alias, and
reference the alias to bring up the related fields. For example Select A. From
table as A.
You can add comments in expressions by using the ‘–’ for a single line or /…/
for blocks.
A good reference on compatible SQL commands is available on Microsoft
MSDN. Note: Sisense does not support boolean data types.
Previewing Results
You can preview results as follows:
Note: If the results are not displayed for a custom query, this may indicate you
have a many-to-many relationship in your data model. Review your model for
any problems.
To view results before connecting to a table:
In the schema of your ElastiCube, click .
Select the relevant connector.
Enter your login details and connect to the source data.
All tables and views associated with the database will appear in a new
window. To preview data contained in a particular table, click Preview
Table.
To view results in a custom table:
In the schema of your ElastiCube, click the custom table that you want to
preview and click .
Note: At least one build including the relevant base table must be completed in
order to preview results.
To view results in a custom field:
In the left pane of your schema, select the custom field and click Edit.
SQL Reference
You can use SQL to create new tables and fields in Sisense.
Below is an example of an SQL query with some SQL main clauses:
SQL Structure SQL Example

SELECT SELECT CustomerLastName,

FieldName(s),Function() CustomerName, ContactEmail,
, * Count(OrderID) AS Counter
FROM TableName 1 FROM Customers c
INNER JOIN\ LEFT INNER JOIN Order o
JOIN\RIGHT JOIN\FULL ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID
JOIN TableName 2 WHERE
ON TableName 1. o.OrderId BETWEEN 10 AND 100 AND
JoinField = TableName (c.CustomerName IN
2. JoinField ('John','Mary','David') OR
WHERE FieldName c.CustomerLastName LIKE
Condition 'Harrison%')
AND\OR FieldName GROUP BY c.CustomerLastName,
Condition c.CustomerName, c.ContactEmail
GROUP BY FieldName(s) HAVING Count(o.OrderID) > 3
HAVING FieldName(s) ORDER BY c.CustomerLastName,
Condition c.CustomerName
ORDER BY FieldName(s)
Basic SQL Syntax Guide

SELECT STATEMENT
SELECT SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name

SELECT * SELECT *FROM table_name

SELECT DISTINCT SELECT DISTINCT column_name(s)

FROM table_name

Note: Nested SELECT statements will not work with an AND clause in Sisense.

FUNCTIONS AFTER SELECT CLAUSE

FUNCTIONS AVG() – Returns the average valueCOUNT() – Returns the number of
rowsMAX() – Returns the largest valueMIN() – Returns the smallest
valueSUM() – Returns the sum

TABLE JOIN FUNCTIONS

INNER JOIN SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name1 T1
INNER JOIN table_name2 T2
ON T1.column_name=T2.column_name

LEFT JOIN SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name1 T1
LEFT JOIN table_name2 T2
ON T1.column_name=T2.column_name

RIGHT JOIN SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name1 T1
RIGHT JOIN table_name2 T2
ON T1.column_name=T2.column_name

FULL JOIN SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name1 T1
FULL JOIN table_name2 T2
ON T1.column_name=T2.column_name

AS (alias) SELECT column_name AS column_alias

FROM table_nameor
SELECT column_name
FROM table_name AS table_alias

WHERE SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value

FUNCTIONS AFTER THE WHERE CLAUSE

AND / OR SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE condition AND|OR condition

BETWEEN SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name
WHERE column_name
BETWEEN value1 AND value2

IN SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name
IN (value1,value2,..)

LIKE SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name
WHERE column_name LIKE pattern

ORDERING AND GROUPING AFTER WHERE CONDITIONS

GROUP BY SELECT column_name,
aggregate_function(column_name)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value
GROUP BY column_name

ORDER BY SELECT column_name(s)

FROM table_name
ORDER BY column_name [ASC|DESC]

HAVING SELECT column_name,

aggregate_function(column_name)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value
GROUP BY column_name
HAVINGaggregate_function(column_name) operator
value

CLAUSES TO COMBINE TABLES

UNION SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name1
UNION
SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name2
UNION ALL SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name1
UNION ALL
SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name2
See Also

Basic SQL Guide

MSDN SQL Reference
ElastiCube for Advanced
Business Scenarios
This section provides examples of more advanced scenarios, and the
recommended methods for implementing the required business logic.
The examples are categorized into the following data manipulation methods:
Integrating, Formatting and Enhancing.
Integrating Data
Integrate and merge data from different sources into a single ElastiCube
structure by identifying common keys between the different tables. Proper
planning is important for merging the data; on the one hand, you need to avoid
creating unnecessary relationships, and on the other hand, make sure you don’t
have any many to many relationships. Examples include:
Creating a Common Date Selection: Create a common date field from multiple
date sets (from multiple data sources), and still keep the ability to use each
original date field individually.
Financial Reporting: Bring in an additional data source to help analyze data
from transaction systems. For example, Financial GL data will include all
transactions, but may not have all the income statement or balance sheet
reporting definitions.
Looking Up Values: Look up a value from one table and bring it into another
table. For example, knowing how much a marketing campaign costs versus
the sales opportunity amount is an important KPI to measure.
Reformatting Data
Reformat field data to free space, and make fields more readable and usable. For
example, convert a date field to numeric, or reduce the precision of real numbers.
You can reformat fields within the ElastiCube using a custom SQL expression.
Numeric Representation of Date Fields: Create a date table that is represented
by a numeric representation instead of a date field to improve the query
performance, as well as provide more flexibility, including the ability to
filter a date range.
Enhancing Data
Enhance data by adding attributes/records that did not exist in the original data
source.
Calculating Derived Facts: Derived facts are additional facts that we calculate
while importing or delivering the data.
Calendar vs. Fiscal Year : Align a fiscal calendar with a Gregorian calendar.
Time Zone Conversion: Use a source table to convert dates and times from
different time zones into a uniform data set.
Currency Conversion: Convert one currency into another using custom fields
and a currency exchange rate table.
Current vs. Previous Period for Specific Date Range: Compare data such as
sales between a current period and a past period.
Calculating the Number of Open Orders per Day: Check open sales orders
where the order has been placed, but has not yet been delivered.
Slowly Changing Dimensions: Transactional data does not usually change,
however the data that describes the associated dimensions may change. See
how to manage dimensions that may be updated with new values within the
data warehouse at different points in time.
Integrating Data
Note: The images on this page were taken in the desktop version of Sisense,
however, the same principles described on this page also apply to the web-based
version of Sisense.
The following examples explain how to integrate and merge data from different
sources into a single ElastiCube structure. This requires properly planning how
to merge the data; to avoid creating unnecessary relationships, while avoiding
many to many relationships. Examples in this section:
Creating a Common Date Selection
Financial Reporting
Looking Up Values
Creating a Common Date Selection
Business Case

When pulling together data from multiple sources, you will have a number of
different dates. Marketing has a Campaign Date, Sales has an Opportunity Date
and Finance has a GL Date.
Modeling Challenge

This type of data leaves us with three sets of dates. Modeling it properly will
allow you to select from one common date field while still leaving you the option
to choose from one of the three date fields individually.
Solution

Create a custom table that retrieves a unique list of the dates used between the
three tables.

Use the following syntax:

Select [GL Date] AS [Common Date]
FROM [GL Entries]
Union
Select [Marketing Campaign Date] AS [Common Date]
FROM [Marketing Campaigns]
Union
Select [Opportunity Date] AS [Common Date]
FROM [Sales Opportunities]
Link the four tables together:
Results

This gives us the common date field to use. This allows, for example, to select a
month that will narrow down the selections across all three tables.
Financial Reporting
Business Case

Transactional systems are meant for handling transactions and not for reporting
and analysis. For example, Financial GL data will include all the transactions but
may not include all income statement or balance sheet reporting definitions.
Modeling Challenge

This data usually resides in other data sources or tables.

Solution

Here is what our sample GL entries look like. It is not very useful to analysis and
reporting.

Another data source is needed to help define how the data will be analyzed and
reported.
Start by bringing in another Data Source that contains details about the accounts
and how they are categorized:
The two tables are linked on the account number. As there is one record in the GL
Categories for multiple rows in the GL Entries, this is known as a One-to-Many
Relationship.
The end results show that we can easily view the data in an organized fashion for
analysis and reporting.
Looking Up Values
Business Case

Sometimes it is necessary to look up a value from one table and bring it into
another table. For example, knowing how much a Marketing Campaign costs
versus the Sales Opportunity amount.
Modeling Challenge

These two amounts typically reside in different systems. We need to look up the
value from the Marketing system and bring it into the main Sales table.
Solution

In the Sales Opportunities table, create a custom field that will allow to look up a
value from the Marketing Campaigns table based on the Marketing Campaign ID.
You can do this using the Lookup function. For details, see here.
Reformatting Data
By reformatting a field, you can create a more readable, and more usable format
for analysis, as well as less space consuming in some cases. For example, convert
a date field to a numeric field. You can reformat fields within the ElastiCube using
a custom SQL expression. An example:
Numeric Representation of Date Fields
Business Case

Create a “Date” table using a numeric representation of a Date field instead of the
Date field itself to improve query performances. In addition, a numeric
representation of a Date can provide the ability of filtering the data by time
range.
Solution

To convert a Date (“4/21/2012 12:36:56 AM”) to an integer (20120421), use the

following syntax:
10000*getyear(Date)+100*getmonth(Date)+getday(Date)
To get the hours and minutes too, use a bigint numeric representation. So,
“4/21/2012 12:36:56 AM” will become: 201204210036, using the following
syntax:
tobigint(100000000*getyear(DateTime)*+getmonth(DateTime)*
1000000+getday(DateTime)*10000+100*gethour(DateTime)+getm
inute(DateTime))
Enhancing Data
Note: The images on this page were taken in the desktop version of Sisense,
however, the same principles described on this page also apply to the online
version of Sisense.
The following examples explain how to add attributes and/or records that did
not exist in the data source. Examples include:
Calculating Derived Facts
Calendar vs. Fiscal Year
Time Zone Conversion
Currency Conversion
Current vs. Previous Period for Specific Date Range
Calculating the Number of Open Orders per Day
Slowly Changing Dimensions
Calculating Derived Facts
Business Case

Derived Facts are additional facts that we calculate while importing or delivering
the data. For example:
Modeling Challenge

You must decide whether to calculate the derived facts “on demand”, meaning in
the web application, or in advance in the ElastiCube. Take into consideration that
calculating ‘On Demand’ Derived Facts in the web application can enable more
dynamic filtering, while calculating them in the ElastiCube stage will save query
time when retrieving the data, and enforce calculation consistency, especially
with non-trivial facts. This is due to the fact that the dashboard designer/end
users will receive consistent results for measures, instead of having to create the
complex measures individually, by their own understanding.
Solution

In the following schema you can create a derived fact to calculate the inventory
ratio per product.

Create a custom table using an SQL Expression that joins the “Order Details”
table with the “Products” table and returns the division result of “Quantity” and
“UnitOnOrder”, with the following Syntax:
SELECT
[Products].ProductID,
tofloat(sum(UnitsOnOrder))/tofloat(sum(Quantity)) AS
InventoryRatio
FROM [Products] JOIN [Order Details]
ON [Products].ProductID=[Order Details].ProductID
GROUP BY [Products].ProductID
HAVING
tofloat(sum(UnitsOnOrder))/tofloat(sum(Quantity))>0
The result table will give the desired results:
Connect the custom table to the rest of the tables:

Note: You can also add the “InventoryRatio” measure to the “Products” table
using the Lookup() function by “ProductID”.
Calendar vs. Fiscal Year
Business Case

A large number of companies use a fiscal calendar that does not comply with the
Gregorian 12-month calendar.
Modeling Challenge

This requires modeling the data properly so that the data can be reported or
analyzed via the normal calendar or via the revised fiscal calendar.
Solution

In this example, let’s assume that the Fiscal Calendar starts on September 1st. So
if we are in the calendar year of 2013, then the fiscal year of 2014 starts
September 1st. To accomplish this, we create a custom field that takes the date
field and adds four months to it.

When you create a pivot table in the web application, you will see that the new
year (2014) starts in September using the Fiscal field.
Time Zone Conversion
Business Case

In many cases, we need to generate reports based on data from different time
zones.
Modeling Challenge

When working with different time zones, the challenge is to store all of the
business transactions in an absolute time reference that does not change with
the seasons, locations (for instance – GMT), or daylight saving. Therefore, the
absolute transition time is a combination of location and date.
Solution

The aim is to add an “absolute time” field to every business transaction, based on
its location and time.
Step 1 – Create a Reference Source Table
Create a source table (database table / Excel / CSV) that contains the countries
and cities that exist in the database, a numeric representation of timestamp
range to determine if the transaction belongs to daylight savings time or not (see
this web site), and the UTC to allow the conversion to GMT.
For example:
Country City DST_From DST_To UTC

USA Seattle 20120311.2 20121103.1 -7

USA Seattle 20121103.1 20130310.2 -8

USA Seattle 20130310.2 20131027.1 -7

USA Seattle 20131027.1 20140309.2 -8

UK London 20120325.1 20121028.2 0

UK London 20121028.2 20130330.1 1

UK London 20130330.1 20131027.2 0

UK London 20131027.2 20140330.1 1

Step 2 – Add a Numeric Representation of the OrderDate
To associate the Order Date with its UTC, create a custom field of type “Decimal”
with a numeric representation of the Date timestamp, using this SQL statement:
getyear(OrderDate)*10000+getmonth(OrderDate)*100+getday(O
rderDate)+ToDouble(gethour(OrderDate))/100
The result table should look like this:
Step 3 – Join between the Two Tables
The third step includes creating a custom SQL expression that joins between the
two tables and creating the “Absolute Time” custom field within it (“GMTDate”).
This is to create a synchronization between all the transactions. The custom field
will be created using the “add hours” function with the matching UTC value. See
the following script:
SELECT
[Orders].CustomerID,
[Orders].EmployeeID,
[Orders].Freight,
[Orders].OrderDate,
[Orders].OrderID,
[Orders].ShipAddress,
[Orders].ShipCity,
[Orders].ShipCountry,
AddHours(([Orders].OrderDate),[GMT Conversion.csv].UTC)
AS GMTDate
FROM [Orders]
JOIN
[GMT Conversion.csv]
ON
[Orders].ShipCity=[GMT Conversion.csv].City AND
[Orders].ShipCountry=[GMT Conversion.csv].Country AND
[Orders].DateNum>=[GMT Conversion.csv].DST_From AND
[Orders].DateNum<[GMT Conversion.csv].DST_To

The result table will look like this:

Step 4 – Make Schema Adjustments
For the next step, do the following:
Replace the current Orders table with the new one,
Refer to the new “Absolute Time” custom field (“GMTDate”) as the leading
date field
Make the reference tables (“Orders” and “GMT Conversion.csv”) invisible.
Currency Conversion
Business Case

Most data for entities is recorded in their local reporting currency (ie $ for United
States, £ for UK). Here we want to convert all the amounts to USD.
Modeling Challenge

This requires determining the Currency Rate of the region and then multiplying
the value in local currency by the associated Exchange Rate by Month.
Solution

Create two custom fields in the GL Entries. The first will look up the Currency
code of the region. This field will be used along with a month field to link to the
Exchange Rates table.

The first field in the GL Entries is created using the lookup function to retrieve
values from the Currency Codes table.
Lookup([Currency Codes],[Currency Code],Region,Region)
Then create a second Custom Field for the Month of the GL Date.
GetMonth([GL Date])
Next, link the fields together (note that both Month fields were set to Integer and
the Currency Codes table to Invisible).
The Local Amount multiplied by the Exchange Rate gives the Converted USD
Amount.
Current vs. Previous Period for Specific Date
Range
Business Case

In many cases we would like to compare our business’ performance last week, to
the week before, or maybe we would like to see a percentage of sales growth for
the current month/quarter compared to the previous month/quarter.
Modeling Challenge

Since we want the compared time range to be as flexible as possible, the solution
has to include both layers – ElastiCube and web application.
Solution

Create a custom table in the ElastiCube to summarize the totals/counts per day
for the source table:
SELECT
a.Date,
sum(a.Revenue)AS value
FROM [Accord 2011 Client List] AS a GROUP BY a.Date
Create a custom table in the ElastiCube with current vs. previous values, by
adjusting the script below:
SELECT
curr.Date AS date,
curr.value AS current,
prev.value AS prev
FROM [sum] curr
LEFT JOIN [sum] AS prev
ON curr.Date = addyears(prev.Date,1)
UNION
SELECT
addyears(prev.Date,1) AS date,
curr.value,
prev.value
FROM [sum] prev
LEFT JOIN [sum] AS curr
ON prev.Date= addyears(curr.Date,-1)
In the web application, add a ‘date range picker’ using the days from the custom
table. Then add two new numeric indicators. In the first numeric picker add the
‘sum of the current value’, in the second numeric picker, add the ‘sum of the
previous value’.
In the date range picker, select the days of interest and you will see the current
and previous values.
Calculating the Number of Open Orders per
Day
Business Case

An open sales order is where the order has been placed but has not yet been
delivered. If for examle there is an order for 100 items and against this order
only 50 items have been delivered (it is partially delivered). A high level of open
orders per day may indicate that something is wrong with orders handling.
Modeling Challenge

We cannot just count the number of orders per day because it will exclude orders
that were open on a certain day and are already closed. Therefore, we will need
to create a snapshot of the number of open orders per day.
Solution
Import an Excel file with all dates listed in the Orders table into the
ElastiCube.
To improve query performance, convert all the date fields into numeric
representations (for more information, see Numeric Representation of Date
fields).
Create the following custom table:
SELECT
s.Dates,
tm.Created_At,
tm.Closed_At,
tm.TicketId
FROM [All Dates] s LEFT JOIN [Orders] tm
ON s.DateInt >= tm.CreatedAtInt
AND (tm.SolvedAt IS NULL OR s.DateInt <= tm.SolvedAtInt)
Slowly Changing Dimensions
Business Case

Transactional data typically does not change, however the data that describes the
associated dimensions may change. This example demonstrates how to manage
dimensions that may be updated with new values within the data warehouse at
different points in time.
For example, a customer that was living in NYC and moved to LA earlier this year.
Date Customer City
1/1/2011 John Smith NYC
1/1/2013 John Smith LA
Modeling Challenge

Following the example above, when the transactions were made last year, the
customer was living in NYC. Later this year, the customer moved to LA.
If you decide to refer only to the last city and summarize revenue by city, the NYC
transaction will be credited to LA only because the customer currently lives
there.
If you connect the “Customer” field within the above table to the “Customer” field
in the fact table, you will create a “Many to many” relationship because
“Customer” is not a unique identifier of this table.
Solution

The solution is to change the level of granularity of the “Customer_City” table and
add the “Date” field to the key –
Concatenation of the Slowly Changing Dimension table’s unique identifier (for
example – Customer_ID + Date)
Creation of the same concatenated field in the transactions table.
Merge between the 2 keys.
This way, you can associate the [Customer_ID + Date] key of every transaction
with the relevant customer city.
Functions Overview
Sisense supports many functions that you can use for data calculations.
For a short video overview of the available types of functions, see below:

The following topics describe the functions Sisense supports:

Date and Time Functions
Logical Functions
Mathematical Functions
String and Text Functions
Web Functions
Date and Time Functions
You can use date and time functions in custom tables and fields. See Adding a
New Custom Table and Defining and Editing Field Formula for further details.
For a short video overview of the date and time functions, see below:

Below are explanations of the available date and time functions:

ADDYEARS(datetime, number)
ADDQUARTERS(datetime, number)
ADDMONTHS(datetime, number)
ADDDAYS(datetime, number)
ADDHOURS(datetime, number)
ADDMINUTES(datetime, number)
ADDSECONDS(datetime, number)
Adds a given number of years|quarters|months|days|hours|minutes|seconds to a
specified date/time. An example of when to use this is when the fiscal year is not
the same as the Gregorian calendar’s beginning and end dates.
CREATEDATE(year,month,day)
Creates a timestamp from a given year, month and day. Time is set to midnight.
CURRENTDATE()
Returns the current date.
CURRENTTIME()
Returns the current time.
CURRENTTIMESTAMP()
Returns the current timestamp.
GETYEAR(datetime)
GETQUARTER(datetime)
GETMONTH(datetime)
GETDAY(datetime)
GETHOUR(datetime)
GETMINUTE(datetime)
GETSECOND(datetime)
Returns a number that represents the
year|quarter|month|day|hour|minute|second in a given date/time.
DAYOFWEEK(datetime)
Returns the day, out of seven days in a week, represented by a given date/time.
DAYOFYEAR(datetime)
Returns the day, out of 365 days in a year, represented by a given date/time.
WEEKOFYEAR(datetime)
Returns the week, out of 52 weeks in a year, represented by a given date/time.
DAYNAME(number)
Returns the name of the day represented by the given number.
YEARDIFF(end,start)
QUARTERDIFF(end,start)
MONTHDIFF(end,start)
DAYDIFF(end,start)
HOURDIFF(end,start)
MINUTEDIFF(end,start)
SECONDDIFF(end,start)
Returns the difference in years|quarters|months|days|hours|minutes|seconds
TODATETIME()
Converts a specified value to a DateTime value. Sisense supports the string
format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss:ms and YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss. If not
HH:mm:ss are entered, Sisense assumes that the time is 12:00AM.
Logical Functions
You can use mathematical functions in custom tables and fields. See Adding a
New Custom Table and Defining and Editing Field Formula for further details.
Below are explanations of available logical functions.
IFBIGINT(condition, true value, false value)
Returns the first value if the boolean evaluate is true, else returns the second
value.
IFDATETIME(condition, true value, false value)
Returns the first value if the boolean evaluate is true, else returns the second
value.
IFDOUBLE(condition, true value, false value)
Returns the first value if the boolean evaluate is true, else returns the second
value.
IFINT(condition, true value, false value)
Returns the first value if the boolean evaluate is true, else returns the second
value.
IFSTRING(condition, true value, false value)
Returns the first value if the boolean evaluate is true, else returns the second
value.
INRANGE(value, start, end)
Returns true if a given value is between start and end.
ISNULL(value)
Returns true if a given value is null.
LOOKUP(remote_table,remote_result_column,current_match_column,
remote_match_column)
The Lookup function imports a field from one table into another table, by
matching two other corresponding fields from both tables. The result will be the
value in remote_result_column for which the corresponding
remote_match_column equals the current_match_column.
For a short video demonstration of the Lookup function, see below:
Mathematical Functions
You can use mathematical functions in custom tables and fields. See Adding a
New Custom Table and Defining and Editing Field Formula for further details.
Below are explanations of available mathematical functions.
ACOS(number)
Returns the angle, in radians, whose cosine is the given number. Also referred to
as arccosine.
ASIN(number)
Returns the angle, in radians, whose sine is a given number. Also referred to as
arcsine.
ATAN(number)
Returns the angle in radians whose tangent is a given number. Also referred to as
arctangent.
CEILING(number)
Returns the smallest integer that is greater than, or equal to, the a given number.
COS(number)
Returns the trigonometric cosine of a given angle, in radians.
COSH(number)
Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a given number.
COT(number)
Returns the cotangent of a given number.
DIV(number1, number2)
Returns the number of times number2 fits completely in number1.
EXP(number)
Returns the exponential value of a given number.
FLOOR(number)
Returns the largest integer less than or equal to the given numeric expression.
ISINFINITY(number)
Returns -1 if the number evaluates to negative infinity, 1 if it evaluates to positive
infinity, and 0 otherwise.
ISINTEGER(number)
Returns whether a given number is a whole number.
LOG(number)
Returns the natural logarithm of a given number.
LOG10(number)
Returns the base-10 logarithm of the given float expression
MAXVAL(number1,number2)
Returns the highest of two numbers.
MINVAL(number1,number2)
Returns the smallest of two numbers.
MOD(number1,number2)
Returns the remainder of dividing number1 by number2 (modulo).
PI()
Returns the constant value of the mathematical PI.
POWER(number1,number2)
Returns the value of the given number raised to a specified power.
RAND()
Returns a random number between 0 and 32767
RANK()
Returns the rank (i.e. row number) of the current record in a table.
RANKASC(order_by_field)
Returns the row number ordered by given field in ascending manner.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in ascending order (1, 2, 3, 4).
You can also sort by multiple columns:
RANKASC([partitionA],[paritionB]…[partitionN],[orderByFie
ld])
Example: RANKASC([EmployeeID],[CategoryID],[Quantity])
RankCompetitionAsc(partition fields list, order field)
Returns the rank of each row within the partition of a result set. The rank of a
row is one plus the number of ranks that come before the current row ordered
by the rightmost field parameter in ascending order.
Leftmost field parameters (optional) define the partitions in which each ordering
starts.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in ascending order (1, 2, 2, 4).
RankCompetitionDesc(partition fields list, order field)
Returns the rank of each row within the partition of a result set. The rank of a
row is one plus the number of ranks that come before the current row ordered
by the rightmost field parameter in descending order.
Leftmost field parameters (optional) define the partitions in which each ordering
starts.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in descending order (4, 2, 2, 1).
RankDenseAsc(partition fields list, order field)
Returns the dense rank of rows within the partition of a result set without any
gaps in the ranking. The rank of a row is one plus the number of distinct ranks
that come before the current row ordered by the rightmost field parameter in
ascending order.
Leftmost field parameters (optional) define the partitions in which each ordering
starts.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in ascending order (1, 2, 2, 3).
RankDenseDesc(partition fields list, order field)
Returns the dense rank of rows within the partition of a result set without any
gaps in the ranking. The rank of a row is one plus the number of distinct ranks
that come before the current row ordered by the rightmost field parameter in
descending order.
Leftmost field parameters (optional) define the partitions in which each ordering
starts.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in descending order (3, 2, 2, 1)
RANKDESC(order_by_field)
Returns the row number ordered by given field in descending manner.
Example: (3, 5, 5, 19) is ranked in ascending order (4, 3, 2, 1).
You can also sort by multiple columns:
RANKDESC([partitionA],[paritionB]…[partitionN],[orderByFi
eld])
Example: RANKDESC([EmployeeID],[CategoryID],[Quantity])
ROUND(number,precision)
Returns the given number, rounded to a specified precision.
SIN(number)
Returns the trigonometric sine of a given angle, in radians.
SINH(number)
Returns the hyperbolic sine of a given number.
SQRT(number)
Returns the square root of a given number.
TAN(number)
Returns the tangent of a given number.
TANH(number)
Returns the hyperbolic tan of a given number.
TOBIGINT(string)
Converts a string representing a valid BigInt value to BigInt type.
TODOUBLE(string)
Converts a string representing a valid double value to Double type.
TOINT(string)
Converts a string representing a valid Int value to Int type.
String and Text Functions
You can use mathematical functions in custom tables and fields. See Adding a
New Custom Table and Defining and Editing Field Formula for further details.
For a short video overview of the string and text functions, see below:

Below are explanations of the available string and text functions:

ASCII(char)
Returns the Int ascii code of a given character.
CHAR(number)
Returns a character for a given ascii code.
CONCAT(string1,string2)
Concatenates string1 and string2.
INDEXOF(string1,string2,n)
Returns the index of the n-occurrence of string2 in string1.
INSERT(string1,string2,overrides,index)
Inserts string2 into string1 at a specified index, possibly overriding a specified
number characters in string1.
INSERTSTR(string1,string2,index)
Inserts string2 into string1 at specified zero-based index.
ISNULLOREMPTY(string)
Returns true if the string is null or empty.
LEFT(string,length)
Returns a substring of a specified length, starting at the first character.
LENGTH(string)
Returns the length of a given string.
LOWER(string)
Returns a lowercase version of a given string.
LTRIM(string)
Removes whitespaces from the start of the string.
REMOVEAT(string,index)
Removes a character at a specified index from a given string.
REMOVERANGE(string,index,count)
Removes a specified number of characters from a given string starting at a
specified index.
REPEAT(string,number)
Returns a concatenation of a string repeated a given number of time.
REPLACEALL(string,oldstring,newstring)
Replaces all occurrences of old string with new string.
RIGHT(string,length)
Returns a substring of a specified length, end with the last character.
RTRIM(string)
Removes whitespaces from the end of the string.
SOUNDEX(string)
Returns a four-character (SOUNDEX) code to evaluate the similarity of two
objects.
STRBETWEEN(string, startstring, endstring)
Returns the substring contained between startstring and endstring.
STRPARTS(string,delimiter,n)
Returns the string delimited by a specified delimiter. The search ends after the n-
occurrence of the delimiter is found.
SUBSTRING(string,index,length)
Returns the substring of a specified length, starting at a specified index.
TOSTRING(object)
Converts a given value to a string.
TRIM(string)
Removes whitespaces from both ends of a string.
UPPER(string)
Returns an uppercase version of a given string.
Web Functions
You can use web functions in custom tables and fields. See Adding a New Custom
Table and Defining and Editing Field Formula for further details. Below are
explanations of available web functions.
Note: In all circumstances, the URL must include ‘http://’. For example, if the
URL is www.sisense.com, the syntax should be GetFile (‘http://
www.sisense.com’)
DomainIs: true/false DomainIs (URL,compared domain)
Get whether the given urls domain matches the given domain. For example
‘http://www.wikipedia.org’ matches org, wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.
GetFile: string GetFile (url)
Extract the filename portion of the path in the given url and returns it.
The filename is everything after the last slash in the path.
GetHost: string GetHost (url)
Extract host from the given url, for example ‘www.wikipedia.org’
in’http://www.wikipedia.org’
GetPassword: string GetPassword (url)
Extract password from the given url.
Specified in the url following the user name, with leading colon (‘:’) and trailing
at sign (@), as in ‘http://user:password@host/.’
GetPath: string GetPath (url)
Extract path from the given url.
Path is the url portion following the host name, for example
‘/wiki/Business_intelligence’ in
‘http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Intelligence’
GetPort: string GetPort (url)
Extract port from the given url, parsed as integret, for example 123 in
‘http://www.wikipedia.org:123/’
GetQuery: string GetQuery(url)
Extract the query from the given url.
Specified in the url after the ‘?’ and before (optional) the ‘#’ sign, for example
‘par=val’ in ‘http://www.wikipedia.org/?par=val#ref’.
GetQueryParamValue (url,param name): string GetQueryParamValue
(url,param name)
Extract param value from the given url’s query, by the given param name.
Param/Value pairs when supplied, are delimited by an ampersand or a
semicolon.
GetRef: string GetRef (url)
Extract ref from given url.
Specified in the url starting after last appearance of the ‘#’ sign, for example ‘ref’
in ‘http://www.wikipedia.org/?par=val#ref’
GetScheme: string GetScheme (url)
Extract scheme from given url.
Skips leading spaces and followed colon (‘:’) sign, for example
‘http://www.wikipedia.org/’
GetUserName: string GetUserName (url)
Extract user name from given url.
Specified in the url before the host name and delimited by an ‘@’ as in
‘http://user@host/.’
HasHost: true\false HasHost (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a host.
HasPassword: true\false HasPassword (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a password.
HasPath: true\false HasPath (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a path.
HasPort: true\falseHasPort (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a port.
HasQuery: true\false HasQuery (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a query.
HasRef: true\false HasRef (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a ref.
HasScheme: true\false HasScheme (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a scheme.
HasUsername: true\false HasUsername (url)
Get whether the given url specifies a user name.
HostIsIpAddress: true\false HostIsIpAddress (url)
Get whether the given url host name is an ip address.
IsEmptyUrl: true\false IsEmptyUrl (url)
Get whether the given url is empty.
IsFileUrl: true\false IsFileUrl (url)
Get whether the given url is a file url.
IsSecuredUrl: true\false IsSecuredUrl (url)
Get whether the given url scheme indicates a secured connection(https).
IsStandardScheme: true\false IsStandardScheme (url)
Returns true if the scheme for the current urk is a known ‘standard’ scheme.
Standard schemes have an authority and a path section (including file:).
IsValidUrl: true\false IsValidUrl (url)
Get whether the given url has a valid form.
PathForRequest: true\false PathForRequest (url)
Returns the path that should be sent to the server.
This is the path, parameter, and query portions of the url.
SchemeIs: true\false SchemeIs (url)
Get whether the given url scheme portion matches the given scheme.
Building ElastiCubes
After defining a schema, you need to build your ElastiCube. Building an
ElastiCube imports the data from your data sources that you added to your
schema. You must build an ElastiCube at least once before the ElastiCube data
can be used in a dashboard.
For a short overview of build settings, see below.

If your data set is very large, a build may take some time. You can cancel the build
in the build log that is opened when you run a build.

To build an ElastiCube:
In the Data page, open the relevant ElastiCube and click . The Build
Options dialog box is displayed.

Select Replace All, By Table, or Changes Only. Replace All builds the
ElastiCube from scratch with the current data from all the sources in the
schema. By Table builds the ElastiCube as defined on the table level where
all tables not defined are built from scratch. Changes Only builds the
ElastiCube with data for tables that were added to the schema or modified
since the last build. For an in-depth description of these settings and the
implications of each setting, see ElastiCube Build Settings.
Toggle the switch below to limit the amount of rows imported for each table.

This is useful for building samples of your data and reduces the overall
amount of time it takes to build an ElastiCube.
Click Build.
A log is displayed that describes the build process. When the build is
complete, the following message appears in the logs: Build successfully
ended.
Building ElastiCubes Remotely

Note: This functionality is only available in the desktop version of Sisense. This
functionality will be available Sisense in the near future.
You can build the ElastiCube locally on your machine or build the ElastiCube
remotely from another machine in which Sisense is installed. This is useful for
example when your configuration supports Test and Production environments.
For more information on setting up production environments, click here.
When connecting remotely, your ElastiCube server must have Sisense installed
and a unique Sisense license. While you can have multiple Administrators
working on and building an ElastiCube, only one Administrator can work on an
ElastiCube at a time to prevent data corruption. In addition, the machine in which
the build is performed, must have sufficient resources to be able to handle all of
your data. See Sisense’s minimum requirements for more information.
To build an ElastiCube remotely:
On the ElastiCube server where the ElastiCube is to be built, open ports 811
and 812 for inbound and outbound access.
In Sisense, open the Sisense Server Console by clicking +.
In the Connection Settings window, enter a name for the server and its IP
address.
Click Connect. The list of ElastiCubes for that server are displayed in the
Sisense Server Console.
In Sisense, click Build.
Under Target Server, select the new server you have just added.
Define your build settings and click Build.
ElastiCube Build Settings
When you build your ElastiCube, data is imported from your data sources into
the ElastiCube according to settings you define on the model level and on the
table level.
This topic describes how data can be imported on each level and the implications
of each of the ElastiCube build settings.
Model Level
On the model level, you have three choices for importing data, Replace All, By
Table, and Changes Only.
Replace All

When you replace all your data on the model level, any existing data imported
into your ElastiCube is overwritten and any custom tables or columns are
recalculated. Sisense imports an exact copy of your data from the source. If the
size of your data is large or the connection speed to the source is slow, it can take
a long time to build your ElastiCube.
The diagram below illustrates what happens before and after a Replace All build:

Note: While building the ElastiCube with schema changes or entire ElastiCube
builds, you can continue to run queries. In the event that the build fails, Sisense
restores the original version of the ElastiCube and attempts the build again.
While Sisense restores the original ElastiCube, some downtime may occur while
Sisense copies the ElastiCube to your drive. The downtime is the amount of time
it takes to copy the ElastiCube locally. If you require high availability for your
data, Sisense provides this through ElastiCube Sets. When Sisense restores an
ElastiCube a copy of the original ElastiCube is created. You should verify that
your server can store multiple copies ElastiCubes until the restoration process is
complete.
By Table

When you build By Table, all your data is overwritten except for tables where
you have specifically defined their build behavior in the schema.

This option is only displayed when a table’s build behavior has been defined in
the schema. When you have customized a table’s build behavior, an icon is
displayed that indicates the table’s build behavior, for example, Changes Only
or Append . These icons are also described in the legend in the bottom-right
corner of the schema.
In the Build Settings dialog box, you can click the table links to see which tables
have been configured or are set to be overwritten.
For more information about table build behavior, see Table Level below.
Changes Only

When you build by Changes Only, you build only new tables or tables that have
changed since the last build. This is useful when you frequently need to refresh a
large data source. For example, if you have a data source that is updated daily,
rather than rebuild the entire ElastiCube daily, you can just import the new data
added each day. This option can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes
to complete a build.
Tables that have changed since the last build include the following:
New tables that were added
Tables where columns were added or dropped
Custom tables where the expression has changed
Tables with custom columns where the expression has changed
Custom tables that have SQL expressions which reference other tables that
have changed
If your table meets any of the above criteria, then the table’s data is overwritten
and rebuilt from scratch.
Table Level
You can define your build’s behavior per table by selecting the table’s menu >
Build Behavior, and selecting the relevant option.

Then, when you define what type of build you want to do, select the By Table
option.
You can set the build behavior of a table to one of the following options:
Replace All (Default)

Replaces all data at the time of the build. This is recommended for dimension
tables, for example: store attributes, or dimensions, which describe the objects in
a fact table.
Append

Adds all the data from the source table and appends it to the existing data in the
ElastiCube.
The diagram below illustrates what happens before and after an Append build:

On Day 2, the data taken from the source was appended onto the existing data in
Sisense without ignoring any rows of data.
Changes Only

Does not import any data unless changes have occurred in the table. This is
recommended with summary/snapshot fact tables and with data marts (smaller
subsets of data, tailored for specific needs).
Tables that have changed since the last build include the following:
New tables that were added
Tables where columns were added or dropped
Custom tables where the expression has changed
Tables with custom columns where the expression has changed
Custom tables that have SQL expressions which reference other tables that
have changed
Accumulate By

Adds additional rows of data incrementally to an existing table according to the

data in a specified integer or date column that acts as an index. You can select a
specific integer or date column that will be used to determine whether to
accumulate data at the time of the build. The column acts as an index, and if the
index value is greater in a subsequent build, then data is accumulated for the
table. This is recommended for detailed fact tables, for example: store
quantitative information for analysis.
Note: Only date and integer columns are supported.
To select the integer or date column within a table as the parameter to
accumulate by, click on the column’s menu, and then select Accumulate By.

Accumulation behavior for integers and for dates are as follows:

When you select an integer, only source rows with a value greater than the
maximum index value in the ElastiCube table will be inserted. Existing data in the
ElastiCube table will not be modified or deleted.
The diagram below illustrates what happens before and after an Accumulative
build:
On Day 2, the integer value 3 was set as an index so new rows that are less than
the integer value are not added in the next build. In this case, D and E of Column
1 were excluded as 2 and 1 of the new rows are less than the index value 3.
Accumulative Build Support

Some data sources (for example, CSV files) do not support accumulating data on
the column level, and in such cases data will be duplicated. The table below lists
the data providers that do not support accumulative builds and appending data
to tables.
Note: Data providers that are not listed in this table support accumulate
builds both by appending to table and accumulating by column.
Sisense Web Application Desktop ElastiCube Manager

Data Source Append to Accumulate by Append to Accumulate by

Provider Table Column Table Column

CSV file Yes No Yes No

Google Yes No Yes No

AdWords

Google Analytics Yes Yes No No

Google Yes No Yes No

Spreadsheets

MS Excel Yes No Yes No

OLEDB Not supported Yes No

Salesforce Yes Yes Yes No

Scheduling Data Loads
After you build an ElastiCube, you can schedule future builds to automatically
synchronize with the underlying data source to ensure all data is up to date.
There are two options you can choose when scheduling a build: by time or by
intervals. Builds scheduled by time occur according to the days and hour you
define. You can configure Sisense to build an ElastiCube automatically any or
every day of the week at the same hour.
Builds scheduled by intervals occur after the defined interval passes. You can set
a single interval for an ElastiCube.
Note: Only one option can be selected at a time. The last configuration you set is
the configuration that will be used.
If you want to cancel a scheduled build, select Disable and click Save.
By default, scheduled builds are Full builds (replace data in all tables with the
current data from the source), unless any table within the ElastiCube is set to
Accumulative or a table is set to be ignored.
Your ElastiCube’s build configuration determines how the scheduled build is to
be performed. For more information about how to build ElastiCubes, click here.
To schedule a build:
In the Data page, open the menu of the relevant ElastiCube and select
Schedule Build. The Schedule Build window is displayed.

Select the relevant scheduling option:

Disable: Click to disable a scheduled build.
Daily: Select the relevant days and define the hour when the build is to
occur. For each selected day, the build will occur at the same hour defined.
Note: The build will occur according to the timezone of the Sisense server,
and not according to the timezone of your machine.
Interval: Select the time in between automatic builds. The first automatic
build begins after you save your settings and the interval passes.
Click Save.
Changing an ElastiCube
This topic describes how to make changes in your ElastiCube.
To update an ElastiCube:
Open the Data page and click the relevant ElastiCube. The schema of the
ElastiCube is displayed.
Changes are saved as you work and take affect when you build the ElastiCube.
Live Connect
Traditionally, your data was only as fresh as your latest ElastiCube build. With
live connections, you can refresh your dashboards manually or set them to
refresh automatically every few seconds. Sisense Live Connect queries are run
directly against the data source. Sisense performs no additional caching on the
data.
The most significant difference between dashboards built on ElastiCubes and
dashboards connected to live data sources is how the load is managed. With an
ElastiCube, you refresh the data when you build an ElastiCube and query the
ElastiCube, not the data sources that define your ElastiCube. With live
connections, queries are run against the data source itself. This means that you
don’t have to wait for an ElastiCube to finish building before you see the results,
however, your data source must be able to handle the potential load of multiple
refreshes.
To create dashboards built on live connections, you create live models. These
data models include connection and credential details to the data sources. After
you have created your live model, you publish it. Publishing the live model adds
it to your list of data sources from which you can select when working with
dashboards.
Limitations

The following features are not supported in live connections:

Pulse alerts
Box & Whisker plot
Certain analytical functions such as Mode and Standard Deviation
Changing live data sources from dashboards
Custom SQL tables and columns
Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I cannot connect to my data source?

A: As the connection is live, the data source must be available for Sisense to
connect. Also, if your credentials changes, you must update your data set so
Sisense can continue to connect and refresh the data.
Q: No data sources are displayed when trying to add one?
A: In Windows Services, verify that the following are running, and if not, restart
them:
Sisense.CLRConnectorsContainer
Sisense.Discovery
Sisense.ECMServer
IIS
Q: If I use Windows Authentication with my SQL server, what do I enter in the
Username and Password fields?
A: Enter the Location and leave the Username and Password fields blank.
Q: After entering a data set name, the Done button is not displayed:
A: Make sure the data set’s name is unique. You cannot create data sets with the
same name.
Creating Live Models
Before you can analyze dashboards, you need create a live model.
To create a live model:
Open Sisense and click Data in the top menu. Your ElastiCubes and live
models are displayed.

Click . The Add new Live Connection dialog box is displayed.

In Title, enter a name for your live model and click Save. An empty model is
displayed in the Model Editor.
Adding Live Connections
An alternative to importing data into an ElastiCube is to connect directly to the
source through a live data connection. With Live Connect, queries can be
processed directly in the data source. This allows you to work with only the
result set from a query, rather than doing large imports from the source. You
may want to leverage this method if you have invested in a high performance
database or want to tap into real-time functionality.
For a short video overview of working with live data, see below.

Each live data source has its own requirements. For documentation for the
relevant live data sources, see the table below:
Connector More Information

Google BigQuery Documentation

MemSQL Documentation
MySQL Documentation
Oracle Documentation
PostgreSQL Documentation
Redshift Documentation
Snowflake Documentation
SQL Server Documentation
Working with Live Models
In the Model Editor, you have a variety of options for working with tables you
have connected to from a live data source.
You can manage your data on two levels, the Table level and the Column level.
Any changes you make to your schema are reflected in the dashboard or widgets
of the live model only after you publish the changes.
Table Level
You can manage tables connected to a live model through the Navigation Pane or
through the table itself in the schema.

Preview Displays a preview of your table’s data.

Refresh Allows you to update a table’s columns if

Schema > there was a change on the data source
without having to add the table again.

Delete Allows you to delete a table.

>
To view your table’s metadata, including its name, path, provider, location, and
the number of columns it contains, hover over the table in the schema or in the
Navigation Pane.
Column Level
Columns that are part of a table are displayed below the table in the
Navigation Pane. On the left side of the column is an icon that indicates what type
of data is in the column.

On the right side of the column’s name is an icon that indicates if the column is
connected to another table through a relationship. You can hover over the icon to
view more details or disconnect the relationship.
For each column, you can hover over its name to display a menu from where you
view the following options for managing your columns:
Menu Option Description

Relationships Displays related columns together side by side. See Creating

Relationships for more information.
For Amazon Redshift and Microsoft SQL Server only.
Edit Allows you to edit a column’s relationship. This option is only
Relationship available when the column is connected to another table.
Description Allows you to tag a column with metadata that you can use
to organize your data and search for it later. See Tagging
Your Data for more information.
Enabling Relationships
between Tables in Live
Models
Sisense allows you to enable or disable the creation of relationships between
tables in Live data models. By default, creating relationships is enabled for the
following databases:
Amazon Redshift
Google BigQuery
MemSQL
Microsoft SQL Server
Snowflake
For other databases that support Live models, the Sisense Administrator needs
to manually enable relationships between tables.
Note: Sisense recommends creating relationships between tables on high-
performance databases. If enabling this for other databases, Sisense recommends
testing the dashboard performance to ensure that it is not impacted before
publishing the dashboard to your users.
For all databases, Sisense Administrators can disable the creation of
relationships. In case the Administrator disables this on a data model where
relationships were already defined, the users will not be able to create new
relationships, but the previously-defined relationships will remain. Note: For
MemSQL, disabling is currently unavailable.
To enable/disable relationships between tables in Live models:
Follow one of the paths for the relevant database:
Connector Path

MySQL, MS-SQL, C:\Program

Oracle, Files\Sisense\DataConnectors\DotNetConta
PostgreSQL, iner\Connectors
Redshift

Google BigQuery, C:\Program

MemSQL, Files\Sisense\DataConnectors\JVMContaine
Snowflake r\Connectors
Open the directory for the connector and open the relevant file:
Connector File

MySQL, MS-SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, manifest.json file

Redshift

Google BigQuery, MemSQL, Snowflake description.json file

Change the value of the "isLiveRelationsSupported" property to true:

Note: Files and settings are overwritten during upgrades.

Save the file.
Restart the following services as described below:

Connector Service

MySQL, MS-SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sisense.CLRConnectorsContainer service

Connector Service

Redshift

Google BigQuery, MemSQL, Sisense.JVMConnectorsContainer service

Snowflake
Refresh your browser. When dragging database tables on top of each other in
the Data page, the Relationship preview window is displayed. In this
window, you can create joins between columns belonging to these tables.
For details, click here.
(Optional) To disable relationships, change the value of the
"isLiveRelationsSupported" property back to false and proceed as above.
Publishing Live Models
After creating and designing a live model, you need to publish it. Publishing a live
model adds the model to the list of your data sources from which you can choose
when creating a dashboard or changing a data source.
To publish a live model:
In the Data page, open the relevant live model.
In the Model Editor, click .
Working with Live Widgets
After you have published your live model, you can begin to create visualizations
like you would with any other data source. See Creating Dashboards and Creating
Filters for more information.
In Sisense, live data sources have the icon next to their name.

While you can create dashboards from a live data model like you would an
ElastiCube, you can also add live data models as a data source to a dashboard
that already has a data source such as an ElastiCube. When you have multiple
data sources working together on a single dashboard, the data source and the
widgets built on it operate independently of each other. This allows you to view
widgets that visualize time sensitive information in addition to widgets that are
refreshed less frequently. For more information about adding multiple data
sources, see Changing a Dashboard’s Data Source.
In terms of governance, all existing access rights settings and data security
settings can be applied for live connections.
Load Management

The most significant difference between dashboards built on ElastiCubes and

dashboards connected to live data sources is how the load is managed. With an
ElastiCube, you refresh the data when you build an ElastiCube and query the
ElastiCube, not the data sources that define your ElastiCube. With live
connections, queries are run against the data source itself. This means that you
don’t have to wait for an ElastiCube to finish building before you see the results,
however, your data source must be able to handle the potential load of multiple
refreshes.
When you refresh the data for a live connection, Sisense uses the connection
settings and credentials in the data set to query the live data source. Depending
on your Sisense role, there are several options for refreshing the data.
Administrators define the refresh rate in seconds and timeout for each data set.
After the refresh rate is set by the Administrator, no user can set a refresh rate
shorter than the rate set by the Administrator. Administrators can manually
refresh the data set from the Data Sources tab in the Admin page.
Keep in mind that each time a refresh takes place, your data source is queried, so
your data source needs to handle the refresh rate you define. Designers can
reduce the frequency of data refreshes or stop automatic refreshes on a per
widget level, but they cannot increase the frequency of refreshes beyond the
threshold set by an Administrator.
Refreshing a Data Set

There are several ways in which you can refresh a widget build on a live data
model depending on your Sisense user role.
Administrators set the default refresh and can refresh the data manually from
the Data Sources tab in the Admin page of Sisense.

Designers can refresh a widget from the widget’s information window .

In addition, Designers can reset the Refresh Rate, however, the rate cannot be
lower than the default rate set by the Administrator.
Like Designers, Viewers can refresh a widget from the widget’s information
window , but they cannot modify the refresh rate.
While any users can refresh a widget, Sisense has a minimum 10 second refresh
limit. Any refreshes requested within 10 seconds are ignored.
Canceling a Refresh

If you have a refresh that you want to cancel, you can cancel it by clicking Cancel
in the widget’s information box.
This button is displayed only when a refresh is in progress.

In addition, any time a user leaves a query, for example, to view another page in
their browser, Sisense pauses the query.
Deleting ElastiCubes and Live
Models
When you no longer want to use an ElastiCubeor live data model, you can delete
them from the Data page.
Deleting an ElastiCube or live model removes it from the server and the
ElastiCube’s folder saved locally on your hard drive. After they have been
deleted, they cannot be restored.
If your ElastiCube or live model has any dependencies, or entities such as
dashboards, that are currently connected to it, some of these entities will also be
deleted and you will be prompted to remap to another data source. Entities that
are deleted when you delete an ElastiCube include:
Data security rules
Build alerts
Drill hierarchies
Entities that are not deleted, but should be remapped to another data source
include:
Dashboards
Widgets (from other dashboards)
Pulse Alerts
Entities that you can remap to another data source are clickable links that when
clicked, display a list of all the entities that need to be remapped.
You can choose to remap the entities to another data source manually or select
the new data source from the list on the bottom of the Delete ElastiCube dialog
box. If you do not remap the entities, the dependencies will not work until you
apply a new data source.
Note: Any temporary folders that were saved locally during failed builds are not
deleted when the ElastiCube is deleted and must be removed manually.
To delete an ElastiCube or live model:
In Sisense, click Data in the top menu.
In the Data page, click the menu of the relevant ElastiCube or live model and
select Delete.

Click Yes to confirm you want to delete the ElastiCube or live model.
OR
If you ElastiCube or live model has any dependencies, remap those entities
or select None to remap them later.
Sisense Server Console
Note: This feature is currently available in the desktop version of Sisense. This
feature will be migrated into Sisense in the near future. For more information,
see Sisense V7.0 Backwards Compatibility.
You can use the Sisense Server Console to perform various management tasks on
your ElastiCubes, including:
Scheduling Data Loads
Importing and exporting data
Attaching and detaching directories
Changing the Location of your ElastiCube Data Storage
Canceling Running Queries
To open the Sisense Server Console:
Right-click the systems tray and double-click the console icon .
or
Click on the Windows start menu, and select All Programs > Sisense >
Sisense Server Console.
ElastiCube data is stored in a default folder, which you can change in the Sisense
Server Console.
Changing the Location of the ElastiCube Data
Storage
To change the folder:
From the Windows start menu, open the Sisense Server Console.
In the top panel, click on the cog icon to view/change server preferences.
Click Browse next to Default server data folder.
Select the location of the folder where you want to store ElastiCube data, and
click OK.
Canceling Running Queries
You can cancel all running queries in your ElastiCube to free up resources. This is
useful in cases where your ElastiCube is consuming too many resources, and as a
result, causing the Sisense Web Application to be unresponsive.
To cancel all queries:
Click on the Windows start menu, and select All Programs > Sisense >
Sisense Server Console.
Click the relevant ElastiCube to view the menu panel.
Click Cancel All Queries.
Dashboards
After importing data into Sisense, the next step is to create dashboards that
Viewers can interact with.
This section will show you how to get started working with your dashboards.
Creating Dashboards
Designers and Dashboard Designers can create dashboards from the Analytics
page where all your existing dashboards are displayed.

When you create a dashboard, your dashboard is initially empty. The next step is
to add widgets, or visualizations, to your dashboard to make it meaningful.
The topics below provide information about creating dashboards, adding
widgets to it, and customizing the data displayed in the dashboard.
Creating Dashboards
Adding Widgets to a Dashboard
Managing Widgets
Filtering Dashboards
Formulas
Working with Time
Customizing the Dashboard Layout
Changing the Color Palette
Changing a Dashboard's Datasource
Managing and Sharing Dashboards
As a Designer, you can manage dashboards that you have created, or that have
been shared with you; these topics explain how.
Organizing Dashboards
Locating Dashboards
Deleting Dashboards
Copying Dashboards
Sharing Dashboards
Interacting with Dashboards
Now that you've created your dashboards, it's time to start interacting with
them.
The topics below will help you learn how to get the most out of your dashboards.
Viewing Dashboards
Interacting with Filters as a Viewer
Changing Sisense’s Language
Drilling Down in a Widget
Making Selections in a Widget
Exporting Dashboards
Creating Dashboards
There are two ways you can create dashboards: the first is through the Sisense
Analytics page, and the second is through the Sisense REST API.
The difference between these two methods is that the Analytics page provides
an interface where you populate the dashboard with widgets.
To create a dashboard through the REST API, you define the dashboard and then
populate it with widgets that already exist through their widget IDs.
Creating a Dashboard
Each Dashboard is based on the data selected from one or more ElastiCubes or
Live data sources. The instructions below assume that the required ElastiCube(s)
and Live data model(s) have already been created. You can also use the sample
ElastiCubes that are installed with Sisense if you have not yet created your own.
For a short video overview of creating dashboards, see below:

To create a dashboard:
In the Analytics page, click + above the Dashboards list.
OR
Right-click on the folder menu and select New Dashboard.

The following window appears:

Click the name of the Data Set displayed to select the ElastiCube or Live data
model you want to work with. ElastiCubes have the next to their name
while Live data models have the icon next to their name.
Click the name of the Title, and enter a name for the dashboard. This name
will appear at the top of the dashboard, and in the Dashboards list.
Click Create.
You are then automatically guided through the process of creating your first
widget in the Widget Wizard, as described in Adding Widgets to a
Dashboard.
Creating Dashboards through the REST API
The Sisense REST API enables you to programmatically create dashboards by
defining the basic properties of a dashboard such as Title, datasource, and owner.
After defining the properties of the dashboard, you define its visualizations by
including the widget IDs of pre-existing widgets.
To create a dashboard through the REST API:
In Sisense, click Admin at the top, and then REST API, followed by REST API
Reference.

Select Dashboards then POST /dashboards.

In the body of your call, define the values of the following keys:
Key Value

Title String that defines the name of the dashboard as

displayed in the Sisense Web Application.

desc String that represents a short description of the

dashboard.
Key Value

datasource Object that defines the data source where the dashboard pulls
its data.
This object contains the following elements:
title: The name of the data source.
id: The address and name of the data source where the
dashboard queries its data from.
address: The address of the dashboard.
database: The name of the data source where the data is
pulled from by the dashboard.
fullname: The name of the data source.
filters This object defines the dashboard filters that the user add goes
to the "filters" object in the .dash file.
This object contains the following elements:
datatype: The type of data affected by the filter, for example,
text.
title: The name of the filter displayed in the Filters pane.
layout Object that defines what widgets are displayed in the
dashboard and their layout.
This object contains the following elements:
type: String that defines how the layout of the dashboard. This
value should be "columnar".
columns: Array objects that defines the width of each column
in the dashboard and how widgets are displayed in each
column.
cells: Object that contains the subcells.
subcells: Object that contains the elements objects where
Key Value

widgets are defined.

elements: This objects contains the widget and defines its
dimensions within the data source.
defaultFilters This object defines the default filters of a dashboard.
When a user selects "Set as my default filters" from the
Filters menu in Sisense, the filters are defined in this
object.
Click POST. The Dashboard is added to the Dashboards list in the Analytics
page.
Adding Widgets to a
Dashboard
This topic describes how to add widgets to your dashboard through the Widget
Wizard.
The Widget Wizard automatically guides you through a very simple process of
creating a widget, while offering the best recommendations for displaying the
data that you select.
Almost always, simply accepting the wizard’s recommendations will help you
create a great widget. However, if you want more control over your widget’s
appearance and behavior, click the Advanced Configuration option in the
bottom left of the wizard to access a rich variety of additional design options, as
described in "Widget Designer" on page 473.
For a short overview of the process of adding a widget, see below:
Using the Widget Wizard
To add a widget to the dashboard:
If this is your first widget, click . The Sisense Data Browser
opens, and from there you can select one of the fields (columns) from this
dashboard’s ElastiCube or Live data source. If you already have widgets in
your dashboard, then click the button.
Note: To select data from a different ElastiCube, click from on the right side
of the New Widget window, and select an ElastiCube.
You can add a title to your widget now or after creating your widget.

In the Data Browser, select a field to add to your widget. The field that you
select is automatically displayed in a suggested widget. When only a single
numeric field is selected, it is displayed as an Indicator widget. A single
descriptive field is displayed as a Pivot widget.
Single Numeric Field

Single Descriptive Field

But your widget is not really interesting yet, because it has only one field!
Repeat the step above to add more fields to the widget.
As you add fields, the relevant options are displayed as buttons to the left of
your selection.
The fields that you select are listed across the top left of the wizard.
You can click on each visualization button to display the selected fields in
that visualization/chart.
For example, the same widget as above could be displayed as a Pie chart:
Tip: Sisense provides its best recommendation for your widget design.
However, if you want more control, you can click the Advanced Configuration
option on the bottom left of the window to provide a rich variety of additional
design options, as described in "Widget Designer" on page 473.
Data Browser
In the Data Browser, you can select and add columns (sometimes called fields)
from an ElastiCube or a Live data source to your widget.

An icon appears to the left of each field to indicate its data type:
Date
Alphanumeric string
Numeric
As you type into the Data Browser, the list is dynamically filtered to only show
the fields that contain the text you typed.
Simply clicking a field to add it to the widget generally provides great results,
however there are more options in the Data Browser.
Hover over a field in the Data Browser and click More … to display additional
aggregation (quick functions) and filtering options.
Click the button to define formulas (free-form expressions) that define
the field values and filters of a widget. A rich variety of functions are
provided for you to use in the formula that you define.
To learn more about these options, see "Formula Editor" on page 556.
Area Chart
An Area Chart is very similar to a Line Chart except that the areas under each line
are filled in (colored), and it is possible to display them as stacked. The chart is
recommended for displaying absolute or relative (stacked) values over a time
period.
Adding Data
In the Widget Designer, click + Select Data to select the field(s) whose values
will be placed on the X-Axis.
Typically, the X-Axis of an Area Chart is used to represent time. You must
add at least one item to the X-Axis. You can add at most two items. When
you add two X-axis items, the chart’s two X-Axis are combined.
In the Values area, click Add+ to select the field whose value determines the
height of the area in the chart. Typically, the Y-Axis of an Areas Chart is used
to represent numeric data.
You must add at least one field to Values. When you add more than one
Value, then each item is represented in the chart by its own color and area.
Break by (optional): Click Add + to select a field by which to break up
(group) the data represented in this chart.
Each field added to Break By is represented by its own area in the chart
and is automatically added to the chart’s legend.
This is an optional field, and operates under the following conditions:
You can add at most one Break by field.
The Break by option is available only when a single field was added to
Values (Y-Axis).
You can add only a single field to Values, if the Break by option was used.
Designing the Area Chart
To fine-tune the appearance of the Area Chart widget, open the widget in Edit
mode and on the right pane you can modify your Area Chart with the following
options:
Area Types: Select how areas are represented in the widget:
Classic: Areas overlap, meaning that smaller areas appear on top of
larger areas and cover them. The colors indicate the distribution
between the values.

Stacked: Areas are stacked on top of each other and do not overlap.
Hover over the columns to see the percentage distribution among the
values.

Stacked 100: Areas are stacked on top of each other (but do not
overlap). The combined area is stretched to the top in order to
represent 100%. This option is most commonly used when the relative
distribution of the values is more important than their aggregation.

Line Type: Select how the line appears in the widget: Straight (Default) or
Smooth.
Line Width: Select either Thin, Bold (Default) or Thick.
Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend and its position.
Value Labels: Specify whether to show or hide labels showing values in the
Area Chart.

Markers: Specify whether to show or hide markers over data points.

X-Axis:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the x-axis title. To edit the title, type
in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Y-Axis
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Logarithmic: Displays using orders of magnitude.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the y-axis title. To edit the title,
type in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Values on Axis: To change the default minimum, maximum or interval
values on the axis, type in the new values, and click outside the text
boxes to apply the new values. To restore any of the values to their
default states, click on the reset button.
Bar Chart
The Bar Chart is commonly used to compare many items. The Bar Chart typically
presents categories or items (descriptive data) displayed along the Y-Axis, with
their values displayed on the X-Axis. You can also break up the values by another
category or groups.
Adding Data
In the Categories panel, click Add+ to select the field(s) whose values will be
placed on the Y-Axis.
Typically, the Y-Axis of a Bar Chart is descriptive data. You must add at least
one item to Categories, and a maximum of two items. When you add two
fields to Categories, the chart’s Y-Axis are combined.
In Values, select the fields whose values determine the length of each
column. Typically, the values of a Bar Chart are used to represent numeric
data.
You must add at least one field to Values. When you add more than one
value, each item is represented in the chart by its own color and area.
(Optional) Select a field by which to break (group) the data represented in
this chart by clicking Add +.
Each group is represented by a different column and is automatically added
to the chart’s legend.
Break by is optional, and operates under the following conditions:
You can add at most one Break by field.
The Break by option is available only when a single field was added to
Values (Y-AXIS).
You can only add a single field to Values if the Break by option was used.
Designing the Bar Chart
Fine-tune the appearance of the Bar Chart widget. The design options are the
same as for Column Chart.
Additional options to customize the design of the Bar Chart are available from
the Sisense user community. For example, to sort stacked Bar Chart by category
total (rather then by Y-axis values, the default sorting), see here.
Box & Whisker Plot
The Box & Whisker Plot, or Box Plot, widget is a convenient way of visually
describing the distribution, variability, and center of a data set along an axis.
Box Plots are divided into four quartiles. The middle quartiles are represented by
a box that contains 50% of the data and the median value. The upper and lower
quartiles contain the maximum and minimum values and the remaining 50% of
the data. These quartiles are represented by lines called whiskers.
The maximum and minimum values can be adjusted when defining your box plot.
By default, these values are within 1.5 times of the IQR (Interquartile Range),
however you can set them to the actual maximum and minimum values or to
within one standard deviation of the mean of your data.

Box plots divide five descriptive statistics into four equal quartiles. You can view
these statistics by hovering over the Box Plot.
For a short video overview of the Box and Whisker plot, see below.
Adding Data
In the Categories panel, click Add + to select the field whose values will be
placed on the X-Axis. The X-Axis of a box plot is used to represent numeric
data.
In the Values panel, click Add + to select the field whose values will be
placed on the Y-Axis.
Design the Box Plot
You can fine tune the appearance of the Box Plot widget with the following tools.
Whisker Values: Defines how the whiskers are calculated and displayed.
IQR (Interquartile Range): Default setting. The whisker values are
calculated within 1.5 times the IQR (the difference between the 1st
and 3rd quartiles).
Extremums: The whiskers' values include the maximum and minimum
values in the calculation.
Standard Deviation: The whiskers' values are calculated to one standard
deviation above and below the mean of the data.
Box: Specify whether to display a full or hollow box.
Value Labels: Specify whether to show or hide labels indicating the values of
each point (circle). Select the orientation of these labels: Horizontal
(Default), Diagonal or Vertical.
Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend, and select its position.
Show Outliers: Specify whether to show or hide labels indicating the values
of each point (circle). Select the orientation of these labels: Horizontal
(Default), Diagonal or Vertical.
X-Axis and Y-Axis:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the axis title. To edit the title, type
in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value. To
change the default minimum, maximum or interval values on the axis,
type in the new values, and click outside the text boxes to apply the
new values.
Values on Axis: To restore any of the values to their default states, click
the reset button.
Auto Zoom: When a widget contains more data than can comfortably be
displayed in one view, Auto Zoom will resize the chart to include more data,
and in some cases adds a zoom bar under the widget. The zoom bar enables
you to scroll right and left and to zoom in/out of different parts of the width
of the widget.
Calendar Heatmap
The Calendar Heatmap widget visualizes values over days in a calendar-like
view, making it easy to identify daily patterns or anomalies.

For a short video overview of calendar heatmaps, see below.

Adding Data
In the Date panel, select the date field that you want to be used as the
calendar.
The calendar’s range will be between the minimum and maximum date
values within the field.
In the Color panel, click Add + to select the field that determines which days
to color.
Designing the Heatmap
Fine-tune the appearance of the Calendar Heatmap widget, using the following
tools.
Months: Select how many months should be presented at once: 1 (One
Month View), 3 (Quarter View), 6 (Half-Year View) or 12 (Year View).
When more months exist than currently visible, paging arrows are
displayed to move between months.
Calendar Type: Select between two types of view modes:
Classic – Each month is presented in typical calendar format.
Week View – Months are ordered by weekdays from top to bottom.

Week Begins On: Select the first day of the week to be represented in the
calendar.
More Configuration Options
Grey Out Weekends – If on, the weekend days will be colored grey in the
calendar.
Show Day Number – Toggle whether to show the calendar day numbers
inside the widget.
Show Day Name – Toggle whether to show the day name abbreviations on the
calendar.
Column Chart
The column chart can be used in different business scenarios, especially for
comparing items, and comparing data over time. The chart can include multiple
values on both the X and Y-axis, as well as a break down by categories displayed
on the Y-axis.
Adding Data
In the Categories panel, click Add + to select the field(s) whose values will
be placed on the X-Axis.
Typically, the X-Axis of a Column Chart is descriptive data. You must add at
least one item to Categories, and at most, two items.
When two Category items are added, then the chart’s X-Axes are
automatically grouped. To change the order of the categories, drag a
category up or down in the Categories list.
One Category Item
Two Category Items

In the Values area, select the field whose value determines the height of the
columns by clicking Add +. Typically, the Y-Axis of a Column Chart is used
to represent numeric data.
You must add at least one field to Values. When more than one Value is
added, then each item is represented in the chart by its own color and area.
Break by: Select a field by which to break (group) the data represented in
this chart by clicking Add +.
Each group is represented by a different column and is automatically added
to the chart’s legend.
This is an optional field, and operates under the following conditions:
At most one Break by field can be added.
The Break by option is available only when a single field was added to
Values (Y-Axis).
Only a single field can be added to Values, if the Break by option,
described below, was used.
Define filters for the widget, as described in Filtering Dashboards.
Designing the Column Chart
Fine-tune the appearance of the COLUMN CHART Widget, using the following
tools:
Column Type: Select how columns are represented in the Widget:
Classic: Columns are displayed side by side.
Stacked: Columns are stacked on top of each other and do not overlap.
The tooltips over the columns show the percentage distribution
among the Values.
Stacked 100: Columns are stacked on top of each other (but do not
overlap) and the combined column is stretched to represent 100%.
This option is most commonly used when the relative distribution of
the values is more important than their aggregation.
Selecting the Column Type

Classic Stacked Stacked 1000

Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend and its position.
Value Labels: Specify whether to show or hide labels showing values in the
Column Chart. You can also select the angle of the labels.

X-Axis: Enable or disable the following options:

Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the X-Axis title. To edit the title,
type in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Y-Axis: Enable or disable the following options:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Logarithmic: Displays using orders of magnitude.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the y-axis title. To edit the title,
type in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Values on Axis: To change the default minimum, maximum or interval
values on the axis, type in the new values, and click outside the text
boxes to apply the new values. To restore any of the values to their
default states, click on the reset button.
Auto Zoom: When a widget contains more data than can comfortably be
displayed in one view, Auto Zoom will resize the chart to include more data,
and in some cases adds a zoom bar under the widget. The zoom bar enables
you to scroll right and left and to zoom in/out of different parts of the width
of the widget.
Indicator
The Indicator widget provides various options for displaying one or two numeric
values as a number, gauge or ticker. It also provides the option to add additional
titles and a color-coded indicator icon representing the value, such as a green up
arrow or a red down arrow.
For a short video overview of indicators and gauges, see below:
Adding Data
Click Add + in the Value panel to select one field whose name and value will
be shown as the Main Title and Main Value, as shown below.
Click Add + in the Secondary panel to select one field whose name and value
will be shown as the Secondary Title and Secondary Value, as shown below.
Numeric Indicator

Gauge Indicator
For a gauge, select the minimum and maximum values that can be
represented by the gauge. These values can either be set as a fixed numeric
value that you specify or as another numeric field that you select using the
Data Browser (thus making the value dynamic).

In an Indicator widget, you can also define whether an icon appears in the
Widget and the icon’s color. For example, you can define a red arrow
pointing downwards for a negative value. You may refer to Defining
Conditional Coloring – Condition Tab for more information.
Designing the Indicator
Fine-tune the appearance of the Indicator widget, using the following tools:
Indicator Type: Select whether the Indicator appears in Numeric form or as
a Gauge.

Numeric Gauge
Note: If you significantly shorten the height of an Indicator widget in the
dashboard, it automatically turns into a Ticker type Widget. You may refer to
Ticker Widgets for more information.

Skin: Select the skin of the gauge.

Components: Select which labels to include in the widget.
Indicator Sub Type(for numeric indicator only): You can choose a another
skin option.
Line Chart
The line chart can be used for various business cases, including:
Comparing data over time, for example: to analyze sales revenue for the past
year.
Comparing changes over the same period of time for more than one group or
category. Example: Analyze expenditures of different business units for the
past year.
Adding Data
Add data to the X-axis.
Click Add + to select the field(s) that will be represented on the X-Axis.
Typically, the x-axis of a Line chart is used to represent time.
You must add at least one item to the x-axis, and at most, two items.
When you add two x-axis items, the chart’s x-axes are combined and a
separate plot (line) is displayed for each unique value of the second selected
x-axis.
Add data to the Y-axis.
In the Values area, click Add + and select the field whose value determines
the height of the lines in the chart. Typically, the Y-Axis of a line chart is
used to represent numeric data. You must add at least one field. If you add
more than one field, then each item is represented in the chart by its own
line and color.
Another version of the same chart includes the following differences:
The second value has been changed into a column chart.
The second value has been added to the right axis. This is a useful option
when the values are using a considerably different scale.
Both options are available by right-clicking on the value.

(Optional) Select a field by which to break up the data. Click Add +.

Each item that is a member of the field added to Break by is represented by
its own line in the chart, and is automatically added to the chart’s legend.
You can add only one Break by field.
The Break by option is only available when you have a single field in the Y-
Axis.
Designing the Line Chart
Fine-tune the appearance of the line chart, using the following tools:
Line Width: Select either Thin, Bold (default) or Thick.
Line Type: Select how the line appears in the widget: Straight (default) or
Smooth.
Legend: Toggle the legend on or off, and select its position in the chart.
Value Labels: Toggle labels on or off, and define how labels are displayed:
Horizontal, Vertical or Diagonal.
Markers: Select whether to show or hide markers over data points. Select
Full or Hollow, and Small or Large markers.
X-Axis:
Grid Lines: Show (default) or hide grid lines.
Labels: Show (default) or hide labels.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the x-axis title. To edit the title, type
in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Values on Axis: To change the default minimum, maximum or interval
values on the axis, type in the new values, and click outside the text
boxes to apply the new values. To restore any of the values to their
default states, click on the reset button. reset button
Y-Axis
Grid Lines: Show (default) or hide grid lines.
Logarithmic: Displays a logarithmic scale instead of a linear scale on
the axis.
Labels: Show (default) or hide labels.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the y-axis title. To edit the title,
type in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Values on Axis: To change the default minimum, maximum or interval
values on the axis, type in the new values, and click outside the text
boxes to apply the new values. To restore any of the values to their
default states, click on the reset button.
Pie Chart
The Pie chart is used to display proportional data, and/or percentages.
Adding Data
In the Categories panel, click Add + to select the data that will be displayed in
the Pie Chart. You can add only one field.
Typically, the categories of a Pie Chart contain descriptive data.
Note: All slices that are smaller or equal to 3% are grouped together into a
slice called Other. You can hover over this slice to display its breakdown.
In the Values area, select the field whose values determine the size of the pie
slice by clicking Add +. Values are typically used to represent numeric data.
Note: You can add only one field.
Designing the Pie Chart
Fine-tune the appearance of the Pie Chart widget, using the following tools:
PIE TYPE: Select how the pie appears.

Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend, and select its position.
To add a title to the legend, so that users understand clearly which
dimension is displayed in the chart, see here.
Labels: Select which labels to display on the pie chart, as indicated below:

Note: Sisense rounds up numbers in Pie charts and this may lead to the
percentages totaling to 101%.
Exploring Pie Charts
You can drill down into pie charts just like other widgets. In addition, when your
pie chart has so many smaller slices that they are aggregated into a single slice
called Others, you can click this slice to display a second pie chart containing a
breakdown of the Others slice.
For example, the pie chart below displays a breakdown of the top 5 slices in a pie
chart with many smaller slices included in the Others slice.

By clicking the Others slice, you can see a breakdown of all the slices included in
the Others slice.

By default, the Others slice of the Pie Chart is set to include all categories below
3%. You can manually change this to another value. The change will be applied to
all your Pie Charts. For details, click here.
Pivot
Pivot tables are one of the most useful widgets for visualizing data. They enable
you to quickly summarize and analyze large amounts of data.
Adding Data
Select the data to appear in the Pivot.
In the Rows panel, click Add + to select the field(s) whose values will be
placed in the rows of the Pivot table.

When more than one Row is selected, the Rows are broken into sub-rows
(groups). For example, the following shows Condition added as a second
Row:

In the Columns panel, click Add + to select the field(s) whose values will be
placed in the columns of the Pivot table.
You can drag and drop the fields that you added to Columns to the Rows
area and vice versa.
In the Values panel, select a field whose values will appear in the Rows and
Columns of the Pivot table.
Tip: Right-click the value to add data bars to your pivot table.
Subtotals

You can add subtotals to one or more rows, and define how to calculate subtotals.
To add subtotals to rows:
Click on the menu of the Row in the Data Panel, or right-click on the row
name (header) in the widget, and select Subtotals.

To define how to calculate the subtotals:

Click on the menu of the Value in the data panel, or right-click on the value
name (header) in the widget, and then click Subtotal by and the method.

The default option is Auto, which aggregates all the data. The other custom
options (Sum, Min, Max, etc.) calculate only the values in the rows above the
subtotal.
Look at the following example:
In the top example, using the Auto option, the subtotal for average revenue
aggregates all the sales and revenue data, thus representing a true subtotal of the
average revenue for the Asia region.
In the bottom example, Average is used to calculate the subtotal, and therefore
calculates the average of all the average revenue values in the rows above the
subtotal.
Grand Totals

Grand totals aggregate the rows in the pivot table.

To add grand totals:
Click on the menu of the row in the data panel, or right-click on the row name
(header) in the widget, and then click Grand total.
Grand totals is effected by subtotals if defined. In the following example, the
Grand total for Average Sales is 10, representing the average sales for two
regions (Asia and Europe). In the example below, Average Sales has a
subtotal (see above) set to Sum, and therefore the Grand total is the total of
the rows above.
Designing the Pivot Table
Fine-tune the appearance of the PIVOT table, using the following tools.
Page Size: Specify how many rows appear in each page. Paging options are
provided accordingly.
Colors: Select the properties in the table to which you want to add color.

Select how the rows and columns of the Pivot table are highlighted.
Exception Highlighting

Conditional formatting can be used for exception highlighting in a Pivot table. For
example, as shown below:

See Defining Conditional Coloring – Condition for more information.

Note: For more styling options, including font style and colors, see this article.

Limitations
Sisense supports the exporting of pivot tables of up to 1.5 million cells.
Attempting to export a higher number of cells might result in a timeout. The
following properties of a pivot table increase the probability of reaching a
timeout when dealing with very large tables:
Sub totals or Grand totals
Complex formulas in Values
Data Security rules
Widget-level filters
To successfully export pivot tables, you are advised to split pivot table with many
columns to separate pivot tables.
Polar Chart
Use the polar (radar) chart to compare multiple categories/variables with a
spacial perspective in a radial chart.
Adding Data
Click Add + to select the field whose values will be represented as columns in
the circle. Each Category gets its own data point.
Typically, the Categories of a Polar Charts are descriptive data.
In the Values area, click Add+ to select the field whose values determine the
distance of the column from the center of the polar circle. This is typically
used to represent numeric data.
When you select more than one value, they are stacked on top of each other.
Select a field by which to break (group) the data in this chart by clicking Add
+.
Each field added to Break by is represented by its own column and color in
the chart and is automatically added to the chart’s legend.
This is an optional field. You can add at most one Break by field. The
Break by option is available only when a single field was added to Values
(Y-AXIS).
Designing the Polar Chart
Fine-tune the appearance of the Polar Chart widget, using the following tools.
Polar Type: Select the type of chart.
Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the LEGEND, and select its position.
Value Labels: Specify whether to show or hide labels indicating the values.
Select the orientation of these labels: Horizontal (Default), Diagonal or
Vertical.
Categories:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Axis:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Logarithmic: Displays using orders of magnitude.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the axis title. To edit the title, type
in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value.
Values on Axis: To change the default minimum, maximum or interval
values on the axis, type in the new values, and click outside the text
boxes to apply the new values. To restore any of the values to their
default states, click on the reset button.
Scatter Chart
The Scatter Chart displays the distribution of two variables on an X-Axis, Y-Axis,
and two additional dimensions of data that are shown as colored circles
scattered across the chart:
Point: A field that for each of its members a scatter point is drawn.
Note: The maximum amount of data points is 100,000.
Size: An optional field represented by the size of the circles. If omitted, all
scatter points are equal in size. If used, the circle size is relative to their
value.
Adding Data
In the X-Axis panel, click Add + to select the field whose values will be placed
on the X-Axis.
Typically, the X-Axis of a Scatter Chart is used to represent numeric data.
Alternatively, Descriptive data is also supported. You can only add one field.
In the Y-Axis panel, click Add + to select the field whose values will be placed
on the Y-Axis.
Typically, the Y-Axis of a Scatter Chart is used to represent numeric data.
Alternatively, descriptive data is also supported. You can only add one field.
In the Point panel, click Add + to select the point field.
The point area determines the field to be scattered across the chart as
circles; one point (circle) appears on the chart for each member of this field.
These fields must be descriptive data (not numeric data).
You can only add a point if either the X-Axis or the Y-Axis was defined to
represent numeric data.
Break by/ Color: Select a field by which to break (group) the fields in the
chart. This must be a descriptive field. If you select descriptive data, then
the points in the chart are grouped into the members of the field. Each
member is represented by a different color.
OR
Select a field by which to color the fields in the chart. This must be a
numeric field. If you select numeric data, then the point color is a gradient
where the highest value is the darkest color and the lowest value is the
lightest color.
In the Size panel, select the field that determines the size of the circle. It must
be numeric data.
Designing the Scatter Chart
Fine tune the appearance of the SCATTER CHART widget, using the following
tools.
Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend, and select its position.
Marker Size: Change the size of the circles. If you are not using a Point value,
the slider will change the size of all the points on the map. If you are using
the Point value, drag each side of the slider to determine the relative
minimum and maximum circle sizes.
Value Labels: Specify whether to show or hide labels indicating the values of
each point (circle). Select the orientation of these labels: Horizontal
(Default), Diagonal or Vertical.
X-Axis and Y-Axis:
Grid Lines: Shows (Default) / hides.
Logarithmic: Displays using orders of magnitude.
Labels: Shows (Default) / hides.
Title: Select the checkbox to display the axis title. To edit the title, type
in a new title. Click outside the text box to apply the new value. To
change the default minimum, maximum or interval values on the axis,
type in the new values, and click outside the text boxes to apply the
new values.
Values on Axis: To restore any of the values to their default states, click
on the reset button.
Scatter Map
Scatter Maps allow you to visualize geographical data as data points on a map.
The map distinguishes data using different colors and sizes for the data points on
the map.

For a short video overview of scatter maps, see below:

Adding Data
In the Location panel, you can add any field(s) that contain geographic data, and
the map will find the most appropriate point. Supported Location types:
Country
City
State/Province
Latitude/Longitude (for example: 37.5601, -122.50131, but not 37.5601° N,
122.50131° W).
For example, if you have a country field, using it by itself will visualize the
countries on the map.
If instead you have a city field, using it will visualize the cities on the map
automatically.
Improving Geographic Accuracy

Use multiple geographic fields

To improve accuracy, it is recommended to use more than one geographic level.
For example, if you have both a country and a city field, add both of them to the
Location panel.
Define the location type
Clicking on the geographic field’s menu will present a location type sub-menu,
which contains the following options:
Auto
Country
State/Province
City

By default, Auto is always selected. This option always tries to figure out which
fits best. For better accuracy, you can specify the appropriate location type.
Using Latitude and Longitude data

To visualize latitude and longitude data, you have to add one field containing
latitude data, and another field containing longitude data, in this order.
Color
Select a numeric field here to color the scatter points on the map according to
their value and color rule.
The value of the field is displayed in the tooltip of the scatter point on the map.
Hover over the point to see it.
Size
Select a numeric field here to make the size of the scatter points on the map
relative to their value in the field’s value range.
Details
You can select additional data (numeric or descriptive) that will appear when
hovering over the data point in the map.
Designing the Scatter Map
Fine-tune the appearance of the Scatter Map Widget, using the following tools.
Marker Style: Choose between various marker styles.

Marker Size: Select the relative size for the markers.

When the Size has a field in it, the slider has two levers controlling the
minimum and maximum size of the points.
Sunburst Widget
The Sunburst widget is similar to a pie chart but is multi-dimensional. Whereas a
pie chart combines one field and one numeric value, the Sunburst widget can
display multiple rings, one for each field. Each ring in the Sunburst shows a
breakdown of its parent ring slice.

For a short video overview of sunburst charts, see below:

Adding Data
In the Categories panel, select the fields whose values will be represented as
slices of the ring.
Typically, the Categories of a Sunburst widget contain descriptive data.
Multiple fields can be added, so that each field is represented as a ring
whose values are broken up by its parent ring slice.
You can reorder the fields using drag and drop.
In the Values panel, click Add + to select the field whose values determine
the size of the ring. Values are typically used to represent numeric data.
You can only add one field.
Designing the Sunburst Widget
Fine-tune the appearance of the Sunburst widget using the following tools.
Center: Select which info is presented in the center of the Sunburst widget
when hovering over a ring slice:
Value – Show the actual numeric value associated with the selected slice.
Contribution – Show the contribution (percentage) of the selected slice
to the entire field.
Contribution to parent – Show the contribution (percentage) of the
selected slice to its parent ring slice.
Tooltip: Determine whether to show the actual value or contribution in the
slice tooltip when hovering over it.
Legend: Specify whether to show or hide the Legend, and select its position
in the widget.
Table
The Table widget displays a broader view of your data, presenting raw and non-
aggregated data in columns, with as much fields and metrics as needed.
For a short video overview of the table widget, see below:
Adding Data
Click Add + to select the field(s) that you want to add to the table.
To rearrange the order of the columns, click and drag a column up or down.
Designing the Table Panel
Fine-tune the appearance of the Table widget, using the following tools:
Borders: Select the borders to display in the table.

Column Width: You can resize the column widths as follows:

Fit to Window Size: Columns are resized automatically to fit the
contents in the window.
Fit to Content: You can manually resize the column widths by dragging
the column separator.

Colors: Select whether to color (highlight) alternating columns and rows, and
the table header.
Word Wrap: Select whether to wrap texts in headers and rows.

Infinite Scroll: Toggle the Infinite Scroll option On or Off:

On: Include all items in a single page with scrolling. Additional data
loads as you scroll down in the page.
Off: Specify how many rows you want in a single page. Above the
specified number, you will have paging options.
Infinite Scroll in the Off position.
Adding Text Widgets
You can add Text widgets to create titles and texts that stand out, or when you
want to add more descriptive explanations to your dashboard and surrounding
visualizations.
In the Text widget’s settings, you can find plenty of options for creating different
text styles. Some examples of what you can do include changing the font color,
selecting a background color, adding hyperlinks, and defining the text alignment.

To add a Text widget:

Click on the Text Widget icon in the top menu.

A new Text widget appears in your dashboard.

Type in your text. As you begin to type, a tool bar with text and formatting
options is displayed.

Click outside of the widget area to save the text and formatting.
Examples

To select a font style:

Click anywhere in the relevant paragraph.
From the Styles list, select one of the five predefined styles.

To add a hyperlink:
Select the word or text fragment to which you want to add a link.
Click the hyperlink icon and enter the URL.
You can also select which text to display instead of the selected (linked) text,
and whether to open the link in the same window, or in a new window.
To change the background color:
Click on the paint bucket icon to open the color palette.
Select a color from the palette, or enter a custom color (Hexadecimal format).
Treemap
The Treemap is a multi-dimensional widget that displays hierarchical data in the
form of nested rectangles. This type of chart can be used in different scenarios,
for example, instead of a column chart if you have to compare too many
categories and sub-categories.

For a short video on treemaps, see below.

Adding Data
In the Categories panel, click Add+ to select the fields whose values will be
represented as rectangles in the chart.
Typically, the Categories of a Treemap widget contain descriptive data.
You can add up to three fields, so that a rectangle hierarchy is created.
You can reorder the fields using drag and drop.
In the Size panel, select the field whose values determine the size of the
rectangles by clicking Add +. Values are typically used to represent numeric
data.
You can add only one field.
In the Color panel, click Add + to select the field to use as the color basis for
your rectangles.
The following coloring scenarios are supported:
Color by a numeric value: If you choose a numeric value, then each rectangle
will be colored according to its value in the field’s range of values. You can
manipulate the coloring rules in the color formatting menu.
Color by field members: If you choose a field, then all rectangles that are
members of that field will be colored the same. For example, if you choose
to color by the field that is also used as the first category, then the entire
Treemap will be split into groups of colors, like in the image at the top of
this page. If you choose to color by the field that is used as the second
category, then all rectangles that share the same value will also share the
same color, as in the image below:
Note: You can only color by a field that is also used in the Categories panel. If you
choose a field that is not there, it will be automatically added.
Designing the Treemap
Fine-tune the appearance of the Treemap widget, using the following tools.
Captions: Control which info is presented in the treemap. A checkbox will be
visible for each field that is used in the Categories panel. Turning a field
on/off will determine if the field member name will be visible inside the
treemap. Note that this info will always be available in the tooltip when
hovering over a rectangle, regardless of the on/off setting.
Tooltip: Select whether to show the actual value or contribution in the
rectangle tooltip when hovering over it.
Widget Designer
The Widget Designer lets you fine-tune a widget’s appearance and behavior.
For a short video overview of this process, see below:
Opening the Widget Designer
To display the Widget Designer:
On the dashboard, click the Pencil (Edit) button that appears in the top-
right corner of a Widget.

Alternatively, while creating a new widget, in the Widget Wizard, click the
Advanced Configuration option that appears at the bottom-left of each
window. The Widget Designer is then displayed showing the widget in the
same state as in the Widget Wizard preview.
Navigating the Widget Designer
The Widget Designer enables you to select the data to be included in a widget in
addition to providing a variety of options for customizing the visualization used
to show the data.

Selecting the Widget Visualization: Enables you to change the

visualization of the widget.
Adding Data to the Widget (Data Panel): Used for selecting the values
that you want to appear in the widget and those needed for grouping the
data. The options differ depending on the visualization (chart type).
Previewing the Widget: The center of the window displays the current
design and content of the widget, which automatically changes each time
you select a different option in this window.
Adding a title to the dashboard: Click Set a Title and type in a new title for
the widget. You can also add a widget title directly from the dashboard
without entering the Widget Designer. Click here to learn more.
Accessing More Options: Displays a menu of additional options for the
widget.
Filtering the Widget (Filter Panel): Lets you manage the filters that affect
this widget. Learn more in the filtering page.
Designing the Widget (Design Panel): Provides a variety of options for
fine-tuning the appearance of the Widget, including labels, legends, line
types and more. Some of these options need to be turned on for you to
configure them. The options differ depending on the visualization (chart
type).
Update on every change: Selected – Data changes are automatically and
dynamically updated in the display. Not selected – you have to click
UPDATE to display your latest changes in the widget. Clearing this
checkbox may be useful when you are working with very large datasets
where query times might be slower.
Fine-tuning a Widget
To learn more about adding data and fine-tuning the design of a specific
widget, click on a widget from the list below.
Indicator
Column Chart
Line Chart
Area Chart
Area Map
Bar Chart
Pie Chart
Polar Chart
Scatter Chart
Scatter Map
Pivot
Sunburst
Treemap
Calendar Heatmap
Table
Box & Whisker Plot
See also Additional Widget Design Options and Extending Dashboard
Functionality with JavaScript.
Selecting Colors in Widgets
Different field values are represented by different colors. The Widget Designer
automatically assigns these colors and displays them in the widget legend that is
displayed in the Widget Designer and in the dashboard.
The Widget Designer provides the following options for manipulating these
colors:
Single Color: For selecting a specific color for all values
Range: For selecting a range of colors
Conditional: For defining colors based on conditional data.
Selecting a Specific Color – Single Color Tab
The following procedure describes how to assign a specific color to a data value
that does not change. This color only applies to the widget in which it is defined.
To select a specific color:
Click on a color in the Widget Designer Data Panel to display a color picker
window.
Select the Single Color tab.
Select a color and click OK.

Note: To select a custom color that does not exist in the palette, enter a
hexadecimal value into the # Custom field.
Selecting a Range of Colors – Range Tab
The Range tab is available for the following widgets:
Column Chart and Bar Chart
Scatter Map and Area Map
The following procedure describes how to assign a range of colors to a field
according to its value.
To select a color range:
Click on a color in the Widget Designer Data panel to display a color picker
window.
Select the Range tab.
By default, the range configuration is set to ‘Auto’, which automatically
assigns a color range.
Select Manual to manually configure the color range, as follows:
Change Left/Right Colors: Click the color rectangles at the right and left to
change the start and end color of the range.
Customize Range: By default, the color range is set to match the minimum
and maximum values of the data. Instead, you can manually set a minimum
value. All values that are below this value will be assigned to the color on
the left. Accordingly, selecting a Max value means that all values larger than
it will be assigned the color on the right. By default, the ‘Middle’ color is
grey. All values larger than this will start gradually getting the right color.
All values smaller than this will start gradually getting the left color.
Changing the ‘Middle’ value controls which value the color gray is assigned
to.
Coloring Method: Selecting Min/Max will display the full color range.
Selecting Min will display all the colors between the minimum and middle
values, and higher than the middle value will be gray. Selecting Max will
display all values between the middle value and the maximum value, while
all other values will be displayed in gray.
Transition: Select Steps to define a distinct number of colors in the range.
Select Gradient for a linear color range.
Defining Conditional Coloring – Conditional
Tab
Define colors based on the value of the field as defined by a logical expression.
In addition, for Indicator widgets, you can also define whether an icon appears in
the widget and select the icon’s color. For example, you can define a red arrow
pointing downwards for a negative value.
For a short video overview of conditional coloring, see below:

To set conditional coloring:

Click on a color in the Widget Designer Data panel to display a color picker
window.
Select the Conditional tab. Each row in this window represents a condition
to which you can apply a value. If the condition is true, then that value is
shown in the color that you select in this row. For example, one row can
state that a negative value is displayed in red and another row can state that
a positive value is green.
In each row, define an expression to be applied to the value of this field by
selecting an operator and specifying a value, as shown below.
Select a color for the field.
If required, add and define additional condition rows by clicking + Add
condition.
In the dashboard, these conditions are evaluated in the order in which they
appear in this window – from top to bottom. The first condition that is true,
determines the color. Reorder the condition rows as necessary by dragging
them up or down.
Click OK.
Renaming Fields in Widgets
The names of fields in widgets are taken from the raw data. To make these names
more comprehensible, you can rename the fields in your widget.
To rename a field in a widget:
In the Widget Designer, right-click on a field, for example, in the X-AXIS, Y-
AXIS, VALUES, CATEGORIES areas and so on.
In the menu, select Rename.

Note: Renaming a field only affects how it is displayed in the current widget. This
field’s name is not affected in the Data Browser or in other widgets in the
dashboard.
Formatting Numbers in
Widgets
You can change the way numbers are displayed and formatted in widgets. For
example, you can display a number as a percentage, and you can define the
number of decimal places.
To format numbers in a widget:
In the Widget Designer, for example, in the X-Axis, Y-Axis, Values, Categories
areas and so on, hover over, and click 123.
Select how the number, currency or percentage appears. The preview area at
the bottom of this window shows a preview of how each option will appear
in the widget.
Locale Settings

The formats for dates, times and numbers in your dashboards are based on your
computer’s operating system or browser’s locale settings (depending on which
browser you use).
The following locales are supported:
Unites States
United Kingdom
Israel
Canada
South Africa
Australia
Netherlands
Germany
Ireland
Mexico
France
China
Brazil
Notes: You can override the default locale settings for all users, by updating a
parameter via the Rest API.To use a locale file that is not included in the above
list of countries, you can manually add a locale file in the following location:
C:\Program
Files\Sisense\app\client\resources\base\localization.
Click here to access Locale files and view their codes.
Currency Settings

The default currency symbol used in the dashboard is the US dollar ($), however
you can change the symbol by either selecting another symbol from the drop-
down list, or by typing in a different symbol. The list of currency symbols will
include common currency symbols, the currency defined in your browser’s locale
settings, and the symbol that you added (if you did so).
After you select a different symbol, additional viewers will see the same symbol
that you applied.
Changing a Widget’s
Visualization
You can change the visualization of a widget (for example, from a Line Chart to a
Pie Chart). When you change the type, all relevant values and definitions are
transferred to the new visualization.
To change a widget’s visualization:
Open the Widget Designer, as described in Opening the Widget Designer.
Click the Visualization selector, shown below, to display a menu of
visualization options.

Select a different visualization, and click Apply.

Combining Two Types of
Visualizations in a Widget
In chart widgets (such as Line Charts, Area Charts, Column Charts and Bar
Charts), you can represent one or more selected field(s) using a different
visualization than the visualization of the original widget.
For example, the following example shows a Line Chart in which the Total
Revenue is still represented as a Line Chart (the default), but the Total
Quantity is represented as a Column Chart.

To select a different visualization for a field in the widget:

In the Widget Designer, in the Values area, right-click the field that you want
to change.
Select Series Type from the menu. A menu of alternative visualization types
is displayed.
Select the visualization to use for this field only.
Tip: If necessary, drag the field up or down in the Widget Designer to have a
visualization brought to back or front.
Note: The chart keeps the same visualization type as was originally created. The
Design panel still displays only the design options of the widget’s original
visualization type.
Creating a Continuous Chart
with Missing Date Values
If your data is missing date values, you can add the missing dates to your chart to
create a continuous data flow. In addition, you can select whether to display
missing dates as gaps in your chart, or include null values as zeros, to avoid gaps,
and maintain a continuous data flow.
For example, if your chart begins June 8th and ends June 20th, but there is no
value on June 13th, you can choose to include the missing date on the x-axis. You
can also choose whether to continue the graph (create zero values) or cut the
graph where there are missing values.
The default chart is missing June 13th.

After selecting the Continuous option, the chart includes the missing date(s).
In addition, you can select to continue the line, by treating null (missing) values
as zero values.

To create a continuous chart:

In the X-Axis panel, click on the menu, and select Continuous.

To treat null values as zero values, click on the menu of the Values panel, and
select Treat Null as Zero.
Adding Drill Hierarchies to
Widgets
Dashboard Viewers have the option to drill down in a widget, and get an in-depth
view of a selected value.
While Viewers can select a drill-down path from the complete list of fields, it’s
easier to select a commonly needed drill hierarchy from a short list. This is
especially true when there is a lot of data, and the Viewer needs to remember
specific fields, and select them each time.
As an Administrator, you can add predefined drill hierarchies to widgets.
To enable drill hierarchies in a widget:
In the Widget Designer, click on the Categories menu, and select Hierarchies…
Select the checkboxes next to the drill hierarchies that you want to make
available to dashboard viewers.
Note: Hierarchies with a lock icon will always appear in the widget. To
unlock this option, please contact your Sisense Administrator.
Disabling the Drill to Anywhere Option
As an Administrator, you can restrict viewers to predefined hierarchies only, by
disabling the option to drill down freely to any field.
The drill-to-anywhere option is enabled by default for all users and widgets. You
can disable the drill-to-anywhere option in the Sisense web app per widget (see
below), or by user role in the REST API.
To disable the drill-to-anywhere option:
In the widget menu, deselect the Enable Drill to Anywhere option.

As a result, the Choose Another… option is removed from the widget’s Drill
options.
The left image below displays the widget with the option to drill to
anywhere. The image on the right displays the widget with only predefined
drill hierarchies.
Managing Widgets
This topic describes how you can edit, copy, and delete your dashboard's
widgets.
Editing a Widget
When you first create a new dashboard (as described in Creating a New
Dashboard ) or a new widget (as described in Adding Widgets to a Dashboard),
the Widget Wizard automatically guides you through Sisense Web’s best
recommendations for visualizing the data that you select.
Then, after a widget is created, you can fine-tune/edit it in the Widget Designer.
The Widget Designer provides a variety of options for changing the widget’s
appearance and behavior.
See Fine-tuning a Widget for more information.
Copying a Widget
You can create a copy of a widget within the same dashboard or another
dashboard in your list. This is useful for saving the original widget in the
dashboard before making changes. The new widget is separate from the original
so no changes to the new widget affect the original widget.
To copy a Widget within the same dashboard:
In Dashboard view, click the widget menu button in the top-right corner of
the widget to be copied and select Duplicate.

If you are editing the widget, click the widget menu button in the top-right
corner of the widget to be copied and select Save A Copy.
To copy a Widget to another dashboard:
Select the Header of the widget to be copied and drag it to the dashboard you
want to copy it to.
Note: When you copy a widget to another dashboard whose data source is
another ElastiCube, the Dashboard filters of the new dashboard will not affect the
widget.
Deleting a Widget
To delete a Widget:
Click the widget menu in the top-right corner of the Widget and select
Delete. Confirm the deletion.
Field Suggestions
To quickly and easily create meaningful visualizations in your dashboard, Sisense
displays field suggestions to Dashboard Designers when creating new widgets.

After creating your first dashboard, Sisense begins to display field suggestions
the next time you create a widget.
When determining what fields to suggest, Sisense looks at fields being used in
other widgets on the same server, which fields are typically working together in
other widgets, and what fields you have already selected.
Fields that are already being used in the widget are not suggested.
Sisense has exposed the POST /suggestions API endpoint in the Sisense 1.0 REST
API that enables you to retrieve a list of suggestions based on Sisense’s algorithm
for calculating field suggestions. This is useful for displaying suggested fields in
your own application. For more information, see the Sisensee REST API
documentation.
Introduction to Filters
The Filters panel on the right of the dashboard provides data filtering options
that affect the data displayed in the widgets. You can change these filters to focus
on more specific data.

Your Sisense user role determines how you can interact with filters. As a
Designer you can create filters that are distributed to Viewers who interact with
your dashboards. See Interacting with Filters as a Designer.
Viewers can interact with filters and save their changes locally. See Interacting
with Filters as a Viewer for more information.
Interacting with Filters as a
Viewer
Viewers can interact with filters for analyzing data. Through the Filters pane, you
can modify filters in a dashboard and change the way values are sorted in a
visualization. This is useful for focusing on data displayed in dashboards that
have been shared by the dashboard’s owner.
As a Viewer, you can select and deselect filter visuals on a dashboard. Each time
you interact with a filter, for example by selecting or entering a value, the filter is
immediately applied to your dashboard. After you have configured the relevant
filters, you can save it as your default filters view.
Viewers can interact with filters as follows:
Make a different selection in the filter controls displayed in the Filter pane on
the right side of the dashboard, as shown below:
OR
Click on the pencil icon next to the filter name (shown above) in the
dashboard to display the Filter Definition window.

In addition, Viewers can perform the following procedures:

Switching Filters On and Off
Saving your Default Filters View
To create a filter you must be a Designer.
Click here to learn more about filters.
Interacting with Filters as a
Designer
If you are a Dashboard Designer, you can define both dashboard filters and
widget filters, as follows:
Dashboard Filters: This type of filter affects all the widgets in the
dashboard (except the widgets that you configured as independent).
Designers can create dashboard filters and Viewers can view and interact
with them.
Widget Filters: This type of filter affects only the specific widget it was
applied to. A Designer can define which subset of data values is displayed in
a widget. Viewers do not see these filters and cannot change them.
Note: Dashboard editing rights are assigned by Dashboard Designers and
Designers.
The following topics include procedures for:
Creating Dashboard Filters
Editing and Deleting a Dashboard Filter
Creating Widget Filters
Creating Dependent Filters
Configuring how Filters Affect the Dashboard and Widgets
Limiting Filters to Specific Values with Background Filters
Locking Filters
Restoring Filters
Switching Filters On and Off
Saving your Default Filters View
Creating Dashboard Filters
This topic explains how to create dashboard filters using the different filtering
options.
In this section you will learn how to:
Create a Dashboard Filter
Create a List Filter
Create a Text Filter
Create a Numeric Value Filter
Create a Top/Bottom Ranking Filter
Create a Time Filter
Wildcards
Creating a Dashboard Filter
To create a dashboard filter:
Click Filter Your Dashboard in the dashboard’s right panel (if it’s your first
filter), or + if you are adding another filter. The Add Filter dialog box is
displayed.

(Optional) If you have multiple data sources, select the data source that
contains the fields you want to filter. Filters applied to fields from one data
source do not affect fields from another data source even on the same
dashboard.
Select the field by which to filter.
Select the type of filter from the pane on the left, such as List, Criteria,
Calendar or Ranking. The options provided in this window may vary
according to the selected field type (Date, Numeric or Descriptive).
Select the required filtering details in the panel on the right to create one of
the following types of filters:
Creating an Include/Exclude Filter
Creating a Text/Numeric/Date Filter
Creating a Top/Bottom Ranking Filter
Creating a Calendar Filter
These are explained in depth below.
Click the Star Favorite button to save this filter. You can give your starred
filter a unique name by clicking in the text field and editing the given name.
This will be useful when you need to quickly add a new filter (with same
field type) or update a filter to reflect the unique parameters that you
defined in your starred filter.
Note: Your favorite filters are visible to shared users.
Click OK to filter the data in the Dashboard and add this filter to the Filters
panel on the right of the Dashboard.
After a filter has been added to the Dashboard, it stays displayed on the
Dashboard’s Filters panel. Any changes that you make to the filter are
immediately reflected in the Dashboard.
Tip: You can rearrange the filters in the Filters panel by dragging a filter
above or below another filter.
For a short video overview of dashboard filters, see below.
Creating an Include/Exclude Filter (List
Filter)
This type of filter enables you to define whether selected field values are
included or excluded.
To define a List filter:
Follow Steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters.
Select the List option in the left panel.

Select/clear the field values to be included/excluded in the Dashboard.

Click OK to filter the data in the Dashboard and add a List filter to the Filter
panel of the Dashboard.
Selecting Single Selection or Multi Selection
By default, list filters are set to multi-selection. To toggle between single and
multi-selection, click the button on the upper right of the list filter:
Multi Selection:
Single Selection:
Creating a Text Filter
This type of filter enables you to filter according to text matching.
To define a Text filter:
Select the Text tab.
Follow steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters. Select a Textual field.
Select the operator, for example Starts with or Containing.
Type in the value by which to filter.
If you require additional conditions, click + Add condition. Select AND or
OR to define how filter operators are combined.
Creating a Numeric Value Filter
This type of filter enables you to limit your dashboards to specific value ranges.
For example:
Keep only sales above 100$.
Keep only product IDs between 1000020 and 1000030.
To define a Numeric filter:
Select the Values tab.
Follow steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters.
Select the operator, for example Equals or Greater than.
Type in the value by which to filter.
If you require additional conditions, click + Add condition. Select AND or
OR to define how filter operators are combined.
Creating a Top/Bottom Ranking Filter
This type of filter enables you to select whether to include only the top/bottom
ranking fields.
To define a Ranking filter:
Follow steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters.
Select the Ranking filter tab.
Select Top or Bottom and the number of items to include.
In the By field, select a field by which to rank the fields. A list of the fields that
match these definitions is displayed so that you can verify that the results
are as you expect.
Click OK to filter the data in the Dashboard and add a Ranking filter to the
Filter panel of the Dashboard.
Creating a Time Filter
There are two types of time filtering options, Calendar and Dynamic Time filters.
Note: Unlike other filters that you define, viewers will be able to change the type
of date filter, for example, from Time Frame to Calendar, etc., providing more
flexibility for viewing date ranges.
Calendar Filter

This filter enables you to select custom date ranges from a calendar.
To define a Calendar filter:
Follow steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters. Select a date field.
Select the Calendar filter tab.
Use the quick navigation menu to jump to a point in time.
Select a date range using any of the following methods:
Use the calendar to select a date range to filter by. Use the left calendar to
select the starting date of the range, and the right calendar to select the end
date.
Type in the dates.
Use a shortcut such as Earliest Date or Today.
Note: Earliest Date and Latest Date refer to the earliest and latest dates
with data.

Click OK to filter the data in the Dashboard and add a date filter to the Filter
panel of the Dashboard.
Dynamic Time Filter

This filter enables you filter dashboards to preset dynamic time frames, such as
‘Last Year’, ‘Last 2 Years’, ‘2 Year ago’, etc.
To define a dynamic time filter:
Follow steps 1 – 3 of Creating Dashboard Filters. (Select a date field)
Select the Time Frame filter tab.
Use the desired option.
Click OK to filter the data in the Dashboard and add a date filter to the Filter
panel of the Dashboard.
Advanced Filtering Criteria

If you require advanced filtering options that are not included in the provided
settings (for dashboard or widget), you can add or edit filters in the Advanced
section.
To add or edit filtering criteria:
Click Advanced in the left panel.
Add or edit filtering criteria. Click Test to see the results of your new/edited
filter.
Click OK to add the filter.
Example 1 – Adding an OR statement
The example below shows an OR statement being used to display multiple
names. After clicking Test, the matches are displayed to the right of the script.

Examples using JAQL Queries

Example 2 – Filtering by Measures
This option lets you filter dimensions by measures, returning only the filtered
members and associated values.
In this example, all products with a total price equal or greater than 1 million will
be returned.
The query:

Results include the relevant product names and price, for example:
Product A, 1000000
Product B, 1551246
Example 3 – Filtering by Dimension Attributes
This option lets you filter dimensions by filtered attributes of other dimensions,
returning only the filtered values.
In this example, all customers that purchased Product A and Product B will be
returned.
Note that you can add as many nested filters as needed.
Updating on Every Change
When this option is on, any changes you make to the dashboard filters are
updated immediately, and the dashboard is refreshed to reflect the changes.
If you are working with large or complex data sets that result in longer refresh
times, then switch off this option. Make all your changes, and click the Update
button when you are ready to update your dashboard.
Note: This option is available for Designers only. Sisense viewers can make
changes that will update automatically on very change.
Wildcards
To filter lists or text quickly, you can use wildcards such as ‘_’ or ‘%’, which will
be interpreted as literal characters or an empty string.
Sisense supports the following wildcards:
Single Characters
You can enter an underscore ‘_ ‘ as a placeholder for a single unknown character.

Multiple Characters
You can use a percent % symbol to search for an undefined length of string.
Escape Characters
If you are searching for a string with an underscore or percent symbol, add a
backslash (\) in front of the special character. Backslashes are treated as an
escape character by Sisense.
For example, to locate results for the string “_te”, use a backslash before the
string:
Editing and Deleting a
Dashboard Filter
This topic explains how to edit a dashboard or delete a dashboard filter.
Editing a Dashboard Filter
To edit a dashboard filter:
Make a different selection in the filter controls displayed in the Filter panel on
the right side of the dashboard, as shown below:

OR
Click on the pencil icon next to the filter name (shown above) in the
dashboard to display the Filter Definition window, as described in Creating
Dashboard Filters.
Deleting a Dashboard Filter
To delete a filter:
Click the bin icon. To temporarily disable a widget’s filter, you can toggle
the filter on or off using the toggle switch. Delete the widget only if you do
not need it any longer.
Creating Widget Filters
This topic describes how you can use the Widget Designer to create widget filters
and add widget filters to an existing field.
In the Widget Designer, you can define a filter for the data in a widget. or
example, you can create a filter that only shows the fields of relevant countries.
The filters are not visible in the dashboard, nor can they be edited directly from
the dashboard.
Note about duplicate filtering: When creating a widget filter for a field that is
already filtered in a dashboard filter, the widget filter will override the
dashboard filter. Example: You have a dashboard filter, filtering the months field,
with the values January and February selected. At the same time you create a
filter for a widget, also for months, but this time March and April are selected.
When both filters are applied in the dashboard, you will see data for March and
April in the widget, according to the widget’s filter. If your widget is filtered using
measured values, then the measured value will override any other widget or
dashboard filters you have for the same fields.
Creating a Widget Filter
To add a widget filter:
Open (edit) this Widget in the Widget Designer, as described in Adding
Widgets to a Dashboard.
Click the Filters tab in the Widget Designer.
The Filters panel is displayed showing the filters defined for this Widget. Click
on the Add Filter button to display the Data Browser, which lists the fields
in the ElastiCube.

Click on a field in the Data Browser to add it as a filter. You can define
multiple filters, each for a different field. These filters have an AND
relationship between them. Each filter that you define appears on the
Widget Filters panel on the right, enabling you to easily edit it if needed.
The procedure for defining a Widget filter is similar to the procedure for
defining a Dashboard filter, as described in Creating Dashboard Filters. The
difference is that the widget filter only affects its hosting widget, and is
accessible only via the widget designer, not directly from the dashboard.
Adding a Widget Filter to an Existing Field
Adding a new widget filter, as described above, lets you use any field as a widget
filter. Sometimes you want to directly filter a field that is already part of the
widget and visible in the data panel on the left.
To add a Widget Filter to an existing field:
Hover over the field you want to filter, and click the FILTER icon.
Creating Dependent Filters
This topic describes dependent filters.
Dependent Filters combine multiple dashboard filters into a hierarchy of
dependent filters that affect each other from parent, to child, to grandchild and
so on. When you filter the parent filter, fewer options will be available in the
child filter.
Example Use Case
The following example shows how using a dependent filter helps you easily focus
information in a dashboard.
This example describes an online travel agency with 250,000 hotels in its
database. An agent wants to find a specific hotel, but does not remember its
name. To narrow the results, the agent can define a dependent filter. This
dependent filter is comprised of four sub-dependent filters defined with the
following hierarchy:

Destination: Displays a list of States and Countries. In this example, the

agent will select the Destination Florida.
City: Because Florida was selected, only Destinations in Florida are displayed
in the child filter, such as: Miami, Orlando and Tampa. In this example, the
agent will select the City Orlando.
Resort: Because Orlando was selected, only resorts in Orlando are displayed
in the grandchild filter, such as Floridays, Buena Vista, Walt Disney World.
In this example, the agent will select the Walt Disney World resort.
Hotel: Because Walt Disney World was selected, only the Hotels in Walt
Disney World are displayed in the great-grandchild filter.
Note: By default, filters are not dependent. Dependent Filters can be defined only
from selection type filters.
To define a Dashboard Dependent Filter:
The top level (most inclusive) filter of the Dependent Filter must first be
defined in the usual manner (see Creating Dashboard Filters). This newly
added filter then appears on the dashboard.

On the parent filter, click + or click → Add a dependent filter.

Define the child filter in the usual manner (see Creating Dashboard Filters).
The number of available options for selection in the child filter are less
because of the selections in the parent filter. The child filter appears on the
dashboard with a down arrow indicating the dependent filter and its parent
above.

Repeat this step for each new child filter to create as many sub-levels of
Dependent Filters as you need.
Configuring How Filters
Affect the Dashboard and
Widgets
This topic explains how dashboard filters work together with widget filters, and
how you can configure different filtering behaviors and their effects on the
dashboard.
The following procedures are explained below:
Configuring how Dashboard Filters Affect a Widget
Defining how a Widget Behaves when Filtered
Defining how a Selection on the Widget Affects the Dashboard
Configuring how Dashboard Filters Affect a
Widget
Dashboard filters affect all the widgets in the dashboard, except widgets that you
have defined to be independent. An independent widget is not affected by
dashboard filters.
Note: Dashboard filters are case-sensitive. For example, if you have two columns
with the same name, but one is uppercase and the other is lowercase, a
dashboard filter applied to one will not be applied to the other.
To make a widget filter-independent:
Open (edit) this Widget in the Widget Designer, as described in Adding
Widgets to a Dashboard. The top part of the Widget Filters panel on the
right of the Widget Designer lists the Dashboard Filters that are defined for
this Dashboard.

Turn off the Dashboard filters that you do not want to affect this Widget:
The toggle on icon (default) indicates that the Widget is affected by this
Dashboard filter.
The toggle off icon indicates that the widget is not affected by this
Dashboard filter. You also have the option to make this Widget independent
of all current and future Dashboard Widgets by turning the Dashboard
Filters option off, as shown below:
Defining how a Widget Behaves when
Filtered
When fields that are visible in a widget are filtered, it can be displayed in two
ways – Slice/Filter or Highlight. For example, this column chart shows revenue
for different age categories:

If the chart is set to Highlight mode, filtering a subset of age categories will
highlight them in the chart:
If the chart is set to Slice/Filter mode, the same filter will remove all non-
selected age categories from the chart:

To define the filter behavior mode:

Select Slice/Filter or Highlight in the Filters panel on the right side of the
dashboard.
Defining how a Selection on the Widget
Affects the Dashboard
When making a selection on a widget, a filter is added to the dashboard with the
selected part of the chart as the applied filter.
To disable this option for a widget, open the widget in editing mode, and from
the menu options, disable Widget Affects Dashboard Filters.
Limiting Filters to Specific
Values with Background
Filters
This topic describes how you can leverage background filters to limit what data
is exposed to your Viewers or to reduce the amount of filtering a Viewer needs to
do.
As a Designer, you can define which of the fields in a filter will be visible to
Viewers. After defining which fields will be included in the filter, viewers will be
able to use the updated and restricted filter to further filter the dashboard or
widget using the available fields.
This can be useful in cases where Viewers only require selected data, and then
they do not have to search through a long list of fields, or for security purposes in
cases where you do not want to expose all the data.
Note: You must have access to edit a dashboard to view this option.
Example 1 – Simple List Filter
A filter includes a list of 10 countries. As a designer, you can limit the filter to
include only five specified countries. Viewers will see the filter as having only five
countries to include or exclude in the filter.
Example 2 – Conditional Filter
Another example requires having only the top 5 countries by population
included in the available list of countries. In this case, Viewers will only see five
countries, however, the list of countries will depend on the population sizes and
any changes that may affect which countries are in the top 5 at the given time.
To create a background filter:
Create a background filter using one of the following methods:
In a filter without selected values, open the filter’s menu and click
Create background filter. Define your filter settings, and click OK.
OR
If you made changes to your filter (either by editing the filter or by
selecting values directly in the filter), you can open the filter’s menu,
and click Set as background filter.
The background filter is indicated by a filter icon.

Note: The icon is not visible to viewers.

To edit a background filter:
In the filter’s menu, click Edit background filter.
Update the filter settings, and click OK.
To remove a background filter:
In the filter’s menu, click Remove background filter.
Locking Filters
As a Designer, you can lock a filter, preventing Viewers from making any changes.
The Viewer will be able to see the defined filter settings, but the filter will be
disabled for editing.
Note: You must have access to edit a dashboard to view this option.
To lock a filter:
Click the Filter menu.
Click Lock.
A lock icon appears to indicate that the filter is locked.
To unlock the filter, click on the menu, and select Unlock.
Restoring Filters
As a Designer, if you changed the dashboard’s filters, you can revert to the latest
copy shared by the dashboard’s owner at any time. When you restore a
dashboard, local changes to a dashboard by Viewers are overridden and the
default dashboard is restored for all users.
Under the Dashboards list, click on the menu of the dashboard and select
Restore Dashboard.
Switching Filters On and Off
You can easily toggle filters on and off using the toggle switch. Use this option to
compare states (with and without the filter), or to temporarily disable a filter,
rather than deleting it.
Saving Your Default Filters
View
You can save the current state of your filters and their settings at any time. The
current state includes the existing filters, their configuration, and the order in
which they appear in the filters panel.
After making changes to any of the above settings, you will be able to restore
your filters to their previously saved state.
To save your current set of filters:
In the Filters menu, click Set as My Default Filters.

To restore a saved filters set:

Click the restore icon next to the Filters menu.
Introduction to Formulas
This topic provides an overview to working with formulas in Sisense along with
important tips and examples.
Formulas are custom calculations performed on one or more fields in your data.
They offer an important way to analyze results and express business logic.
Sisense's formula capabilities are designed around several principles;
Create complex business calculations without IT or technical knowledge.
Easily combine fields from different data sources together.
Customize formulas to reflect specific criteria and conditions.
Work with raw data without the need to summarize data sets before creating
formulas.
Instantly recalculate formulas based on any filter, variable or level of
granularity.
The table below provides a reference to the main formula functions available in
Sisense. Click here to see a complete reference.
Goal Function Types and Syntax

Perform Measured Value Filters: ≠ , =, >, <, between

calculation based value Text Filters: Contains, Doesn't Contain, Doesn't
on criteria End With, Doesn't Start With, Ends With, Start
With, Equals, Not Equal
List Filter: Include, Exclude
Ranking Filters: Top, Bottom Ranking
Time Filter: Date and Calendar
Combine Aggregate Operator: +,-,*,/
data/apply simple functions Aggregate: Sum()
mathematics Average: Avg()
Count: Count(), DupCount()
Goal Function Types and Syntax

Range: Max()/Min()
Summarize data Statistical Central Tendency: Median(), Model, Largest()
function Std Deviation and Variance: Stdev(), Stdevp(),
Varp(), Var()
Quartile and Percentile: Quartile(), Percentile()
Accumulate data Rolling Sum to Date: YTDSum(), QTDSum, MTDSum()
sum/average Avg to Date: YTDAvg, QTDAvg, MTDAvg()
Compare Time or Time functions Past Periods: PastYear(), PastQuarter(),
Trends PastMonth(), Next(), Prev()
Growth Trend: Growth(), GrowthRate()
Time Difference: YDiff(), QDiff(), MDiff(), DDiff(),
HDiff(), MnDiff(), SDiff()
The following topics explain how to create formulas, and describe the features of
the formula editor.
Using the Formula Editor
Creating and Editing a Formula
Reusing Formulas
Using Quick Functions
Creating Formulas Based on Criteria and Conditions (Filters)
Building Formulas with Functions
Function Reference
Formula Editor
The Formula Editor is where Designers define formulas for a dashboard's
widgets.
If you are familiar with the Formula Editor, see the Quick Reference Guide. For a
detailed guide with examples, continue reading below.
To open the Formula Editor:
Do one of the following:
For a new widget, click Select Data, and then .
For an existing widget, click on the edit formula button .
The Formula Editor has two tabs, the Data Browser to select fields and the
Functions tab to select formula operations. You can create a formula
combining one or more function, field and filters. The diagram below
highlights the main components of the formula panel.

Functions are operations which perform different calculations, for example a

sum. Use the ‘Jump To’ menu or the search box to quickly find the formula
you need.
Fields in the Data Browser are variables contained in the data set
(ElastiCube). Clicking on a field in the data browser will include it as part of
the formula.
Filters can be applied to restrict formulas based on criteria.
Starring is a way to save a formula for later use.
The Formula Editor window can be expanded by clicking the expand button
at the top right.
Creating and Editing a
Formula
The Data Browser enables you to define formulas (freeform expressions) that
define the values and filters of a widget.
A rich variety of functions are provided for you to use in the formula that you
define.
To define a formula:
Open the formula editor in the Data Browser:
For a new widget, click Select Data, and then .
For an existing widget, click on the edit formula button .

The Data Browser then changes to display the Formula Editor, which
has two tabs: Data Browser and Functions.
The Data Browser tab provides fields to choose from.
The Functions tab lists the functions that you can include in your
formula by selecting them. You can read a description of each function
in a tooltip by hovering over it.
Define the formula as follows:
From the Data Browser tab, select one or more fields.
From the Functions tab, select the required functions.

Type in the required parts of the formula. To see examples, see Formulas
Based on Criteria and Conditions, and Functions to Build Formulas.
Click OK.
To edit a formula:
You can easily edit formulas using the right-click options. They include:
Rename: Rename the formula, for example, give a name that represents a
real-life task or expected result from the formula, or include in the name
filters that you have added to the formula.
Filter: Add filters to the formula.
Type: Change the default aggregation method, for example, from Sum to
Average.
The following image shows the right-click options.
The following image shows right-click options for a filtered formula. Read more
below.
Reusing Formulas
This topic describes how you can reuse formulas that you have previously
marked as a favorite (starred).
Formulas are saved per ElastiCube.
Important: Changing a starred formula does not affect previous uses of that
formula. These will continue to use the old version of the formula. Only future
uses of the starred formula will implement your latest formula.
To mark a formula as a Favorite:
While defining a formula, click the Favorite (Star) button.
Enter a name for this Formula.
Click OK.

To reuse a favorite formula:

Favorite Formulas appear in the Data Browser under the title Formulas, as
shown below. Simply select it to use it.
Using R in Formulas
R is a software environment for statistical computing and graphics. Sisense
supports the integration of R functions in your formulas.
You can write R code directly in the formula editor, and send fields as
parameters. You can also combine R functionality with the regular functions to
create advanced and tailored formulas. (For general help with the formula editor
and functions, click here.)
Before you can integrate R into your formulas, you must have an R server set up
in your organization.
This document will cover the following:
Understanding How R works in Sisense
Connecting Sisense to Your R Server
Using R functions in Formulas
Guidelines for using R code in Sisense
Example 1: Simple R Function – Kmeans Clustering
Example 2: R Logistic Regression via Sisense
Example 3: Loading an Existing R Model
Example 4: Building and Saving a R Model using Data from Sisense
Understanding How R works in Sisense
Within a widget, R code is used and assigned fields as parameters, the following
happens:
The selected fields are sent fully to R as a list of arrays.
The R code is executed on the R server, referencing the fields as needed.
The numeric results from R are sent back to the widget for visualization.
Each request from the R server is done in a self-contained namespace, thus R
variables and results cannot be reused across requests unless they are loaded
from a saved location.
R calculations are computed in the R server, and not in the ElastiCube, this means
that for larger data sets results will not return as fast as regular widgets.
Running R on Windows
If your R server is running on Windows you will be bound to the concurrency
limitations the R distribution has on Windows. This means that concurrent
requests to R may return wrong results. Sisense recommends using R on a Linux
machine for production environment with concurrent user activity.
Connecting Sisense to Your R Server
To connect your Sisense instance to your R server:
Open the Sisense Server Console from the start menu.
Click on the Server Preferences icon to open the server settings.
In the Rserve field, enter the IP address of your R server, and select the
checkbox to enable the connection.

You can test the connection by clicking on the Test button.

Installing Rserve
Sisense can only connect to a running Rserve instance. For more information
about installing and running Rserve follow this link.
Please note that if you’re using RStudio, Rserve still has to be installed.
Using R functions in Formulas
Using R code in Sisense is achieved by using two dedicated formulas – RINT &
RDOUBLE. Depending on the result type of your R code, use the appropriate
function within the formula editor.
For either formula, RINT or RDOUBLE, the return type has to be an exact match.

Multiple numeric field values can be passed as parameters to the R functions,

which within your R code can be accessed via the ‘args’ argument (See K-means
example below).
Syntax:
RINT([recycle (true)], [<Ordering>], <R expression>,
[<numeric value 1>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
RDOUBLE([recycle (true)], [<Ordering>], <R expression>,
[<numeric value 1>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
Sisense does not support the use of a final ‘;’ in R statements. If you add a semi-
colon at the end of your R statement, the code will fail.
Parameters:
Recycle true/false (default = true) – This is an optional parameter that
controls whether the results from R should be recycled (cached), so that
consequent queries will not have to be recalculated unless they or the data
have changed. Generally, this behavior is automatically managed by the
ElastiCube automatically for all functions. However, since R code might
have non-deterministic components to it (such as randomality functions or
date-specific functions), the ElastiCube cannot rely on a data-set and
function that hasn’t changed not to return a different result in multiple
executions.
By default, the Recycle value is set to true. Use ‘off’ if your R code contains
randomality or other non-deterministic content.
Ordering – This is an optional parameter that defines the sort order in which
numeric data is sent to R. The argument of the Ordering parameter can be
an index in your data source or you can use the ORDERING() function to
determine the order of your fields. This function arranges the values of the
arguments into ascending or descending order, breaking ties by further
arguments.
For example:
ORDERING([Total Sales], -1*[COUNT Salesman],
MIN(<Office Name>))
For more information about the ORDERING() function, click here.
R expression – Your R code needs to be passed here, wrapped in double
quotes. R expects the return type to be an array with the same size as
widget’s row count. Nulls will be used to make up for shorter arrays, and
longer arrays will be trimmed.
Use single quotes to wrap strings within your R code when using the
Rint/Rdouble functions, so that there will be no double-quote collision with
the quotes wrapping your R code within the Rint/Rdouble function.
Numeric Value Arguments – Numeric values can be passed as arguments
to your R code.
All arguments are passed to R as a 1-based list named “args”. Each item in the
list contains an array that represents the field.
For example:
args[[1]] will return an array which represents the first field that was
used as an argument.
args[[2]][3] will return the 3rd data value within the 2nd field that was
used as an argument.
Guidelines for using R code in Sisense
In order for your R code to work well in Sisense you need to make sure of the
following:
The resultset returned from R into Sisense has to be equal in size to the
dataset that is sent to R as parameters.
The order of the resultset return from R into Sisense has to match the
incoming order. No assumptions can be made about the incoming order –
This means that you cannot assume that the incoming order matches the
order you visually see in the widget.
Example 1: Simple R Function – Kmeans
Clustering
Description: In the example below the Total Cost and Total Revenue fields from
Sisense are being used to cluster data via a Kmeans function. The result will
cluster the data based on the kmeans settings, in this case 4 clusters.
Sisense Syntax:
RINT(TRUE, "m<- log(matrix(unlist(args), ncol = 2));
kmeans(m,4)$cluster" ,[Total Cost],[Total Revenue])
Result: The R expression will return a result from 1 to 4. The widgets color
settings can be configured to color corresponding values based on if they equal 1,
2, 3 or 4.
Tip: You can save (star) the complex formula above, and use it again in
additional formulas and charts.
In the chart’s BREAK BY/COLOR panel, you can change the color of the clusters
as well as define the number of clusters and their break points.
Example 2: R Logistic Regression via Sisense
Description: In the example below website traffic data is used to predict if a
conversion is likely to occur based on the source of web traffic. The following
fields contained in the ElastiCube are passed to the R logistic model: Average
Outcome (1=conversion, 0= no conversion), Average Time on Page, Average
Pages (viewed) and Average Bounce Rate. This data is passed to a model to
predict the outcome and likelihood the traffic will convert.
[For the sake of illustration both the training and test data set are the same in the
example]
Sisense Syntax:
RDOUBLE(TRUE,"mydata<-data.frame(convert=args[[1]],
time=args[[2]], pages=args[[3]],
bounce=args[[4]]);lrmodel <- glm(convert ~ time + pages +
bounce, data = mydata, family = 'binomial');prob <-
predict(lrmodel, newdata = mydata, type = 'response')",
[Average Outcome], [Average TimeonPage], [Average Pages],
[Average BounceRate])
Result: The R expression will return a result from 0 to 1 showing the likelihood
of a conversion occurring. Note a similar process can be applied to create a linear
regression.
Predicted outcome of website conversion based on logistic regression.
Example 3: Loading an Existing R Model
Description: In the example below a saved logistic regression built on previous
training data is called and used with new website traffic data to predict if a
conversion occurs. The following fields contained in the ElastiCube are passed to
the saved R logistic model: Average Outcome (1=conversion, 0= no conversion),
Average Time on Page, Average Pages (viewed) and Average Bounce Rate. This
data is passed to a model to predict the outcome and likelihood the traffic will
convert.
Sisense Syntax:
RDOUBLE(TRUE,"mydata<-data.frame(convert=args[[1]],
time=args[[2]], pages=args[[3]],
bounce=args[[4]]);load('C:\rdata');prob <-
predict(lrmodel, newdata = mydata, type = 'response')",
[Average Outcome], [Average TimeonPage], [Average Pages],
[Average BounceRate])
Result: The R expression will return a result from 0 to 1 showing the likelihood
of a conversion occurring based on the loaded R model in this case stored in
‘rdata’.
Example 4: Building and Saving a R Model
using Data from Sisense
Description: In the example below a logistic regression to predict if a website
conversion will occur is built using data from Sisense and then saved as an R
model. The following fields contained in the ElastiCube are passed to create the R
logistic model: Average Outcome (1=conversion, 0= no conversion), Average
Time on Page, Average Pages (viewed) and Average Bounce Rate. This data is
saved as an rdata file and can be used on other data sets to predict outcomes.
Sisense Syntax:
RDOUBLE(TRUE,"mydata<-data.frame(convert=args[[1]],
time=args[[2]], pages=args[[3]],
bounce=args[[4]]);lrmodel <- glm(convert ~ time + pages +
bounce, data = mydata, family = 'binomial');
save(lrmodel, file = 'C:\rdata') ;1", [Average Outcome],
[Average TimeonPage], [Average Pages], [Average
BounceRate])
Result: The R expression will use Sisense data to build and save a logistic model
in the specified file in this case ‘rdata’.
Creating Formulas Based on
Criteria and Conditions
(Filters)
Often formulas must take into account specific criteria. To do this Sisense
provides a feature called Measured Value, which like the SUMIF function in
Excel, only performs a calculation when the values meet a set of criteria.
Criteria for Measured Values may be based on any logical operators in a filter.

To filter the formula:

In the Data Browser, create your formula from the Data Browser and
Functions, as explained in Formula Editor.
Add the field (criteria) by which you want to filter the formula. Right-click the
field and select Filter.
You can then filter the formula by listed items, text options, ranking, etc.
When done, click OK.

A simple example of Measured Value is the use of a list filter. A marketing team
may need to count leads generated for a specific region such as North America.
Even if leads come from many different countries, the measured value calculates
leads generated only when the lead originates from the United States or Canada.

The above example as defined in the Formula Editor.

A more sophisticated case is the use of a ranking filter, for example a sales
team may want to track the contribution of best-selling products to total
revenue. However, what constitutes a popular product may change over time. A
measured value can be created for sales which includes a condition that only
shows sales for the top products for any month. This simultaneously filters the
data but also takes into account changes in what classifies as a top product over
time.

The above example as defined in the Formula Editor.

Measured Values are a powerful feature to take into account business logic and
quickly perform calculations only when a specific set of criteria is met.
Note: If your widget is filtered using measured values, then the measured value
will override any other widget or dashboard filters you have for the same fields.
Calculating Contributions Using the ALL Function

The All() function returns the total amount for a dimension, and can be used for
various use cases. In the following example, we will use the All function to
calculate how much each country contributed towards the total cost of a
campaign.
Our final widget includes the following information:

Step 1: The second column above represents a formula that sums up the total
cost for all countries and does not represent the breakdown per country. The
formula includes the calculation (total cost) followed by the all function (filter),
followed by the dimension (country) in parenthesis. It looks like this:
We can save (star) the above formula and call it Total cost for Countries, which
will be used in the next step.
Step 2: We can now use the above formula in another formula to calculate the
contribution, like this:

The result is the third column above (plus formatting the results as percentages).
Conditional Statements
Conditional statements are formulas that enable you to create additional
categories in your data set. When the condition is met, the new category is added
to your visualization without modifying the data source itself.
For example, if you want to calculate only certain values according to conditions
you define, you can use a conditional statement to include only the values of
interest.
Sisense provides several conditional statements that enable you to evaluate
criteria and display only the relevant results in your dashboard.
Note: Conditional states work on measures and aggregations only and return
numeric values.
IF
IF (Boolean_expression, true value, false value)
Evaluates a boolean expression and returns the first value when evaluated as
true, and returns the second value when evaluated as false.
For example:
(if(Sum(Sales) < 10, 0, Sum(Sales) )
Nested IF statements are also supported.
For example:
if (Sum(Sales) < 100 , 1 ,(if (Sum(Sales) < 1000 , 2, 3)
)
isNull
ISNULL (<numeric value>)
Returns true if the expression doesn't contain data (Null). Can be used as a
condition when writing conditional statements.
For example:
If (ISNULL(sum(deals)), 0, sum(deals) )
Case
CASE
WHEN Boolean_expression THEN result_expression
[ ... ]
[ ELSE else_result_expression ]
END
The CASE function evaluates boolean expressions, and when evaluated as true,
returns the corresponding result_expression. If no match is found, the
else_result_expression is returned. If there is no default returned and no values
match, then Null is returned.
For example:
CASE
WHEN Sum(Sales) < 100 THEN 1
WHEN Sum(Sales) < 1000 THEN 2
ELSE 3
END
Working with Functions
Sisense provides a large number of built-in functions that you can use to perform
specific calculations or return information about your data. You can use the
functions on their one or within formulas.
The functions are organized into four categories: statistical, mathematical, time-
related, and other.
To access functions:
Hover over any of the fields in the Values section and click on the Edit
(pencil) icon.
The Formula Editor is displayed.
Open the Functions tab and scroll down to select the desired function.
To find a specific function in the Functions tab, enter the function’s name
(for example, Average) or syntax (AVG) in the Search field. As you begin
typing, the functions that contain the string in either their name or syntax
will appear below.
Quick Functions
Just like reusing formulas, quick functions is another feature to make working
with formulas easier. The Widget Designer provides a variety of predefined
commonly used functions that you can easily apply in the Data Browser when
selecting a Value to be included in a widget.
Quick Functions instantly add a time dimension to any existing value and
formula. These functions include calculations for past values, change over time,
contribution and running totals. Quick Functions include all the Time Functions
previously discussed but they can only be accessed by clicking on a formula that
is already present in a widget.
A simple example of a Quick Function is a finance manager who is reviewing total
costs per month but needs to track the accumulated annual costs. They can
simply use a quick function to calculate the year to date total for costs.

To use a quick function:

Hover and click on the menu icon of a numeric field in the data panel of the
widget designer, and select Quick Functions from the menu:

A list of commonly used functions is displayed.

Select a function. The widget will be updated immediately.
Adding Aggregate Functions
You can also add aggregate functions to your formula without opening the
formula editor.
Click on the Value icon to open a list of aggregate functions, and select the
function to apply to your formula.
Starring Formulas with Quick functions

A more complex example uses starring with multiple quick functions. Let’s say a
finance manager also wants to compare year to date costs to the same period for
the previous year. They can first apply the year to date function to total cost and
then save it to the formula repository. They can then add the saved year to date
formula but apply another quick formula for past values which will perform the
same calculation but on data from the previous year.
Note: Starred (favorite) formulas will be shared with other users.
Function Reference
This page contains a list of all the functions you can use in Sisense’s formula
editor.
Statistical Functions
Average

Avg(<numeric Field>)
Calculates the mean average of the given values.
For example – AVG(Score) will calculate the mean average of the given scores.
Avg(<group by field>, <aggregation>)
Calculates the average of the given aggregation grouped by another field.
For example – Avg( Product, Total Sales) calculates the average of the total sales
per product.
Contribution

Contribution(<numeric field>)
Calculates the percentage of total.
For example – Contribution( Total Sales ) will calculate the percentage of total
sales per group (for example per day or per product) out of total sales (for all
days or all products).
Correlation

CORREL(<Numeric Field a>, <Numeric Field b>)

Returns the correlation coefficient of two numeric fields.
For example – CORREL(Revenue, Cost) will return the correlation between
revenue and cost.
CORREL(<group by field>, <aggregation a>, <aggregation
b>)
Returns the correlation coefficient of two fields aggregations grouped by another
field.
For example – CORREL(Products, AVG(Revenue), AVG(Cost)) will return the
correlation between the average of revenue and cost per product.
Count

Count(<Numeric Field>)
Counts the number of unique values within the given values.
Count All

DupCount(<Numeric Field>)
Returns the actual item count of the given list of items, including duplicates.
Covariance (Population)

COVARP(<Numeric Field a>, <Numeric Field b>)

Returns the population covariance of <Numeric Field a> and <Numeric Field b>.
For example – COVARP(Revenue, Cost) will return the population covariance of
revenue and cost.
COVARP(<group by field>, <aggregation a>, <aggregation
b>)
Returns the population covariance of two fields aggregations grouped by another
field.
For example – COVARP(Products, AVG(Revenue), AVG(Cost)) will return the
population covariance of the average revenue and the average cost per product.
Covariance (Sample)

COVAR(<Numeric Field a>, <Numeric Field b>)

Returns the sample covariance of <Numeric Field a> and <Numeric Field b>.
For example – COVAR(Revenue, Cost) will return the sample covariance of
revenue and cost.
COVAR(<group by field>, <aggregation a>, <aggregation b>)
Returns the sample covariance of two fields aggregations grouped by another
field.
For example – COVAR(Products, AVG(Revenue), AVG(Cost)) will return the
sample covariance of the average revenue and the average cost per product.
Exponential Distribution

EXPONDIST(<numeric value>, <lambda>, <Cumulative

(true/false)>)
Returns the exponential distribution for a given value and a supplied distribution
parameter lambda. Cumulative: TRUE = Cumulative distribution function, FALSE
= Probability density function. For example – EXPONDIST( Count(Leads), 2, False
) will return the exponential distribution density of the number of leads per
country where lambda is 2.
Intercept

INTERCEPT(<field>, <numeric value>)

Returns the intercept of the linear regression line through a supplied series of x-
and y- values.
For example – INTERCEPT(Date.Quarter, Total Sales) will return the intercept of
the regression line that represents the trend over quarter of the sum of sales.
Largest

LARGEST(<Numeric Field>, <k>)

Returns the k-th largest value in a field.
Maximum

Max(<Numeric Field>)
Returns the maximum value among the given values.
Median

MEDIAN( <Numeric Field> )

Calculates the median of the given values. The median of a set of data is the
middlemost number in the set. The median is also the number that is halfway
into the set.
Minimum

Min(<Numeric Field>)
Returns the minimum value among the given values.
Mode

MODE(<Numeric Field>)
Returns the most frequently occurring value from the column.
Normal Distribution

NORMDIST(<Numeric Field>, <Mean>, <Standard Deviation>,

<Cumulative (true/false)>)
Returns the standard normal distribution for a given value, a supplied
distribution mean and standard deviation. Cumulative: TRUE = Cumulative
Normal Distribution Function, FALSE = Normal Probability Density Function.
For example – NORMDIST(Score, ( Mean(Score), All(Score)), ( STDEV(Score),
All(Score) ), False ) will return the normal probability density of a given score.
Percentile

PERCENTILE(<Numeric Field>, <k>)

Returns the k-th percentile value from the given field.
k is any number between 0..1 (inclusive).
Poisson Distribution

POISSONDIST( <numeric value>, <mean>, <Cumulative

(true/false)>)
Returns the poisson distribution for a given value and a supplied distribution
mean. Cumulative: TRUE = Cumulative distribution function, FALSE = Probability
mass function.
For example – POISSONDIST( Score, ( Mean(Score), All(Score) ), ( STDEV(Score),
All(Score) ), False ) will return the poisson probability density of a given number
of sales.
Quartile

QUARTILE(<Numeric Field>, <k>)

Returns the k-th quartile for the given field.
k = 0 returns the Minimum value
k = 1 returns the first quartile (25th percentile)
k = 2 returns the Median value (50th percentile)
k = 3 returns the third quartile (75th percentile)
k = 4 returns the Maximum value
Rank

RANK(<numeric value>, [DESC/ASC], [Rank Type], [<group by

field 1>,... , <group by field n>])
Returns the rank of a value in a list of values.
[DESC/ASC] – Optional. By default sort order is descending.
[Rank Type] – Optional. By default the type is standard competition ranking
(“1224” ranking). Support also modified competition ranking (“1334” ranking),
dense ranking (“1223” ranking) and ordinal ranking (“1234” ranking).
[<Group by field 1>,… , <Group by field n>] – Optional. Rank partitions fields.
For example – RANK(Total Cost, “ASC”, “1224”, Product, Years) will return the
rank of the total annual cost per each product, sorted in ascending order.
Skewness (Population)

SKEWP(<numeric value>)
Returns the skewness of the distribution of a given value in the population.
For example – SKEWP(Revenue) will return the skewness of the distribution of
revenue in the population.
Skewness (Sample)

SKEW(<numeric value>)
Returns the skewness of the distribution of a given value.
For example – SKEW(Revenue) will return the skewness of the distribution of
revenue.
Slope

SLOPE(<field>, <numeric value>)

Returns the slope of the linear regression line through a supplied series of x- and
y- values.
For example – SLOPE(Date.Quarter, Total Sales) will return the slope of the
regression line that represent the trend over quarter of the sum of sales.
Standard Deviation (Population)

STDEVP( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the Standard Deviation of the given values (Population). Standard
deviation is the square root of the average squared deviation from the mean. The
standard deviation of a population gives researchers the amount of dispersion of
data for an entire population of survey respondents.
Standard Deviation (Sample)

STDEV( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the Standard Deviation of the given values (Sample). Standard deviation
is the square root of the average squared deviation from the mean. A standard
deviation of a sample estimates the amount of dispersion in a given data set,
based on a random sample.
T Distribution

TDIST( <numeric value x>,<degrees_freedom>, <Cumulative

(true/false)>)
Returns the student’s T-distribution for a given value and a supplied number of
degrees of freedom (must be ≥ 1). Cumulative: TRUE = Cumulative Distribution
Function, FALSE = Probability Density Function.
For example – TDIST( Score, 3, TRUE ) will return the student’s T-distribution of
a given score, with 3 degrees of freedom.
Variance (Population)

VARP( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the Variance of the given values (Population). Variance (Sample) is the
average squared deviation from the mean, based on an entire population of
survey respondents.
Variance (Sample)

VAR( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the Variance of the given values (Sample). Variance (Sample) is the
average squared deviation from the mean, based on a random sample of the
population.
Mathematical Functions
Absolute

Abs(<Numeric value>)
Returns the absolute value of the given value.
For example – ABS(Cost), where the absolute result for the value ‘2’ or ‘-2’ is ‘2’.
Acos

ACOS(<numeric value>)
Returns the angle, in radians, whose cosine is the given numeric expression. Also
referred to as arccosine.
For example – ACOS(Total Revenue) will return the angle, in radians, whose
cosine is the given total revenue.
Asin

ASIN(<numeric value>)
Returns the angle, in radians, whose sine is the given numeric expression. Also
referred to as arcsine.
For example – ASIN(Total Revenue) will return the angle, in radians, whose sine
is the given total revenue.
Atan

ATAN(<numeric value>)
Returns the angle in radians whose tangent is the given numeric expression. Also
referred to as arctangent.
For example – ATAN(Total Revenue) will return the angle in radians whose
tangent is the given total revenue.
Ceiling

CEILING(<numeric value>)
Returns a number rounded up away from zero, to the nearest multiple of
significance.
For example – CEILING(Total Cost), where the result of ‘83.2’ is rounded up to
’84’.
Cos

COS(<numeric value>)
Returns the trigonometric cosine of the given angle (in radians).
For example – COS(Average Angle) will return the trigonometric cosine of the
average angle.
Cosh

COSH(<numeric value>)
Returns the hyperbolic cosine of the given value.
For example – COSH(Total Revenue) will return the hyperbolic cosine of the total
revenue.
Cot

COT(<numeric value>)
Returns the trigonometric cotangent of the given angle (in radians).
For example – COT(Average Angle) will return the trigonometric cotangent of the
average angle.
Exp

EXP(<numeric value>)
Returns the exponential value of the given value.
For example – EXP(Sales) will return the exponential value of sales.
Floor

FLOOR(<numeric value>)
Returns number rounded down, toward zero, to the nearest multiple of ‘1’.
For example – FLOOR(Revenue), where the result of ‘88.6’ rounded down is ’88’.
Ln

LN(<numeric value>)
Returns the base-e logarithm of the given value.
For example – LN(Cost) will return the base-e logarithm of cost.
Log10

LOG10(<numeric value>)
Returns the base-10 logarithm of the given value.
For example – LOG10(Revenue) will return the base-10 logarithm of revenue.
Mod

MOD(<numeric value>, divisor)

Returns the remainder after a number is divided by a divisor.
For example – MOD(Cost, 10), where the reminder of ‘255’ divided by ’10’ is ‘5’.
Power

Power(value, power)
Returns the results of the given value raised to a supplied power.
For example – POWER(Revenue, 2) will return revenue raised by the power of 2.
Quotient

QUOTIENT(<numeric value>, divisor)

Returns the integer portion of a division.
For example – QUOTIENT(Cost, 2), where the integer portion of ‘5’ divided by ‘2’
is ‘2’.
Round

ROUND(<numeric value>, num_digits)

Returns number rounded to a specified number of digits.
For example – ROUND(Revenue, 2) will return the revenue rounded to two
decimal places.
Sin

SIN(<numeric value>)
Returns the trigonometric sine of the given angle (in radians).
For example – SIN(Average Angle) will return the trigonometric sine of the
average angle.
Sinh

SINH(<numeric value>)
Returns the hyperbolic sine of the given value.
For example – SINH(Total Revenue) will return the hyperbolic sine of the total
revenue.
Square root

SQRT(<Numeric value>)
Returns the square root of the given value.
For example – SQRT(Cost) will return the square root of cost.
Sum

Sum(<Numeric Field>)
Calculates the total of the given values.
Tan

TAN(<numeric value>)
Returns the trigonometric tangent of the given angle (in radians).
For example – TAN(Average Angle) will return the trigonometric tangent of the
average angle.
Tanh

TANH(<numeric value>)
Returns the hyperbolic tangent of the given value.
For example – TANH(Total Revenue) will return the hyperbolic tangent of the
total revenue.
Time Related Functions
Day Difference

DDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in days.
Past Month Difference

DiffPastMonth( <numeric value> )

Returns the difference between this month's data and the data from the previous
month. The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in
the widget/dashboard.
For example:
DiffPastMonth( <Total Sales> )
Returns the difference between this month's sales and previous month's sales,
for the displayed time resolution. For example, for day resolution: (sales in
current day - sales in same day one month back).
Past Period Difference

DiffPastPeriod( <numeric value> )

Returns the difference between this period's data and the data from the previous
period. The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in
the widget/dashboard.
For example:
DiffPastPeriod( <Total Sales> )
Returns the difference between this period's sales and previous period's sales,
for the displayed time resolution. Formula: (current value - compared value).
Past Quarter Difference

DiffPastQuarter( <numeric value> )

Returns the difference between this quarter's data and the data from the
previous quarter. The time dimension to be used is determined by the time
resolution in the widget/dashboard.
For example:
DiffPastQuarter( <Total Sales> )
Returns the difference between this quarter's sales and previous quarter's sales,
for the displayed time resolution. For example, for month resolution: (sales in
current month - sales in same month one quarter back).
Past Week Difference

DiffPastWeek( <numeric value> )

Returns the difference between this week's data and the data from the previous
week. The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
For example:
DiffPastWeek( <Total Sales> )
Returns the difference between this week's sales and previous week's sales, for
the displayed time resolution. For example, for day resolution: (sales in current
day - sales in same day one week back).
Past Year Difference

DiffPastYear( <numeric value> )

Returns the difference between this year's data and the data from the previous
year. The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
For example:
DiffPastYear( <Total Sales> )
Returns the difference between this year's sales and previous year's sales, for the
displayed time resolution. For example, for month resolution: (sales in current
month - sales in same month one year back).
Growth

Growth( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates growth over time. The time dimension to be used is determined by the
time resolution in the widget/dashboard.
Formula: (current value – compared value) / compared value.
For example:
If this month your value is 12, and last month it was 10, your Growth for this
month is 20% (0.2).
Calculation: (12 – 10) / 10 = 0.2
If this year your value is 80, and last year it was 100, your Growth for this
year is -20% ( -0.2).
Calculation: (80 – 100) / 100 = -0.2
Growth Rate

GrowthRate( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates growth rate over time. The time dimension to be used is determined
by the time resolution in the widget/dashboard.
For example:
If this month your value is 12, and last month it was 10, your Growth Rate for
this month is 12/10 = 120% (1.2).
Calculation: 12 / 10 = 1.2
If this year your value is 80, and last year it was 100, your Growth for this
year is 80/100 = 80% ( 0.8).
Calculation: 80 / 100 = 0.8
Growth Past Month

GrowthPastMonth( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the growth from the past month to the current month. The time
dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
For example:
GrowthPastMonth([Total Sales])
Calculates the difference between this month's sales and previous month's sales,
for the displayed time resolution. For example, for day resolution: (sales in
current day - sales in same day one month back) / sales in same day one month
back.
Growth Past Quarter

GrowthPastQuarter( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the growth from the past quarter to the current quarter. The time
dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
For example:
GrowthPastQuarter([Total Sales])
Calculates the difference between this quarter's sales and previous quarter's
sales, for the displayed time resolution. For example, for month resolution: (sales
in current month - sales in same month one quarter back) / sales in same month
one quarter back.
Growth Past Week

GrowthPastWeek( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the growth from the past week to the current week. The time
dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
For example:
GrowthPastWeek([Total Sales])
Calculates the difference between this week's sales and previous week's sales, for
the displayed time resolution. For example, for day resolution: (sales in current
day - sales in same day one week back) / sales in same day one week back.
Growth Past Year

GrowthPastYear( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the growth from the past year to the current year. The time dimension
to be used is determined by the time resolution in the widget/dashboard.
For example:
GrowthPastYear([Total Sales])
Calculates the difference between this year's sales and previous year's sales, for
the displayed time resolution. For example, for month resolution: (sales in
current month - sales in same month one year back) / sales in same month one
year back.
Hour Difference

HDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in hours.
Prev

Prev( <Time Field>, [<N>] )

Returns the Time period Member in <Time Field> which is N periods back from
the current Member. This function only works as a scope function and not by
itself.
For example – This formula will return the numeric value 2 months ago:
(<Numeric Value>, Prev(<Month Field>, 2))
Minute Difference

MnDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in minutes.
Month Difference

MDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in months.
Returns whole numbers.
Month to Date Average

MTDAvg( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running average starting from the beginning of the month up to the
current time period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is quarters or years or weeks.
Month to Date Sum

MTDSum( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running total starting from the beginning of the month up to the
current time-period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is quarters or years or weeks.
Next

Next( <Time Field>, [<N>] )

Returns the Time period Member in <Time Field> which is N periods after the
current Member. This function only works as a scope function and not by itself.
For example – This formula will return the numeric value 2 months ahead of
now:
(<Numeric Value>, Next(<Month Field>, 2)
Now

Now(<Day from Date field>)

Returns the value for the current time period. Supports day, month, quarter or
year. The Now function receives a date dimension and its level and returns all the
members in that dimension which match the current query execution time.
Note: This function only works as a scope function and not by itself.
The following example will return the value for the current day.
([Total Sales], Now([Days in Datefield]))
Past Year

PastYear( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the value for the same period in the past (previous) year.
For example:
If you’re looking at a specific day, you will see the value of the same day one
year back.
If you’re looking at a specific month, you will see the value of the same month
one year back.
Note: When using the Past Year function in a weeks table and using a week filter,
no results are returned.
Past Quarter

PastQuarter( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the value for the same period in the past (previous) quarter.
For example:
If you’re looking at a specific day, you will see the value of the same day one
quarter back.
If you’re looking at a specific month, you will see the value of the same month
one quarter back.
Past Month

PastMonth( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the value for the same period in the past (previous) month.
For example:
If you’re looking at a specific day, you will see the value of the same day one
month back.
Past Week

PastWeek( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the value for the same period in the past (previous) week.
For example:
If you’re looking at a specific day, you will see the value of the same day one
week back.
Past Day

PastDay( <Numeric Value> )

Calculates the value for the same period in the past (previous) day.
For example:
If you’re looking at a specific day, you will see the value of the same day one
day back.
Quarter Difference

QDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in quarters.
Returns whole numbers.
Quarter to Date Average

QTDAvg( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running average starting from the beginning of the quarter up to the
current time-period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is years or weeks.
Quarter to Date Sum

QTDSum( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running total starting from the beginning of the quarter up to the
current time-period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is years or weeks.
Range

range( <Field1>, <Field2> )

Returns a graphical range selector for a data set where two members of the same
dimension and level define the minimum and maximum values of the range.
Note: The second argument <field2>, must be wrapped in current().
Second Difference

SDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in seconds.
Week to Date Average

WTDAvg( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running average starting from the beginning of the week up to the
current time period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is years, quarters, or months.
Week to Date Sum

WTDSum( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running total starting from the beginning of the week up to the
current time period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Returns 0 if the active time resolution is years, quarters, or months.
Year Difference

YDiff( <Start Time>, <End Time> )

Returns the difference between <Start Time> and <End Time> in years. Returns
whole numbers.
Year to Date Average

YTDAvg( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running average starting from the beginning of the year up to the
current time period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Year to Date Sum

YTDSum( <Numeric Value> )

Returns the running total starting from the beginning of the year up to the
current time period member.
The time dimension to be used is determined by the time resolution in the
widget/dashboard.
Other
All

All(<Field>)
Ignores the scope set on the dimension.
CASE

(WHEN <condition> THEN <result_expression> [...] [ESLE

<result_expression>] END)
Returns the result_expression of the first condition evaluated as true. When no
condition is true, else_expression is returned, if one is defined.
For example, the below function will return '1' when the Total Sales value is
between 100 and 1000. It will return '2' if the Total Sales value is above 1000. It
will return '3' in any other case (meaning, when Total Sales are below 100).
CASE
WHEN Sum(Sales) < 100 THEN 1
WHEN Sum(Sales) < 1000 THEN 2
ELSE 3
END
IF

IF (<condition>, <numeric expression 1>, <numeric

expression 2>)
Returns numeric expression '1' when the condition is true, and expression '2'
when the condition is false. Nested conditional statements are supported.
For example, if the number of unique values within the Sales values is larger than
100, the below function will return the Total Sales x 1.1 (sales increase of 10%).
Otherwise - if the number of unique values within the Sales values is lower than
100, the function will return only the Total Sales, without an increase.
IF(Count(Sales)>100, Sum(Sales)*1.1, sum(Sales))
IsNull

(<numeric value>)
Returns true if the expression doesn't contain data (Null). Can be used as a
condition when writing conditional statements.
Ordering

ORDERING(<expression1>,<expression2>)
Returns the numeric order position of rows sorted into ascending or descending
order, breaking ties with further arguments.
The expressions must be aggregated by applying the MIN/MAX functions as in
the example below:
ORDERING(MIN([Sales Person Name]), MIN([Days in Transaction_Date]), -
1*Sum([Sales]))
Rdouble

RDOUBLE(<R expression>, <numeric value 1>, [<numeric

value 2>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
Returns a numeric result for a given R expression and a list of numeric values
(use ‘args[[i]]’ in the R expression to reference numeric values parameters).
The R expression is passed to the running Rserve.
The optional ordering expression determines the order in which the rows are
sent to R. The argument of the Ordering parameter can be an index in your data
source or you can use the ORDERING() function to determine the order of the
field. For more information about the ORDERING() function, click here.
For example – RDOUBLE(“m <- log(matrix(unlist(args), ncol=2));
kmeans(m,3)$cluster”, [Total Cost], [Total Revenue]) will return the k-means
cluster (R expression) of the args: [Total Cost] and [Total Revenue].
RDOUBLE(<recycle>, <R expression>, <numeric value 1>,
[<numeric value 2>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
recycle = TRUE (default) – Results will be cached for unchanged functions and
data.
recycle = FALSE – Results will not be cached. Use this option if your R code
contains randomality.
Rint

RINT(<R expression>, <numeric value 1>, [<numeric value

2>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
Returns an integer result for a given R expression and a list of numeric values
(use ‘args[[i]]’ in the R expression to reference numeric values parameters).
The R expression is passed to the running Rserve.
The optional ordering expression determines the order in which the rows are
sent to R. The argument of the Ordering parameter can be an index in your data
source or you can use the ORDERING() function to determine the order of the
field. For more information about the ORDERING() function, click here.
For example – RINT(“m <- log(matrix(unlist(args), ncol=2));
kmeans(m,3)$cluster”, [Total Cost], [Total Revenue]) will return the k-means
cluster (R expression) of the args: [Total Cost] and [Total Revenue].
RINT(<recycle>, <R expression>, <numeric value 1>,
[<numeric value 2>, ..., <numeric value n>] )
recycle = TRUE (default) – Results will be cached for unchanged functions and
data.
recycle = FALSE – Results will not be cached. Use this option if your R code
contains randomality.
Running Sum (RSUM)

RSUM ( <numeric value> ), RSUM ( <numeric value> ,

<continuous> )
Returns the running total of the measure by the defined dimension according to
the current sorting order in the widget.
By default, RSUM accumulates a measure by the sorting order of the dimension.
To accumulate by another order, the relevant measure should be added as an
additional column and sorted.
<continuous> is a boolean value that accumulates the sum continuously when
there are two or more dimensions. The default value is False.
Note: Filtering the RSUM column by Values will filter the dimensions and
recalculate the RSUM from the first filtered value.
Building Formulas with
Functions
Functions can be used to build formulas.
Combine Data: Aggregate Functions
Aggregations are used to perform mathematical calculations on data. This being
such an essential function, Sisense offers an advantage in the ability to run
multiple aggregations on several fields simultaneously – this makes it easy to
summarize data based on multiple factors.

An example of a simple aggregation is a sales manager who wants to calculate

the average sales revenue for each sales rep. The manager can create a pivot
table, which shows the sales rep and their average sales revenue.
A more complex example is a multi-pass aggregation (or grouping) that is an
aggregation that performs multiple calculations simultaneously. Following our
first example, let’s assume the sales manager wants to also see average sales per
day for each sales rep. Instead of having to add an additional column for day in
the pivot table, the manager can create a multi-pass aggregation that first
performs a sum of sales per day and then averages the results for each rep. This
requires two fields: a day from a date field and the revenue field, as well as two
aggregations: sum of sales and average. The result is that sales manager does not
need to add a column for days in the pivot.
The above example as shown in the formula editor.
Summarize Data: Statistical Functions
Descriptive statistics provide meaningful summaries of data and help make more
informed decisions. This is particularly important for large data sets where
descriptive statistics can help to focus analysis.

An example of statistical functions is a marketing team that has a large data set
on leads generated from various channels and want to understand where to
focus their budget. Descriptive statistics can be used to summarize valuable
insight about each channel, such as the central tendency or median leads
generated, along with standard deviations to assess typical lead volume.
Accumulate Data: Running Total and Average
Often, to measure performance, data must be viewed in a continuous and
accumulative format over extended periods such as years, quarters or months.
Sisense provides functions to create running totals and averages over standard
or custom time periods.

For example, a support team has a goal to reduce the average monthly cost to
resolve open issues. A Year to Date Average can be used to track progress
towards reducing the average cost of support.
Change over Time: Time Functions
Time is critical for business decisions. Time functions make it easy to compare
outcomes at different points in time, determine growth rates and calculate the
time differences. Functions can be set for common time periods such as year,
month or day, as well as for custom periods.

For example, an executive team wants to compare growth in revenue to the same
period in the previous year. A Difference in Past Year function can be used to
compare past values based on the current month to the same month in the
previous year.
Fiscal Years
By default, Sisense calculates the beginning of the fiscal year as January 1st. In
some cases, you might need to express your company’s date fields according to
another fiscal month, such as April 1st. Sisense allows you to easily shift your
fiscal calendar to start at a different month according to your company’s
requirements.
This can be defined at the system level, by the Administrator, and also at the
ElastiCube level, by the Data Designer. This means that you can support one fiscal
calendar month for your system, such as January 1st, while a specific ElastiCube
can be set according to the US tax year which begins October 1st.
When you change the fiscal calendar, this affects how time is calculated in your
dashboard and you are also getting an indication, for example when filtering
your widgets and dashboards by time, through the FY tag.

Date Level Effects

Year Changes the calendar year to fiscal. By default, the name

Date Level Effects

reflects the year in which it ends. For example, if the fiscal year
starts in April, the year for the date June 1, 2014 would be
shown as FY 2015.

Quarter Changes the calendar quarter to that of the quarter in the fiscal
year. For example, if the fiscal year starts in April, the quarter
for the date June 1, 2014 would be Q1.

Month Not affected by fiscal year settings. The calendar month is the
same as the fiscal month.

Week Changes the calendar week to the week of the fiscal year. For
example, if your fiscal year begins April 1st, April 3rd would fall
under Week 1.

Day/Minute/Hour Not affected by fiscal year settings.

To set your fiscal year on the system level, see System Settings.
Administrators and Data Designers can set the fiscal year on the ElastiCube level.
To set your fiscal year on the ElastiCube level:
In the Sisense Web Application, select Admin > Data Sources.
For the relevant ElastiCube, select the ElastiCube menu > Fiscal Year Start,
and then select the month.
Formatting Fiscal Dates
When you apply fiscal years, the default format for your dates is 2018 FY for
years or Q1 2018 FY for quarters.
You can customize the format of the date through placeholders such as “y” and
“p” where “y” represents the year and “p” the previous year.
The examples below illustrate how you can format your dates:
2017/18: yyyyp/yy
17/18: yp/yy
FY17/18: FY yp/yy
Q1 2018 FY: Q yyyy FY
By default, Sisense applies FY at the end of the year when fiscal years are applied.
However, if you make any changes, Sisense will no longer add the FY
automatically, so you must define this with the placeholder FY in the location you
want as shown above.
To format your fiscal dates:
On the Dashboard, click the Pencil (Edit) button that appears in the top-
right corner of a widget with a date dimension.
Select the Calendar icon to define your formatting.

Select the relevant time period and enter the relevant placeholders in the
format you want to be displayed in your widget. A preview of the custom
format is displayed below.

Click OK. The format of your dates is updated in the widget.

Formatting Fiscal Dates through the
REST API
In addition to formatting Fiscal dates through Sisense, you can also define the
format through the Sisense REST API.
The settings/system endpoint contains the Fiscal object that has two keys,
month and format.

The month key determines the first month of your fiscal year. The format key
determines how your fiscal dates are displayed.
For example:
years: fiscalFormatRestAPI + ' yyyy';
quarters: fiscalFormatRestAPI + ' yyyy Q';
months: 'MM/yyyy ' fiscalFormatRestAPI;
weeks: 'ww ' + fiscalFormatRestAPI + ' yyyy';
days: 'MM/dd/yyyy ' + fiscalFormatRestAPI;
If you were to set the format to the following, 'EEE d/MMM//QQ//yp-yy', the
format would be displayed in Sisense as follows:
FY Mon 1/Apr/Quarter 2/96-97 1997 Q2
In addition, you can add strings to the format as long as they are in single quotes.
To modify your fiscal date formats through the REST API, you can send a POST
request to the settings/system API.
Date and Time Fields
Many widgets include data that is relative to date and time fields. Sisense enables
you to apply date and time filters so you can easily identify trends in your data.
When you create a widget in your dashboard that includes a date field, Sisense
automatically breaks the data down by year, however, you can change this to a
shorter resolution. For example, a Date field included in a widget can be
separated into Years, Quarters, Months, Weeks, Days, and Time from your
widget’s filter.
Dashboard Viewers have the option to drill down the widget according to the
Date level as shown in the following image:

Viewers can drill down into the lowest date or time resolution available in your
data.
The highest resolution available is by Year and the lowest resolution is Time,
which includes Hour and Minute intervals.

For more information about filters, see Creating Dashboards Filters.

Customizing the Dashboard
Layout
By default, widgets are arranged in a dashboard one underneath the other. When
you add a new widget, it is added at the bottom of the dashboard.
You can drag widgets one on top of another by selecting the widget's title and
moving the widget to the relevant location.
The dashboard can also be organized in columns. By default, a dashboard is
created with a single column, but you can add up to four columns. Each column
can contain multiple widgets, but a widget cannot span more than one column.
You can rearrange the order of the widgets, reorganize the widgets in columns,
add/remove widgets from columns, and resize columns/widgets.
For a short video overview of customizing the dashboard layout, see below:
Layout Mode and View Mode
A dashboard can be viewed in either Layout mode or in View mode.
Layout Mode
Layout mode is the default mode in which you can add new widgets and
rearrange them on the dashboard, as described throughout this section.
is displayed in the top-right corner of the screen when the dashboard is in
Layout mode. Click this button to display View mode.
View Mode
View mode enables you to see what the dashboard looks like when a user is only
viewing the dashboard. In View mode, the dashboard cannot be rearranged or
edited.
is displayed when the dashboard is in View mode. Click this button to display
Layout mode.
Adding Dashboard Columns
To change the number of columns:
Click on the dashboard’s menu, and select Columns and the number of
columns.
Moving a Widget on the Dashboard
To move a widget to a different column or position:
Make sure that you are in Layout mode (default mode). The Layout mode
indicator is displayed in the top-right corner of the dashboard. If not,
click to go from View Mode to Layout mode.
Drag and drop the widget into the desired position by dragging it by the top
part of the widget.

The position of a widget can be split to contain multiple widgets within a single
column by dragging one widget on top of another.
Placing Widgets Side-by-Side
You can place widgets side-by-side using one of the following methods:
By putting each widget in a different column.
OR
By dragging one widget on top of the other. Both these widgets will then be
in the same column.
Resizing Widgets
Resizing the column height or width automatically resizes the widgets in the best
possible way.
To resize a widget:
Resize the dashboard column in which the widget is located by dragging the
edge of the column right or left. All the widgets in this same column are
resized accordingly in an optimal manner.
Resize the widget by dragging its edges right, left, up or down.

Refer to Ticker widgets below for a description of how an Indicator Widget turns
into a ticker type widget when you reduce its height.
Adding Widget Titles
You can add titles to your widgets directly in the dashboard view.
If you already added a title when you created the widget in the Widget Designer,
you can edit the title directly in the dashboard.
To add a widget title from the dashboard:
To add a title, click Add Title at the top of the widget, and type in the title. If
you are editing a title, click on the existing title, and type in the new title.

Click on the green icon to save the title.

Working with Ticker Widgets
If you resize the height of an Indicator widget, it automatically turns into a
Ticker-type widget. An Indicator widget that was a numeric Indicator appears
differently to an Indicator widget that was a gauge.
Regular Indicators

Full size Indicator widget Full size Gauge widget

Ticker Indicators

Indicator widget after resizing down Gauge widget after resizing down
Changing the Dashboard’s
Color Palette
You can easily change the color scheme of the dashboard to suit your
professional or brand preferences.
To change the color palette:
Click in the top menu, and select the preferred color palette. The default
palette is Vivid.
Note: Three of the palettes are suitable for color blindness: ColorBlind 1, 2, and
3.

For a short video overview of the process, see below:

Note: When you change the color of an individual widget to a new color that is
not one of the palette colors, the new color will be applied to the widget
regardless of the applied palette. If you select a new color from one of the palette
colors, then when changing the dashboard’s palette, the color will change
according to the new palette.
Examples
Creating a Custom Palette via the REST API

You can create your own brand custom palette through the REST API. Click here
to learn more about using the REST API. To learn more about creating a custom
palette using the REST API, see this support article.
Sisense provides the following endpoints:
GET /palettes
Returns a list of available palettes in the Sisense web app.
GET /palettes/default
Returns the default color palette.
POST /palettes
Adds a new color palette.
PUT /palettes/{name}
Updates the dashboard's color palette.
DELETE /palettes/{name}
Deletes a color palette from the color palettes.
The table below describes the parameters you can return and update through the
palettes endpoints:
Parameter Type Description
colors array The colors included in the palette. Your custom
palette can include up to 16 colors.

name String The name of the new palette.

isDefault boolean Determines whether the new palette is the default.

New dashboards are created with the default
palette. There can only be one default palette at
any time.

sortOrder number Determines the order of the palette in the palettes

list.
To add an existing palette:
Access the Sisense REST API.

In the API Documentation, select version 0.9 on the top-right of the screen.
Click palettes to access the API operations related to roles.
Go to PUT/palettes/default and click Try It Out .
Indicate the current name of the palette, and make your changes. You can
change the palette name, colors, etc.
Click Execute and scroll down to the Responses section to very that the
response does not contain errors.
To create a new palette:
Go to POST / palettes and click Try It Out .
Enter all the relevant values.
Click Execute.
The new palette will be added to your Dashboard Palettes.
To delete a palette:
Go to DELETE/ palettes, click Try It Out, and enter the name of the palette
to delete into the Value input box. Then click Execute.
The Palette will be deleted from the list of your dashboard Palettes.
Creating a Dashboard with
Multiple Sources
Dashboards can support multiple data sources including ElastiCube and Live
data models, which means you can have widgets built on several data sources
within a single dashboard. For example, if you have widgets from an ElastiCube
on a dashboard, you can add a data set to the dashboard and create widgets built
on that data set’s live data source. The widgets from both data sources continue
to function independently of each other in the same dashboard. In addition,
filters applied to fields from each data source, do not affect the fields from
another data source.
To create a widget based on another data source, when you creating the widget,
in the top-right corner of the New Widget window, modify the default data
source collected.
Changing a Dashboard’s Data
Source
Changing a dashboard’s data source is useful when you have recently changed
your server and you to need to reassign your dashboard’s data source or in cases
where you have deleted a data source and you want to reassign the dashboards.
Dashboards can also support multiple data sources including ElastiCube and Live
data models, for more information, see Creating Dashboards with Multiple
Sources.
To change your dashboard’s data source:
In the top-left corner of your dashboard, click the ElastiCube link.

Hover over Change Data Source and select the new data source.
The source is added to your list. You now add new widgets from any of your
data sources to the dashboard.
Exploring Dashboards
In the Analytics page, you can see dashboards that you created or were shared
with you on the left or the main dashboard area below.

To open a dashboard, you can click the title of the dashboard on the left side or
click the dashboard tile below. This opens up the dashboard inside the Analytics
page.
A dashboard that was shared with you appears with this icon in the
Dashboards list.

To open a dashboard, you can click the title of the dashboard on the left side or
click the dashboard tile below.
Alternatively, if you have a lot of dashboards, you can search for dashboards by
typing the title in the Search field. As you begin typing, any relevant results are
displayed.
To locate a dashboard by name, source, or owner, you can use search operators
within the Search field. Sisense supports the following operators:
What You Can Search By Search Operator and Examples

Dashboard name Name:

Example: Name:Sales
Data source Source:
Example: Source:Sample eCommerce
Dashboard Owner Owner:
Example: Owner:John
Interacting with Filters as a
Viewer
Once you’ve found the dashboard you’re looking for, you can start exploring your
data.
Sisense dashboards usually have one or more filters that affect the dashboard
widgets.
This topic describes how Viewers can interact with filters for analyzing data.
You can interact with filters for analyzing data, either through the Filters pane or
by simply selecting values by left-clicking the widget visualization. Each time you
interact with a filter, for example by selecting or entering a value, the filter is
immediately applied to your dashboard. You will not affect anyone else by
changing the filters. In addition, you can restore the original state of the
dashboard at any given point by selecting the dashboard menu item and clicking
Restore Dashboard.

As a Viewer, yYouou can interact with filters as follows:

Make a different selection in the filter controls displayed in the Filters pane
on the right side of the dashboard, as shown below:
OR
Click on the pencil icon next to the filter name (shown below) in the
dashboard to display the Filter Definition window.

In addition, you can perform the following procedures:

Switching Filters On and Off
Saving your Default Filters View
To create a filter, you must be a Designer.
Click here to learn more about filters.
Changing Sisense’s Language
This topic discusses how Sisense Administrators can change the language of the
Sisense Web Application for all of their users.
Administrators can set the default language for a Sisense server from the Admin
section. If you are an Administrator and want to set the language for your system,
users groups, or users, see Changing the Sisense Web Application’s Language.
If your users would like to set another language for the Sisense Web Application
other than the language defined by the Administrator, theyyou can select a
language from theyour User Profiles or from the Login page.
Sisense supports the following languages:
English
Chinese
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish (LA)
Spanish (Spain)
In addition, any languages that your company have translated will appear in the
list according to the name defined in the translated system files.
Note, the following content is not being translated:
Built-in Javascript editor
ElastiCube Manager and Server Console
Sisense documentation and online help
REST API and documentation
Sisense automated emails
To change your system’s language:
Select the language from the Login page of the Sisense Web Application.

OR
In the Sisense User Options, open the languages list and select the language
you want to display.

After setting the user’s language, Sisense will automatically be displayed in

the selected language in future sessions.
Making Selections in a Widget
You can click on a specific portion of a widget to select it. This filters the
dashboard according to the selected data by adding a filter to the dashboard’s
Filters panel.
You can also use the selection to drill down in the widget (see Drilling Down in a
Widget).
To select an item in a widget for filtering:
Left-click an item in a widget to automatically select it and add a dashboard
filter according to the selection.
For multiple selection, use the Ctrl key. When released, a menu will appear.
Click Select.

In chart widgets, you can drag and draw the area to be selected, as shown
below:
When you select a portion of the widget, appears in the widget's menu bar.
Click to expand your view of the selection.

You can refine your data further by toggling the switches on the left side as
shown in the example below.
Drilling Down in a Widget
This topic describes how yYou can drill down into your data in most widgets to
get an in-depth view of a selected value.
In the following example, the pie chart on the left shows a breakdown by gender.
This is the original chart as created by the dashboard’s Designer. On the right
side, the chart shows a breakdown or drill down showing age groups of the
‘female’ segment from the original pie chart.

With Sisense you can drill down from any field to any field, unless disabled by the
dashboard’s Designer.
For information about enabling or disabling the drilling feature, see Drill
Hierarchies.
To drill down into a chart:
Right-click on the item in the widget into which you want to drill down.
To manually select the drill hierarchy path, select Drill Into, and then in the
In the Data Browser, select the field into which to drill down. If you have
already drilled into this chart, then you will have shortcuts to previously
selected fields, or select Choose Another Field to select a different field
for the first time.
OR
Select a predefined drill hierarchy (if available). Predefined drill hierarchies
are defined by the dashboard's owner.

To drill up to a higher level, click on a breadcrumb. To drill all the way up, click
on the X icon.
Leverage AI to Uncover
Hidden Insights
Sisense is looking for customers who are willing to provide feedback
about this feature as part of our early-adopter program. If you would
like to influence the development of this feature, contact your CSM.
Sisense’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Exploration Paths automatically generate
visualizations and insights that anticipate your Viewers’ questions without
requiring a Dashboard Designer to create more widgets. Sisense leverages AI to
uncover hidden insights and suggest new visualizations, all within the context of
the data model that your dashboard is based on. Exploration widgets offer a
great way to answer ad-hoc questions that naturally arise when analyzing a KPI.
They enable you to drill down into widgets in cases when it is challenging to set
up drill hierarchies to answer all the potential business questions. Now you can
build a lean and highly focused dashboard including the KPIs most important to
the business, and Sisense AI will generate exploration widgets for your users to
go deeper.
The suggestions are taken from across all dashboards based on the data model
that your dashboard is connected to. To provide Viewers with a right context
throughout the exploration, the exploration widgets inherit the dashboard and
widget filters, and go through the same security rules as any other widget in the
dashboard.
Note: To enable Viewers to receive exploration widgets in the dashboard, your
Sisense Administrator must first activate the Exploration Path feature for the
entire system and then enable it on each particular dashboard where this feature
needs to be available.
For a short video overview of exploration widgets, see the video below:
What Determines which AI-driven
Suggestions Viewers Get?
Sisense automatically suggests visualizations that anticipate the next questions a
Viewer might have, without involving a Dashboard Designer.
Sisense employs an AI algorithm that runs in the background and scans the
entire dashboard base associated with a particular data model. The algorithm
studies the analysis and the usage patterns (such as drilling down and filtering)
performed by all dashboard users, and based on that suggests new exploration
widgets. With time, as the AI algorithm picks up more input from user activity,
the suggestions become more accurately targeted to the Viewer needs.
How Does This Work?

The purpose of the process is to produce new break-by and trend-over-time

analysis of the data. To do that, the AI exploration algorithm suggests additional
fields (for break-by analysis) and date fields (for trend-over-time analysis) by
which to slice and dice the metric.
At the first stage, the AI algorithm compares formulas across the entire
dashboard set. It looks at all the unique combinations of components of each
formula, such as function, columns(s) and filter(s). Then it utilizes the fuzzy
version of the Jaccard similarity coefficient to calculate the similarity between
the formula you want to explore to all other formulas in the system. The output
of this is a similarity score.
Next, the algorithm collects the fields and data fields that are used together with
formulas in other widgets in the system. Finally, it employs the Pointwise
Mutual Information (PMI) measure, which is a measure of association used in
Information Theory and Statistics. PMI ranks the fields and date fields according
to their frequency of use with similar formulas in other widgets.
The result is a ranked list of the fields and date fields that frequently appear with
formulas most similar to the formula we want to explore. The fields and date
fields with the highest ranking are suggested to the user as exploration widgets
to provide additional insights about the data.
Viewing Exploration Widgets
To view exploration widgets:
Click in your dashboard widget.
A window is displayed with suggested exploration widgets.
Switch between the two tabs to view all the exploration widgets.
To download an exploration widget to a PNG file, click the button at the
bottom of the widget.
(Optional) To provide positive feedback to the algorithm about the
exploration widgets, click . This provides more input to the algorithm,
enabling it to optimize its results over time. Note that clicking would not
influence the results already upon your next session with Sisense, as it takes
time to refine the results.
When Sisense does not Suggest Exploration
Widgets
In some cases, Sisense is unable to suggest exploration widgets. Below are some
possible reasons:
No previous user activity
The AI algorithm makes suggestions based on the analyses and usage
patterns previously performed by users in the dashboard. When a new
dashboard is created, it has no previous user activity, so the algorithm
cannot make any suggestions. In this case, is not displayed for widgets on
the new dashboard.
What you can do: Work in the dashboard as usual. When the algorithm
has picked up user-activity patterns (this might take a day or two), it will
start suggesting exploration widgets.
No data to display
This might be due to the data security rules or filters applied to the
dashboard, or when there are less than two members to display. In these
cases, when you click , you receive the following message:

What you can do: Work in the dashboard as usual. When the algorithm
detects some new patterns in user activity, or when data security rules or
filters change, it will start suggesting exploration widgets.
When the algorithm detects any changes in the system, the exploration widgets
will reflect these changes on the next day, because the algorithm processes the
new information overnight.
Enabling AI-driven Exploration Widgets
To enable Viewers to view AI-driven exploration widgets in their dashboards, the
Sisense Administrator must activate the Exploration Path feature system-wide.
Then dashboard Owners can enable it for each dashboard separately.
It is recommended to test-drive this feature for your Viewers by enabling it on a
single dashboard before enabling it on all dashboards.
When you enable or disable this feature, the dashboard refreshes and the feature
is enabled/disabled immediately for all users without any message being issued
to the users.
Activating System-wide
Click Admin in the top menu, and then Settings on the left.
Enable Exploration paths.
Enabling for a Single Dashboard
From the Navigation Pane, click on a dashboard to open it or create a new
dashboard.
Note: You can enable this feature only if you are the Owner of the
dashboard.
Click in the top menu, and select Exploration Paths.

Click Got It! in the confirmation message.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the AI engine need a warm-up period before showing
suggestions?
A: After turning on the feature at the account level, you need to wait 24
hours to let the engine generate suggestions. The other option is to restart
the “Sisense.Intelligence” service. This initializes the AI engine, after which
the engine will start generating suggestions immediately.
Q: I embed Sisense. Can my viewers use Exploration Paths in an
embedded widget or dashboard?
A: The Exploration icon is the entry point to this feature. It is accessible
only via the Widget header. Therefore, only when embedding a full
dashboard using an iFrame, the title bar appears on widgets, and with it the
Exploration icon. When embedding a single widget, the title bar does not
appear and therefore, currently, this feature is inaccessible to the Viewer.
Q: What does the button (“I found this useful”) do?
A: In the initial version (7.4.2), the heart button sends a heartbeat to the
Sisense monitoring system. Sisense is tracking usage patterns and user
feedback through this button. In the future this button will be connected to
the suggestions ranking algorithm. This means that users will be able to
influence the order by which suggestions are presented for each measure.
Q: Can the dashboard owner influence the content of exploration
widgets presented to users?
A: No, but Sisense plans to support it in the future. In the initial version
(7.4.2), the dashboard owner can decide whether to enable the feature on
their dashboard, but cannot control exactly what the algorithm suggests to
the user.
Note that since the algorithm learns from existing widgets and dashboards
in the account, and abides to the security measures and filters applied on
each dashboard, the system will learn mainly from the widgets that you and
other owners on the account have created in the past. This helps avoiding
suggestions that are out of the context of any dashboard.
Q: Can a customer use Exploration Paths in the Sisense Mobile BI
App?
A: Not at this time. Sisense is still evaluating what would be the right way to
integrate exploration on-the-go. Sisense is keen to hear your feedback. If
you have feedback to provide, contact your CSM.
Q: Does this feature work over widgets connected to a Live model?
A: Yes. The feature works on both ElastiCube and Live data models.
Q: For this feature to operate as expected, does the Sisense server
need to access a cloud service?
A: No. The feature is run locally on the Sisense instance.
Reporting in Sisense
After you have viewed your dashboards, you may have discovered some insights
you want to share. Sisense supports a variety of ways you can share your data
with other Sisenseusers.
Downloading widgets and dashboards as various file types is useful for sharing
your data with users or including in your reports and presentations, however,
Sisense makes it easy to share dashboards directly with over Sisense users by
allowing you to share the dashboard's URL from the Sisense Web Application or
sending your insights via email.
In addition, you can schedule automatic reports to be sent to yourself or other
Sisense users. See the Sending Email Dashboard reports for more information.
The topics below describe how you can share widgets and dashboards with other
Sisense users:
Exporting Widgets
Exporting and Sharing Dashboards
Downloading Dashboards as an Image
Creating PDF Reports
Customizing PDF Reports
Exporting Widgets
You can download widgets in one of the following formats depending on the
widget type:
CSV: Download the data described by the widget in a CSV file. If you have
applied any filters, the filtered data is the data included in the file.
Excel: Download the data described by the widget in an Excel file. When you
export a pivot table to Excel, the data that is exported is the data that is
displayed in your widget. This means that any active filters, layout
structure, and masks that you have applied in Sisense to your data are
exported as well. For example, if you have modified how currency,
percentages, or numbers are formatted in the widget in Sisense, these will
be reflected in your exported Excel file. Exporting to Excel maintains your
pivot’s layout and structure, and values such as sub-totals, which are not
maintained when you export a pivot table to CSV.
Image: You can download a widget as an image in PNG format. The image
size will reflect the size of the widget on the screen when you download it.
To create a larger image, enlarge the widget space in the dashboard, or
open the widget in edit view, to get a bigger picture.
PDF: Download the widget as a PDF. For Table widgets, you can customize
how your table is displayed in your PDF including the table’s orientation
and page size. In the PDF Report Settings, the first 14 pages of your Pivot
table are displayed in the preview window, however, when you export your
Pivot table to PDF, the entire table is included, up to 10,000 rows on
multiple pages. For more information, see Customizing PDF Reports.
To download a widget:
In dashboard view, click on the widget’s menu, and select Download and
select the relevant file type.
In edit widget view, click on the download icon, and select Download and
select the relevant file type.
Exporting and Sharing
Dashboards
You can share your Sisense dashboards and widgets with other Sisense users to
distribute your Sisense insights.
The topics below describe how to share your dashboards in a variety of formats:
Exporting Pivot Tables to PDF
Exporting Pivot Tables to Excel
Export Tables to PDF
Exporting CSVs
Downloading Dashboards
Downloading Widgets as Images
Sharing Dashboards
Sending Email Dashboard Reports
Email Troubleshooting
Creating PDF Reports
When you need to take copies of your dashboards with you for meetings or
sharing with others, you can generate a PDF report of your dashboard.
By clicking the icon on your dashboard, you can customize your dashboard’s
appearance through the PDF Report Settings page. After you have defined how
your dashboard is to be displayed, you can download your dashboard locally as a
PDF.
For a quick explanation, see the tutorial below.

To create a PDF report:

From your dashboard menu, click the PDF icon .
The PDF Report Settings page is displayed.
Customize how your dashboard is displayed in the PDF. For more
information, see Customizing PDF Reports.

Click . The dashboard is downloaded locally as a PDF file.

Customizing PDF Reports
If you need to share dashboards with other users, or create a hardcopy for
yourself, Sisense allows you to send an email report to your users or export your
dashboard to PDF. Dashboards in email reports or PDFs though look different
compared to online dashboard as they serve different purposes. Through the
Sisense PDF Report Settings, you can customize and create formatted email
reports and PDFs according to your requirements. The Sisense PDF Report
Settings allow you to define both the content and design of your report quickly
and easily.
From the PDF Report Settings page, you have two modes, Edit mode, for
customizing your PDF, and View mode, for seeing how the dashboard will be
displayed in the PDF. In Edit Mode, all the settings you can apply to your report
are displayed in the left menu.
In Edit mode, you can set the size of your widgets by selecting and dragging the
borders of each widget. These borders are displayed when Edit mode is toggled
on.

In View and Edit mode, you can define your dashboard’s orientation, its layout,
and what is displayed in the header and footer on your report.
After you have customized your report, you can save the settings and use them
when sharing reports, or download the report as a PDF.
To customize a PDF report:
In your dashboard’s menu, click . The PDF Report Settings page is
displayed.
Edit the dashboard by selecting any of the following options:
Setting Description

Paper Size The size of the email report in the PDF.

Orientation The orientation of the dashboard in the PDF, landscape or portrait.

Landscape orientations display the dashboard horizontally while portrait
orientations display the dashboard vertically.

Header The design and content of your report’s header. The header is displayed on
the top of each page or your PDF report.
From the Header list, you can define how your header is to be displayed:
Compact, Medium, Large, or No Header.
After you have set the design, you can determine what information is
included in the header.
Title: Select to display the dashboard name at the top of the PDF.
Dashboard As Of: Select to display the ElastiCube name and last build tim
at the top of the PDF.
Dataset Name: Select to display the name of the ElastiCube that contains
the dashboard’s data.
Dashboard Filters: Select to display dashboard filter selections.
Footer The content displayed in the footer section of each page of your report. You
can display the following information:
Page Number: Select to display the page number on each page of the
report.
Click Save to save your settings when sharing reports or to download
your report.
Managing Dashboards
This section is for Sisense users who have dashboard editing rights (Designers).
The topics in this section describe how you can manage your dashboards within
Sisense:
Viewing Dashboards
Locating Dashboards
Duplicating Dashboards
Organizing Dashboards
Sharing Dashboards
Deleting Dashboards
Exporting and Importing Dashboards
For information on improving dashboard performance, see Maximize
Dashboard Performance.
Viewing Dashboards
In the Analytics page, you can view all the dashboards that you own or that
were shared with you.

There are two locations from where you can access your dashboards, on the left
side in the Navigation Pane, and the Dashboard area below.
In the Dashboard area, your dashboards are displayed as clickable tiles. There
are two dashboard views you can view your dashboards with.
Tile View List View
Tile View
The Tile view displays the name of the dashboard and its owner. You can click a
tile to open the dashboard, or click its menu to see a variety of options. The
options displayed are determined by your role and whether or not you own the
dashboard.
When you see a yellow tag attached to the tile this indicates that the dashboard is
in your system, but you are viewing the owners version, and not your version.
This tag is only visible for Administrators. For more information see Managing
Your Users Dashboards.
List View
The Dashboard List provides information about your system adoption, such as
the number of Viewers of each dashboard, and the last time a dashboard was
modified.
The Dashboard List provides the following information:
Name: The name of the dashboard.
Owner: The name of the dashboard's owner.
Data Sources: The data sources that are being queried by the dashboard.
Last Published: The last time the dashboard was published.
Last Modified: The last time the dashboard was modified. Any changes to
the dashboard or to the dashboard metadata (share list, and reporting
schedule) affect the “last modified” timestamp.
Total Viewers: This column is only displayed to Administrators. The total
number of Viewers who have opened the dashboard. This number may be
lower than the number of users the dashboard is shared with if some of
them have not opened the dashboard. This number does not include
Administrators who opened a dashboard that was not owned by or shared
with them.
No. of Widgets: The number of widgets in the dashboard.
Toggling between Views
You can toggle between these views by clicking the View icon of the right-side of
the Dashboard area.
Locating Dashboards
You can quickly and easily locate dashboards without having to navigate through
your entire list of dashboards. When you enter any characters in the Search
field, the list of dashboards is filtered according to the characters found within
your dashboard titles.

To locate a dashboard by name, source, owner, or who the dashboard is shared

with, you can use search operators within the Search field. Sisense supports the
following operators:
What You Can Search By Search Operator with Example

Dashboard name Name:

Example: Name: Sales

Data source Source:

Example: Source: Sample eCommerce

Users the dashboard is Shared with Shared with Example:

“Shared with: John”

Dashboard Owner Owner:

Example: Owner: John
In addition, you can use a combination of search operators to refine your results
further. For example, Name: Sales Source: Sample - eCommerce
To locate a dashboard:
In the Navigation Pane, click to display the Search field.
In the Search field, enter the title of your dashboard. Any dashboards that
contain the characters you entered are displayed.
Duplicating Dashboards
Copying a dashboard (even one that was shared with you) creates a new copy of
the dashboard with a different name. This new dashboard is totally separate
from the original and you are its owner, meaning that you have full editing rights.
When you copy a dashboard, the new dashboard is added below the copied
dashboard in your Navigation Pane with the same name plus a number in the
order it was created.
For example, Sample Ecommerce(1) is a copy of Sample Ecommerce, while
Sample Ecommerce(1)(1) is a copy of Sample Ecommerce(1):

To copy a Dashboard:
Right-click the dashboard’s name in the Navigation Pane and select
Duplicate.
Organizing Dashboards
You can organize your dashboards into folders and sub-folders within any of
your folders to improve how you navigate the Navigation Pane.
To create a folder:
In the Navigation Pane, click + and select New Folder.

The new folder is added to the dashboards list.

Hover over the new folder and click > Rename to name the folder.
To create additional sub-folders within your folders, hover over the folder
and select > New Folder and repeat Step 2.

You can drag and drop your dashboards from other folders or the Navigation
Pane to any of your folders.
For information on improving dashboard performance, see Maximize Dashboard
Performance.
Deleting Dashboards
To delete a dashboard:
Click on the menu of the Dashboard to be deleted in the list in the Home
page, and select Delete.

OR
Click the Dashboard Menu and select Delete Dashboard.
To delete multiple dashboards:
You can delete multiple dashboards by opening list view, selecting the
relevant dashboards, and clicking .

OR
In your Navigation Pane, click the checkbox icon , select the relevant
dashboards, and click .
Exporting and Importing
Dashboards
Sisense supports exporting and importing of dashboards. This is useful for
copying dashboards between separate Sisense installations, and also for making
backups.
Dashboards are exported as files with a .dash extension, which can then be
imported.
Exporting a Dashboard
Administrators and Designers can export dashboards and import them into
multiple instances of Sisense. When you export a dashboard or multiple
dashboards, a single .dash file is created. Afterwards, when the .dash file is
imported into another instance of Sisense, all the dashboards are added to the
main Anayltics page.
To export dashboards to a .dash file:
Option #1 (Single dashboard)
In the Navigation Pane on the left of the Sisense environment, click the
dashboard’s menu and click Export Dashboard.

Option #2 (Single dashboard)

Open the dashboard’s menu and click Export.

Option #3 (Multiple dashboards)

In the Navigation Pane on the left of Sisense, click . This displays checkboxes
next to all of your dashboards and folders. Select the relevant dashboards and
folders to be exported and click .

OR
In List view, select all the relevant dashboards and click .
All of these methods prompt you to download the .dash file and save it to disk.
After you have downloaded the exported file, you or your users can import it into
their instance of Sisense. For more information, see Importing Dashboards
below.
Importing a Dashboard
To import a dashboard:
Hover over Dashboards list in the home page and click the ‘+’ symbol. Select
Import Dashboard from the menu. You can also right-click anywhere in
the dashboards list, or click on the menu of one of your existing folders to
import a dashboard into a folder.
Select your exported dash file. The dashboard will be added to your list of
dashboards or folder. You can drag it from there to your desired location in
the tree.
Best Practices for Promoting
Dashboard Adoption
One of the pitfalls for successful implementation of BI Analytics in companies is
adoption. A company may invest in all the modern technology and create
attractive-looking analytics, but still struggle with long-term adoption of
analytics.
Many Sisense clients have successfully tackled this problem. Below are some
creative ideas that might help you drive analytics implementation in your
company at the different stages of your journey toward data-driven culture.
Think Ahead at Rollout
When introducing analytics into the organization, you have probably appointed a
BI champion or set up an Analytics team. Their job is to gather requirements
from all stakeholders, to design the BI solution, and finally, to execute the design.
An additional, parallel, objective of this team should be to build a User Adoption
Plan. Start thinking about the rollout of the dashboard right from the first phases
of the workflow. Making these decisions in the initial planning phases helps to
ensure your final dashboards serve your ultimate goal of achieving maximum Bl
value in your organization.
The best User Adoption Plans are built alongside the dashboards and adjusted as
your BI project expands, to ensure full adoption and utilization of BI resources by
all of your stakeholders and target audiences.
Provide Ongoing User Training
So your BI person or team has created a brand new set of dashboards to serve
your organization. If the rollout of the analytics was successful, pretty soon your
BI champion(s) will have their hands full with user requests to create more
dashboards and tweak the widgets to answer additional business questions. This
can hinder or even derail the further development of your analytics solution. And
this is not how it should work. Modern BI solutions are all about self-service,
allowing all users to use them to get insights.
That being said, there is still a learning curve. How steep the curve is depends on
your BI tool and the users’ technical level, especially if the bulk of your team isn’t
tech-savvy. You will have to train users to use the tool and to think analytically.
Below are some suggestions for user training:
Use the training courses offered by your BI vendor. Sisense provides a
rich offering of courses that cover all stages of the BI flow and cater to all
types of uses, from newbies to advanced:
Business Requirements Gathering Framework
Business Requirements Recon: The Questions
Dashboard Planning Document
Meet Si-Cling (Case Study Introduction) Session
Know the Data Session
Identifying Relationships Session
Conduct quarterly workshops to train your users - and not just the
newcomers. It’s best to include an objective-oriented component in the
workshop, which means that users should come with a business question
they struggle with. By the end of the workshop, they will have created a
dashboard exploring their actual business questions, but also will have
learned a lot about the system and built their confidence with an experience
of success.
Offer weekly office hours for one-on-one training and support of your
users.
Provide resources online - dashboard documentation, Q&A on the most
frequently asked questions, etc. You can provide this as part of your internal
user portal, web site, etc.
When the users across the organization are all inspired analytics users, do you
still need a dedicated BI resource? Of course. Business users are not familiar with
your data and data sources. They do not know much about data cleansing, ETL
processes, many-to-many joins, etc. It is good practice to leave the data
governance to professionals, and allow business users to take it from there. And
when all these training efforts are in place, they are guaranteed to save hundreds
of hours for your BI resources.
Learn how one of Sisense clients does this in this webinar: Increasing Adoption
of BI Within Your Organization.
Promote Across all Levels of the
Organization
When your BI team rolls out a new dashboard, how can you promote it across the
organization and make sure that users are aware and integrating it into their
ongoing, long-term work processes? Obviously, the number of paths to take
depends only on the creativity of those involved. Below are a few ideas that were
implemented successfully with Sisense clients:
Promote dashboards through internal email announcements. In
Sisense, that’s easy to do by sharing the new dashboard with all or just
some users across your organization in one action. For details, see here.
Prepare training on each new dashboard - this can be a short video or
one-pager that you upload to your internal BI portal. State clearly who the
audience is for this dashboard, and how the audience will benefit from
using it. Communicate clearly all the changes you make to existing
dashboards. It’s crucial that users understand the outcome of each change.
Otherwise, when they come to the dashboard and do not see what they saw
last week and what they expect to see today, their notion of the dashboard
as a single source of truth might be undermined.
Engage users with dashboard contests. This solution is as simple as it is
brilliant. Dashboard contests can encourage users across the organization
to make practical use of business intelligence, becoming well-versed in
using the system in the process. It can also help you identify the specific
datasets that most people in the organization need to use. To learn how this
benefited one of Sisense clients, see here.
Create an end-user steering committee (COE). For most organizations,
one of the main stumbling blocks to BI adoption is building consensus
between the stakeholders. To overcome this problem, make sure to invite
the three key groups of organizational stakeholders in relation to analytics:
business users, business analysts, and data engineers. To learn more about
building organizational consensus for a BI platform, see here.
Appoint executive sponsorship to enforce usage. An effective sponsor
for a BI-related initiative would be a senior-level executive with a data-
driven outlook, whose team will benefit from the introduction of this
initiative. This sponsor will have to define the business scope of the
initiative, set up business priorities and delineate a business strategy
required to adopt analytics in the organization.
Monitor Usage
Once analytics are in use across the organization, it is important to monitor the
usage of the different dashboards. This includes tracking the amount of users
using each dashboard, the amount of users creating their own dashboards,
tracing what the uses do in dashboards, and so on.
If usage is low, the next step is to gather feedback from your users to understand
why this is so. This might happen due to varying reasons, such as users see no
value in analytics, lack the knowledge to use your analytics tool, aren't clear on
the objective of certain dashboards, lack the executive sponsorship to enforce
usage, etc. When you know the reasons, you can correct …. and repeat for as
many times as necessary, till the time comes to retire the dashboard. A handy
feedback questionnaire for users is suggested in our BI Implementation
Methodology handbook.
Is there an easy way to monitor analytics usage? Yes. in Sisense, usage analytics
is a built-in dashboard that enables you to monitor your Sisense activity across
all users and business dashboards. With Sisense Usage Analytics, you can better
understand how users interact with Sisense and optimize your configuration
accordingly. For more information, see here.
IntroductionSisense Pulse
Sisense Pulse is a centralized location where you can stay on top of your most
important KPIs across multiple dashboards or manage your data and build alerts.
For example, you can consolidate and monitor important aspects of your
business by adding important values from widgets from various dashboards to
the Sisense Pulse page.
Then, you can create alerts to notify you when certain thresholds are met or
anomalies in your data are detected. Sisense Pulse provides you with access to
your most important data and notifies you when to take action.

The following sections describe Sisense alerts and managing alerts and KPIs in
Sisense Pulse.
Sisense Pulse
Overview
Managing Pulse Tiles
Alerts
Overview
Creating Data Alerts
Creating Build Alerts
Advanced Alert Settings
Sisense Alerts
This topic describes the two types of alerts you can define, data alerts and system
alerts in Sisense.
Data alerts are triggered by changes to your data. Sisense provides several
options for defining the type of changes that trigger data alerts including
threshold based alerts, automatic anomaly detection, and Always which is
triggered by any change to your data. For example, if you have an Indicator
widget that represents total sales, Sisense can notify you when a threshold you
defined is met or exceeded.
Build alerts can be configured to be sent following build attempts.
When creating an alert, you can customize your notifications, the channel
through which they are sent, and how often a notification is sent following a data
or build.
After you create an alert, the alert is added to the Sisense Pulse page where you
can manage the alert and its notifications. For example, you can delete alerts or
enable and disable notifications.
If you want to make a similar alerts, for example, alerts with different
notifications for different groups of users, you can duplicate the alert and modify
its settings.
When an alert is triggered, you and your users are notified through the channel
you defined when creating the alert and through the Pulse Feed. The Pulse Feed
is displayed in the Sisense Web Application and shows a list of your most recent
triggered alerts. From the Pulse Feed you can open the dashboard from where
the alert originated or open the Sisense Pulse page.
Related Topics
Creating Data Alerts
Creating Build Alerts
Creating Data Alerts
This topic describes data alerts and how you can add them to Sisense Pulse.
Data alerts are triggered by conditions you define for your widgets. For example,
if you have an Indicator widget that represents your company’s revenue, you can
define an alert that notifies you when this revenue reaches or falls below a
certain threshold.
Sisense supports alerts for the following widgets:
Indicator Widgets
Area Chart Widgets
Bar Chart Widgets
Column Chart
Line Chart
For each type of widget you can add to Pulse, you can monitor a single value. For
example, for Column charts you can monitor a single section (value) of a column.
To monitor multiple values, you can add each value you want to monitor to Pulse
separately.
When creating data alerts, you define the condition that triggers the alert.
Sisense provides three alert conditions that can trigger an alert:
Threshold
Sisense notifies you when a threshold is reached following a build. This condition
is useful for monitoring metrics that follow a regular, cyclical schedule.
Automatic
Sisense automatically notifies you when the Sisense alert engine identifies an
anomaly in your data based on machine learning algorithms. The Sisense
algorithm actively learns from your data and eliminates noise to identify
anomalies in your data. Sisense’s anomaly detection is based on a smoothing
algorithm that takes the latest values into account. The more times an ElastiCube
is built, the more accurate Sisense becomes at identifying any anomalies and
notifying you.
Always
Sisense notifies you after each build, regardless if there is a change in your data
or not.
In addition, you can configure advanced settings that determine who receives the
alert and what channel the alert is sent through. For more information see
Advanced Settings.
To create a data alert:
For an Indicator widget, from the widget’s menu, select Add To Pulse.
For other types of widgets, right-click any value in the chart and select Add
To Pulse.
The Add to Pulse window is displayed.

In the Name field, enter a meaningful name that represents your alert.
In the Alert Condition area, select the condition that triggers the alerts.
Threshold: Sisense defines the threshold value as the current value
displayed in the widget. You can increase or decrease this value and define
the equality and relational operators that determine when the threshold is
met.

Automatic: Sisense automatically identifies anomalies in your data and

alerts you.

Always: Sisense notifies you every time the data changes.

Click Add to create the alert. The alert is added to Sisense Pulse.
For additional advanced configuration options, see Advanced Settings.
Creating Build Alerts
Administrators can set build alerts to notify themselves or other users when a
build fails or succeeds. Build alerts are created from Sisense and are sent
following an ElastiCube build.
Build alerts allow you to monitor the status of ElastiCube builds.
Administrators can create build alerts from the Admin page. After a build alert is
created, it is added to Sisense Pulse from where you can manage it.
To create a build alert:
In Sisense, select Admin > Data Sources > Add Build Alert.
OR
From the ElastiCube menu, Add Build Alert.

The Add Build Alert window is displayed.

In Name, enter a name for the alert.

From the Server list, select the server where the ElastiCube is hosted.
From the ElastiCube list, select the ElastiCube(s) that triggers an alert
following a build.
Select when to notify you following a build. There are three conditions that
when met, can trigger an alert:
Build failed: The alert is sent after the ElastiCube build fails.
Build succeeded: The alert is sent after the ElastiCube is built successfully.
Build succeeded after failure: The alert is sent following a successful
build after the ElastiCube previously failed to build.
Click Add. The alert is added to your Sisense Pulse page.
For additional advanced configuration options, see Advanced Settings.
Sisense Pulse
Sisense Pulse enables you to stay on top of your most important KPIs across all
your dashboards and your latest ElastiCube builds. By adding important KPIs
from your dashboards to Sisense Pulse, you can get a comprehensive picture of
your data from a single location.
Sisense Pulse contains tiles that display information from your dashboards and
the status of your ElastiCube builds.
Within Sisense Pulse, there are two types of tiles, data tiles that display your
data's current status and recent history and build tiles that display the latest
status of your ElastiCube builds.
You can access Sisense Pulse from the menu bar of the Sisense Web

Application.
By hovering over the header of any tile in Sisense Pulse, you can view additional
options for your tiles.

The icon opens a new tab in your browser. For data tiles the dashboard
where the widget originated is displayed and for build tiles the Data Sources
section in the Admin page is displayed.
The icon is a tooltip that describes the tile in more detail. For data tiles the
tooltip describes who added the tile to Pulse and when it was added. Build tile
tooltips describe when the tile was created, which ElastiCube is being monitored,
and under what conditions an alert is triggered when alerts are enabled.
The icon displays a menu for managing tiles in Sisense Pulse. For more
information regarding managing tiles in Sisense Pulse, see Managing Tiles in
Sisense Pulse.
Adding Tiles to Sisense Pulse
To keep track of your important KPIs and ElastiCube builds, you add the relevant
data and build tiles to Sisense Pulse.
The flow for adding tiles to Sisense Pulse is the same for creating alerts for
Indicator widgets and ElastiCube builds. For more information about these flows,
see the following topics:
For data tiles, see Creating Data Alerts.
For build tiles, see Creating Build Alerts.
Each of these flows adds tiles to Sisense Pulse and creates an alert. If you want to
monitor your data and ElastiCube builds without alerts, see Deactivating
Notifications.
Managing Tiles in Sisense
Pulse
This topic describes how to manage your Pulse tiles and notifications when an
alert is triggered.
After you have created alerts or added tiles to Sisense Pulse, you can manage
those tiles from Sisense Pulse. Through the Sisense Pulse page, you can duplicate
alerts and modify them, disable notifications, and delete alerts.
Duplicating Tiles in Sisense Pulse
You can create copies of alerts and modify them to quickly generate new alerts
with different notification messages or notify various groups across separate
channels.
For example, if you want to notify Group 1 via email and Group 2 via Slack when
the same event occurs, you can duplicate an alert and modify the notification
channel.
To duplicate a tile:
In the Sisense Web Application, select Pulse.
In the relevant alert’s menu, select Duplicate. A copy of the alert is created
and the Add to Pulse window is displayed.
You can modify the alert’s settings from the Add to Pulse window. For
more information about these settings, click here.
Deactivating Your Notifications
Each time you add a tile to Sisense Pulse or create an alert, by default, you will
receive notifications when the event is triggered. If you do not want to receive
any notifications, you can disable notifications from being sent by toggling the
notifications. When you toggle the notifications, you no longer receive
notifications when an alert is triggered, however, other users with whom the
alert was shared will continue to be notified. See Deactivating Notifications for
All Users to turn off notifications for everyone associated with an alert.
To deactivate notifications:
In Sisense, select Pulse.
From the Tile menu of the relevant alert, toggle Receive Notifications.
Deactivating Notifications for All Users
If you have added an alert that is no longer relevant or you want to deactivate the
alert for all users, you can turn off the alert.
When you turn off an alert, no users are notified when the event that triggers the
alert occurs.
To deactivate notifications for all users:
In the Sisense Web Application, select Pulse.
From the Tile menu of the relevant alert, select Turn Off. A confirmation
dialog box is displayed.

Click Yes to confirm that you want to turn off all notifications for the alert.
The alert is turned off.
Alerts that have been turned off appear in the Pulse page as shaded tiles.
You can reactivate the alert by selecting Turn On from the Tile menu.
Deleting Tiles in Sisense Pulse
When a tile is no longer needed, you can delete the tile through the Sisense Pulse
page.
Deleting an alert removes it from the Sisense Pulse page and users are no longer
notified.
To delete an alert:
In Sisense, select Pulse.
In the relevant alert’s menu, select Delete.
Removing Sisense Pulse
You can remove the Pulse page from Sisense and deactivate all the alerts defined
in Sisense Pulse from the Admin page. This is useful if you have embedded
Sisense and your end users do not need to receive alerts.
To remove Sisense Pulse:
In Sisense, in the top menu, open the Admin page and select Settings.

Toggle the Pulse switch to disable Sisense Pulse. The Sisense Pulse tab on the
top menu is no longer displayed and no new notifications will be sent.
Advanced Settings
By default, when an alert is triggered, you are notified via your email address
registered with Sisense.
You can also send alerts using more advanced configurations that canlet you
notify additional users when an alert is triggered, notify them you across
multiple channels, and allows you to customize the message displayed in the
notification.
The following topics describe the functionality available in the Advanced Settings
options:
"Notifying Additional Users" on page 800
"Setting Notification Channels" on page 802
"Customizing Notification Messages" on page 816
"Configuring Additional Options" on page 814
Notifying Additional Users
When an alert is triggered, Administrators and Designers can notify additional
Sisense users and groups by configuring the alert’s advanced settings. Viewers
cannot share alerts with additional users.
Users who are notified receive a notification through Sisense Pulse and any other
additional channels you define.
To notify additional users:

For Build Alerts, select the tab.

For Data Alerts, select Advanced Options > .

Enter the email address, Sisense username, or group name of the users you
want to notify when an alert is triggered. Entering Everyone specifies that
all Sisense users and user groups associated with your account are notified.
The contact information of the people you add is listed in the center of the
window and is displayed the next time you open this window.
Click Add to add the alert to Pulse.
Setting Notification Channels
By default, your users are notified via their email addresses registered with
Sisense. In addition, Sisense supports a variety of workflows by sending
notifications across multiple applications and services. For example, your users
can receive notifications through the Sisense mobile application, Zapier, Slack,
and other 3rd services via webhooks.
To define how users are notified:
For Build Alerts, select the tab.
For Data Alerts, select Advanced Options > .
In the Notifications area, select the relevant channel for your notification. The
default channel, Email, is already selected.
You can select one or more of the following channels:
Email
Mobile
Slack
Zapier
Webhook
mobile
Click Save.
Sisense Mobile
Sisense Mobile enables users to view Sisense dashboards through their mobile
devices. You or your users can receive notifications through Sisense Mobile. After
selecting the users you want to notify, any users with a Sisense user account and
Sisense Mobile will receive a notification when an alert is triggered.
Slack
Slack is a real-time team collaboration messaging platform that allows you to
receive incoming Webhooks from external sources such as Sisense. To send
notifications through Slack, you need to enter the URL and optionally, your Slack
channel or username, where the notification is to be displayed.
You can ask your Administrator to provide you with the Slack URL and channel.
You can obtain these details by adding the Incoming WebHooks app into your
Slack configuration.
For a quick walkthrough of configuring Pulse notifications in Slack, see the
tutorial below.

To obtain a Webhook URL and channel from Slack:

Add the Incoming WebHooks app to Slack. You can find this app in Slack’s
App Directory.
In the Incoming WebHooks app page, click Add Configuration.
After you add the Incoming WebHooks app, you can select which channel to
post the notifications to. The channel name is optional and displays the
notification in the channel associated with your WebHook URL. In the Post
to Channel area, select the channel where the notification is to be displayed
and click Add Incoming WebHooks integration.

In the Setup Instructions the Webhook URL is displayed. Copy the Webhook
URL.
In Sisense when sending notifications through Slack, in the URL field, enter
the URL copied in the previous step and in the #channel/@username field,
enter the channel name if you have defined one.
Zapier
Zapier is an online service that lets you create automated actions connecting
disparate business apps and services such as Sisense. To receive notifications
through Zapier, you must create a Zap and provide Sisense with the relevant URL
when configuring your alerts’ notifications.
When an alert is triggered, Sisense sends the notification to the Webhook you
define in Zapier.
You can ask your Administrator to provide you with the Zapier URL.
To obtain a Webhook URL from Zapier:
Log in to Zapier and click Make a Zap. The Trigger App page is displayed.
From the Trigger App page select Webhooks. The Connect to Webhooks by
Zapier page is displayed.
In Step 1 > Set Up Webhook, click Copy to clipboard to copy the Webhook
URL you need to provide to Sisense.

In Sisense, when sending notifications through Zapier, in the URL field, enter
the URL copied in the previous step.
Webhooks
Webhooks are a system of automated notifications that indicate that an event
occurred, in this case an alert being triggered. To send notifications through
additional 3rd party channels, you can select Webhook and enter the Webhook
name and URL.
Your Webhook server listens for incoming messages from Sisense across the URL
specified in the URL field.
You can ask your system administrator to provide you with the Webhook URL.
When Sisense sends notifications to your custom Webhook, they are sent within
a JSON payload. Your Wehbook provider must interpret the payload and display
the notification to your users. The following areis an examples of a notifications
sent in a JSON payload and a description of the contents of the payload:
{ type: 'kpi', name: 'Total Sales', message: 'Hello World', originDashboardLink:
'58128745677f52dc0f000019', measure: 'Revenue', value: 39759625.51502721,
condition: 'none', filters: [ { asDimension: false, title: 'Category', value: 'Include
all', jaql: [Object], panel: 'scope' }, { asDimension: false, title: 'Gender', value:
'Include all', jaql: [Object], panel: 'scope' } ]
Data Events Build Events
{ type:
{ type: 'kpi',
'build',
name: 'Total Sales', name:
message: 'Hello World', 'Success
Event',
originDashboardLink:
'58128745677f52dc0f000019', measure:
null,
measure: 'Revenue',
value: 1,
value: 39759625.51502721, condition:
condition: 'none', 'none',
filters: null
filters:
[ { asDimension: false, }

title: 'Category',

value: 'Include all',

jaql: [Object],
panel: 'scope' },

{ asDimension: false,

title: 'Gender',

value: 'Include all',

jaql: [Object],

panel: 'scope' } ]

Name Type Description

Type String Type of alert. ‘kpi’ for data events and ‘build’ for
build events.

Name String Name of the alert.

Message String Notification message.

originDashboardLi String Dashboard ID provided by Sisense. You can find the

nk dashboard ID from the URL of the dashboard.
For example, the ID of the dashboard below if:
http://localhost:8081/app/main#/dashboar
Name Type Description

ds/573b4322048e5e382a000001

value Double For data events when a threshold condition is applied,

this is the value of the threshold.
For build events, the value is 0 for failed builds and 1 for
successful builds.
condition String Type of condition that generated the alert.

filters Object Object that defines filters applied to the dashboard.

Configuring Additional
Options
You can configure how often and when a notification is sent after an event is
triggered. For example, you can limit the amount of notification sent to one when
a data alert is triggered. This is useful if you build your ElastiCubes frequently,
but do not need multiple notifications.
To configure additional options:
When adding or editing a widget to Pulse, in the Advanced Options window,
select >Additional Options.

Select any of the following options:

For data alerts:
Select Notify only once after a condition is met to limit how many
notifications are sent after an event occurs.
Select Notify when a condition is no longer met to notify users after
the event is no longer triggered.
For build alerts:
Select Notify once when there is a status change to notify users only
once when the latest build status is different than the previous build
status.
Click Add to save the alert.
Customizing Notification
Messages
By default, the following message is provided in your email alert notifications:
Hi,
The latest value in the KPI that you are monitoring is:
Value

You can provide customized messages for your notifications when configuring
your alert through the alert’s Advanced Settings.
The message you provide replaces the string: The latest value in the KPI that you
are monitoring is:
For example, if your message is “The last value of my KPI is:” the message in your
alert’s notification will be:
Hi,
The last value of my KPI is:
Value
To customize your notification’s text:
For Build Alerts, select the tab.
For Data Alerts, select Advanced > .

In the Message area, enter your custom text.

Click Save. The next time a notification is sent, your custom message is
displayed in the notification.
You can modify your alert notifications further including customizing the text
and images displayed. For more information, see Rebranding Sisense
Automated Emails.
Administration
Sisense supports several "Sisense User Roles" on page 46 with Administrative
privileges for customizing Sisense for your company. The following roles:
System Administer, Data Administrator, and Administrator have varying levels of
access to your system including servers, users, ElastiCubes and more. The
Admin page is your dedicated location in your web application for managing
your system.
This section describes how your Sisense Administrator can configure and
manage users, groups, data sources, and system settings from the Admin page.

Note: The Admin page is only displayed to users with the relevant privileges. In
addition, certain settings are only available to certain user roles except for
Administrators who have access to all settings.
"Managing Sisense Users" on page 821
"Managing Your Users Dashboards" on page 893
Data Source Management
"System Settings" on page 907
"Embedded Analytics" on page 955
"Sisense Security Overview " on page 1026
"Sisense Migration" on page 934
"Multi-Node Deployments" on page 1056
Managing Sisense Users
Sisense Administrators have access to the User Management section of the
Admin Page where users, groups, and advanced user settings can be configured.
The topics below describe how to create users and groups, and allow users you
authenticate to access your implementation of the Sisense Web Application.
Sisense User Roles
Managing Dashboard Users
Managing User Groups
Managing User Sessions
Customizing User Roles
License Utilization
Integrating Active Directory
Introduction to SSO
Managing Dashboard Users
This topic describes how to add and manage Sisense users that can access
Sisense dashboards.
Users are managed from the Admin page through the Users tab.

In the Users table, you can edit and delete users in your system. The table
provides the following information about your users:
Username: The user's username in Sisense.
Email: The user's email address.
Name: The name of the user.
Groups: The groups, if any, that the user belongs to. By default, the System
Administrator belongs to a group called Admins.
Role: The user role assigned to the user.
Origin: The origin of the user. This is typically your company's name.
Last Active: The date of the last time the user was active. Activity includes
opening any of the Sisense tabs (Data, Analytics, Pulse, and Admin), viewing
dashboards, working with widgets, or exporting reports. This field is blank
if the user has never been active in Sisense.
Days Since Last Active: The number of days that have passed since the user
last was active. This field is blank if the user has never been active in
Sisense.
Adding a New User
You can add users using the following methods:
Add new users by entering them one by one or in bulk
Add new users from your Active Directory database. Click here to learn how
to configure your Active Directory in Sisense
To add a new user:
Click . If a connection with Active Directory also exists, an
additional Import Many option is available. Click it to select a user from
Active Directory.

Fill in the user’s details in the window.

(Optional) The Language for your account is the language set by an
Administrator for your group or server. From the Language list, you can
override those settings and select the language you prefer to be displayed in
the Sisense Web Application.
Select the Role of the user:
Admin: Admins can access the Admin page of the Sisense Web
Application from where they can manage ElastiCubes, users, user
groups and more. Sisense supports multiple Admin users.
Data Admin: Data Admins can manage all data sources in the system.
They have access to the Admin page of the Sisense Web Application
from where they can manage ElastiCubes and Live connections. Data
Admins can also add and manage servers. This is useful for migrating
Sisense across environments. Data Admins do not have access to User
Management and System Configuration.
Data Designers: Data Designers can create and edit ElastiCubes they
created or were shared with them. Data Designers can access the
Admin page of the Sisense Web Application from where they can
manage the ElastiCubes and Live Connections they have access to in
the Data Sources section. In addition, Data Designers can see servers,
but can not add new servers. Data Designers do not have access to
User Management and System Configuration.
Designers: Designers can create, design, edit and share Dashboards.
Sisense Designers determine whether the user with who they share a
Dashboard has editing rights (is a Designer) or only viewing rights
(Viewer).
Viewers: Viewers can view, explore, drill down, make selections and
filter the Dashboards that Designers share with them. Viewers only
need a standard web browser; no plugins or downloads. They cannot
create new Dashboards or edit existing ones.
Click Save. The user then receives an email from Sisense that redirects the
user to activate their account and set a password.
To manually set a password for the new user:
Set the Define Password option to ON and enter a password before saving.

In this case, the user receives an invitation email. You must personally
notify the user of the password that you set for them.
Adding Multiple Users
To add multiple users:
Click the Import Many option at the top right of the Add users window.
In the displayed text box, paste a comma separated list of emails and click
Next.
The next screen enables you to assign User rights to the users that you
entered and to verify that the user count and permissions match your
license.
After you click Add, each user receives an activation email.
Editing an Existing User
To edit an existing user:
Click Admin and select the Users tab on the left.
Click on the right of the user’s entry in the list.
Deleting a User
To delete an existing user:
Click Admin in the upper right corner and select the Users tab on the left.
Click at the right of the user’s entry in the list.
Managing User Groups
This topic describes how to add and use user groups in Sisense.
How Do User Groups Work?
When building and sharing dashboards, wherever you can select a user, you
can also select a user group. For example, you can share a dashboard with
an entire user group at once.
When you add an additional user to an existing user group, the user receives
the role you assigned to them when you created that user
When users are added in Active Directory to a previously imported Active
Directory user group, then those users are automatically added to the
corresponding Sisense user group.
User groups can only contain users. They do not support nested user groups.
Additional users cannot be added to a user group that was imported from
Active Directory.
You can add users to a user group using the following methods:
Add existing Sisense users to a user group
Add a user group from Active Directory
Accessing User Group Management
You can add, edit and delete user groups, and assign users to them.
To access the user group settings:
Click Admin and select the Groups tab on the left. A list of the previously
defined user groups is displayed. The Origin column displays Sisense or
Active Directory to indicate whether the user group was defined in
Sisense or imported from Active Directory.
If no user groups have yet been defined, the following message is displayed: No
Groups Found
Adding a New User Group
The following procedure describes how to add a new user group by selecting
users from existing users in Sisense.
See Adding a User Group from Active Directory for a description of how to add a
user group from Active Directory.
To add a new user group:
Click Admin and select the Groups tab on the left.
Click Add Group.

In a Group Name field, enter the name for this user group.
In the Group Users field select each of the users that belong to this group. To
add each user, start typing in the user’s name. An auto-complete list is
displayed showing the users that already exist in Sisense. Select a username
to add to the group.
Note: If you want, you can leave the group empty and add members to it
later.
(Optional) The Default Language for a group is the language set by an
Administrator for that server. From the Default Language list, you can select
another default language for a group. For example, if your server supports
groups located in different countries, you can set the language for each
group.
(Optional) Select the default user role. If you have implemented SSO over
SAML, each member of the group is assigned this role when they log in for
the first time.
(Optional) The Session Inactivity Timeout options are displayed only if
you have selected Session Inactivity for your session management. You can
use the system default for a group or manually set how many minutes must
pass before the group’s users are logged out.
Note: If the user belongs to multiple groups, the highest timeout settings
are applied to that user.
For more information about these settings, see Managing User Sessions.
Click Create.
Adding Users to an Existing User Group
The following procedure describes how to add one or more users to an existing
user group.
To add multiple users to a user group:
Click Admin and select the Users tab on the left.
Select the relevant users.
Click + Add to Group.
In the Group Users field, you can type additional usernames to add more
users. An auto-complete list is displayed showing the users that already
exist in Sisense. Select a username to add to the group.
Click Add.
Adding Users to an Existing User Group
The following procedure describes how to add one or more users to an existing
user group.
To add multiple users to a user group:
Click Admin and select the Users tab on the left.
Select the relevant users and click to edit their profile.

Click + Add to Group.

In Group Users, you can type additional groups to add the user to the
groups. An auto-complete list is displayed showing the Sisense and Active
Directory groups that already exist in Sisense. Select a group to add the user
to it.v
Click Save.
Editing an Existing User Group
To edit an existing user group:
Click Admin and select the Groups tab on the left.
Click on the right of the user group’s entry in the list.
Note: To remove a user from the Group, hover over the user name in the
list and click .
Deleting a User Group
When a user group that was entered in Sisense is deleted, its users are not
deleted. They remain active users in Sisense.
When a user group that was imported from Active Directory is deleted, a prompt
is displayed asking whether you want to also delete all the users in this user
group from Sisense.
To delete an existing user group:
Click Admin and select the Groups tab on the left.
Click at the right of the user group’s entry in the list.
User Sessions
You can view a list of all the users currently logged into your Sisense account in
the Session Table.

The Sessions Tables provides the following information about the users
currently logged into your Sisense account:
Username: The Sisense username
Name: The user’s first and last name
Domain: The part of the user’s email address after the @ sign
Current Sessions: The number of sessions the user has open
Session Duration: The amount of time from the first session until now
The Session Table is useful for monitoring who is currently logged in and who
might be abusing their license. For example, if you need to declare some
downtime, you can view the currently logged in users and end their sessions
manually by revoking their session.
If you believe that a user is abusing their license, you can check the Current
Sessions column to see how many sessions they currently have open. Users can
open multiple tabs in their browser to open multiple sessions, or by sharing their
account information with other users. To view which users have the most
sessions currently open, click the Current Sessions table heading.

Note: User session in Sisense Mobile are not included in the Sessions table.
Revoking a Session
From the Session Table, you can revoke a user’s session. Revoking the session
ends the user’s current session. It does not revoke the user’s API tokens.
When a user’s session ends, the next time the user tries to perform an action in
Sisense, a message is displayed that the session has ended and your users are
prompted to log in again.
To revoke a session:
In the Admin page, select Sessions Table.
Locate the relevant user in the Session table. You can click and enter the
user’s information in the Search field to locate the user quickly. As you
begin to type, the results are filtered.
For the relevant user, click and confirm that you want to revoke the
session by clicking Revoke. The next time the user performs an action in
Sisense, they are redirected back to the Login page.
Setting Session Inactivity Timeouts
When a user signs into Sisense, a session cookie is stored in their browser. The
session cookie allows the user to remain logged in and authenticated even after
ending a session for 7 days.
For security reasons, you may want to end your user’s session sooner. Sisense
provides two methods for ending a user session, according to the user’s cookie or
by the amount of session inactivity as recorded by Sisense.
When a user’s session ends, the next time the user tries to perform an action in
Sisense, a message is displayed that the session has ended and your users are
prompted to log in again.
After making any changes to your users’ session timeout settings, all of your
users’ sessions are terminated and the user is asked to log in again.
If you have implemented SSO, your users will be logged out and redirected to the
IdP to reauthenticate.
To set the session inactivity timeouts:
In Sisense, open the Admin page and select Settings.
In the Session Management area, select the method you want to use for
defining when a user’s session ends:
Cookie: Allows you to define how much time must pass before a user’s
session is ended according to the user’s cookie. This is the default behavior
for Sisense.
Expiration(days): The amount of days that must pass for a user’s
session to end. The default is 7 days. You can enter 0 so your users'
sessions do no expire so long as they have the cookie.
Show "Remember Me" checkbox on Login screen: Toggle to remove
the Remember Me checkbox from the Login screen. Disabling this
option means that if your user ends a session, they must log in again
the next time they try to access Sisense.

Session Inactivity: Allows you to define how many minutes of inactivity

must pass before a user or an Administrator is logged out.
Note: By selecting this option, you can set a custom session timeout for
your Sisense user groups. See Managing User Groups for more information.
Default Inactivity Timeout (min.): Determines how much time must
pass before a user is logged out. The default is 30 minutes.
Admin Inactivity Timeout (min.): Determines how much time must
pass before an Administrator is logged out. The default is 30 minutes.
Click Save to save your changes.
Customizing User Roles
This topic describes how to customize the permissions given to the Sisense user
roles, using Sisense’s REST API.
Click here to learn more about each role type.
For a short video tutorial, see below:
Customizing Roles
You can customize the default roles with Sisense’s REST API, by defining which
permissions to enable or disable for each role. For example, you can prevent a
user from drilling into widgets, or exporting data to a CSV file. On the other hand,
you may want to let viewers change the widget type and format the style.
The following table lists all the actions that you can customize using the API.
'True' and 'False' indicate values that you can change. 'Never' indicates values
that you cannot change.
Dashboards
Dashboards Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

create Tru Tru True True Nev

Create a new dashboard. e e er

duplicate Tru Tru True True Fals

Duplicate an existing dashboard. e e e

change_owner Tru Tru True True Fals

Change the dashboard' owner. e e e

toggle_edit_mode Tru Tru True True Fals

Select between Layout and View modes in the e e e
dashboard. Layout mode is the default mode
in which you can add new widgets and
rearrange them on the dashboard. In View
mode, the dashboard cannot be rearranged
Dashboards Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

or edited.

edit_script Tru Tru True True Nev

Edit a dashboard using the Sisense JavaScript e e er
API.

export_dash Tru Tru True True Nev

Export a dashboard as a .dash file that can be e e er
imported back into Sisense.

export_jpeg Tru Tru True True True

Download a widget as an image in PNG e e
format. The downloaded image represents
the current view.

export_pdf Tru Tru True True True

Export the dashboard to PDF format. The e e
exported file includes the current view.

restore Tru Tru True True True

Revert changes made in the dashboard to the e e
latest dashboard that was shared.

copy_to_server Tru Tru True True Fals

Copy the dashboard to another server. e e e

import Tru Tru True True Nev

Import a .dash file into the Sisense Web e e er
Application.
Dashboards Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

select_palette Tru Tru True True Nev

Change the selected color palette. e e er

replace_datasource Tru Tru True True Nev

Select a new data source for a dashboard. e e er

undo_import_dash Tru Tru True True Fals

e e e

Filters

create Tru Tru True True Fals

Create a new filter. e e e

on_off Tru Tru True True True

Switch filters on or off. e e

toggle_expansion Tru Tru True True True

Enable the expansion of filter settings to see e e
more filter parameters.

toggle_auto_update Tru Tru True True Fals

Include the option to update the dashboard e e e
following every change

modify_type Tru Tru True True Fals

Include in the filter options 'Ranking' and e e e
'Starred', in addition to 'List' and 'Text'.

set_defaults Tru Tru True True Fals

Include in the dashboard menu the option to e e e
Dashboards Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

set the dashboard filters as the default filters

for the dashboard.

advanced Tru Tru True True Fals

Include the Advanced menu option for e e e
creating custom filters.

use_starred Tru Tru True True Fals

Include the option to use filters that have e e e
been starred
Widgets
Widgets Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

create Tru Tru True True Nev

Create a new widget. e e er

delete Tru Tru True True Fals

Delete a widget. e e e

rename Tru Tru True True Fals

Rename a widget. e e e

duplicate Tru Tru True True Nev

Duplicate a widget. e e er

copy_to_dashboard Tru Tru True True Fals

Widgets Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

Copy a widget to a dashboard. This e e e

functionality allows you to drag and drop
widgets to additional dashboards in your
Navigation Pane.

edit_script Tru Tru True True Nev

Edit a widget using the JavaScript API. e e er

change_type Tru Tru True True Fals

Change the chart type. e e e

export_csv Tru Tru True True True

Export a widget's data to a CSV file. e e

export_png Tru Tru True True True

Download a widget as an image in the PNG e e
format. The downloaded image represents
the current view.

modify_selection_mode Tru Tru True True Fals

Enable the option to change the filter e e e
behavior between 'Slice' (only filtered items
are included in the chart) and 'Highlight'
(filters items are highlighted).

drill_to_anywhere Tru Tru True True True

Enable the option to drill down into a filed to e e
get an in-depth view of a selected value. If
Widgets Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

False, the user can only drill down with

predefined drill hierarchies (if defined).

add_to_pulse Tru Tru True True True

Include the option to add a widget to Pulse if e e
the widget type is supported.

Items
reorder Tru Tru True True Fals
Reorder the fields and values in the data e e e
panel and their representation in the chart.

modify_type Tru Tru True True Nev

Enables the option to edit values and e e er
categories in the data panel.

on_off Tru Tru True True True

Enable the option to turn fields on or off in e e
the widget.

select_hierarchies Tru Tru True True Fals

Include the option to select pre-defined e e e
hierarchies.

Filters
on_off Tru Tru True True Fals
Switch filters on or off. e e e

toggle_expansion Tru Tru True True True

Widgets Ad Dat Data Desig Vie
min a Desig ner wer
Ad ner
min

Enable the expansion of filter settings to e e

display more filter parameters.

modify Tru Tru True True Fals

e e e

modify_type Tru Tru True True Fals

Include in the filter options 'Ranking' and e e e
'Starred', in addition to 'List' and 'Text'

use_starred Tru Tru True True Fals

Enables the option to star (bookmark as e e e
favorite) a filter selection.
ElastiCubes
This object is not displayed in the Sisense REST API, however, you can still toggle
these features through the POST /roles/{idOrName}/manifest/{path} endpoint.
The value of path should be in the format of manage/elasticubes/[value], where
[value] is the feature listed in the table below.

ElastiCubes Ad Data Data Desig View

min Admin Designer ner er
ElastiCubes Ad Data Data Desig View
min Admin Designer ner er

add True True True False False

Allows the user to add new
ElastiCubes.

schedule_build True True True False False

Allows the user to schedule builds
for an ElastiCube.

modify_data_security_rights True True True False False

Allows editing the row-based data
security permissions.
Changing Permissions

To change permissions for a user role:

In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin at the top-right of the screen,
and then REST API in the left menu.
Click REST API Reference to view the API documentation.
In the API Documentation, select version 0.9 on the top-right of the screen.
Click roles to access the different API operations related to roles.
Open the operation that you require (see "Examples" on page 854 below),
and then click Test It Out.
In the list of fields that opens, enter or select the required parameters.
Note: The API uses a previous terminology for Designers and Viewers.
When entering the role name into the operation parameters, enter
'contributor' for the Designer role, and 'consumer' for the Viewer role.
When changing a permission for a role, you must use the Path parameter,
which defines the relative path to the permission you want to change in the
hierarchy of permissions. To view the current hierarchy of permissions,
scroll down to the Example Value in the Responses section. For example,
to change the ‘Create’ setting for dashboard filters, enter
'dashboards/filters/'. To create dashboards, enter 'dashboards/'.
Append your path with the "/" symbol.

When changing a permission for a role, go right into the list of permissions in
the Manifest parameter, and type in the desired permission (for example,
change 'true' to 'false').

Then remove everything else from the list of permissions, including the
heading ("dashboards":), the brackets and the extra commas.

Click Execute to apply the changes.

Scroll down to the Responses section to verify that the response has no
errors.
Once you have no errors, your change is applied to all users assigned the relevant
role.
Examples

Here are some examples of what you can do:

See all Method: Get /roles
permissi Parameters
ons for includeManifest – Use the default setting (true)
all roles compiledRoles – Use the default setting (true)
Example API Call
/api/roles?includeManifest=true&compiledRoles=tru
e

See all Method: GET /roles/{idOrName}

settings Parameters
for a idOrName – The role name can be one of the following:
admin, contributor, consumer
specific
compiledRole – Use the default setting (true)
role
Example API Call
/api/roles/consumer?compiledRole=true

Change a Method: PUT /roles/{idOrName}/manifest/{path}

specific Parameters
setting idOrName – The role name can be one of the following:
admin, contributor, consumer.
for a
Path – Enter the path to the setting that you want to change
specific
as it appears in the hierarchy. Do not include the setting in
role the path. Example: To change the ‘Create’ setting for
dashboard filters, enter dashboards/filters/. For creating
dashboards, enter /dashboards. See the reference table
above for more settings.
Manifest – Defines whether to enable or disable the
setting. For example, to enable ‘create’, type in: {“create”:
true}
Example API Call
/api/roles/viewer/manifest/dashboards/filters
Note: You can use POST to do the same action, but for POST all
other options will be reset to their default settings.

Restore Method: DELETE /roles/{idOrName}/manifest/{path}

a specific Parameters
setting idOrName – The role name can be one of the following:
super, dataDesigner, dataAdmin, admin, contributor,
for a
consumer.
specific
Path – Enter the full path of the setting you want to change,
role as it appears in the hierarchy. Example:
dashboards/filters/modify_type. See the reference table
above for more settings.
Example API Call
/api/roles/viewer/manifest/dashboards/filters/mod
ify_type

Restore Method: DELETE /roles/{idOrName}/manifest/{path}

all Parameters
settings idOrName – The role name can be one of the following:
super, dataDesigner, dataAdmin, admin, contributor,
for a
consumer.
specific
Path – / Enter just a slash to restore all settings.
role
Example API Call
/api/roles/viewer/manifest/
Integrating Active Directory
Sisense supports integrating Active Directory users and groups with your
current Sisense users, so that you can share dashboards and email reports with
any of your users. This works in parallel with Sisense’s existing User
Management, so you can continue to add users and user groups that are not part
of the Active Directory domain.
To enable Sisense to identify your Active Directory users, you import your Active
Directory users and groups into Sisense. When you import an Active Directory
user, Sisense automatically creates a Sisense user. When you import an Active
Directory group, Sisense does not automatically create a Sisense user for each
member. The first time a member of an Active Directory group logs into Sisense,
then Sisense automatically creates a Sisense user. Active Directory users that do
not log in, are not assigned a Sisense user until their first login.
For secure connections to Active Directory, Sisense supports LDAP-S (LDAP over
SSL), which encrypts communication between Sisense and your Active Directory.
If your Active Directory supports SSL, you can upload your PFX certificate and
PFX password for each Active Directory domain while defining your Active
Directory settings in Sisense. PFX files contain the public key file (SSL certificate
file) and the associated private key file in a single file. These files are generated
and provided by you.
This topic describes how to configure Active Directory in Sisense, and how to
import users and user groups from Active Directory.
Adding an Active Directory Domain to
Sisense
From the Active Directory page, you can add Active Directory domains to your
Sisense configuration. Each Active Directory domain you add to your Sisense
configuration is added to the Active Directory list displayed in the Active
Directory page. The first time you open the Active Directory page, the Add
Domain link is displayed, which you can click to begin adding Active Directory
domains.
After you have added your first Active Directory domain, it is displayed in the
Active Directory list.
From the Active Directory list, you can add additional Active Directory domains.
Each Active Directory domain you add to Sisense enables you to share your
dashboards and reports with users from any of the domains as well as Sisense
users not part an Active Directory.
You can filter the list of the Active Directory domains by entering the name of the
relevant domain in the Search field.
To add an Active Directory:
Click Admin and select the Active Directory tab on the left.
In Active Directory, click Add Domain.
In the Add Domain window, fill in the Active Directory configuration fields
to point to your Active Directory instance:

Name: The name of your Active Directory domain. This name is used to
locate your Active Directory domain in Sisense when you have
multiple domains.
Connection String: The full path to your Active Directory domain.
Example: ldap://dc.domain.com (Or ldaps://dc.domain.com for
secure connections)
Base DN: The Active Directory location from where a server searches
for users. Enter the domain by its distinguished name (DN) with its
domain components (DC) connected by commas.
For example: For the domain domain.sisense.test, use
DC=domain,DC=sisense,DC=test.
Note: If you have a hierarchy of user groups in your organization, you
can define the hierarchy in your string as follows:
If your domain is domain.sisense.com/OU1/OU2, then use OU=OU2,
OU=OU1,DC=domain,DC=sisense,DC=com. Only users and user
groups from OU2 will be available. Users/groups under OU1 will not
be available.
Username: Enter the username with domain. Example:
domain\username
Password: Enter the password for your Active Directory instance.
Sync data every: Enter how often Sisense automatically synchronizes
with the users and groups in this Active Directory domain in
milliseconds.
SSL Enabled: Select to enable a secure connection to your Active
Directory. When you select SSL Enabled, the PFX Upload area and
PFX Password field are displayed. In the PFX Upload area, drag the
PFX file into the browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. In
PFX Password, enter the password you received after your PFX was
generated.
Click Test to verify that your configuration successfully connects to your
Active Directory domain.
Click Save.
Editing Active Directory Domain Settings

To edit an Active Directory domain:

From the Active Directory list, select for the Active Directory settings you
want to edit. The Edit Active Directory window is displayed.
In the Edit Active Directory window, edit the relevant fields. See Adding an
Active Directory in Sisense for more information about each field.
Click Save.
Disabling an Active Directory Domain

Supports allows you to disable Active Directory domains in Sisense.

An Active Directory domain that has been disabled is still displayed in the Active
Directory list, however, users from this domain will not be able to log in to
Sisense, and you will not be able to share dashboards or reports with them.
Disabled Active Directory domains have the status Disabled in the Status column
in the Active Directory list.
To disable an Active Directory domain:
From the Active Directory list, select > Disable for the Active Directory
domain you want to disable. The Active Directory domain is disabled.
You can enable the Active Directory domain by selecting > Enable.
Deleting an Active Directory

You can delete an Active Directory domain from your configuration. When you
delete an Active Directory domain, the users included in that domain are no
longer displayed when sharing dashboards or reports. Deleted Active Directory
domains cannot be restored, however you can add the Active Directory domain
again from the Active Directory page.
To delete an Active Directory domain:
From the Active Directory list, select for the Active Directory settings you
want to delete. The Delete Active Directory window is displayed.
Click Delete. The Active Directory domain settings are removed from Sisense.
Adding a User from Active Directory
Once a connection with Active Directory has been established, an additional
Import from External Server option is added to the Add Users button in the
User tab.
The user’s username and email will be added from Active Directory.
Note: You can add a user from Active Directory, even if you have not imported
that user’s user group from Active Directory.
See Managing Dashboard Users for general information about working with
users/user groups in Sisense.
Associating a Sisense User with an Active
Directory User
Once a connection with Active Directory has been established, you can associate
Sisense users to your Active Directory users in the User tab. Associating a Sisense
user with an Active Directory allows you to manage your Sisense users from
Active Directory. For example, after associating your users, if you need to delete a
user, you can remove them from Active Directory and they will no longer be able
to access Sisense. Another example is if you have an Active Directory user and a
Sisense user with their own dashboards or ElastiCubes, you can associate the
accounts so you don’t need to create a new Active Directory user for your Sisense
account.
To associate a Sisense user:
From the Users tab of the Admin page, click to edit the relevant Sisense
user.
If Active Directory is not enabled, toggle the switch to enable it.

Select the relevant Active Directory domain and locate your Active Directory
user.

An auto-complete list is displayed showing the Active Directory users.

Select a username to add to the group.
Click Save to associate the accounts.
Adding a User Group from Active Directory
Once a connection with Active Directory has been established, an additional
Import from Active Directory option is added to the Add Group button in the
Groups tab.
The following procedure describes how to import a list of users from a group in
Active Directory to Sisense.
Users that are added in this way only appear in the Sisense users list after each
user logs in to Sisense. In this way, your Sisense license slots are only consumed
by users who actually log in to Sisense.
To add a user group from Active Directory:
Click Admin and select the Groups tab on the left.
Click the Add Group button and then select the From Active Directory
option from the menu.
In the Search Active Directory Group field start typing in the name of the
desired Active Directory Group. An auto-complete dropdown menu is
displayed from which you can select a user group.

If an Active Directory user group has already been imported into Sisense,
the words Group already selected appear next to it, as shown above. You
can add multiple Active Directory groups, by selecting one group after
another. The groups appear in this window as follows:
Select the default Role for the members of this user group: Viewer or
Designer. It will be assigned to new users from this group, when the users
are created. Subsequently, user’s role can be changed in the Sisense Users
list.
Changes to a group’s default role will affect users created after that time,
but will not affect existing users.
Click Add.
Account Lockout Thresholds
You can prevent brute-force account attacks in Sisense by limiting the number of
failed login attempts that can be performed before an account is locked.
In the Settings tab of the Admin page, you can set your account lockout
thresholds for your users. Account lockout thresholds determine after how many
failed login attempts a user is locked out of Sisense and for how long. A locked
account cannot be used until you unlock it or until the number of minutes
specified by the Account lockout duration policy setting expires.
Setting Account Lockout Thresholds
To set your account lockout thresholds:
In the Admin page, click Settings. The Account Lockout settings are
displayed on the bottom of your Settings.

By default, Account Lockout is enabled. If it is not, toggle the Account Lockout

switch to turn on account lockout thresholds.
In Number of failed login attempts before lockout, enter how many
attempts a user may fail before they are locked out.
In Lockout duration (minutes), enter the amount of time, in minutes, that a
user is locked out for after exceeding the amount of failed login attempts.
(Optional) You can define the period of time where if the user exceeds the
amount of failed login attempts, they are locked out through the Sisense
REST API. See Managing Account Lockout Settings via the REST API for
more information.
Click Save.
Unlocking Accounts
To unlock a locked user account:
In the Admin page, click Users.
For the relevant locked user, click . The user’s account settings are
displayed.

Click Account Locked to unlock the user.

Click Save. The user can now log in.
Managing Account Lockout Settings via the
REST API
You can manage your Account Lockout thresholds through the REST API. Sisense
provides two endpoints:
GET /settings/login_lockout
PATCH /settings/login_lockout
The GET endpoint returns your current threshold settings while PATCH enables
you to update these settings.
The table below describes the parameters you can return and update through the
login_lockout endpoints.
Parameter Type Description

enabled boolean Determines if the Account Login threshold is active. The

default value is true.

maxFailedAttempts number How many failed login attempts must occur before a
user is locked out.

failedAttemptsPeriod number The period of time, in minutes, where if the user

exceeds the amount of failed login attempts, they are
locked out.

lockoutPeriod number The amount of time in minutes that a user is locked out
for after exceeding the allowed amount of login
attempts.
To access the login_lockout endpoints:
Access the Sisense REST API.

In version 1.0 of the REST API, the login_lockout endpoints are located under
/Settings.
Introduction to SSO
Single Sign-On (SSO) is a mechanism that allows a system to authenticate users
and subsequently tell Sisense that the user has been authenticated. The user is
then allowed to access Sisense without being prompted to enter separate login
credentials.
The SSO security mechanism allows Sisense to trust the login requests it gets
from your corporate authentication system, and grant access to the users that
have been authenticated by it. An SSO session begins when the authenticated
user requests a secured resource from Sisense while logged into your site or
application. The user’s browser sends an HTTP request to Sisense that includes a
cookie which contains session and authentication information. This information
is then used for session validation.
Users who already have Sisense accounts can continue to access Sisense through
the Sisense Login page with their current accounts. To prevent users from
directly logging in to Sisense instead of your login page, your Sisense
administrator can change the passwords of your current users forcing them to
log in with your company’s credentials in your company’s login page.
Sisense recommends that administrators always keep a Sisense password, so
that the administrator can access Sisense in case the SSO server is not available.
Sisense SSO supports two SSO protocols for securing the exchange of user
authentication data , JSON Web Token (JWT) and SSO via SAML 2.0 (Security
Assertion Markup Language). For more information, see SSO via JWT or SSO via
SAML 2.0.
SSO via JWT
JWT is a technique that can be used for single sign-on (SSO) between your site
and Sisense. JWT is a token that represents your users credentials wrapped in a
single query string. In addition, Sisense uses the jti parameter (see below), which
adds a unique ID to the token that prevents the token from being used more than
once, thus preventing attacks on the system (also known as replay attacks).
The Sisense SSO via JWT authentication flow is explained in the following
diagram.
Note: See the Developers Community for a tutorial that shows how to implement
SSO via JWT.
SSO Authentication Flow
The following is a diagram of the SSO authentication flow from your site or
application to Sisense.

Your user requests a resource from Sisense, typically a dashboard.

Sisense recognizes that no authenticated cookie is present. If you have
enabled SSO in Sisense, the SSO handler redirects the user to your Remote
Login URL defined in the Sisense Web Application.

Your user is challenged to authenticate their account.

Your Remote Login application authenticates your user and generates a JWT
(JSON Web Token).
You redirect the user back to Sisense with the encoded JWT in a query string.
Sisense sets a cookie that authenticates the user’s session until they end it
or you log them out via the Sisense REST API. For more information see
Logging Users Out.
Sisense provides the authenticated user with the request resource.
A common scenario that illustrates SSO is when an unauthenticated user
navigates to your site in which Sisense is embedded via an iFrame. Sisense
redirects this user to your SSO script. Your script authenticates the user through
your login process and builds a JWT request with all the relevant credentials
wrapped together. You then redirect the customer back to Sisense with the JWT
payload. Sisense then decodes the user details from the JWT payload and then
grants the user a session.
Configuring SSO in Sisense
While SSO is highly customizable, there are generally four steps you should
complete when configuring SSO:
Note: Configuring SSO requires technical expertise and should be conducted by
an administrator or developer with SSO experience.
Enabling SSO in Sisense: Through the Sisense Web Application, an
administrator can enable SSO in Sisense and define the relevant Login and
Logout URLs.
Creating a JWT: After you authenticate a user, you generate a JWT with the
user’s credentials to Sisense, so Sisense knows this user is allowed to access
resources from Sisense through your site.
Logging Users Out: A user can access Sisense so long as a session is
maintained. To end a session, the user’s cookie that Sisense provides must
be deleted. To delete this cookie, you can use the Sisense REST API.
Enabling SSO in Sisense
For Sisense to recognize that your users should be authenticated through SSO,
you must enable SSO in the Sisense Web Application. In the SSO menu of the
Admin page of the Sisense Web Application, you define the URL where Sisense
redirects users to authenticate on your side and where Sisense redirects users
after they log out from Sisense.
When you access the SSO menu of the Admin page, Sisense displays the Shared
Secret key. The Shared Key is a JWT encryption public key used to encrypt the
JWT payload. It is generated once when the SSO configuration is saved. You
include this key in the JWT payload when redirecting the user back to Sisense
after authenticating them on your side.
To access and set up SSO:
Log into Sisense.
Select Admin screen and click Single Sign On in the left menu.
Fill in the following SSO configuration fields:
Remote Login URL: This is the URL that Sisense will invoke to attempt
remote authentication. In that endpoint the participating application user
authentication script is triggered and the JWT payload is generated.
Remote Logout URL: This is the URL that users will be redirected to after
they log out from Sisense (i.e. the participating application’s home page).
Click Save.
Creating a JWT
Your script builds a JWT request that contains the user data.
The table below provides a list and descriptions of the attributes your JWT
should contain.
In addition, several samples are provided below in various languages.
Attribute Mandatory Description

typ Yes Define the type of token with the attribute typ. You
should also specify HS256 as the JWT algorithm in the
header of your JWT payload.
{
"typ":"JWT",
"alg":"HS256"
}
iat Yes Issued at the time the token was generated. This is
used to help ensure that a given token gets used
shortly after it is generated. The value must be the
number of seconds since UNIX epoch. Sisense allows
up to five minutes clock skew.
Note: The date must be an integer and not a float.
sub Yes Email of the user being signed in, used to
uniquely identify the user in Sisense. If the user
does not exist in Sisense, it will be created with
default viewer privileges.

jti Yes* A unique string added to the token that is used to

prevent replay attacks, by making sure the token
Attribute Mandatory Description

is used only once.

* You can set this attribute as optional in the Sisense REST API v1.0 through the
POST settings/SSO endpoint.
SSO Code Samples
C#
Java
Javascript
PHP
Ruby
Python
return_to URL

After your users successfully authenticate, Sisense returns them to a URL defined
as the return_to URL.
For example:
https://yourcompany.sisense.com/dashboards/
To define the return_to URL in Sisense:
In your browser, open the Configuration Manager located at
http://localhost:3030.
In SSO Return to, enter your base URL.
Click Save to save your changes.
Logging Users Out
When a user is logged in, anyone using that browser can access the session, or
users may encounter an issue where they remain logged in until the Sisense
cookie is cleared.
Users are logged out when the session ends. A session ends when the user closes
their browser or according to the value of the attribute exp you send in the JWT
payload.
You can log the user out through the Sisense REST API.
To manually log a user out, access version .9 of the REST API. Through the Auth
method, you can issue a get request to log out specific users.

While the logout REST API can delete the SSO authentication cookie, it can only
delete it when the call is made from within the Sisense domain. Scripts on
different pages can access each other only if the pages that executed them are at
locations with the same protocol.
If you have embedded Sisense in an iFrame and you want to log out the user from
your application and Sisense, you can use the window.postMessage method to
call the logout when the users asks to logout from your application. This method
overcomes any cross-origin communication limitations. Sisense has created a
plugin that implements a listener, which calls the Logout API when the
postMessage method() is called. For more information, click here.
SSO via SAML 2.0
The Sisense SAML authentication process is based on the SAML 2.0 protocol, and
is explained in the following diagrams:
Phase 1
The first phase of this process begins when a user requests a resource from
Sisense via their browser (1). The browser generates a resource request to the
Sisense server. The server processes this request (2), and for unauthenticated
users, returns a special save-hash page to save the requested hash data.
After the browser loads the save-hash page from the Sisense server, it runs a
script, which loads the requested resource hash from the URL and sends it to the
Sisense Server (3).
At the end of this phase, the Sisense Server converts the requested resource URL
and sends it to the browser as a part of the redirect to IdP Server command (4).
Phase 2
The second phase of the authentication process starts after the browser retrieves
the redirect command from the Sisense Server, and sends the authentication
request to the IdP Server (1) as described in the diagram below.

The base URL for this request is taken from the Remote Login URL field in the
Single Sign On section of the Admin page in the Sisense Web Application.
The requested resource address is passed to this request as a RelayState
parameter. All other data is provided as a SAMLRequest parameter.
The next step of this phase depends on the user authentication state and the IdP
implementation.
If the current user isn’t logged in as an IdP user, the IdP server redirects the
browser to your Login page (2), where the user enters their IdP credentials. After
logging in, the IdP Server sends the browser the Auto-Sign-In page with encoded
data about the currently logged-in user (4).
Note: Two-factor authentication for Sisense is supported for SSO providers that
support two-factor authentication.
After this document is loaded in the user’s browser, it runs a script which creates
the POST-query to the Sisense Server API, and passes the SAML response to this
query (1). At this time, the third phase of the authentication process begins.
Phase 3
The Sisense Server handles the POST-query (2), decrypts it with the certificate
specified in the Public X.509 Certificate field defined in the Single Sign On section
of the Admin page. The Sisense Server uses the decrypted User ID as a key to
locate the Sisense user in the internal database.

If a user is not found in the system, Sisense creates a new user (3).
Associating SSO Users with Sisense Groups

When Sisense creates a new user, Sisense analyzes the “memberOf” field to
locate one or more groups related to the logged-in user.
If the “memberOf” field is empty, the user is assigned the role: “Viewer”. If the
“memberOf” field contains one or more groups, and the groups were previously
defined in Sisense, the newly created users’ Role is taken from the groups’
default role. When multiple Sisense Groups are found, the user is assigned the
role with the maximum privileges.
After a user is created in the system, an administrator can modify the user role, if
needed.
Below, is an example of an SAML XML where the “Test” group is specified:

<saml:Attribute
NameFormat="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:attrname-
format:basic
Name="memberOf">
<saml:AttributeValue
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance"
xsi:type="xs:string">
Test
</saml:AttributeValue>
</saml:Attribute>

After the user is located or created, a new session is initialized, and the Sisense
Server redirects the user browser to the requested resource (4).
Enabling SSO via SAML in Sisense
After you have configured your SAML server, sign in to Sisense as an
Administrator and follow the instructions below.
To enable SAML in Sisense:
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin and select Single Sign On.

In the Single Sign On page, select SAML 2.0.

In the Remote Login URL field, enter the SAML Login endpoint. Sisense
redirects the user to this field when they sign in. This value should be
provided by the IdP Service.
In the Remote Logout URL field, enter the SAML Logout endpoint. Sisense
redirects the user to this field when they sign out. This value should be
provided by the IdP Service.
In the Public X.509 Certificate field, enter your public key for your SAML
configuration. This value should be provided by the IdP Service.
Click Save. SSO via SAML 2.0 is configured.
Sisense Default Role Set-Up
When an authenticated user is not found in the Sisense database, a new account
is created. The user role is specified based on the user group/groups default role.
To define a group’s role:
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin and select Groups.

Click Add Group. The Create a New Group window is displayed.

In the Create a New Group window, select the default role of the group.

Click Save.
Note: Changes to the group’s default role are applied when new users are
created, and do not affect existing users. After a user is created in the system, an
administrator can modify the user role, if needed.
Related Topics

For instructions on setting up Sisense with some 3rd-party providers, see:

Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 with Okta
Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 with OneLogin
Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 with Auth0
Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 With Salesforce
Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 With ADFS
Setting Up SSO SAML 2.0 With G Suite
Managing Your Users
Dashboards
As a Sisense Administrator, you can manage and interact with all dashboards in
the system, including your dashboards and dashboards of other users across
your system from the Analytics page.

For Administrators, the Analytics page is a centralized location for managing all
the dashboards in your system and performing administrative actions on them.
As an Administrator, you can perform the following operations:
Sharing the dashboard with other users in the system, or change the
dashboard’s owner
Accessing a user’s dashboard as a Viewer
Copying the dashboard to another server
Downloading a PDF of the dashboard
Deleting the dashboard
This is in addition to the functionality available to you for your own dashboards.
When you click the All Dashboards button on the Analytics page, you can see
all your dashboards and the dashboards of your users. A yellow border displayed
on top of the dashboard tile indicates that you are looking at the dashboard
version of one of your users, and not your copy of the dashboard. This can be
useful to view a dashboard that the owner modified, but has not yet republished
the changes.

You can click the dashboard tile to open the dashboard. When opening a
dashboard not shared with you, you will see the dashboard as a Viewer without
editing rights. If you need to modify the dashboard, you must first make yourself
the owner of the dashboard. You will then have full edit permissions for the
dashboard.
The menu on the right of the dashboard tile is from where you can manage your
or your users’ dashboards. The example below includes the options available to
you when the dashboard belongs to another user.

Keep in mind that the All Dashboards button is displayed only if the grid-view
area of the Analytics page is available to you. If you have rebranded the whole
Analytics landing page, the All Dashboards button will not be displayed. If you
rebrand just the top part of the Analytics landing page, the All Dashboards
button will be available. For Administrators, if you have enabled the Dashboard
Admin feature, the default Sisense Analytics page is displayed while all non-
admin users continue to see the rebranded page.
You can rebrand the top part of the Analytics and Data pages by defining the
URL of the marketingPart key, which is part of the POST /branding endpoint. The
marketingPart key is an iFrame that displays the Welcome banner and Sample
dashboards and ElastiCubes.
Note: This feature can be disabled over REST API, if you are not interested in
exposing the system dashboards to Administrators. See the
isAdminAccessAllDashboards key of the POST /settings/system endpoint for
more information.
For information on improving dashboard performance for your users, see
Maximize Dashboard Performance.
Data Management
The topics below describe how you can share data models with other users and
you can create drill hierarchies that you want to make available for Designers:
Adding and Removing ElastiCube Servers
Sharing ElastiCubes
Managing Drill Hierarchies
Adding and Removing
ElastiCube Servers
This topic describes how to manage your ElastiCubes.
By default, the Sisense Web Application is connected to the ElastiCube server
that is installed with it on the same machine.
By default, all ElastiCubes on that machine are accessible to all dashboard users,
and are visible under LOCALHOST.
Opening an ElastiCube in Sisense
You have a number of ways to open your ElastiCube in Sisense:
From the Sisense Web Application:
If you have an open dashboard, click on the ElastiCube name next to the
dashboard name. Select View in ElastiCube’s Page to open the ElastiCube
management page in the web app. In the ElastiCubes page, select the
ElastiCube and click Open. To open the ElastiCube of the open dashboard,
click Open Sisense .

From Windows: From the Start menu, open the ElastiCube Manager.
Adding Another ElastiCube Server
To add another ElastiCube Server to Sisense:
Click Admin and select the Data Sources tab on the left.
Click Add Server.

Select whether this ElastiCube Server is intended for Admins only. This
selection also applies to all new ElastiCubes that will be added to this
ElastiCube Server. A user that has access to an ElastiCube Server can access
all the ElastiCubes on it.
Add the IP of the ElastiCube Server to which you want to connect and click
Add Server. The new ElastiCube Server is added to the list with all
itsElastiCubes.
Click Save. Once a new ElastiCube Server has been added, its ElastiCubes
immediately become available to all designers (by default) when they
create a new Dashboard.
To define which users are allowed to access the data of an ElastiCube Server,
see Assigning Rights to an ElastiCube Server.
To define which users are allowed to access each specific ElastiCube, see
Assigning Rights to an ElastiCube.
Removing an ElastiCube Server
To remove an ElastiCube server from the list:
In the Data Sources page, for the relevant server, click the Trash button.
Note: The LOCAL MACHINE server cannot be removed.
Sharing ElastiCube Models
You can share ElastiCube models with other Sisense users through the Admin
page.
There are two types of access rights that can be assigned to a Sisense user, edit
rights and query rights. Edit rights allow the user to modify the ElastiCube
model, while query rights allow the user to query or create a dashboard based on
the shared model, but not modify it.
The user's role determines what access they have and what access can be
assigned to them when the ElastiCube model is shared.
Administrators and Data Administrators have edit rights to the ElastiCube model,
even without sharing the ElastiCube model with them. Data Designers can have
edit or query rights, while Designers can only have query rights.
When an ElastiCube model is created on the Data page, it is not shared with
anyone. This allows the model’s creator to work on the model and publish it only
once it's ready.
When you assign specific users/user groups access rights to this ElastiCube, then
only the users/user groups that you assign can access the ElastiCube.
When an ElastiCube is shared with other users, the ElastiCube is displayed in the
Data page with a list of the other shared users.
To share an ElastiCube:
In the Sisense, select Admin > Data Sources and then the menu icon for the
relevant ElastiCube.

Click Share.

Enter the names or groups of users with whom to share the ElastiCube.
Selecting Everyone specifies that this ElastiCube is shared with all Sisense
users and user groups.
The contact information of the people you add is listed in the center of the
window and is displayed the next time you open this window.
In the dropdown menu next to each user/user group select what rights the
user has. (You can only select the rights for a Data Designer as all other
roles have predefined permissions.)
Click Save.
Managing Drill Hierarchies
Dashboard viewers can drill down in most widgets to get an in-depth view of a
selected value. To make it easier for viewers to select drill-down paths,
Administrators can add predefined drill hierarchies to their widgets.
As an Administrator, you can create a pool of drill hierarchies, from which you
can select the drill hierarchies they want to include in the widgets they build.
This section describes how to create and manage the drill hierarchies that you
want to make available for designers.
To create a drill-down hierarchy:
Click Admin in the Sisense Web Application. In the left menu, select Data
Sources.
For the relevant ElastiCube, click and select Manage Hierarchies.

If this is the first hierarchy you are adding, select Add Hierarchy. If you
already have hierarchies, click Add Hierarchy in the top-right corner.
Select the field. This will be the first field in the drill hierarchy, and the same
field used in the widget.
Click Add Field to add the next level in the drill hierarchy. Repeat this step
for as many levels as you need.

Additional options include:

Always include with field: Select this checkbox to always include the drill
hierarchy in the widget for this field.
Editing the Hierarchy name: To edit the name of the drill hierarchy, click
on the pencil icon, and type in the name. Click on the tick icon to confirm the
change.
Editing the field name: To edit the name of a field in the hierarchy, hover
over the field name and click on the menu > Rename. Type in the name, and
click on the tick icon to confirm the change.

Add as many hierarchies as you need for the ElastiCube. When done,
dashboard designers will have access to the hierarchies in the widget
designer, and will be able to select and add them to the widget.

To change a field in a hierarchy:

Hover over the field in the hierarchy, and click on the menu that appears.
Click Change and select a different field.

To delete a hierarchy:
Click on the bin to the right of the hierarchy.
System Settings
Sisense Administrators can perform a variety of tasks related to implementing
and maintaining an implementation of Sisense.
The following topics describe system-related tasks that Sisense Administrators
are responsible for handling:
System Configuration
Internationalization and Localization
Managing Plug-ins
Setting Up a Custom Email Server
Sisense Narratives
Changing the Sisense Web
Application’s Language
Sisense supports multiple languages in the Sisense Web Application making it
easier to extract meaningful insights from your data in your users’ local language.
The following images display two interfaces, one in English and the other in
Spanish.
English Spanish
What has been Translated?
Sisense has translated text that your users might see including menu names,
buttons, messages, and other elements in the Sisense Web Application.
Translating the Sisense Web Application does not affect your data or how it is
displayed.
The Sisense Web Application has been localized to the following languages:
Chinese (Simple)
French (France)
German
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese (BR)
Russian
Spanish (ES)
Spanish (LA)
Dutch
Note, the following content is not being localized:
Built-in Javascript editor
ElastiCube Manager and Server Console
Sisense documentation and online help
REST API and documentation
Sisense automated emails
Note: You can use your own translation of Sisense automated emails by defining
your own. Click here for more information.
Changing Sisense’s Default Language
Administrators can select the default language for the Sisense Web Application.
Setting the default language affects all users and groups who access the Sisense
dashboard. Additionally, Administrators can then set the language for specific
groups and users when adding new users or by editing a group or user account.
After selecting a new language, each string with a translation is displayed in that
language across all your Sisense users’ interfaces.
If you have defined a custom translation, the name of the language as defined in
the settings.json is displayed in this list. See Embedding Custom Languages
below for more information.
Sisense’s default language is English. After changing the system language, you
can revert back to the English or any other language by selecting it from the list.
To modify your default language:
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin in the top menu, and then
Settings in the left menu.
Select the relevant language from the Language list. After selecting the
language, the UI is immediately translated.
Click Save. The Sisense Web Application is translated in the selected
language.
Embedding Customized Languages
Sisense enables you to display your own translations in the Sisense Web
Application by replacing the values of strings in any language you choose.
You can embed customized languages by modifying configuration and resource
files replacing the string values according to your requirements.
For example, in the homepage of the Sisense Web Application, the word
“Explore” is displayed. In the resource file home.js, you can modify the value of
this string to display your own text as shown below.

"welcome_user": "Welcome",
"explore": {
"explore": "Explore",
"learn": "Learn & find new tips
& tricks",
"links": {

"welcome_user": "Welcome",
"explore": {
"explore": "TEST",
"learn": "Learn & find new tips
& tricks",
"links": {

In addition to modifying the resource files, you must modify the settings.json file
and specify your language’s name and update the version. In this example, the
language has been changed to “test” and the version increased from 1.0.0 to 1.0.1.
{ “displayName”: “test”, “version”: “1.0.1” }
The value of “displayName” is displayed as your language’s name in Default
Language list on the System Configuration page. In the example below, the
displayed was set to Test.
Upgrading Sisense may replace the bundled translation files. If you wish to
modify a bundled language, copy of all of the translation files to a new directory,
and change the copied versions to prevent your translation from being
overwritten.
To customize the Sisense Web Application’s language:
Navigate to the directory ...\Program
Files\Sisense\app\translations\.
In the \translations directory, copy the en-us(default) directory, paste it in
the \translation directory and rename it.
In the new directory, open each resource file and translate the strings into the
desired language saving each file after your changes are made.
Open the settings.json file and replace the following key values:
displayName: Enter the name of the language.
version: Enter the name of the new version. Currently, the version is 1.0.0.
For each version, increase this value, for example, 1.0.1.
Save the changes in a file called settings.json in your new language folder.
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin in the top menu, and then
Settings in the left menu.
Select your customized translation from the Language list. The Sisense Web
Application is displayed in your customized translation.
Click Save.
Internationalization and
Localization
Sisense supports localization and internationalization by displaying your users’
native language in the Sisense Web Application. You can select the language
displayed in the Sisense Web Application from a list of languages provided by
Sisense or display your own translation. Each time you select a language, the
Sisense Web Application interface is displayed in that language.
When you change the default language displayed in the Sisense Web Application,
words that are part of the Sisense framework such as menu items, buttons, and
messages are displayed in the selected language. Words specific to your
dashboard, such as table names, field names, and filters, are not automatically
translated when you select a new language to display. These words are called
metadata and you can provide your own translation of these terms and display
those translations to your users through a Dashboard script.
For instructions on how to change the language displayed in the Sisense Web
Application, see Changing the Sisense Web Application’s Language.
For instructions on how to translate your metadata, see Translating Sisense
Metadata.
Translating Sisense Metadata
Sisense enables you to translate metadata in your users’ native language. Sisense
metadata is displayed in your users’ dashboards and includes the following:
ElastiCube fields
ElastiCube tables
Widget Titles
Dashboard Names
Folder Names
Saved formulas
Default and custom hierarchies
Customized renamed field titles
The following images display two interfaces with metadata, one in English and
the other in Russian.

English Russian
As fields such as ElastiCube names and tables are defined by you, these fields are
not translated when changing the default language of the Sisense Web
Application.
You can translate your metadata by modifying the default values using a
JavaScript plugin. Through the plugin, you define the new values to be displayed.
You may also include additional logic to determine which users or user groups
the translated values should be displayed to.
When you create a JavaScript plugin, you should create a folder for the plugin
and place it inside the plugins folder in the following location:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\plugins
In Linux:
See Uploading Files through the File Manager and upload the files to the plugins
folder.
OR
Upload all the folders to your Sisense Server through the File Manager. See
Uploading Files through the File Manager for more information.
If the \plugins\ folder does not exist, create it and then create a new folder
within the \plugins\ folder with the relevant files.
You can download an example of a Metadata Translation plugin here. This is just
an example, you define how your metadata is to be translated.
Extract the enclosed folder into the plugins folder.
This file contains a folder called Metadata and two files:
plugin.json: The plugin.json file contains the name of the plugin and a link to the
file that describes the plugin’s functionality, in this example, run.js.
run.js: The run.js file contains the plugin’s functionality and describes which
metadata is to be translated and how it is to be translated.
This example, and any metadata translation JavaScript file you write should
include three parts:
Provider Function: These functions provide the mapping context contained in
the Mapping object.
Event Subscription: This event is triggered when a datasource changes, and
calls the Provider function.
Mapping Object: Contains key/value pairs with your default and translated
metadata.
Provider Functions

The code sample below is an example of two Provider functions, the first is a
global provider function for folder and dashboard aliasing. The second is the
datasource provider function for translating ElastiCube and formula names. You
can replace the parameters in this example to provide the mapping context you
define in the Mapping object.
Global Provider
function (resolve, reject) {
//an ajax request or any other logic.
setTimeout(function () {
resolve(globalAliasing);
}, 0);
};
The following table describes the Provider function and its arguments:
Parameter Description

resolve A callback function which should be called with the provided aliasing
context object or without any parameter if aliases shouldn't be
provided for the datasource.

reject A callback function to be called in case of error, so the system can

properly handle it.
Datasource Provider
function (datasourceId, resolve, reject) {
//an ajax request or any other logic.
setTimeout(function () {
resolve(datasourceAliasing);
}, 0);
};
The following table describes the Provider function and its arguments:
Parameter Description

datasourceId An object that represents the ID of the datasource with the

following properties:
address
database
fullname
ID
title

resolve A callback function which should be called with the

provided aliasing context object or without any parameter
if aliases shouldn't be provided for the datasource.

reject A callback function to be called in case of error, so the

system can properly handle it.
Grouping Provider
The config object allows you to segment translated content per group. For
example, Group 1 can see dashboards translated while group two can see the
Data page translated. In the config object, you define the groupId and what alias
is assigned to that group.
var config = [
{
"groupId":"5bbb4d8fd8528537d5604777",
"aliasName":datasourceAliasing
},
{
"groupId":"5bf3c5035f56071a1cf1b37c",
"aliasName":datasourceAliasing_1
}
The following table describes the Provider function and its arguments:
Parameter Description

groupID Defines the group that an alias is to be assigned to.

You can retrieve the groupId through the GET /groups
endpoint in the Sisense REST API.

aliasname Defines which alias object to use for the group defined in the
groupID.
Event Subscription

To trigger the Provider functions, your plugin should include a handler for a
global event ‘beforealiascontextinit’.
In the example below, datasourceProviderFunction and globalAliasingProvider
are the Provider functions. The timeout parameter is optional and configures the
amount of time in milliseconds which the system waits for the aliasing context to
be resolved by the provider function. By default the system uses a timeout of
2000 ms
prism.on("beforealiascontextinit", function (ev, args) {
var timeout = 2000;
args.register(datasourceProviderFunction,
globalAliasingProvider, timeout);
});
Mapping Object

The translation context is a simple JavaScript object which contains key value
pairs for tables, columns, hierarchies, formulas and custom item titles, all case-
insensitive.
The sample below is a skeleton of a Mapping object that defines what metadata is
to be translated and its new value.

/**
* tables - aliases for table names
* "tables": {
* "table_name_1": "alias_1",
* "table_name_2": "alias_2",
* }
* columns - aliases for column names in scope of table
* "columns": {
* "table_name_1": {
* "column_name_1": "alias_for_column_name_1"
* "column_name_2": "alias_for_column_name_2"
* "column_name_3": "alias_for_column_name_3"
* },
* "table_name_2": {
* "column_name_1": "alias_for_column_name_1"
* "column_name_2": "alias_for_column_name_2"
* "column_name_3": "alias_for_column_name_3"
* }
* }
* titles - aliases for custom dimension titles, etc
* "titles": {
* "Custom title": "Alias",
* "Sample Revenue": "Sample Profit"
* },
* formulas - aliases for custom formula titles
* "formulas": {
* "Custom title": "Alias"
* },
* hierarchies - aliases for hierarchy titles
* "hierarchies": {
* "Custom title": "Alias"
* }
*/
var datasourceAliasing = {
"tables": {
"brand": "бренд",
"category": "категория",
"country": "страна",
"commerce": "коммерция"
},
"formulas": {
"Revenue": "Чистый доход"
},
"hierarchies": {
"Category by Brand and Age Range": "Категория через
Бренд и Год"
},
"titles": {
"CUSTOM REVENUE": "ДОХОДЫ"
},
"columns": {
"Brand": {
"Brand": "Бренд",
"Brand ID": "Бренд Id"
},
"Category": {
"Category": "Категория",
"Category ID": "Id Категории"
},
"Widgets": {
"Revenue": "Чистый доход",
},
"Commerce": {
"Age Range": "Возрастные диапазоны",
"Brand ID": "Id Бренда",
"Category ID": "Id Категории",
"Condition": "Состояние",
"Cost": "Затраты",
"Country ID": "Id Страны",
"Date": "Дата",
"Gender": "Пол",
"Quantity": "Количество",
"Revenue": "Доходы",
"Visit ID": "Id Посетителя"
},
"Country": {
"Country ID": "Id Страны",
"Country": "Страна"
}
}
};
/**
* Global object example
* folder - aliases for folder names
* "folder": {
* "folder_name_1": "alias_1",
* "folder_name_2": "alias_2",
* }
* dashboards- aliases for dashboard names
* "dashboards- ": {
* "dashboard_name_1": "alias_1",
* "dashboard_name_2": "alias_2",
* }*
*/
var globalAliasing = {
"folders": {
"New Folder": "Folder renamed",
"my folder": "my folder renamed",
"Any name": "любое название"
},
"dashboards": {
"Sample - Ecommerce (1)": "Коммерческий Dashboard",
"Sample - Healthcare": "Sample Healthcare renamed",
"Sample - Healthcare (1)": "Healthcare renamed",
"my dashboard": "my dashboard renamed"
},
};
System Configuration
The System Configuration settings let you define the web server’s alias, the first
day of the week, email settings, and more.
To update one or more System Configuration settings:
Click Admin in the top menu, and then Settings on the left.
Update one or more of the following settings:
Alias: Define the web server’s alias or IP address. This is especially
important when you have customized your domain name (alias), for
example, to prevent example, sharing dashboards from the incorrect
IP address. Reports will be sent from the alias entered in this field.
First Day of the Week: Select the first day of the week so all of your
Sisense users’ queries will be calculated according to the day you
define. By default, the first day of the week is Monday when querying
an ElastiCube. Sisense defines Monday as the first day according to ISO
8601. This means that when selecting filters such as Week 1, Week 2,
etc., the first day of the week is not that defined by first day of that
year, but rather the first Monday of the year. Each week starts on a
Monday and ends on a Sunday for 52-53 full weeks in a year.
Note: Changing the first day of week after using a dashboard or widget
filter/drill with Weeks filter in use might lead to bad results. To
resolve the issue, the Weeks filter should be removed and added again.
First Month of Fiscal Calendar: Select the first month of your
company’s fiscal calendar. By default, the first month of the fiscal
calendar is January.
Note: Changing the first month of the fiscal calendar after using a
dashboard or widget filter/drill with the related date fields is in use
might lead to bad results. To resolve the issue the date filter should be
removed and added again.
Default Language: Select the language to be displayed in Sisense. If you
have defined a custom translation, the name of the language as defined
in the settings.json is displayed in this list. Select it to display your
custom translation. For more information about custom translations,
click here.
Send Emails: You can disable sending emails. This will disable emails
sent when sharing dashboards as well as any scheduled email reports.
Pulse: Toggle to remove the Pulse page from the top menu bar and the
Pulse Notification Feed. This option hides the Pulse page from all
users in your system and stops sending Pulse notifications.
Dashboard Administration: Toggle to enable/disable the dashboard
administration feature. Turn this feature off if you do not want
Administrators to have access to all of the dashboards of every user in
the system in the Analytics page. For more information, see Managing
Your Users Dashboards.
Widget Narrative: Toggle to allow your Designers to add narratives to
widgets. For more information about this feature, see Sisense
Narratives.
Field Suggestions: You can toggle on field suggestions. Field
suggestions are displayed to Dashboard Designers to help them add
the relevant fields to widgets quickly and easily. For more information,
see Field Suggestions.
Exploration Paths: Toggle to enable Viewers to receive exploration
widgets in the dashboard, see Leverage AI to Uncover Hidden Insights.
End-User Scheduling: Toggle to allow the dashboard owners to enable
dashboard recipients to manage their own subscription setting, see
Sharing and Distributing Dashboards.
Session Management: You can choose which method to use for
handling the expiration of your users' sessions: Cookie or Session
Inactivity. For more information, see Managing User Sessions.
Embedded Domain White List: You can define which domains can
embed your dashboards into iFrames on their site. This is useful for
controlling where your dashboards can be embedded. In the Add
Domain field, enter each domain where your dashboards can be
embedded and click Add. If you do not add any domains, then your
dashboards can be embedded into any site. After adding a domain,
your dashboards can be embedded only in those domains.
Number of failed login attempts before lockout: Enter the number
of times a user can fail to log in before they are locked out of Sisense.
Lockout duration (minutes): Enter the number of minutes that a user
is locked out of Sisense.
Click Save to update your system settings.
License Utilization
Sisense provides your licensing information in the Admin page of the Sisense
Web Application.
In the License Utilization section, you can see when your license expires, how
many user licenses are in use for your account, and additional features that are
supported in your account.
The License Utilization section includes the following information:
Details Description

License The date when your Sisense license expires in the format of
Expiration Date Month/Day/Year.

Trial License Indicates if your license is for a trial or full version of Sisense.
True indicates that you are using a trial license.

Administrators The number of Administrator licenses in use out of the number

of available licenses in your account. Administrator licenses
includes Admin, Sys.Admin, and Data Admin.

Designers The number of Designer licenses in use out of the number of

available licenses in your account. Designer licenses include
Designers and Data Designers.

Viewers The number of Viewer licenses in use out of the number of

available licenses in your account.

High Availability Indicates if your account supports high availability.

Big Data Indicates if your account supports big data. Big data as defined
by Sisense is typically considered to be data sets above ~1 billion
Details Description

rows.
To access the License Utilization section:
Note: This section is accessible to System Administrators only.
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin and select License Utilization in
the left menu.
Configuration Manager
This topic provides an overview of the Sisense Configuration Manager, which you
can use to configure and administer a variety of functionality and services in
Sisense.
For example, you can use the Configuration Manager to perform the following
tasks:
Configure SSL in your Sisense environment
Configure your application database for high availability
Define where log files are stored and how detailed your logs are
The Configuration Manager can be accessed from your browser at
http://localhost:3030.
Below you can find descriptions of the fields that appear in the Configuration
Manager and how they relate to tasks you can perform in Sisense. When relevant,
links are provided to topics that provide a more in depth explanation of the field
and the tasks you typically use the field for.
Web Server
The following fields are used to configure SSL for your Sisense environment. You
should enable SSL if you have configured your web environment with SSL
security (HTTPS) and certificates. This will enable HTTPS in the URLs of shared
dashboards. For a complete explanation of these fields and their purpose, see
Setting up SSL.
Enable SSL: Toggle to enable/disable SSL.
Upload Certificate: Select the type of SSL certificate you are using.
SSL Certificate: Enter your SSL certificate.
SSL Key: Enter your SSL key.
Port: The port to be used when connecting to Sisense. The default value is 8081.
For traffic over a secure connection, typically, this port is 443.
After setting a new port, restart the following services in Windows Services:
Sisense.Identity
Sisense.Galaxy
Sisense.ECMServer
Sisense.Gateway
Proxy URL: This field is used for implementing Base URLs. See Configuring Base
URLs for more information.
Domain Binding: This field is used to allow external domains to access Sisense,
for example, if you have implemented iFrames. You can add multiple domains
separated by a comma and click Save to save your changes.
Build Node Server: When implementing a multi-node configuration, for
example for high availability, you must define which node is your build node in
the Configuration Manager. The address of the build node should be the server IP
address and not the server name.
Application Database
The following fields are used to communicate with your Sisense application
database. Typically, this is only necessary when implementing a high availability
environment. For more information, see High Availability.
Connection String: The connection string contains all the necessary attributes
for accessing the Sisense application database.
Encryption Key: The value of this field is the encryption key used by Sisense to
encrypt your application database users. This value is used when you need to
create users for your application database. See Hosting the Application Database
for more information
Logs
Sisense stores logs locally on your Sisense server. These logs are typically used
by Sisense Support when troubleshooting any issues with your Sisense
environment. You can define the location of these logs and the level of logging.
Path: The current path when Sisense stores logs. You can enter a new path for
your logs on your Sisense server.
Level: Select the level of logging.
General
The following fields are used to communicate with your Sisense Configuration
database and the Sisense Message Broker. Typically, this is only necessary when
implementing a high availability environment. For more information, see High
Availability.
ZooKeeper Connection String: The connection string to the configuration
database. Click Test to verify the connection. See Replicating Zookeeper for more
information.
RabbitMQ Connection String: The connection string to the Sisense message
broker. Click Test to verify the connection. See Replicating the Message Broker
for more information.
Manual Discovery Connections: This is used internally by Sisense Support and
does not need to be configured.
Sisense Migration
Many times, you may want to set up Sisense or upgrade Sisense in a development
environment before migrating it to your production environment. In a
development environment, you can test and verify your dashboard behavior and
data accuracy before publishing dashboards to a production environment.
The migration process for Sisense involves migrating your ElastiCubes,
dashboards, and Sisense system configuration.
Additionally, if you are using plugins, you will need to replace the Plugins folder
with your current plugins located at C:\Program
Files\Sisense\app\plugins.
Backing up your installation is recommended before a migration process, but
also on a regular basis for securing your data and Sisense configurations.
Note: The original server and the target servers to which Sisense is being
migrated must be running the same version of Sisense.
For a complete walk-through of the migration process, see the video below:
Next Steps
Migrating ElastiCubes
Migrating Dashboards
Migrating Sisense System Configurations
Migrating ElastiCubes
There are two ways to migrate your data to a new server, by exporting and
importing .ecube files or exporting and importing .ecdata files.
An .ecube file includes the model metadata: model schema and data connection
settings.
An .ecdata file includes both the model metadata and the data itself.
Both .ecdata and .ecube files can be used to make backups and transfer data
between ElastiCube Servers, depending on whether you want to move the
metadata only, or the metadata and data.. After building your ElastiCube from an
.ecube file, your ElastiCube with the metadata and the raw data combined is
stored in an .ecdata file.
You can migrate ElastiCubes with .ecube files or .ecdata files. As .ecdata files can
be quite large depending on how much data you imported, it may be easier to
migrate your .ecube files. The steps below describe how to migrate your Sisense
ElastiCubes via .ecube files. If you prefer to migrate the .ecdata files, see
Migrating .ecdata Files for more information.
Exporting .ecube Files
You can export .ecube files from the Sisense Desktop Manager. Once these files
have been exported, you can back them up with your source control and import
them into your target environment.
To export .ecube files:
In the Sisense Desktop Manager in the source environment, open the
ElastiCube you want to migrate.
Select File > Save ElastiCube As… and download the .ecube file to your
machine.

Save the .ecube file to your target environment.

Importing .ecube Files
After exporting .ecube files, you can import them into Sisense through the
Sisense Desktop Manager. Once the .ecube file have been imported, you must
build the ElastiCube to use it with your dashboards.
To import .ecube files:
In the Sisense Desktop Manager in the target environment, select File >
Open ElastiCube File and navigate to your .ecube file.

After selecting the relevant .ecube file, the schema is displayed, you can
build the ElastiCube or if you are importing it in a new environment, see
Deploying ElastiCubes.
Deploying ElastiCubes
As .ecube files only contain the metadata for your ElastiCube in your source
environment, you need to build the ElastiCube in the target environment to bring
in the data. If your target environment has different data sources from your
source environment, for example, the source environment uses development
databases whereas the production environment uses production databases, then
the .ecube files need to be updated with the new data sources.
There are two ways to edit the ElastiCube with the new data sources:
Sisense PSM Shell to automate the process
Manually open the .ecube file and edit it
Both methods are outlined below.
Automating ElastiCube Deployment

The following instructions describe a common scenario for deploying

ElastiCubes in a new environment where .ecube files have been imported into a
production environment and the data source connections need to be updated.

Editing .ecube Files

Using the Sisense Shell, or Sisense PSM, it is easy to edit the database connection
attributes. This set of APIs allows you to edit Elasticube parameters via a
command line interface. The most commonly used command in a dev-to-prod
scenario redirects .ecube build queries to a production database. Below is an
example where “myecube.ecube” is redirected from a development database
called “tracking” to a production database called “trackingX”.
psm ecube edit connection database
ecube="c:\users\myuser\documents\mycube.ecube"
server="10.0.0.1" database="tracking"
newserver="localhost" newdatabase="trackingX"
newusername="mynewuser" newpassword="newpassword"
The server and database parameters contain the details of the previous database
and the newserver and newdatabase parameters should contain the location and
name of your updated data source on the production server.

Building ElastiCubes with the PSM

The build can also be initiated on the production server through the Sisense
interface or through the PSM. The following example code builds the Elasticube
on the production server with the PSM:
Full Build, Local Server: psm ecube build name="<elasticube name>"
mode=restart serverAddress=localhost
Accumulative Build, Remote Server: psm ecube build name="<elasticube
name>" mode=full serverAddress=192.168.1.134
Manually Deploying Elasticubes

If you want to manually update your ElastiCube’s connection settings to reflect

your new data sources, on your target server, navigate to the imported .ecube file
and double-click to open it. This will open the Elasticube Manager on the server.
From here, you can manually edit the connection settings for each data source.
This is only necessary if you need to update the connection settings. If your data
sources have not changed between environments, you can build the ElastiCube
without having to edit it.

Editing the .ecube File

If you are pointing to different data sources in your production environment

(e.g., a production vs development database) you can edit the connection settings
in the Elasticube Manager.
To edit .ecube file:
In the Desktop ElastiCube Manager, select Elasticube and then Change
Connectivity Settings.
For each data source that needs to be changed, select the Change Source
Database icon.

Choose your Database server location, then click Connect to Server. Make
sure the correct database is selected under Select Database and then
select OK and Close.
Next Steps
Migrating Dashboards
Migrating Dashboards in
Sisense
There are several ways to migrate dashboards to other Sisense environments:
Migrating Dashboards in Sisense (Recommended - described below)
Migrating Dashboards via REST API
Exporting and importing .dash files
The easiest way is to migrate the dashboards through Sisense as described
below, however, if you want to implement version control for your dashboards,
you may prefer to export .dash files that represent your dashboards in Sisense.
Administrators and Designers with access to a remote Sisense server can copy
dashboards from one Sisense server to another from the Sisense Web
Application. When you copy a dashboard or a folder to a remote server, all the
dashboards, including those in the selected folders are duplicated into the main
Navigation Pane in the target server. Folders are not duplicated on the target
server.
Before copying a dashboard to a target server, the Administrator of the target
server must provide access to target server. The procedure below explains how
to provide access to another server and then how to copy a dashboard from the
source server to the target server through the Sisense Web Application.
Note: When migrating a dashboard to another server, you must be logged in to
your local server with the IP address as the URL. You cannot copy dashboards
from localhost.
To copy your dashboard to another Sisense server:
On the target server, the Administrator needs to provide access for the source
server to the target server. On the target Sisense server, select Admin >
Trusted Server List.
The Trusted Server List page is displayed.
In the Trusted Server List page, click Add Server. The Create a New Server
Access dialog box is displayed.

Note: Some of the dialog boxes may be considered as pop-ups by your ad

blockers. Make sure that Sisense is whitelisted or that your ad blocker is
disabled when performing this procedure.
In the Server field, enter the IP address or hostname of the source server that
contains the original dashboard.
In the Name field, enter a name for the source server. This is an optional
identifier to help you keep track of your servers.
Click OK. The server is added to the list and now has copy access to the target
server.
On the source server, from the Navigation Pane, click the dashboard’s menu
and click Copy to Server.

OR
To copy multiple dashboards, in the Dashboards list, click the Select
Dashboards button to display checkboxes next to the dashboard and
folders, which allows you to select multiple dashboard to be exported. Then,
select the relevant dashboards and folders to be exported and click . The
Copy Dashboards to Server dialog box is displayed.

In the Copy Dashboards to Server dialog box, enter the following information:
Server: The URL or Hostname of the remote server. Sisense supports SSL
connections so dashboards can be transferred securely when SSL is
activated.
Republish dashboards after copying: Select to automatically republish
the dashboard on the target server after the selected dashboards are
copied. Republishing a dashboard refreshes the dashboard definitions
(widget types, titles, scripts etc.) for each of the users who share the
dashboard.
Click OK.
If the dashboards already exist on the recipient server, Sisense prompts you
to select how you want to handle each dashboard that already exists. You
can select one of the following options for each dashboard:
Skip: No changes are made to the dashboard on the recipient server.
Overwrite: The new dashboard writes the existing dashboard on the
recipient server.
Duplicate: A new dashboard is created on the recipient server with a
number added to the end of the dashboard’s title, for example, “Sample
Dashboard (1)”.
After you have defined how the dashboards are to be handled, the
selected dashboards are copied to the remote server and displayed in
the Dashboard’s list.
Once the copy is completed, you may need to update the data source for your
dashboard or set data security rules for your ElastiCube (see the links below for
detailed documentation):
Change the Data Source to the Production ElastiCube
Set Security on the Production ElastiCube
Share or Republish the dashboard to users
Next Steps
Migrating the Sisense Configuration
Migrating Sisense System
Configurations
To migrate your Sisense Web Application configuration, you must copy several
directories from the current environment and migrate them to the new
environment.
In addition, your Sisense application database has an identifier associated with it
when you install Sisense. This identifier must be deleted when migrating Sisense
as each database should have its own unique identifier. A new identifier will be
generated in the environment the next time Sisense is opened. You can access the
database through RoboMongo and remove the identifier as described below.
To migrate the Sisense Web Application:
Back up the old environment, open your machine’s Control Panel, and go to
System and Security > Administrative Tools > Services, and stop the
SisenseRepository service (this will make the website inaccessible).

Create a copy of the entire Repository directory located at:

%ProgramData%\Sisense\PrismWeb\Repository
Replace the existing Repository directory in the new environment with the
one you backed up.
Create a copy of the entire Discovery directory located at:
%ProgramData%\Sisense\Infra
Replace the existing Discovery directory in the new environment with the
one you backed up.
In Windows Services, start the SisenseRepository service and
Sisense.Discovery service.
Open Robomongo and connect to your application database with a
WriteUser. For more information, see Accessing the Application Database.
Under PrismWebDB, go to the servers collection and edit the file with
address LocalHost.
Remove the entire identity row including the value.

Open Windows Services and restart the following services:

Sisense.Configuration
Sisense.Galaxy
Sisense.Gateway
Sisense.Identity
Sisense.Plugins
Sisense.ECMServer
Sisense.ECMLogs
Sisense.Jobs
Sisense.StorageManager
Open the IIS Manager and restart the website SisenseWeb.
Embedded Analytics
Sisense’s embedded analytics solution is an end-to-end, single stack BI solution
embedded within your application that lets your customers easily prepare,
analyze and visualize complex data. Sisense’s embedded analytic solution offers
built-in features and exposes a variety of functionality through several interfaces,
such the Sisense JavaScript and REST APIs for customizing your integration.
You can accomplish the following through the Sisense embedded analytics
solution:
Seamlessly integrate Sisense with your current interface and branding
Manage data, reporting and visualization
Integrate SSO and Active Directory
Govern user and data security
Support high availability
This documentation is intended for two audiences, product managers and
developers. For product managers, those who want to enhance their products
and applications with Sisense embedded analytics, this section describes the
features and functionality Sisense offers as part of an embedded analytics
solution. For developers, those who embed Sisense in the application, this section
describes how to embed Sisense analytics through the relevant APIs.
Overview
When you embed Sisense analytics, you can provide your users with Sisense’s
analytical capabilities such as data management, reporting and visualization,
built into your business applications and solutions.
Each OEM has their own requirements when embedding Sisense’s analytic
solution. This section covers the multiple ways in which Sisense’s OEM features
can be embedded to provide BI capabilities in your applications. Sisense exposes
functionality through several interfaces. For example, Sisense’s REST API allows
you to white label Sisense and Sisense’s command shell allows you to couple
Sisense with your on-premise installation to modify connection settings. You
determine which features you want to embed according to the type of OEM
services you provide to your customers.
The following table lists the various OEM-related tasks you can perform with
Sisense and the description with links to the relevant documentation for
completing each tasks:
Task Description

Rebranding Sisense enables you to white label the Sisense Web Application
Sisense to display your company's logos and colors and mask the URL to
display your company's domain.
For documentation regarding how you can customize and
rebrand your Sisense solution, see the following topics:
White Labeling Sisense
Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails
Displaying Custom URLs
Embedding Sisense also allows you to embed widgets and dashboards
Sisense directly into your site or application through the use of iFrames
Task Description

or SisenseJS, Sisense's custom JavaScript library for embedding

widgets.
For documentation regarding how you can embed Sisense, see
the following topics:
Embedding Dashboards and Widgets via iFrames
Embedding Dashboards and Widgets via JavaScript
Considerations
Before embedding Sisense analytics, you should keep in mind several
considerations that may affect your design and deployment:
Users: Who will be using your application? This determines what interfaces
need to be white labeled and which API calls you should leverage.
Performance: As with any deployment, you must provide sufficient CPU and
memory on the client and the server for your anticipated user load.
Availability: What is your desired up-time and how many resources can you
dedicate to maintaining system availability.
OEM Architecture
Sisense has many customers who use Sisense as an OEM Business Intelligence
platform. This means that a customer is using Sisense to provide analytics to
their own external customers. Customers’ customers, can be referred to as
“Tenants”.
Rebranding and Embedding Sisense
OEM deployments comprise of two main features: rebranding and embedding. In
the white-labeled use-case, a Sisense server is completely rebranded. Customers
replace the Sisense logo and name, change the color palette used by the
application, customize the emails sent by the system, and more. The tenants
access the Sisense server directly, and experience Sisense analytics as
customized by the customer. They are not necessarily aware that the analytics
server they are accessing is actually a Sisense server.
In the embedded use-case, Sisense customers have their own web application.
They embed Sisense within it. Sisense supports embedding the full Sisense
application, including the data modeling, analytics and administration areas, or
embedding specific dashboard and widgets. using iFrames. Widgets can also be
embedded within web pages using the SisenseJS infrastructure.
Both of these use-cases, the white-labeled server and the embedded offering, rely
on strict data governance to ensure tenants get access only to their own assets
and data.
This type of governance can be achieved using a few different OEM architectures.
The selected architecture depends on the customer requirements and needs, and
their own preferences. Sisense provides the flexibility to support OEM
deployments in the way that customers want to work.
In this topic, a few different ways to support OEM use-cases are outlined, and
describe the benefits and disadvantages of each.
Option 1: Shared ElastiCubes with Row-Based Data Security

Advantages: Low hardware costs, high resource utilization, simple asset change
management
Disadvantages: Tenant resource usage may affect other tenants
Typically Best for: Tenants with identical data models and dashboard
requirements
The first type of architecture for OEM deployments utilizes shared Sisense
servers for multiple tenants, and shared ElastiCubes and dashboards.
Segregation between tenants is achieved by using row-based data security within
ElastiCubes. All of the customers’ data resides in a shared ElastiCube, but each of
the tenants gets access only to their own data.
This methodology makes it easy to maintain system assets, and handle changes
that occur during the lifecycle of the asset. Modifying the ElastiCube schema is
done only once in the shared ElastiCube for all users. Changing the shared
dashboards is also done once for all users.
This methodology is well suited for customers providing a service based on
identical data sources and reports. For example, a customer analyzing shopping
statistics for tenants on a shared shopping portal will take data for all of the
customers from the shopping portal analytics data using each tenant’s
credentials. But all of the data has the same exact structure, so the generated
dashboards are common analytics of this data.
This methodology provides good utilization of the server resources, and ensures
that asset maintenance remains easy.
Note that as the server is shared by multiple tenants, they are also sharing
resources. High resource usage by one of the tenants, for example, generating
multiple reports or heavy builds that require a lot of CPU, may affect other
tenants.
Option 2: Dedicated Cube per Tenant

Advantages: Low hardware costs for small number of tenants, high resource
utilization
Disadvantages: High hardware costs for large number of tenants, more
complicated asset change management, tenant resource usage may affect other
tenants
Typically Best for: Tenants who require customized data models
The second architecture for OEM deployments utilizes shared Sisense servers for
multiple tenants, together with providing a dedicated ElastiCube and
dashboards for each tenant. In this deployment, multiple tenants use the same
server. Typically, the OEM has default ElastiCubes and dashboards, and creates a
dedicated copy of them for each of the tenants. The ElastiCubes and dashboards
can be identical copies for each of the tenants, or customized per tenant. The
OEM uses access control for ElastiCubes and dashboards to ensure each of the
tenants only has access to their own data. Typically a user group is created for
each of the tenants. All of the tenants users are assigned to the same group. The
relevant ElastiCubes and Dashboards are shared with the tenants group. In this
way, the asset access control layer ensures that users of each tenant only gets
access to their own data.
This methodology is well suited for customers whose data sources are not
identical. It allows for customizing the data import process so that the data
preparation and ETL processes can handle the specific customers data structure,
and transform it to the desired target structure. This methodology is also well
suited for tenants who have different reporting needs. While the tenant is
initially provisioned with default ElastiCubes and default dashboards,
customizations can be made per tenant, without affecting other tenants. It is
easier to accommodate the specific needs and requirements of each tenant.
In this use case, the OEM needs to manage multiple copies of ElastiCubes and
dashboards. Making a change to an ElastiCube schema or to dashboards needs to
be replicated across all of the tenants. When there are many tenants, the cost of
making changes to assets is high.
This methodology provides better utilization of the server, and can reduce the
cost of ownership as multiple tenants are sharing the same server. But as with
the previous option, shared servers means that multiple tenants are also sharing
the server resources. The behavior of one tenant may affect other tenants using
the server.
With this solution, you need to consider how the system scales to support your
future needs, to support additional tenants. There are limitations to the number
of ElastiCubes that can be deployed on a single machine. While initially, you
enjoy shared server resources, as you add more tenants, you may have to
provision additional servers, increasing the hardware costs of this solution.
Option 3: Dedicated Sisense Server per Tenant

Advantages: Highest level of security, dedicated resources per tenant

Disadvantages: Low resource utilization, high hardware costs, complicated
asset change management
Typically Best for: Tenants with strict security regulations, such as financial or
healthcare institutes and tenants that need a high level of schema and dashboard
customizations
The third architecture for OEM deployment is to provide a dedicated Sisense
server for each tenant. Typically an OEM customer will have a server image
including default ElastiCubes and dashboards. Each of the customers receives
their own instance of the server. The ElastiCubes and dashboards can be
identical between the servers, or customized for each of the tenants. The data for
each tenant is completely separate as each server has its own assets, including
configuration, users, ElastiCubes and dashboards.
This option offers a high level of customization per tenant. Each of the tenants
has their own ElastiCubes and dashboards, and they can be modified to
accommodate the tenants specific needs, without affecting any other customers.
This option also provides a very high level of governance and security for each of
the tenants, as the OEM can be assured that no tenant can access assets of
another tenant. Additionally, the OEM is assured that the system behavior of one
tenant will not affect other tenants. If there is a heavy system load caused by
multiple queries or reports generated by one tenant, it will not have any effect on
the other tenants.
This deployment architecture is suitable for cases where there may be legal
restrictions that mandate that data of different tenants cannot be located on the
same physical machine.
However, for multiple reasons, this option can be expensive and not very cost
effective to maintain. A tenants server may be underutilized if it’s not used
throughout the day. Or if most of the users reside in the same timezone, the
server may be idle for long periods of the time. Additionally, a Sisense server is a
high performance server and capable of supporting a large number of concurrent
users. If a tenant does not have many users, the server may be underutilized even
during work hours of the tenant, and could have possibly been used by additional
users.
Another issue is the configuration maintenance of the ElastiCubes and
dashboards. If an OEM needs to make a change to the ElastiCubes and
dashboards that are provided to the tenants, then all the changes will have to be
made on each one of the servers. For example if the OEM wants to create a new
dashboard, and share it with all of their tenants, they will have to copy the
dashboard to each one of the tenants servers. This can require quite a lot of
work.
In this deployment option there’s a trade-off between complete segregation and
dedicated resources, and the cost of ownership and maintenance.
Summary

Sisense supports a range of flexible architectures for OEM deployment. The type
of architecture suitable for a specific customer depends on the use-case, the
needs of the customer, the resources that can be dedicated to the deployment
(both allocated people, and allocated hardware), and preferences.
Embedding Dashboards and
Widgets
This article is about getting started with embedded Sisense dashboards. If you’re
new to Sisense, check out our embedded analytics solutions.
You can embed Sisense dashboards and widgets in non-Sisense environments,
such as in your own websites or applications by concatenating parameters to the
URL of your dashboard or widget.
In addition, you can customize what aspects of the dashboard and widget are
displayed in your environment.
For example, if you want to remove the Sisense header from the dashboard, you
can concatenate the “?embed=true&h=false” parameter in the URL of the
dashboard to hide the header.
mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/5541dc7a80a4e2181e00011
a?embed=true&h=false
In this example, the “embed=true” embeds the dashboard into your environment.
When you embed a dashboard or widget, viewers can only view the dashboard or
widget and do not have any editing privileges. The “h=false” parameter hides the
Sisense header allowing you to whitelabel the dashboard.
This article provides a full list of the parameters you can concatenate, their
functionality, and examples.
Embedding Dashboards
To embed a dashboard, add “?embed=true” to the URL of the dashboard, and
refresh the page. If your dashboard is within a folder, then first delete “?folder=”
and everything that follows, before adding “?embed=true”.
This will open the dashboard without the surrounding Sisense environment.
For example:
Dashboard URL:
mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/5541dc7a80a4e2181e00011a
Embedded URL:
mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/5541dc7a80a4e2181e00011a?embed=tru
e
Dashboard URL for dashboard within folder:
mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/550952417404b2981a000029?folder=550
955a27404b2981a00003b
Embedded URL for dashboard within folder:
http://localhost:8081/app/main#/dashboards/550952417404b2981a000029?
embed=true
You can use this URL to embed the dashboard in an iframe, for example:
<iframe id="ifm" name="ifm" width="100%" height="100%"
frameborder="0"
src="http://mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/536f2b70d093e
26c280000d5?embed=true" scrolling="auto"></iframe>
Dashboard Embedding Configuration Options

You can control which aspects of the Sisense environment are available when
embedding by concatenating the following parameters to the embedded URL:
Show/Hide the left Navigation Panel
Parameter: "l" (left) or "i" to hide it completely
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&l=true
Show/Hide the right filter panel
Parameter: “r” (right)
Default: true
Example: ?embed=true&r=false
Show/Hide the toolbar
Parameter: “t” (toolbar)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&t=true
Show/Hide the environment header
Parameter: “h” (header)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&h=true
Embedding Widgets
To embed a single widget, add “?embed=true” to the URL of the widget when it
edit mode.
This will open the widget without the surrounding Sisense environment.
For example:
Dashboard URL:
http://mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/536f3a54d093e26c28000114/widg
ets/536f3a54d093e26c2800011b
Embedded URL:
http://mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/536f3a54d093e26c28000114/widg
ets/536f3a54d093e26c2800011b?embed=true
You can use this URL to embed the widget in and iframe, for example:
<iframe id="ifm" name="ifm" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0"
src="http://mysite.com/app/main#/dashboards/536f3a54d093e26c28000114
/widgets/536f3a54d093e26c2800011b?embed=true"
scrolling="auto"></iframe>
Widget Embedding Configuration Options

You can control which aspects of the Sisense environment are available when
embedding by concatenating the following parameters to the embedded URL:
Show/Hide the left data panel
Parameter: “l” (left)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&l=true
Show/Hide the right design panel
Parameter: “r” (right)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&r=false
Show/Hide the toolbar
Parameter: “t” (toolbar)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&t=true
Show/Hide the environment header
Parameter: “h” (header)
Default: false
Example: ?embed=true&h=true
Authentication in Embedded Dashboards and Widgets

All Sisense dashboards and widgets require authentication. When embedding

dashboards and widgets outside of the Sisense environment, usually the use case
is to not enforce the Sisense environment authentication, but rather use SSO
(Single Sign On) with existing corporate authentication. To read more on
configuring Single Sign On in Sisense, click here.
Displaying Custom URLs
You can display your company’s URL in the address of your Sisense dashboards
by defining an alias URL from the Sisense Admin page.
This is useful when you are providing OEM services and you want to mask
Sisense’s URLs and branding.
To implement an alias URL in Sisense:
Click Admin in the top menu, and then Settings in the left menu.
In the Alias field, enter the web server’s alias or IP address. This is especially
important when you have configured your IIS with a domain name (alias),
but when you share a dashboard, the IP address and/or the incorrect port is
sent instead. Reports will be sent from the alias entered in this field.
Click Save.
Rebranding Sisense
Automated Emails
Sisense automated emails are sent to users according to predefined scenarios.
When a predefined scenario such as a build alert is triggered, an automated email
is sent to the relevant Sisense users.
You can customize these emails to match your company’s branding.
This page describes the Sisense automated emails and how you can replace them
with your own so each time a predefined scenario is triggered, Sisense sends
your customized emails to your Sisense users.
Sisense Automated Emails
You can rebrand the following automatic emails:
Build Alert: Email sent each time a build alert is triggered.
Dashboard Errors Reports: Email sent when a dashboard report fails.
Dashboard Errors Reports Bulk Fail: Email sent when a large amount of
email reports fail.
Dashboard Reports: Email sent to the recipient of a shared dashboard
when you share a dashboard.
Empty Dashboard Report: Email sent to an administrator when an empty
dashboard report is sent.
KPI Alert: Email sent each time a KPI alert is triggered.
New User Invitation: Email sent to a new user invited to Sisense.
Password Recovery: Email sent to a user who requested a new password.
Share ElastiCube: Email sent to the recipient of a shared ElastiCube.
Share With: Email sent to the recipient of a shared dashboard.
Transfer Ownership: Email sent to a user who received ownership of a
dashboard from another owner.
User Created: Email sent to a user when a user is created.
User Created AD: Email sent when a user is created in Sisense after being
added from Active Directory.
For each automated email, Sisense provides an email template in the format of
EJS and LESS files. These files are located within template folders inside the
Template Parent folder located at:
In Windows:
...\Program
Files\Sisense\app\translations\{LOCALIZATION_CODE}\email-
templates.js
In Linux:
See Uploading Files through the File Manager and upload the files to the emails
folder.
LESS Files

All templates contain the style.less file that refers to a stylesheet that defines the
branding used in Sisense’s automated emails. The content of every style.less is as
follows:
@import '../styles.less';
The stylesheet referred to by all the email templates is called styles.less located
at:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emails
By replacing the content of the styles.less file with your own CSS, you can
redefine the branding used in all of the email templates to your custom branding.
EJS Files

Each template folder contains an EJS file, which contains HTML and JavaScript
that describe the content of the email.
You can use any text/HTML editor to modify the HTML.ejs files according to your
needs.
The following is an example of an HTML.ejs file.

<% include ../header %>

<tr>
<td>
<div class="contentText">
<p class="userText" style="margin: 0;"><%=
i18nContent.hi %> <%= newOwnerUserName %>,</p>
<p class="generalInfo" style="margin:
0;"><%- i18nContent.generalInfo %></p>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<% include ../footer %>
Each EJS file has three sections, a header, body, and footer; each of which
describes various areas in the email your users receive.
Section 1 is the Header section defined in the EJS file as <% include ../header %>.
This is a reference to the header.ejs file located at:
…\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates
The header.ejs file defines the title and image used in the header section of each
email template. You can modify the header by replacing the header.ejs file with
or replace the <% include ../header %> tag from each template with your own
HTML and JavaScript.
Section 2 is the Body section, which contains the content displayed in the email
your users receive. There are two types of content displayed in automated
emails, tokens and strings. Tokens refer to Sisense variables such as the Sisense
username or dashboard owner’s name. For example, the <%=
newOwnerUserName %> token displays the new owner of a dashboard’s Sisense
username in the automated email.

When you replace the HTML.ejs file with your own files, you can still use the
Sisense tokens. For more information about tokens you can add to your
automated emails, see Applying Sisense Tokens.
In addition, each template contains an object such as i18nContent.hi that displays
strings predefined by Sisense. These strings cannot be modified, however, you
can remove and replace the object with your own content.
The final section, Section 3 contains the footer. Like the header, the footer, <%
include ../footer %>, is a reference to a footer.ejs file located at:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emails
The footer.ejs file defines the copyright text and image used in the footer section
of each email template. You can modify the footer by replacing the footer.ejs file
with or replace the <% include ../footer %> tag from each template with your
own HTML and JavaScript.
Images that are displayed in the Header and Footer are stored in the following
location:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates\images
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emails/images
You can replace these with your own images by maintaining the same file names
used, however, it is recommended to replace the content of the Header and
Footer sections altogether with your own content.
Replacing Sisense Automated Emails
If you prefer to implement your own email templates for Sisense’s predefined
scenarios, you can replace Sisense’s emails with your own through the Sisense
REST API.
Note: Rebranding Sisense emails must be enabled for your license. Contact your
Account Manager for more information.
For each automated email, Sisense provides an email template in the format of
EJS and LESS files. These files are located within template folders inside the
Template Parent folder located at:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emails
Some template folders may contain an html-org.ejs file. These files are legacy
templates and are maintained for backwards compatibility. Newer developments
should only modify or replace the html.ejs files.
Note: While it is possible to modify the content of your automated emails
through the language.js file located in the templates folder, the recommended
method is modify the email templates as described in the procedure below.
After you have prepared your new automated emails, through the /branding
endpoint of the REST API, you can configure Sisense to send the customized
automated emails when the relevant event is triggered.
To define the location of your branded emails:
Copy the contents of the directory:
In Windows:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emailsOR
Upload all the folders to your Sisense Server through the File Manager. See
Uploading Files through the File Manager for more information.
Paste all the folders in the following directory:
...\Program Files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\
In Linux:
/opt/sisense/storage/emails
OR
Upload all the folders to your Sisense Server through the File Manager. See
Uploading Files through the File Manager for more information.
Note: You will modify the templates in this folder and configure Sisense to
send them instead of the original Sisense automated emails.
For each template you want to modify, change the contents of html.ejs files
and styles.less as described in Sisense Automated Emails.
Access the Sisense REST API.
In version .9 of the REST API, select the POST /branding.

In the email object define the following information:

Note: If you have already rebranded your Sisense Web Application, copy
the current settings through the GET /branding endpoint and paste them
into the POST /branding endpoint modifying or adding the emails object. If
you only modify the emails object, the remaining objects and keys are set to
their default Sisense and will overwrite any existing settings.
Key Description

senderEmail The email address from which the

automated email is to be sent.
When you define the senderEmail value,
you must verify your domain in Sisense’s
Mandrill email service. Click here for
more information.

senderName The name to be displayed as the Sender

in the automated email.

templates_directory The directory location of your template

folders. Sisense accepts
/resources/branding/emails as a custom
location for automated email templates.
This directory is located on your Sisense
Key Description

server at
.../resources/branding/emails
passwordRecoverySubject The subject line of the password
recovery email.

newUserInviteSubject The subject line of the new user email.

createdUserSubject The subject line of the new user invite

email.

shareWithNewUserSubject The subject line of the shared dashboard

with a new user email.

shareWithExistingUserSubject The subject line of the shared dashboard

email.

transferOwnership The subject line of the dashboard

transfer ownership email.
For example:
"emails": {
"senderEmail": "[email protected]",
"senderName": "sys-admin",
"templates_directory": "/resources/branding/emails",
"passwordRecoverySubject": "Recover Password",
"newUserInviteSubject": "new User Account Activation",
"shareWithNewUserSubject": "A Dashboard has been
shared with you:",
"shareWithExistingUserSubject": "A Dashboard has been
shared with you:"
},
Click Run. The next time an automated email is sent, your templates are sent
instead of Sisense’s predefined emails.
Applying Sisense Tokens
Most Sisense automated emails include tokens that you can apply to your
automated emails. When the email is sent, Sisense populates the token with the
relevant value. For example, the <%= owner %> token represents the owner of
the dashboard.
Each template has tokens defined by Sisense for each automated emailthat you
can apply listed below. Tokens from one automated email cannot be applied to
another.
build_alert: Sent when a build alert is triggered.
No Template Tokens Available
Dashboard_errors_report: Sent when an Dashboard email report fails.
Template Tokens Available
<%= errors[i].error %>
<%= errors[i].widgetFailed %>
<%= errors[i].widgetCount %>
Dashboard_errors_report_bulk_fail: Sent when a Dashboard email report
sent to a large amount of users fails.
Template Tokens Available
<%= errors.groups[i] %>
Dashboard_report: An automated email that contains a dashboard report sent
to users.
Template Tokens Available
<%= url %>
<%= images[i] %>
Empty_dashboard_report: An automated email that contains an empty
dashboard report sent to users.
No Template Tokens Available
Kpi_alert: Sent to shared users when a KPI alert is triggered.
Template Tokens Available
<%= measure %>
<%= value %>
<%= message %>
New_user_invitation: Sent to a new user that you have invited to join.
Template Tokens Available
<%= owner %>
* The folder for this template contains a file called HTML-ORG.ejs. This file is for
older versions of Sisense and is maintained for backward compatibility.
Password_recovery: Sent when a user requests their password from the Forgot
Password page.
No Template Tokens Available
* The folder for this template contains a file called HTML-ORG.ejs. This file is for
older versions of Sisense and is maintained for backward compatibility.
Share_with: Sent to a new recipient of a dashboard when the dashboard is
shared with them.
No Template Tokens Available
* The folder for this template contains a file called HTML-ORG.ejs. This file is for
older versions of Sisense and is maintained for backward compatibility.
transfer_ownership: Sent to the new owner of a dashboard when ownership is
transferred.
Template Tokens Available
<%= newOwnerUserName %>
<%= oldOwnerUserName %>
<%= sharingDashboardName %>
User_created: Sent to the recipients of new Sisense accounts.
No Template Tokens Available
User_created_ad: Sent when a user is created in Sisense after being added from
Active Directory.
No Template Tokens Available
White Labeling Sisense
Sisense enables you to rebrand (white label) the Sisense Web Application into
your native application or site by using the Sisense REST API to replace existing
icons and images with your own.
In addition, you can rebrand the automated emails Sisense sends to match your
company’s branding.
White labeling must be enabled in your license. To enable this feature, please
contact your Sisense representative or open a request through our Help Center.
In addition, Sisense now offers a premium white labeled version of the Sisense
Mobile app that can be customized according to your branding, for more
information see Rebranding Sisense Mobile.
Rebranding Sisense
You can rebrand the Sisense Web Application and the automated emails sent by
Sisense through Sisense’s REST API.
There are two steps to rebranding the Sisense Web Application. The first step is
to place your branded content into the Sisense branding directory where Sisense
is installed. For a list of the files you can rebrand and their specific dimensions,
see White Labeling Configuration Options.
The second step is to access the Sisense REST API, where you can embed your
content directly into Sisense and modify text displayed to customers.
To rebrand the Sisense Web Application:
Create a subfolder with your brand name in this directory (on the machine
where Sisense is installed):
In Windows:
“...Program Files\Sisense\app\resources\<YourBrand>”.
In Linux:
See Uploading Files through the File Manager and upload the files to the
branding folder.
OR
Upload all the folders to your Sisense Server through the File Manager. See
Uploading Files through the File Manager for more information.
Put your branded files in this directory. The following files are supported:
Desktop Logo (for example: Logo-Desktop.png/.jpg) – This is the main icon
that is visible at the top left of the Sisense Web Application.
Tablet Logo (for example: Logo-Tablet.png/.jpg)
Mobile Logo (for example: Logo-Mobile.png/.jpg)
Favicon (for example: favicon.ico)
Note: Optimal dimensions for logo images: 92×26
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin, and then Rest API , followed by
REST API Reference.
In the REST API Reference section, select version 0.9 in the top right corner.
Click /branding and then click the POST operation /branding.
To get the required JSON format for the request, click the sample model
schema to place the sample text in the body parameter.
Replace the sample values with your required values. For an explanation of
each parameter and how it modifies the Sisense Web Application, see White
Labeling Configuration Options.
Click RUN. Refresh the Sisense Web Applicationpage to view your changes.
Note: You can change just some of the parameters by leaving out those you
do not want to update.
White Labeling Configuration Options
The following table provides a list of the features you can rebrand within the
Sisense Web Application and the JSON code that must be modified to rebrand it.
Click the thumbnail image of the feature to see the default branding provided by
Sisense and where your branding will appear.
Name Description

Sisense Logo The Sisense logo can be replaced with

your own. You need to supply two sizes of
the logo, for each device (Desktop / Tablet
/ Mobile). These logos affect the following
screens:
Login Screen
Account Activation Screen
‘Forgot Password’ Screen
Below is a list with the ideal logo
dimensions (pixels):

Small
Desktop: 120x48
Tablet: 92×24
Phone: 92×24

Large
Desktop: 204×60
Tablet: 163×74
Phone: 198×168

Important Notes:
Images must be in URI format (web
address)
No spaces are allowed in the
address of the images
Transparent .png format is
preferred
"logo":{
"desktop":{
"small":"/resources/<YourBrand>/logoD
esktopSmall.png",
"large":"/resources/<YourBrand>/logoDe
sktopLarge.png"
},
"phone":{
“small”:”/resources/<YourBrand>/logoP
honeSmall.png”,
“large”:”/resources/<YourBrand>/logoPh
oneLarge.png”
},
“tablet”:{
“small”:”/resources/<YourBrand>/logoTa
bletSmall.png”,
“large”:”/resources/<YourBrand>/logoTa
bletLarge.png”
}
},
Page Title and Favicon The page title that appears in the browser
tab/page and the Sisense favicon.
Note:
Image must be in URI format (web
address)
.ico format is preferred
You can modify these images by updating
the values of the following JAQL
parameters in the REST API:
"favicon" :
"/resources/<YourBrand>/fav.ico"
"pageTitle": "Sisense",

Homepage The home screen when your users log

into Sisense. Rebranding the homepage
does not affect the view of the
Administrator. Administrators see the
default homepage, while all other users
see the rebranded page.
Note: The prefix http:// or https:// must
be included.
“homePage” : “http://www.mysite.com”,

Homepage Config The Welcome banner of the homepage

displayed when users log into Sisense.
You define the following properties in the
homePageConfig object:
hideSearchInNavver: Indicate if you
want to display the Search bar below or
hide it. By default, the Search bar is
displayed.
marketingPart: The URL of the
Marketing Banner iFrame. This iFrame is
displayed on the top part of the Analytics
and Data pages where the Welcome
message and Sample Dashboards and
ElastiCubes are displayed. You can
replace this iFrame with your own
content by defining the URL as the value
of this key.
tutorialsLink: The Tutorials button.
Enter a URL that opens your site.
documentationLink: The
Documentation button. Enter a URL that
opens your documentation site.

Login Page The Login page title and subtitles.

“loginTitle” : “WELCOME TO
SISENSE”,”loginSubtitle” : “Sign in & start
exploring”

Note: To change the color of the Login

button, click here.
Copyright Text The copyright text that appears in Sisense.
“copyrightText”:”Copyright © 2018
Sisense inc. All rights reserved”,
Activation Titles The titles on the activation page for
new users signing in to Sisense.
“activationTitle”: “First Time
Activation”,”activationSubtitle”: “Please
choose a password to begin using
Sisense”,
Contact Us The Contact Us text is displayed when
you request a password and enter
your email on the Recover Password
page. This text displays a message and
provides a link to your Support
services.
“contactUsText” : “For further
assistance, please contact our success
management team!: <a
href=’mailto:[email protected]’>su
[email protected]</a>”,

User Support The User Support text is displayed in the

top right corner of the Sisense Web
Application.
Be default, the links redirect customers to
the Sisense user forums and
documentation site. You can modify these
URLs to redirect users to your user
forums or documentation. This is useful
for example when providing OEM services
or if you have special forums or
instructions to display to your users.
“documentationUrl”: “string”,
“forumUrl”: “string”
Replace the string with the URL to the
relevant locations to redirect your users
to your support sites.

Powered by Sisense This string is displayed by default in the

User Profile for rebranded servers. You
can remove this string by setting the
boolean PoweredBySisense value to
false.

Emails The sender information and subject line

text displayed in automated emails.
For further customization, see
Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails.
Note: Branded emails (for example, using
the senderEmail and senderName
paramaters) will be used for new
user/group invitation emails and
password recovery emails. When sharing
a dashboard report, or for subscription
emails, the email will be sent without the
original name and email of the
dashboard’s creator.
“emails” :
{“senderEmail”:”sys-
[email protected]”,”senderNam
e”:”sys-
admin”,”templates_directory”
:
“/resources/<YourBrand>/email
s”,”passwordRecoverySubject”
:
“Sisense password recovery”,
“newUserInviteSubject” :
“Sisense account
activation”,
“shareWithNewUserSubject” :
“A Dashboard has been shared
with you:”,
“shareWithExistingUserSubject
” : “A Dashboard has been
shared with you:”
“transferOwnership“:
“string” }
Rebranding Sisense Mobile
Sisense enables you to provide your users with a fully white-labeled version of
Sisense Mobile that matches your brand's look and feel.
The following objects can be rebranded:
App icon and title
Splash screen
Mobile notification logo image and colors
Mobile color palette
App description and information that appears in the app store
Rebranding Sisense Mobile is a premium Sisense offering. Contact your CSM if
you are interested in your own white-labeled version of Sisense Mobile.
Note: iOS does not support embedded IFrames.
Sisense Mobile Checklist
Once you have purchased a rebranded version of Sisense Mobile, you need to
download and complete this checklist, which details all the information and
resources you must provide Sisense.
The resources include things like icons in different sizes (iPhone, Android),
specific colors, mobile app name, and other configurable options within Sisense
Mobile. These resource files should be zipped together, and the zipped file and
your completed checklist should be sent to [email protected] with
your CSM CCed in the email.
After receiving all the assets and your completed checklist, Sisense will create a
rebranded mobile app and provide you with a version to try out. The white-
labeled mobile app will be fully tested by Sisense QA, but Sisense recommends
that you test it out for yourself before uploading it to the app stores.
Sisense will provide instructions for signing the application and loading it up to
the app store.
Rebranding Sisense Mobile typically takes up to one month.
Resources Required for Rebranding Sisense
Mobile
Informati Description Default
on Value

Date The date you completed the form. None.

Mandato
ry

Company The name of your company. None.

Name Mandato
ry

Contact The full name of the person responsible for managing the None.
Person rebranding of Sisense Mobile. Mandato
ry

Contact Your email address. None.

Email Mandato
ry

CSM Name The name of your Sisense CSM. None.

Mandato
ry

Display The application name that is displayed below the icon on None.
Name the phone home screen. Mandator
y

Android Google Play identifier. The ID must match the criteria None.
package ID described here. This ID must be unique. You can verify Mandator
whether or not the ID is taken by opening this URL y
Informati Description Default
on Value

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myco
mpany.myapp
replacing com.mycompany.myapp with your preferred
app ID.

iOS Bundle App Store identifier. This ID must be unique. For iOS, you None.
ID need to sign in to your account at Mandator
https://developer.apple.com and click Certificates, IDs & y
Profiles > App IDs > Registering an App ID (+ sign) > select
Explicit App ID.

Android Google certificate in the form of a JKS file. See Publishing None.
Signing Your App for more information. Mandato
Certificate ry

Apple Apple certificate in the form of a p12 file. See Publishing None.
Signing Your App for more information. Mandato
Certificate ry

Server IP If this option is provided, the rebranded mobile app will None.
Address/ be bound to this specific IP address. This means that users Optional
hostname of your app will be able to skip the screen for providing
the server IP address/hostname.
Keep in mind that if you do provide this address, your app
can be used only for this IP address. If you intend to use
the mobile app for different Sisense servers, or you are not
sure your IP address/hostname will remain your
permanent identifer, you should not provide it.
Informati Description Default
on Value

Primary Background color of the top navigation bar, the splash #FFCB05
backgroun screen and the buttons. (Sisense
d color yellow)

Primary The color of the text that is positioned on top of the #000
text components with primaryBGColor background. (black)
(foregroun
d) color

Title The color of highlighted text that is displayed on a white #F2B900

highlight background (e.g. Recent Dashboards and My Dashboards). (dark
color yellow)

Title The color of separators and pipes that are displayed #FFCB05
border around titleHighlightColor components. (Sisense
color yellow)
Icon Resource Files

The following icon resources are used by the mobile app for push notifications
and for the store listing in iOS. All sizes are mandatory. Please use the exact file
names specified below.

Platform Size (Width x Height) File Name Note

iOS 40x40 ios_icon_40x40.png

iOS 80x80 ios_icon_80x80.png

iOS 60x60 ios_icon_60x60.png

iOS 120x120 ios_icon_120x120.png

iOS 180x180 ios_icon_180x180.png

iOS 76x76 ios_icon_76x76.png

iOS 152x152 ios_icon_152x152.png

iOS 167x167 ios_icon_167x167.png

iOS 29x29 ios_icon_29x29.png

iOS 58x58 ios_icon_58x58.png

iOS 87x87 ios_icon_87x87.png

iOS 1024x1024 ios_icon_1024x1024.png App Store Icon

Platform Size (Width x Height) File Name Note

Android 36x36 android_icon_36x36.png

Android 48x48 android_icon_48x48.png

Android 72x72 android_icon_72x72.png

Android 96x96 android_icon_96x96.png

Android 144x144 android_icon_144x144.png

Android 192x192 android_icon_192x192.png

Android 24x24 android_notice_24x24.png Notifications Icon

Android 36x36 android_notice_36x36.png Notifications Icon

Android 48x48 android_notice_48x48.png Notifications Icon

Android 72x72 android_notice_72x72.png Notifications Icon

Android 96x96 android_notice_96x96.png Notifications Icon

Splash Screen

Splash screen images are displayed on the full screen until the app is loaded
when the app is cold-launched. All sizes are mandatory.
Platform Size (Width x Height) File Name

iOS 320x480 ios_splash_320x480.png

Platform Size (Width x Height) File Name

iOS 640x960 ios_splash_640x960.png

iOS 768x1024 ios_splash_768x1024.png

iOS 1536x2048 ios_splash_1536x2048.png

iOS 1024x768 ios_splash_1024x768.png

iOS 2048x1536 ios_splash_2048x1536.png

iOS 2208x1242 ios_splash_2208x1242.png

iOS 1242x2208 ios_splash_1242x2208.png

iOS 750x1334 ios_splash_750x1334.png

iOS 640x1136 ios_splash_640x1136.png

iOS 1125x2436 ios_splash_1125x2436.png

iOS 2436x1125 ios_splash_2436x1125.png

Android 320x240 android_splash_320x240.png

Android 480x320 android_splash_480x320.png

Android 800x480 android_splash_800x480.png

Android 1280x720 android_splash_1280x720.png

Android 1600x960 android_splash_1600x960.png

Android 1920x1280 android_splash_1920x1280.png

Android 240x320 android_splash_240x320.png

Android 320x480 android_splash_320x480.png

Android 480x800 android_splash_480x800.png

Android 720x1280 android_splash_720x1280.png

Android 960x1600 android_splash_960x1600.png

Platform Size (Width x Height) File Name

Android 1280x1920 android_splash_1280x1960.png

Additional File Resources

Platform Purpose Filename Notes

iOS+Android Logo image that is login_screen_lo Must be a vector file (svg)

displayed after the go.svg to fit all resolutions.
Splash screen.

iOS+Android Login screen login-bg- Must be a vector file (svg)

background. image.svg to fit all resolutions.

iOS Firebase project GoogleService- Unique for each app.

configuration file for Info.plist Generate the file on
pulse alerts (push https://firebase.google.com
notifications) If not provided,
notifications from Pulse
alerts will not work.

Android Firebase project google- Unique for each app.

configuration file for services.json Generate the file on
pulse alerts (push https://firebase.google.com
notifications) If not provided, push
notifications from Pulse
alerts will not work.
Publishing Your App
Before Sisense provides you with your rebranded mobile app, Sisense signs the
app for you. To sign your app, you must provide Sisense with the relevant
certificates as described below. Once the app has been signed, Sisense returns
the signed app to you and you can publish the app in Google Play or the Apple
App store. Apple and Android require that all apps be digitally signed with a
certificate.
Android
For instructions on how to sign your rebranded Android-based mobile app,
see Sign your app.
iOS
Go to https://developer.apple.com and create an identifier (App ID) for the
new app.
Under App Services, select Push Notifications.
If you do not have an iOS production certificate, create one on
https://developer.apple.com.
Download the certificate to the Mac that has your private key, and add it to
the key chain (double click).
Open Keychain Access on your Mac, and under My Certificates locate the
iPhone Distribution Certificate you have created for the app.
Select File > Export Item. Make sure the file format is p12.
In developer.apple.com, create a Distribution Provisioning Profile for your
app, using the same certificate you created above.
Download the certificate to your Mac.
Double click the certificate. This will start the process to install it.
For more information, see Code Signing.
Sisense Mobile Upgrades
Sisense regularly releases updates for Sisense Mobile. Sisense will periodically
(about once a quarter) notify when an upgraded rebranded version is available,
and you can choose whether to upload the app to your store or not.
Security at Sisense
Sisense provides a variety of ways in which you can control which data is
exposed to users and secure your connections to Sisense.
The following topics describe how you can configure and maintain the security of
your data in Sisense:
Security Overview
Security Bulletin
Data Security
SSL
Optional Security Features
Security Bulletin
Security vulnerability in NodeJS library used by Sisense 7.2.1 and 7.2.1
Service Pack 1
We have recently discovered a low severity security vulnerability in the NodeJS
libraries used in version 7.2.1. The issue is resolved in 7.2.1 service pack 3
(7.2.1.13003), released Dec. 6th, 2018. This issue is not relevant for any other
versions.
We have found that a third party package used by Sisense, NodeJS, included
malicious code that could be used to steal Bitcoin from Bitpay and Copay wallets.
The malicious code targeted developers at the Copay company that had a very
specific development environment setup: running the payload in any other
environment has no effect. This specific type of targeting means that,
ultimately, most applications are not affected even if the malicious module is
mistakenly deployed. Specifically to Sisense, this vulnerability could not be
used to access any Sisense data, and was not used by Sisense code, but
antivirus programs are identifying it as malware.
For more information about this vulnerability, see here.
Remediation:
If you are using one of the builds mentioned above and are concerned about the
AntiVirus alerts we recommend you upgrade to the latest 7.2.1 version, available
for download here.

Update regarding a security vulnerability resolved in Sisense V6.7.1 on May

23, 2018
Starting from Sisense V6.7, there was an issue with data security rules. This rare
issue occurred only when a single dashboard contained at least two widgets from
entirely disconnected tables - meaning that there was no relationship path
leading from one table to the other.
If a filter was applied on one of the tables, data security rules of the second table
were disabled. The widget showing data from the second table would display all
data, without data security rule restrictions.
Note that the issue did not occur when a dashboard only used widgets related to
a single data security field. The issue also did not occur if there was any
relationship path between the tables of the data security fields. The relationship
path did not have to be a direct relationship between the tables, it could be a
relationship that went through other tables.
The issue is resolved in Sisense V6.7.1 (build 6.7.1.17004), and in Sisense V7.1.2.

Update regarding Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754) and Spectre (CVE-2017-5753

and CVE-2017-5715)
The Meltdown/Spectre vulnerabilities are the recent vulnerabilities found in
Intel’s processors. These are vulnerabilities in all of the Windows operating
systems. Sisense provides an application and does not provide the server
hardware or the Windows OS. These are provided by customers. As such, it’s the
customers’ responsibility to secure their OS.
We recommend customers follow all security recommendations of the vendors
who provided the customers OS. The current Windows recommendation is to
install the latest available security updates for the OS. Sisense has run extensive
performance tests on the OS patch (Windows patch) and found a minimal impact
on performance.
For more information about these vulnerabilities and how to negate them, see:
Meltdown and Spectre: A high-level description of the vulnerabilities.
Project Zero: Describes the theory behind the vulnerabilities by those who
discovered them.
Intel Official Announcement: Describes Intel’s response to the vulnerabilities.
AMD Processor Security: Describes AMD’s response to the vulnerabilities.
Sisense Security Overview
Sisense Security Architecture
Sisense is built around a robust and flexible security architecture that is both
comprehensive and intuitive. This architecture has been designed to ensure
security processes are enforced while scaling to enterprise deployments of
Sisense. This includes the ability to secure dashboards and data as well as
implement custom security requirements that suit your organization. This
section provides a general overview of the main security features.
Security is based around three levels associated with sets of security features.
The diagram below maps this security architecture on a system, data and object
level.
System Level Security
System-level security encompasses security features for role-based settings and
integration options. This includes user and server management, connection to an
active directory, Single Sign-On (SSO) implementation, and use of the security
REST API.
User Management
You can assign five primary roles to Sisense users:
Administrators
Data Admin
Data Designer
Designer
Viewer
These roles can be defined on either a user or group level to determine sharing,
access and security. To learn more about user roles, click here.
ElastiCube Server Access Rights
You can assign access rights to different ElastiCube servers for individual users,
groups or to everyone. These settings allow the management of different
environments such as a testing and production server, or servers for specific
projects or departments. See also ElastiCube Server and Data Model Security.
Note: Following improvements to ElastiCube security in Sisense V7.0 and later,
ElastiCubes created prior to Sisense V7.0 are accessible to everyone by default,
unless you have defined the ElastiCube's access rights. For ElastiCubes created
after Sisense V7.0, the default access is only for the ElastiCube owner. When the
ElastiCube is ready, it should be shared with the relevant people, or with
"Everyone" if that is the desired access policy.
Active Directory
Connect existing users and groups from your organization’s Active Directory to
define security and sharing properties and reduce deployment time. This
removes ‘password fatigue’ as users can rely on existing credentials while
organizational policies around security credentials such as updates can be
enforced. See also Integrating Active Directory.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
SSO facilitates seamless integration between Sisense and other systems in your
organization while offering standardization of authentication policies across
your organization. This can improve user productivity by avoiding password
fatigue and reduce support overhead. See also Configuring SSO.
REST API
The Security REST API provide access to parameters to integrate and automate
restrictions and access control based on existing settings and standards. Specify
access rights and security to dashboards, data models and data. Manage users via
the API to create, edit and assign new users or groups. Click here to visit the API
documentation site.
Object Level Security
Object security defines access rights for different users and groups to various
components within Sisense. The two main objects are dashboards and data
models.
Dashboards
You can share dashboards on either a user or group level. The sharing options
include the configuration of access rights for all users as well as whether users
defined as designers may edit the dashboard. The sharing options also include
subscription settings that define which users and groups will receive email
reports. See also Sharing Dashboards.
Data Models
You can define access rights to different Data Models on a user or group level.
This enables flexibility to create models for specific user or group needs while
offering strict access control. See also Sharing ElastiCubes.
Data Level Security
Data access must provide data to people only to the extent that they need to
complete their jobs. Data Level Security provides the necessary control to
enforce varying degrees of data visibility and access to support the separation of
duties. A single dashboard can be shared with many users, but each viewer sees
only data relevant to their needs. This reduces both development time and
provides for security.
Security on the Row Level
You can grant user and group permissions to specific rows in the data. For each
data model, you can apply multiple rules to enforce granular access control.
Row Level Defaults
Control which data is accessible for users or groups that do not have explicit
security rules. For example, enable new employees to access a restricted data set
until they are added to relevant groups. You can set defaults to include
everything, nothing or view based on a security rule.
See more in Data Security below.
Security Levels
Sisense provides two levels of security:
Data Model Security
Data Security
Data Model Security
What is Data Model Security?
Sisense enables you to define access rights to control which users can access
which models, whether they are creating new dashboards or trying to access
shared dashboards.
Data Model Security – Use Case Example
You may have an data model named Marketing and only want the CEO and
Marketing team to have access to it. You can grant rights only to them using Data
Model Security, thus denying anyone else access.
How Does Data Model Security Work?
You can define which users/user groups have access to a data model.
By default, only the data model's creator, Administrator and Data
Administrator can access a data model. Once you start assigning users/user
groups access rights to a data model, then those users/user groups will
have access to the model. The type of access is determined their role and
what access you assign to the user.
When a user attempts to access a dashboard using a direct link and that
dashboard is based on a data model to which that user does not have access
rights, a security message is displayed.
Data Security
Data security in Sisense can be divided into two types, data encryption and data
access. Data communication is related to how data is secured by Sisense while be
imported into Sisense and written on your server’s disk.
When data is imported into Sisense or when you connect directly to a data
source, the protocol used depends on the protocols supported by the data source.
Sisense supports importing data over SSL, if the source supports it. Sisense
supports SSL for data retrieval, for example, when viewing data in dashboards.
Configuration data, such as account credentials and authorization profiles, are
encrypted prior to being written to the disk. The encryption technology used by
Sisense includes:
1. SHA-256
2. TripleDES
3. AES-256
For data at rest, Sisense supports OS based disk encryption, Windows file system
encryption. For more information, click here.
The second type of data security is data access. This type of data security refers
to who can access your data after its imported into Sisense and displayed in a
dashboard.
What is Data Access Security?
Sisense enables you to define Data Security Rules that control which users can
access which portions of the raw data in a data model, down to row granularity.
For example:
Each widget only shows the data permitted by the Data Security Rules that
apply, including totals, averages and so on.
The data browsers used while building dashboards and widgets only show
the data permitted by the Data Security Rules that apply.
You can define a single dashboard that automatically displays different
results for each user (or user group), based on the rows that user is
permitted to see.
Use Case Example
A Sales Order table has a column representing the salesperson that closed a
deal.
You created a quarterly performance dashboard for your salespeople, but
want each of them to see only their own data.
You do not want any of them to be exposed to data that represents the
performance of others.
How Does Data Access Security Work?
The Sisense security model is designed to work in a 'Grant access' model, and not
in a 'Deny access' model.
By default, when applying a data security rule, access is blocked for everyone,
and the best practice is to leave 'Everyone else' set to 'Nothing', while granting
groups and users with access to specific data values. The model accumulates
grants, meaning that the most permissive combination wins. So if both a group
and one of its members have conflicting rules, the permissive combination wins.
Each data model contains tables and each table contains fields.
A Data Security Rule defines that a specific user can only see any data of an entire
row of a table, if a specific field in that row has a specific value(s).
For example, in a Sales widget a salesperson (for example, Dan) will only see the
sales amounts from the rows of a Sales model whose Salesperson field contains
the value Dan (rows 1 and 4).
Sales Table
# Salesperson Product Amount

1 Dan HD-TV $100

2 Matthew TV $300

3 Amber Media Center $700

4 Dan Player $200

5 Matthew Air Conditioner $600
Dan will not see any part of a row in the data model that does not contain the
value 'Dan' in the Salesperson field, nor will any amounts from this row be
included in totals.
Note: The entire row of data is not seen by the relevant user even when the field
to which the rule applies does not appear in the widget.
If a widget that shows the amount spent per product is shared with Dan, then he
will only see HD-TV and Player and the sales total will be 300$.
Defining Data Access Security for a Data Model

Each Data Security Rule applies to a specific field in a data model and to specific
user(s)/user group(s). It enables you to define the values that must be contained
in a specific field to enable that entire row of data to be available to a user.
If you want to exclude or hide data from certain users, you can define these rules
in the Sisense REST API. For more information, see Restricting Data Access for
Data Models.
To access Data Security:
Click Admin and select the Data Sources tab in the menu.
For the relevant data model, select and click Data Security.
If no data security rules have yet been defined for this data model, then the
following message is displayed:
Click Add Field to display a list of the fields in this data model.

Note: Row-based data security rules are may caused reduced performance
when applied to floats.
Select a field. For example, Brand. The following window is then displayed in
which you can define rules.
Note: You cannot select date type fields.

The left side of this table enables you to define which users/user groups can
access this data. Click + Add Restriction and start typing into the
Restricted User/Groups field to get a drop-down list.
Add as many users/user groups, as necessary.
The right side of this window enables you to define which values the
specified users/user groups are permitted to see.
Start typing into the Values field to get a list.
Multiple values can be selected.
The value of numeric type fields must be typed into this field, as no auto-
complete option appears for numeric type fields.
Alternatively, you can start typing in one of these values (in both text and
numeric type fields):
Everything: To specify that the selected users/user groups can see this data
no matter what the value is in this field.
Nothing: To specify that the selected users/user groups cannot see this data
no matter what the value is in this field.

For example, you can define that the following Users/User Groups must have the
following values in the Product Category column to enable them to see their data
row in a widget.
# User/User Group Product Category

1 Management Everything

2 Bob Apple Mac Desktops

3 Don Calculators, Camera Flashes

4 Everyone else Nothing

This means that management can see the data of all Product Categories, Don can
only see the data of Calculators and Camera Flashes, Bob can only see the data of
Apple Mac Desktops, and Everyone else won’t see anything.
How Does Data Level Security Work for Tables with Relationships?
Tables in a data model may have a relationship between them.
As described above, each widget only shows any data of an entire row of a table,
if a specific field in that row has a specific value.
In addition, a widget may further restrict the data shown to a specific user when
a rule is defined for a table that has a relationship to a table that has a field in the
widget.
This means that a widget only shows the data permitted by the combined Data
Security Rules assigned to all the tables that have any field in the widget.
As described above, the entire data row is restricted even when the field to which
the rule applies does not appear in the widget. The entire row of data is also
restricted even when the field of the relationship between the two tables does
not appear in the widget.
Use Case Example – Expanding Upon the Example Above
The Sales table has a column that has a relationship with a Deal Contacts table
that holds the contacts that were involved in each deal.
You created a Deal Contacts widget for your salespersons.
As described in the example above, the Sales table has a Data Security Rule
that maps each user to their matching field value, so that each sales person
only sees their own data.
Even though the Deal Contacts table does not have any Data Security Rules
defined for it, the Deal Contacts widget only enables each sales person to
see the contacts associated with their own sales, because of the Data
Security Rule assigned to the Sales table.
Restricting Data Access for Data Models

In Sisense, all users who have access to your data models can see all of the data. If
you define any data security rules, the default behavior is inclusionary, which
means you define what values of a field a user is allowed to see. For example, you
can allow each Sales rep to see transactions for their own customers, and prevent
Sales reps from seeing the transactions of other customers. In this case, you
define a row-based data security rule for each Sales rep, based on the customer
IDs of each customer.
In some cases, you may want to allow all of your users to see your data except for
a specific user or group of users. In this case, exclusionary rules are preferred.
For example, let’s assume that your company has thousands of customers, and
your policy is that all Sales reps can see information for most of your customers,
not only for their own customers. You may have certain customers whose data is
sensitive and should only be accessed by certain authorized Sales reps. In this
case, it’s easier to manage a definition that allows access to everything, except
the few restricted customers, than to manage a list of the thousands of customers
whose data is freely available to all Sales reps.
To restrict certain rows of data to a specific user or group of users, through the
Sisense REST API, you can change the default data security behavior to
exclusionary, which allows you to hide or restrict access to data to certain users.
You can combine inclusionary rules with exclusionary rules. In case the rules
conflict, the exclusionary rules take precedence.
Note: When multiple data security rules exist for a specific field-user or field-
group combination, the “inclusionary” rules will be combined with “OR” logic
between them. “Exclusionary” rules will be combined with “AND” logic between
them.
To change the data security behavior for a rule:
In Sisense, click Admin, and then Rest API, followed by REST API Reference.

In Version 0.9 of the REST API, select elasticubes, then POST

/elasticubes/datasecurity.

In the body of your call, update the value of “exclusionary” to true.

Click Try it out and then Execute.
Setting Up SSL
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a security protocol that encrypts the server-client
data channel. In Sisense, SSL secures the link between the Sisense server and the
clients’ browsers (where dashboards are created and viewed). With SSL in place,
you can access Sisense via an HTTPS secure connection, which is password
protected. This is recommended when you want users to be able to access
dashboards from outside the organization.
Keep in mind, configuring SSL on your Sisense server and in your IT environment
should be performed by an IT Specialist or Web Administrator.
Note: If you are using a reverse proxy or load balancer, you should ensure that
the communication between the proxy and Sisense is HTTPS.
The procedure below describes how to set up SSL in Sisense from Sisense V7.2
and later. If you are upgrading from an earlier version to Sisense V7.2 or later,
see Configuring SSL after Upgrading at the end of this topic.
The tutorial below describes how to set up a simple SSL connection in Sissense.

To configure your Sisense SSL settings:

In your browser, open the Configuration Manager located at
http://localhost:3030.
Toggle the Enable SSL switch to Enabled.
Upload or enter your SSL certificate. Sisense supports two types of
certificates, PFX and CERT files. Typically, these files are provided by a third
party provider.
When using SSL, the certificate must include the root certificate and
any intermediate certificates.
PFX: PFX files contain the public key file (SSL certificate file) and the
associated private key file in a single file. If you select PFX, drag the PFX file
into the browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. In PFX
Password, enter the password you received after your PFX was generated.
CERT-Key: A .cert file is the public key, which is used to verify client
authentication requests. It is what is received by an HTTP client from a
server in the SSL handshake. If you select CERT-KEY, two boxes are
displayed CERT File and Key File. In CERT File, drag the .cert file into the
browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. In Key File, drag the key
file into the browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. The .key file is
the private key to the certificate.
Alternatively, if the files are not provided, and you have received a coded
certificate and key, you can enter these values in the SSL Certificate and
SSL Key fields.
In Port, enter the port to be used when accessing Sisense. By default, this is
8081, however, if you are implementing SSL, typically the port is set to 443.
After you have finished defining these settings, in the Configuration Manager,
click Save.
If you have any problems, see the following tutorial on troubleshooting SSL in
Sisense:
Self-Signed Certificates
If you are using a self-signed certificate, you may experience problems
connecting to data sources. This is caused by the self-signed certificate being
rejected. To fix this, you need to give the NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS environment
variable a file path to a file containing your certificate.
To prevent self-signed certificates from being automatically rejected:
On your Sisense server, right-click on This PC (Or My Computer in older
versions of Windows) and select Properties.
On the left side, click Advanced system settings.
In System Properties, click Environment Variables.
In Environment Variables, under the System variables area, click New.

In the New System Variable dialog box, in Variable name, enter

NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS.

In Variable value, enter the address of your .ca file.

OR
Select Browse file and navigate to the .ca file.
Click OK.
Restart your computer. This should resolve connection problems caused by
sign certificates.
Configuring SSL After Upgrading
Earlier versions of Sisense used IIS, which meant that part of your
SSL configuration was stored in the IIS Manager. As NodeJS is now used as the
application server, your Sisense SSL bindings must be removed when you are
upgrading to Sisense V7.2 and later from an earlier version for SSL to continue to
work.
To configure SSL after upgrading:
On the Sisense Server, open the IIS Manager.
Remove from the IIS Manager the bindings to port 443.

Reset IIS.
In your browser, open the System Configuration at http://localhost:3030/.
Verify that Enable SSL is enabled.
Upload or enter your SSL certificate. Sisense supports two types of
certificates, PFX and CERT files. Typically, these files are provided by a third
party provider.
When using SSL, the certificate must include the root certificate and
any intermediate certificates.
PFX: PFX files contain the public key file (SSL certificate file) and the
associated private key file in a single file. If you select PFX, drag the PFX file
into the browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. In PFX
Password, enter the password you received after your PFX was generated.
CERT-Key: A .cert file is the public key, which is used to verify client
authentication requests. It is what is received by an HTTP client from a
server in the SSL handshake. If you select CERT-KEY, two boxes are
displayed CERT File and Key File. In CERT File, drag the .cert file into the
browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. In Key File, drag the key
file into the browser or click Browse and navigate to the file. The .key file is
the private key to the certificate.
Alternatively, if the files are not provided, and you have received a coded
certificate and key, you can enter these values in the SSL Certificate and
SSL Key fields.
In Port, enter the port to be used when accessing Sisense. By default, this is
8081, however, if you are implementing SSL, typically the port is set to 443.
Click Save.
Click Yes to restart the Sisense services.
Optional Security Hardening
for Sisense Web Pages
This topic provides additional security options that can be applied for hardening
the security of Sisense web pages for your needs.
Cookie Security
By default, Sisense web pages have cookies that contain a secureFlag. This flag
instructs the browser that the cookie should only be returned to the Sisense Web
Application over encrypted connections (HTTPS).
Account Lockout Thresholds
To prevent brute-force attacks, you can configure account lockout thresholds.
For more information, see Account Lockout Thresholds.
Strict Transport Security
HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a method for preventing any
communications from being sent over HTTP to the specified domain and allows
only communication over HTTPS. This is useful for preventing man-in-the-
middle attacks or users with invalid certificates from accessing your dashboards.
This is automatically applied when you enable SSL for the Sisense Web
Application.
Allowed Domains for Embedded Dashboards
If you are embedding a dashboard on your website, you can control who can
access the website by adding allowed domains to a whitelist.
Allowed Domains enable you to limit where your embedded dashboards can be
viewed, even if someone takes the embed code from your page.
When you add a domain to the whitelist, Sisense includes the domain in the X-
Frame Options header of the dashboard web page.
For example:
<add name=”X-Frame-Options” value=”ALLOW-FROM
https://dashboardurl.com” />
The header is not included by default. You can enable it from the
Configuration Manager located at http://localhost:3030.

To add your domain to a white list:

In the Admin page, select Settings.
Under Security Settings, enter your domain and the port.

Click Add.
Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Multi-Node Deployments
Overview
Sisense provides flexible design choices for supporting high availability (HA) and
scalability for your Sisense deployments. Typically, you want to implement
multi-node deployments when you want to optimize performance or build in
redundancy. Before implementing a multi-node environment, you can ask
yourself the following questions:
Do you want to improve dashboard load time?
Are your ElastiCubes taking a long build time to build?
Do you need to support a lot of concurrent users?
Do you have a lot of ElastiCubes?
Do you need high availability for your system?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider scaling
out Sisense.
The basic Sisense architecture looks like the diagram below where Sisense is
installed on a single machine. Your users connect to your machine and you
import or connect to your data sources from the same machine. This machine
supports the Sisense web application, your data models, and all of your users.
One way to scale out Sisense is to improve your hardware with more storage,
CPU, and memory; however, this can get quite expensive and doesn’t provide any
redundancy.
Another way to scale out Sisense is to add more machines, thus improving
performance and building in redundancy into the system as shown in the
diagram below.
While Sisense is fully-functional in a single node environment, a multi-node
deployment is necessary for scalability to support large amounts of concurrent
users and redundancy in case of a failure of one of the Sisense components.
Replicating each of these components provides redundancy and fault tolerance
against the failure of any single component. The replicated components are
combined into nodes. There are three types of nodes, a build node, query nodes,
and an application node. These nodes and their components are described below.
Nodes
Build Node
The build node is responsible for building ElastiCubes and distributing the build
to query nodes via the Sisense Orchestrator Service. The Sisense Orchestrator
Service is an automated service that you configure on the build node to
synchronize and distribute built ElastiCubes to the query nodes. For more
information, see Distributing ElastiCube Builds to Query Nodes.
Build nodes include an ElastiCube Server, application database, Sisense plugins,
and the Sisense Orchestrator Service.
The build node is not replicated as its failure only prevents building new
ElastiCubes, not issuing queries from Sisense.
Note: Sisense plugins must be located on the build node.
Query Nodes
Query nodes are responsible for supporting queries from Sisense dashboards on
the application layer. ElastiCube models are distributed by the build node to the
query nodes. The query nodes’ ElastiCube models are then combined into
ElastiCube Sets to increase redundancy by separating the web and ElastiCube
servers across multiple query nodes. If a build node is distributing a build to one
ElastiCube server, Sisense automatically directs any queries to the other
ElastiCubes in the ElastiCube Set.
The query node can be configured as a single application stack where each node
hosts Sisense, ElastiCubes, and an application database. In this configuration, if
the machine hosting the components fails, the whole query node will fail. Queries
will then be redirected to the next available query node. Another option is to host
each component of the query node separately in a distributed application stack.
In this configuration, if a component of the query node fails, the rest of the query
node is not affected. For an example of a single application stack, see Scenario 1
and for an example of a distributed application stack, see Scenario 2.
Application Nodes
The application node supports your Sisense application. This is the interface you
see when you log into Sisense, including the Model Editor, dashboards, etc. In
some models, this resides on the same node as the query node.
Components
Sisense has many components that reside on each of the nodes. These
components are highlighted in the diagram below. Some of these components are
responsible for supporting Sisense, such as the application database,
configuration database, and message broker. Other components, such as a load
balancer, Multi-Node Deployment Wwizard, and ElastiCube Sets are responsible
for supporting high availability in Sisense. Each of these components is described
in more detail below.
Application Database
The application database is installed with Sisense and supports Sisense. The
application database is a central repository for Sisense metadata including user
information, permissions, data sources, dashboards. jobs, etc.
If the application database fails, the Sisense web application will fail.
To achieve redundancy and high availability of the application database, a
minimum of three nodes is required.
Message Broker
The message broker is a component of Sisense and is responsible for the
communication of events between various Sisense services across your Sisense
configuration. Sisense availability and functionality are heavily dependent on the
broker service. It should be replicated with at least two nodes to ensure that the
services can continue to communicate with each other in case the message
broker fails.
Configuration Database
The configuration database provides a single representation for the cluster
regarding the topology, configurations, and state.
To achieve redundancy and high availability, the configuration service should be
replicated with at least three nodes to ensure that your configuration is up-to-
date across your entire deployment.
Load Balancer
To support a multi-node configuration, you must handle load balancing on your
side prior to directing traffic to one of your Sisense nodes. Load balancing
spreads requests across multiple query nodes according to an algorithm you
define and the current status of the query node.
When implementing ElastiCube Sets, Sisense’s query nodes operate in active-
active mode. This means that each of the query nodes is active and can handle
requests when the node is not building and its components are available. For
example, traffic could be spread 50-50 across two web servers and if a
component fails, a load balancer should redirect traffic to the other available web
server.
ElastiCube Sets
SisenseElastiCube Sets are collections of identical ElastiCube models that allow
you to query running ElastiCubes within the ElastiCube Set while other
ElastiCubes are building.
Components that Cannot be Replicated
Several Sisense components are deployed as single services that can not be
replicated and do not have redundancy:
ElastiCube web management
Plug-ins
Scheduled reporting jobs
Sisense Orchestrator
Build nodes
Multi-Node Configuration
To support more concurrent users and queries, and build in redundancy into
your deployment, you must provide additional machines and configure the
orchestration between the various Sisense nodes and their services. Sisense
makes it easy to implement a multi-node deploment with the Multi-Node
Deployment Wizard. This wizard automates the configuration of your nodes.
If you want to implement high availability, after you have run the wizard, you
configure the Sisense Orchestrator service that manages the distribution of
ElastiCubes across multiple machines.
The following pages describes the multi-node deployments Sisense supports,
how to configure them in the Multi-Node Deployment wizard, and how to
configure the distribution of ElastiCubes with the Sisense Orchestrator.
Next Steps
Supported Deployments
Setting Up Multi-Node Deployments
Distributing ElastiCubes to Query Nodes
Setting Up ElastiCube Sets
Securing the Message Broker's Communication
Supported Deployments
Previous Steps
Overview
Sisense supports four different multi-node deployment models:
Model 1: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node/Build Node
Model 2: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node, 1 Build Node
Model 3: 2 Application Nodes/Query Nodes, and 1 Build Node
Model 4: 2 Application Nodes, 2 Query Nodes, and 1 Build Node
Which model should you choose is determined by these three parameters:
Redundancy: Which components require redundancy?
Concurrency: How many users do you need to support?
Resources: How many servers can you add and maintain to your
configuration?
The differences between each model are the amount of redundancy they
provides, how much scale they support, and how many resources you need to
implement them.
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4

Enhanced Security ✓ ✓ ✓
High availability & Redundancy ✓ ✓

Scale Performance ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Dedicated Hardware ✓ ✓

Scale as You Grow ✓ ✓

The advantages of each model are described in more detail below.
Model 1

In Model 1, Sisense is vertically scaled out, which means that the application
node is separated from the query and build node. This deployment provides the
following benefits:
Enhanced Security: When the application node and query/build nodes are
separated, Viewers who interact with just the application node, are less
vulnerable
Scale Performance: Vertical scaling enables more users to query data while
the build node can continue to build ElastiCube models
Dedicated Servers per Task: Support greater concurrency by dedicating
one machine to supporting Sisense, while another machine supports
queries and building ElastiCube models
For more information, see:
Model 1 Architecture, Services, Ports
Deploying Model 1
Model 2

In Model 2, Sisense is vertically scaled out with the application, query, and build
node separated. This deployment provides the following benefits:
Enhanced Security: When the application node, query, and build nodes are
separated, Viewers who interact with just the application node, are less
vulnerable
Scale Performance: Vertical scaling enables more users to query data while
the build node can continue to build ElastiCube models
Dedicated Servers per Task: Support greater concurrency by dedicating
one machine to supporting Sisense, while another machine supports
queries and building ElastiCube models
For more information, see:
Model 2 Architecture, Services, Ports
Deploying Model 2
Model 3

In Model 3, Sisense is horizontally scaled out with the application/query nodes

replicated. This deployment provides the following benefits:
High Availability: Multiple application/query nodes ensures that if a single
node fails, performance will not be affected and your Viewers won't
experience any downtime
Scale Performance: Horizontal scaling enables more users to query data
and build models at the same time
Dedicated Servers per Task: Support greater concurrency by dedicating
one machine to supporting Sisense, while another machine supports
queries and building ElastiCube models
Scales as You Grow: Add additional application/query nodes as needed
For more information, see:
Model 3 Architecture, Ports, Services
Deploying Model 3
Model 4

In Model 4, Sisense is horizontally scaled out with the application and query
nodes replicated. This deployment provides the following benefits:
High Availability: Multiple application and query nodes that have been
replicated mean that if a single-server fails, your Viewers will not affect
performance or lead to downtime
Scale Performance: Horizontal scaling enables more users to query data
and build models at the same time
Dedicated Servers per Task: Support greater concurrency and redundancy
by dedicating multiple machines to supporting Sisense, while other
machines support queries and building ElastiCube models
Scales as You Grow: Add additional application/query nodes as needed
For more information, see:
Model 4 Architecture, Services, Ports
Deploying Model 4
Note: If you want to implement a topology not supported by Sisense, contact
your CSM.
Next Steps
Installing the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard
Distributing ElastiCubes to Query Nodes
Setting Up ElastiCube Sets
Securing the Message Broker's Communication
Installing the Multi-Node
Deployment Wizard
Previous Steps
Supported Deployments
With a multi-node deployment, you can increase the reliability of your
configuration further by adding additional query and build nodes, and an
application node.
To simplify the process of setting up a Multi-Node environment, Sisense provide
a Multi-Node Deployment Wizard that automates most of the setup process for
you.
Note: If you are expanding a single-node deployment to a multi-node
deployment, see Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments.
Prerequisites
Windows 8, 10, and Windows Server 2012, 2016
Local System Admin account where the wizard is to be installed and deployed
To install the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard:
Download the Sisense High Availability Multi-Node Deployment Wizard to
your build node. When saving the file, make sure there are no spaces in the
file name. This can happen if you download the file to the same directory
multiple times, for example, MultiServerDeploymentWizard.zip(1).
Extract the contents of the zip file.
Download the Cygwin script and Sisense-install-ansible.bsh and save the files
to the directory ...MultiServerDeploymentWizard/resources/
located in the directory where you extracted the contents of the Multi-Node
Deployment Wizard zip file.
Run install-cygwin.ps1 with Powershell. This process can take between 20-30
minutes.
During the process, Cygwin is downloaded and installed. Once the
installation is complete, you are prompted to press any button to close the
script.
The Multi-Node Deployment Wizard is installed.
Next Steps
Model 1: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node/Build Node
Model 2: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node, 1 Build Node
Model 3: 2 Application/Query Nodes and 1 Build Node
Model 4: 2 Application Nodes, 2 Query Nodes, and 1 Build Node
Model 1: 1 Application Node,
1 Query Node/Build Node
Previous
Installing the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard
Model 1 Architecture, Services, Ports

In Model 1, your application node is on a separate server from the query/ build
node. The benefit of Model 1 over a single node is that by separating the nodes,
your data can be secured on a different node than your application node. In
addition, you can utilize your hardware to support more different tasks; one
node for queries and builds, and one node for supporting the Sisense application.
The disadvantage of Model 1 compared to other models is that high availability is
not supported and workloads for the application and query nodes cannot be
scaled. If your query/ build node fails, the Sisense application will not be usable
as the data models cannot be queried.
To learn how to implement this model in the Deployment Wizard, see Deploying
Model 1.
Limitations
Maximum of four concurrent builds on one build node
Maximum of 40 ElastiCubes per query node
Components High Availability Load Distribution

App Node No No
Components High Availability Load Distribution

Query Node No No

Build Node No No

Application Database Yes No

Services Mapping
Sisense utilizes multiple communication ports. Some of the ports are used for
communication between Sisense modules, and others are used for
communication with remote locations.
The table below describes the ports used for communication between the
Sisense modules that need to be opened in a firewall to support this architecture.
Note: "N/A" means the ports are not relevant (internal process).
Service Service Ports Query/B Applicat Directi
Type uild ion ons
Infra Sisense.Oxygen 31112 Yes Yes Inbound

Sisense.Orchestrator 445, 137- N/A N/A Inbound

139

Infra - Sisense.Broker 5672,15672 Inbound

Core ,25672,436
9
Sisense.Discovery 2181,2888, Inbound
3888

Sisense.Repository 27018 Inbound

Infra - Sisense.Collector N/A Yes Yes N/A

Logs Sisense.Shipper 5052 Yes Yes Outbou
nd
Service Service Ports Query/B Applicat Directi
Type uild ion ons
Sisense.HouseKeeper N/A Yes Yes N/A

Infra - Sisense.CLRConnectors 8090, Yes Inbound

Connect Container 8098
ors Sisense.JVMConnectors 8095 Yes Inbound
Container 9000-9010
App - Sisense.ECMServer 15000- Yes Inbound
ECM 15050

Sisense.ECMLogs N/A Yes Inbound

App - Sisense.ECMS 811,812 Yes Inbound

Elasticu
be

App IIS 14996 Yes Inbound

Sisense.Galaxy 15000- Yes Inbound

15050

Sisense.Gateway 15000- Yes Inbound

15050

Sisense.Configuration 15000- Yes Yes Inbound

15050

Sisense.Identity 15000- Yes Inbound

15050

Sisense.Jobs N/A Yes N/A

Sisense.Plugins 15000- Yes Inbound

15050
Service Service Ports Query/B Applicat Directi
Type uild ion ons
Sisense.SPE 15000- Yes Inbound
15050

Sisense.StorageManage 15000- Yes Inbound

r 15050

Sisense.Usage N/A Yes Inbound

Sisense.Pivot2 15000- Yes Inbound

15050

Sisense.QueryProxy N/A Yes Inbound

Deploying Model 1
Note: If you are expanding a single-node deployment to a multi-node
deployment, see Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments.
After you have installed the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you can log in with
your Sisense credentials and begin configuring your nodes to implement a Model
1 deployment. In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you define which servers
act as build/query nodes and application nodes. The Multi-Node Deployment
Wizard then configures the nodes for you.
In addition, you can define advanced settings for determining where to host the
Sisense infrastructure, which includes the following components:
Sisense Application Database: The application database contains metadata
for ElastiCubes, dashboards, and users. You must have an odd number of
machines to host the application database as Sisense combines them into a
replica set. The goal of a replica set is to ensure that each application
database has the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters.
If one database fails on one server, the next available database can replace
it.
Sisense Message Broker: The message broker is responsible for
communicating events across Sisense components. As the message broker
is not part of a replica set you can have it located on an even number of
machines.
Sisense Configuration Database: The Sisense configuration database is
responsible for storing your configuration data. This ensures that your
Sisense configuration is up-to-date across your entire configuration. You
must have an odd number of machines to host the configuration database as
Sisense combines them into a replica set. The goal of a replica set is to
ensure that each configuration database has the same data. If one database
fails on one server, the next available database can replace it.
To deploy Model 1:
After installing the Deployment Wizard, in your High Availability
Configuration directory, run SisenseHAWizard.exe. If you are setting up
your deployment behind a firewall, see Multi-Node Deployment Offline
Installation.
Enter your Sisense login credentials and click Sign In.

If you are installing a multi-node deployment, select Install New

Deployment, and click Next. If you are modifying an existing deployment,
select Upgrade Existing Deployment and click Next. If you are
upgrading, see Upgrading Multi-Node Deployments.

Click Download Agent Installation to install the Sisense Agent. This agent
must be installed on all the Sisense servers that are part of your
deployment. It allows Sisense to communicate with each of the other
machines in your deployment. To install the agent, right-click on the file and
select Run with PowerShell. Click Next.
Select the version of Sisense you are using. You can view your version of the
Sisense Server by clicking in the top right corner of Sisense.
Select Model 1 and click Next.

In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, enter your Windows server

credentials. These credentials will be used to connect to each of the servers
in your environment, so the user name and password should be the same
for each server and the user must have Admin privileges for each machine.
Note: The password should not contain any special characters.

In App, enter the IP address of your application server.

In Query/Build, enter the IP address of your query/build server.
(Optional) Click Advanced to configure the support the Sisense
infrastructure.
Select Long Index Edition to install the Long Index version of Sisense.
Long Index determines how Sisense transforms your data when
loading it in to an ElastiCube. For more information, see Long Index.
In the Infra Configuration area, select additional servers to define where
Sisense hosts additional copies of the Sisense Message Broker, Sisense
configuration database, and Sisense application database.
In the Application Database Configuration area, select Read Strategy to
define the read preferences of each member of your application
database's replica set. The default is primaryPrefered, which means
that Sisense reads are sent to the primary, but if it is unavailable, the
reads come from secondary members instead. If your application
databases are geographically spread out, you may want to select
Nearest where reads are performed on the nearest available node,
disregarding if it is a primary or secondary member. The nearest node
is determined by sending pings to all members and measuring the
response time.
OR
Select Use External Application Database if you host your Sisense
application database externally on a separate machine. In the
Connection String area, create a replica set for supporting your
application database. This ensures that each application database has
the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters. Modify
the value of Connection String to:
mongodb://AppUser:we6jBUYGoOrh0K6l+XpTmA==@local
host:27018,XX.XX.XX.XX:27018,XX.XX.XX.XX:27018/?
replicaSet=<replicasetname>&readPreference=prima
ryPreferred
replacing ‘@localhost:27018/’ with the IP addresses of each of your
nodes in the replica set separated by a comma and replacing
<replicasetname> with the name of your replica set.
Click Install. Sisense will automatically complete the setup of your Multi-
Node environment. Close the Deployment Wizard once the setup is
complete. After you have created your environment, the next step is to
define how builds are distributed across all your servers.
Next Steps
Model 2: 1 Application Node, 1 Query Node, 1 Build Node
Model 2: 1 Application Node,
1 Query Node, 1 Build Node
Previous
Installing the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard
Model 2 Architecture, Services, Ports

In this model, your application, query, and build node are located on separate
servers. The benefit of Model 2 over a single node is that by separating each
node, your data can be secured on a different node than your application node. In
addition, you can utilize your hardware to support different tasks; one node for
queries, one node for builds, and one node for supporting the Sisense application.
The disadvantage of Model 1 compared to other models is that high availability is
not supported and workloads for the application and query nodes cannot be
scaled. If your query node fails, the Sisense application will not be usable as the
data models cannot be queried.
To learn how to implement this model in the Deployment Wizard, see Deploying
Model 2.
Limitations
Maximum of four concurrent builds on one build node
Maximum of 40 ElastiCubes per query node
No component replication
Components High Availability Load Distribution

App Node No No
Components High Availability Load Distribution

Query Node No No

Build Node No No

Application Database No No
Services Mapping
Sisense utilizes multiple communication ports. Some of the ports are used for
communication between Sisense modules, and others are used for
communication with remote locations.
The table below describes the ports used for communication between the
Sisense modules that need to be opened in a firewall for this architecture.
Note: "N/A" means the ports are not relevant (internal process).

Service Service Ports Buil Que Applicat Directi

Type d ry ion ons
Infra Sisense.Oxygen 31112 Yes Yes Yes Inboun
d

Sisense.Orchestrator 445, 137- Yes Inboun

139 d

Infra - Sisense.Broker 5672,15672 Yes Yes Inboun

Core ,25672,436 d
9
Sisense.Discovery 2181,2888, Yes Yes Yes Inboun
3888 d

Sisense.Repository 27018 Yes Yes Yes Inboun

d
Infra - Sisense.Collector N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A
Logs Sisense.Shipper 5052 Yes Yes Yes Outbou
nd

Sisense.HouseKeeper N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A

Infra - Sisense.CLRConnectors 8090, Yes Yes Inboun

Connect Container 8098 d
ors Sisense.JVMConnectors 8095 Yes Yes Inboun
Container 9000-9010 d

App - Sisense.ECMServer 15000- Yes Inboun

ECM 15050 d

Sisense.ECMLogs N/A Yes Inboun

App - Sisense.ECMS 811,812 Yes Yes Inboun

Elasticu d
be

App IIS 14996 Yes Inboun

Sisense.Galaxy 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Gateway 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Configuration 15000- Yes Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Identity 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d
Sisense.Jobs N/A Yes N/A

Sisense.Plugins 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.SPE 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.StorageManage 15000- Yes Inboun

r 15050 d

Sisense.Usage N/A Yes Inboun

Sisense.Pivot2 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.QueryProxy N/A Yes Inboun

d
Deploying Model 2
Note: If you are expanding a single-node deployment to a multi-node
deployment, see Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments.
After you have installed the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you can log in with
your Sisense credentials and begin configuring your nodes to implement a Model
2 deployment. In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you define which servers
act as build/query nodes and application nodes. The Deployment Wizard then
configures the nodes for you.
In addition, you can define advanced settings for determining where to host the
Sisense infrastructure, which includes the following components:
Sisense Application Database: The application database contains metadata
for ElastiCubes, dashboards, and users. You must have an odd number of
machines to host the application database as Sisense combines them into a
replica set. The goal of a replica set is to ensure that each application
database has the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters.
If one database fails on one server, the next available database can replace
it.
Sisense Message Broker: The message broker is responsible for
communicating events across Sisense components. As the message broker
is not part of a replica set you can have it located on an even number of
machines.
Sisense Configuration Database: The Sisense configuration database is
responsible for storing your configuration data. This ensures that your
Sisense configuration is up-to-date across your entire configuration. You
must have an odd number of machines to host the configuration database as
Sisense combines them into a replica set. The goal of a replica set is to
ensure that each configuration database has the same data. If one database
fails on one server, the next available database can replace it.
To deploy Model 2:
After installing the Deployment Wizard, in your High Availability
Configuration directory, run SisenseHAWizard.exe. If you are setting up
your deployment behind a firewall, see Multi-Node Deployment Offline
Installation.
Enter your Sisense login credentials and click Sign In.

If you are installing a multi-node deployment, select Install New

Deployment, and click Next. If you are modifying an existing deployment,
select Upgrade Existing Deployment and click Next. If you are
upgrading, see Upgrading Multi-Node Deployments.

In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, enter your Windows server

credentials. These credentials will be used to connect to each of the servers
in your environment, so the user name and password should be the same
for each server and the user must have Admin privileges.
Note: The password should not contain any special characters.

In App, enter the IP address of your application server.

In Model 3, your application node and query nodes reside on the same servers
and are separate from the build node. You can add additional query and
application nodes as needed. The benefit of this architecture over Model 4 is that
it requires fewer machines, while still providing redundancy in case one of the
nodes fails.
The disadvantage of Model 3 compared to Model 4 is that fewer concurrent users
are supported and larger queries may burden the system.
To learn how to implement this model in the Deployment Wizard, see Deploying
Model 3.
Limitations
Maximum of four concurrent builds on one build node
Maximum of 40 ElastiCubes per query node
Components High Availability Load Distribution

Web/Application Server Yes Yes

Query Service Yes Yes

MongoDB Yes N/A

Components High Availability Load Distribution

Build No No

Plugins No No

Jobs No No

ECM Server (Web) No No

ECM Server Build Logs No No

Orchestrator No No
Services Mapping
Sisense utilizes multiple communication ports. Some of the ports are used for
communication between Sisense modules, and others are used for
communication with remote locations.
The table below describes the ports used for communication between the
Sisense modules that need to be opened in a firewall for this architecture.
Note: "N/A" means the ports are not relevant (internal process).
Servic Service Ports Build App/Q App/Q Directi
e Type uery 1 uery 2 ons
Infra Sisense.Oxygen 31112 Yes Yes Yes Inboun
d

Sisense.Orchestrator 445, 137- Yes Inboun

139 d

Infra - Sisense.Broker 5672,1567 See See See Inboun

Core 2 comme comme comme d
,25672,43 nts nts nts
69
Sisense.Discovery 2181,288 Yes Yes Yes Inboun
Servic Service Ports Build App/Q App/Q Directi
e Type uery 1 uery 2 ons
8,3888 d

Sisense.Repository 27018 Yes Yes Yes Inboun

Infra - Sisense.Collector N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A

Logs Sisense.Shipper 5052 Yes Yes Yes Outbou
nd

Sisense.HouseKeeper N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A

Infra - Sisense.CLRConnecto 8090, Yes Yes Yes Inboun

Connec rsContainer 8098 d
tors Sisense.JVMConnecto 8095 Yes Yes Yes Inboun
rsContainer 9000-9010 d

App - Sisense.ECMServer 15000- Yes Inboun

ECM 15050 d

Sisense.ECMLogs N/A Yes Inboun

App - Sisense.ECMS 811,812 Yes Yes Yes Inboun

Elasticu d
be

App IIS 14996 Yes Yes Inboun

Sisense.Galaxy 15000- Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Gateway 15000- Yes Yes Inboun

Servic Service Ports Build App/Q App/Q Directi
e Type uery 1 uery 2 ons
15050 d

Sisense.Configuration 15000- Yes Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Identity 15000- Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Jobs N/A Yes N/A

Sisense.Plugins 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.SPE 15000- Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.StorageMana 15000- Yes Inboun

ger 15050 d

Sisense.Usage 15000- Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.Pivot2 15000- Yes Yes Inboun

15050 d

Sisense.QueryProxy N/A Yes Yes Inboun

d
Deploying Model 3
Note: If you are expanding a single-node deployment to a multi-node
deployment, see Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments.
After you have installed the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you can log in with
your Sisense credentials and begin configuring your nodes to implement a Model
3 deployment. In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you define which servers
act as build/query nodes and application nodes. The Deployment Wizard then
configures the nodes for you.
In addition, you can define advanced settings for determining where to host the
Sisense infrastructure, which includes the following components:
Sisense Application Database: The application database contains metadata
for ElastiCubes, dashboards, and users. You must have an odd number of
machines to host the application database as Sisense combines them into a
replica set. The goal of a replica set is to ensure that each application
database has the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters.
If one database fails on one server, the next available database can replace
it.
Sisense Message Broker: The message broker is responsible for
communicating events across Sisense components. As the message broker
is not part of a replica set you can have it located on an even number of
machines.
Sisense Configuration Database: The Sisense configuration database is
responsible for storing your configuration data. This ensures that your
Sisense configuration is up-to-date across your entire configuration. You
must have an odd number of machines to host the configuration database as
Sisense combines them into a replica set. The goal of a replica set is to
ensure that each configuration database has the same data. If one database
fails on one server, the next available database can replace it.
To deploy Model 3:
After installing the Deployment Wizard, in your High Availability
Configuration directory, run SisenseHAWizard.exe. If you are setting up
your deployment behind a firewall, see Multi-Node Deployment Offline
Installation.
Enter your Sisense login credentials and click Sign In.

If you are installing a multi-node deployment, select Install New

Deployment, and click Next. If you are modifying an existing deployment,
select Upgrade Existing Deployment and click Next. If you are
upgrading, see Upgrading Multi-Node Deployments.

In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, enter your Windows server

credentials. These credentials will be used to connect to each of the servers
in your environment, so the user name and password should be the same
for each server and the user must have Admin privileges.
Note: The password should not contain any special characters.

In App, enter the IP address of your application server.

In Model 4, your application node is on a separate server from the query and
build node. The application and query nodes are replicated for redundancy. You
can add additional query and application nodes as needed. The benefit of Model
4 over a single node is that by you can support more concurrent users, and if one
of the application or query nodes fails, the other can take on the load to ensure
availability of the Sisense application.
To learn how to implement this model in the Deployment Wizard, see Deploying
Model 4.
Limitations
Maximum of four concurrent builds on one build node
Maximum of 40 ElastiCubes per query node
Components High Availability Load Distribution

Web/Application Server Yes Yes

Query Service Yes Yes

MongoDB Yes N/A

Build No No
Components High Availability Load Distribution

Plugins No No

Jobs No No

ECM Server (Web) No No

ECM Server Build Logs No No

Orchestrator No No
Services Mapping
Sisense utilizes multiple communication ports. Some of the ports are used for
communication between Sisense modules, and others are used for
communication with remote locations.
The table below describes the ports used for communication between the
Sisense modules that need to be opened in a firewall for this architecture.
Note: "N/A" means the ports are not relevant (internal process).
Servi Service Ports Build Quer Quer Applic Applic Com
ce y1 y2 ation ation ment
Type 1 2 s
Infra Sisense.Oxygen 31112 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Inbou
nd

Sisense.Orchestr 445, Yes Inbou

ator 137-139 nd

Infra - Sisense.Broker 5672,15 See See See See See Inbou

Core 672 Comm Com Com Comm Comm nd
,25672,4 ents ment ment ents ents
369 s s

Sisense.Discover 2181,28 See See See See See Inbou

y 88,3888 Com Com Com Comm Comm nd
Servi Service Ports Build Quer Quer Applic Applic Com
ce y1 y2 ation ation ment
Type 1 2 s
ment ment ment ents ents
s s s

Sisense.Reposito 27018 See See See See See Inbou

ry Com Com Com Comm Comm nd
ment ment ment ents ents
s s s

Infra - Sisense.Collector N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A

Logs Sisense.Shipper 5052 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Outbo
und

Sisense.HouseKe N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A

eper

Infra - Sisense.CLRConn 8090, Yes Yes Yes Inbou

Conn ectorsContainer 8098 nd
ectors Sisense.JVMConn 8095 Yes Yes Yes Inbou
ectorsContainer 9000- nd
9010
App - Sisense.ECMServ 15000- Yes Inbou
ECM er 15050 nd

Sisense.ECMLogs N/A Yes Inbou

App - Sisense.ECMS 811,812 Yes Yes Yes Inbou

Elasti nd
cube
Servi Service Ports Build Quer Quer Applic Applic Com
ce y1 y2 ation ation ment
Type 1 2 s
App IIS 14996 Yes Yes Inbou
nd

Sisense.Galaxy 15000- Yes Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.Gateway 15000- Yes Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.Configur 15000- Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Inbou

ation 15050 nd

Sisense.Identity 15000- Yes Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.Jobs N/A Yes N/A

Sisense.Plugins 15000- Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.SPE 15000- Yes Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.Storage 15000- Yes Inbou

Manager 15050 nd

Sisense.Usage N/A Yes Inbou

Sisense.Pivot2 15000- Yes Yes Inbou

15050 nd

Sisense.QueryPr N/A Yes Yes Inbou

Servi Service Ports Build Quer Quer Applic Applic Com
ce y1 y2 ation ation ment
Type 1 2 s
oxy nd
Deploying Model 4
Note: If you are expanding a single-node deployment to a multi-node
deployment, see Expanding Single-Node Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments.
After you have installed the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you can log in with
your Sisense credentials and begin configuring your nodes to implement a Model
4 deployment. In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, you define which servers
act as build/query nodes and application nodes. The Deployment Wizard then
configures the nodes for you.
In addition, you can define advanced settings for determining where to host the
Sisense infrastructure, which includes the following components:
Sisense Application Database: The application database contains metadata
for ElastiCubes, dashboards, and users. You must have an odd number of
machines to host the application database as Sisense combines them into a
replica set. The goal of a replica set is to ensure that each application
database has the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters.
If one database fails on one server, the next available database can replace
it.
Sisense Message Broker: The message broker is responsible for
communicating events across Sisense components. As the message broker
is not part of a replica set you can have it located on an even number of
machines.
Sisense Configuration Database: The Sisense configuration database is
responsible for storing your configuration data. This ensures that your
Sisense configuration is up-to-date across your entire configuration. You
must have an odd number of machines to host the configuration database as
Sisense combines them into a replica set. The goal of a replica set is to
ensure that each configuration database has the same data. If one database
fails on one server, the next available database can replace it.
To deploy Model 4:
After installing the Deployment Wizard, in your High Availability
Configuration directory, run SisenseHAWizard.exe. If you are setting up
your deployment behind a firewall, see Multi-Node Deployment Offline
Installation.
Enter your Sisense login credentials and click Sign In.

If you are installing a multi-node deployment, select Install New

Deployment, and click Next. If you are modifying an existing deployment,
select Upgrade Existing Deployment and click Next. If you are
upgrading, see Upgrading Multi-Node Deployments.

In the Multi-Node Deployment Wizard, enter your Windows server

credentials. These credentials will be used to connect to each of the servers
in your environment, so the user name and password should be the same
for each server and the user must have Admin privileges.
Note: The password should not contain any special characters.

In App, enter the IP address of your application server.

In Query, enter the IP address of your query server.
In Build, enter the IP address of your build server.
(Optional) Click Advanced to configure the support the Sisense
infrastructure.
Select Long Index Edition to install the Long Index version of Sisense.
Long Index determines how Sisense transforms your data when
loading it in to an ElastiCube. For more information, see Long Index.
In the Infra Configuration area, select additional servers to define where
Sisense hosts additional copies of the Sisense Message Broker, Sisense
configuration database, and Sisense application database.
In the Application Database Configuration area, select Read Strategy to
define the read preferences of each member of your application
database's replica set. The default is primaryPrefered, which means
that Sisense reads are sent to the primary, but if it is unavailable, the
reads come from secondary members instead. If your application
databases are geographically spread out, you may want to select
Nearest where reads are performed on the nearest available node,
disregarding if it is a primary or secondary member. The nearest node
is determined by sending pings to all members and measuring the
response time.
OR
Select Use External Application Database if you host your Sisense
application database externally on a separate machine. In the
Connection String area, create a replica set for supporting your
application database. This ensures that each application database has
the same metadata about ElastiCubes, dashboards, and filters. Modify
the value of Connection String to:
mongodb://AppUser:we6jBUYGoOrh0K6l+XpTmA==@local
host:27018,XX.XX.XX.XX:27018,XX.XX.XX.XX:27018/?
replicaSet=<replicasetname>&readPreference=prima
ryPreferred
replacing ‘@localhost:27018/’ with the IP addresses of each of your
nodes in the replica set separated by a comma and replacing
<replicasetname> with the name of your replica set.
Click Install. Sisense will automatically complete the setup of your Multi-
Node environment. Close the Deployment Wizard once the setup is
complete. After you have created your environment, the next step is to
define how builds are distributed across all your servers.
Next Steps
Distributing ElastiCube Builds to Query Nodes
Distributing ElastiCube
Builds to Query Nodes
Previous
Model 4: 2 Application Nodes, 2 Query Nodes, and 1 Build Node
The Sisense Orchestrator Service is an automated service that distributes builds
and balances queries across an ElastiCube Set. The Sisense Orchestrator Service
is installed during the default installation of Sisense. To distribute ElastiCube
builds across all query nodes, you must configure the Sisense Orchestrator
Service. When an ElastiCube is building, or receiving a build from the build node,
the Sisense Orchestrator Service redirects requests to another available
ElastiCube in the set.
After you have set up all of your nodes, you can verify that each query node is
working by stopping the Sisense.ECMS service. When this service is stopped,
queries should be redirected to the other query nodes in your configuration.
Note: After configuring the Sisense Orchestrator Service, the directory
C:\ProgramData\SiSense\PrismServer\ElastiCubeData\ and the
relevant ElastiCube folders within it must be shared with permissions for
‘Everyone’ so Sisense can build or update the ElastiCubes in those folders.
Keep in mind that each of your nodes must have sufficient disk space to support
the build node.
In addition, the user of the build node must have Administrator access to the
service Sisense.Orchestrator on each of the query nodes, so the build node can
write to them. You can set this in the properties of the Sisense.Orchstrator
service.

The Sisense Orchestrator Service is defined in a JSON file called config.json in the
Sisense.Orchestration Config folder
(C:\ProgramData\Sisense\Sisense.Orchestrator\config.json
) of your Sisense Installation folder of your build node.
To distribute your ElastiCube builds through the Sisense Orchestrator Service,
you define and save the config.json file. After saving the file, the Sisense
Orchestrator Service automatically begins to build ElastiCubes in your ElastiCube
Set. You can review the progress of the build in the
C:\ProgramData\Sisense\application-logs\orchestrator-
service folder in a log file whose file name you define in the JSON file.
The default config.json file has a basic structure with no values.
To learn more about how to configure the config.json file, see the following
tutorial:

Sisense supports a wide range of objects and values and several examples and
their descriptions are provided in the table below:
Key Example Value

general The General object

{
"general":{ contains two objects,
"logLevel":"INFO", logLevel and emails
"emails":[
{ that define what
types of logs Sisense
"email":"[email protected]",
generates and where
"name":"Example"
} to send them to.
]

logLev "logLevel":"INFO", The type of info

el returned in the log.
The possible values
you can enter are
Info, debug, and
Key Example Value

Error.

emails This object defines

"emails":[
{ who receives an
email and their email
"email":"[email protected]",
"name":"Example" address when an
} email is triggered
]
according to the
events you define in
the mail object.

email The email address

"emails":[
{ where emails are to
be sent depending on
"email":"[email protected]",
"name":"Example" the value of the When
} key.
]

name The name of the

"emails":[
{ recipient of the email.

"email":"[email protected]",
"name":"Example"
}
]

cubes The cubes object

"cubes":{
"HA_QueryWeb1":{ contains all your
"ecube":"Sample ElastiCubes in your
ECommerce",
configuration and
Key Example Value
"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\P their location. As the
rogramData\\
Sisense Orchestrator
Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube Service is installed on
Data\\",
the build node, the
"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si build cubes are local,
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa
so you must define
ta\\"
}, the name of the
"HA_QueryWeb2":{ ElastiCube. For
"ecube":"Sample
ECommerce", ElastiCubes on a
query node, you must
"url":"\\\\127.128.129.93\\C:\\P
rogramData\\ define the ElastiCube
name, URL of the
Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube
remote server, and its
Data\\",
directory.
"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa
ta\\"
}
},

build The Build ElastiCube

"HA_QueryWeb1":{
ElastiC "ecube":"Sample object defines the
ubes ECommerce", ElastiCubes that will

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\P be used as Build

rogramData\\ ElastiCubes nodes.

Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube
Data\\",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si
Key Example Value
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa
ta\\"
},

ecube The name of the

"HA_QueryWeb1":{
"ecube":"Sample ElastiCube.
ECommerce",

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\P
rogramData\\

Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube
Data\\",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa
ta\\"
},

url The URL address of

"HA_QueryWeb1":{
"ecube":"Sample the ElastiCube server.
ECommerce", If the URL is to a

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\P secure address, the

rogramData\\ value should include
the username and
Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube
Data\\", password credentials.
For example,
"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa “ssh://username:pass
ta\\" [email protected]:/C
},
/ecubes”. See
Scenario 1 for an
Key Example Value

example.

localPa Directory of the

"HA_QueryWeb1":{
th "ecube":"Sample ElastiCubes.
ECommerce",

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\P
rogramData\\

Sisense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCube
Data\\",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Si
sense\\PrismServer\\ElastiCubeDa
ta\\"
},

tasks The Tasks object

"tasks":{
"task1":[ contains a task array
{ that defines which
"build":{
"cube":[ ElastiCube should be
built, the type of
"HA_QueryWeb1",
build, and to which
"HA_QueryWeb2"
], ElastiCubes the build
"queue":[ should be distributed
"entire"
] to.
} In high availability
},
scenarios, running
multiple concurrent
builds is not
recommended and
Key Example Value

can result in stability

issues. Sisense
recommends that
tasks are spaced out
so each build is
complete before the
next one begins.

task The name of the task

"tasks":{
"task1":[ array. Currently, you
{ can define only one
"build":{
"cube":[ task. Defining
multiple tasks in the
"HA_QueryWeb1",
config.json file may
"HA_QueryWeb2"
], cause builds to fail.
"queue":[ In high availability
"entire"
] scenarios, running
} multiple concurrent
},
builds is not
recommended and
can result in stability
issues. Sisense
recommends that
tasks are spaced out
so each build is
complete before the
next one begins.
Key Example Value

build The build object

"build":{
"cube":[ defines the
ElastiCube to be built
"HA_QueryWeb1",
"HA_QueryWeb2" and distributed.
],

cube The name of the cube

"build":{
"cube":[ to be built.

"HA_QueryWeb1",
"HA_QueryWeb2"
],

queue The value of this key is

"queue":[
"accumulate", the type of build
"entire" Sisense should attempt
]
and in what order.
There are two possible
values delimited by a
comma:
accumulate: Attempts
an accumulative build.
entire: Attempts an
entire build.
schemaChanges:
Attempts to update the
build only if changes
were made to the
Key Example Value

schema since the

previous build.
Sisense recommends
the following value:
"accumulate","entire"
In this example, Sisense
attempts to do an
accumulative build
first, and if it fails,
Sisense attempts an
entire build. If the build
fails for all builds,
Sisense retries again
according to the next
scheduled build.
distrib Determines which
{
ute "distribute":[ cubes the latest build
"HA_QueryWeb1", should be distributed
"HA_QueryWeb2"
] to. The value should be
}, the ElastiCube name for
your ElastiCubes on
your query nodes. For
example, [“cube1,
cube2, cube3”].
You can add multiple
ElastiCubes delimited
by a comma separator.
Key Example Value

reattac Reattach is an object

"reattach":{
h that contains two
"deleteOldDbfarm":true, objects,
"cube":[
DeleteOldDbfarm
"HA_QueryWeb1", and Cube.

"HA_QueryWeb2"
]
}
},

delete A boolean value that

"reattach":{
OldDbf determines if an old
arm "deleteOldDbfarm":true, ElastiCube is to be
"cube":[
deleted after it has
"HA_QueryWeb1", been updated.

"HA_QueryWeb2"
]
}
},

cube The name of the

"reattach":{
ElastiCube to be
"deleteOldDbfarm":true, reattached or not.
"cube":[

"HA_QueryWeb1",

"HA_QueryWeb2"
]
}
Key Example Value
},

mail Indicates when an

{
"mail":"build" email alert is triggered.
} Email alerts can be
triggered for the
following scenarios:
None: No email is ever
sent.
Build: An email is sent
when a build is
complete regardless if
the build was
successful or not.
Fail: An email is sent
when a build fails.
schedu The Scheduler object
"scheduler":[
ler { contains an array of
"task":"task1", tasks that define
"schedule":"15 14 * *
*", when a task is to be
"enabled":true task is to be initiated.
}
]

task Defines which task to

"scheduler":[
{ perform and the
"task":"task1", order. Currently,
"schedule":"15 14 * *
Sisense only supports
Key Example Value
*", one task.
"enabled":true
}
]

schedu The time that a task is

"scheduler":[
le { to be initiated in Cron
"task":"task1", format. Some
"schedule":"15 14 * *
*", examples: -To run a
"enabled":true build each night at
}
midnight, enter the
]
value "0 0 * * * *" -To
run a build every
hour, enter the value
"0 * * * * *" See the
full Cron format
reference here.

enable A boolean value that

"scheduler":[
d { indicates if the task is
"task":"task1", to be executed or
"schedule":"15 14 * *
*", not.
"enabled":true
}
]
Use Cases
The following section presents two use cases and an example config.json file that
demonstrates how to support these use cases. For assistance with additional HA
configurations, contact your Customer Service Manager.

Scenario 1 – Single Stack

In this example, there is one build node and two query nodes. Each query node is
hosted on a separate machine while the components that make up the query
node are hosted on the same machine as a single application stack.
In this example, the build cube is called “Sample ECommerce”. This ElastiCube is
distributed to two ElastiCube servers defined in the cube1 and cube2 objects.
The build cube is distributed first to cube1 and then to cube2 as defined in the
tasks object. The first time the Sisense Orchestrator Service tries to build the
BuildTest1 ElastiCube, it attempts an accumulative build and if that fails, an
entire build. After each build is replicated, the previous version of the ElastiCube
is deleted as specified in the reattach object. This task takes place hourly. If the
distribution fails, Sisense sends an email to [email protected] with a debug
log attached.

{
"general":{
"logLevel":"INFO", //Determines type of log
events recorded
"emails":[
{
"email":"[email protected]", //Who
to send reports
"name":"Example1"
}
]
},
"cubes":{
"localCubeBuildTest1":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce" //Name of the
ecube to be distributed
},
"cube1":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce", //Name of the
ecube on the query node

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\Pr
ismServer\\ElastiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\PrismServer\\Ela
stiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce"
},
"cube2":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce", //Name of the
ecube on the query node

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.92\\C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\Pr
ismServer\\ElastiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\PrismServer\\Ela
stiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce"
}
},
"tasks":{
"task1":[
{
"build":{
"cube":[
"cube1",
"cube2"
],
"queue":[
"accumulate", //The first type of
build to be attempted
"entire" //The second type of build to
perform if the first fails
]
}
},
{
"distribute":[ //The order of how ecubes
on the build node is distributed to query nodes
"cube1",
"cube2"
]
},
{
"reattach":{
"deleteOldDbfarm":true,
"cube":[
"cube1",
"cube2"
]
}
},
{
"mail":"build" //What event triggers an
email
}
]
},
"scheduler":[
{
"task":"task1", //The name of the task
object that is to be executed
"schedule":"0 * * * *", //How often to
perform a task in Cron format
"enabled": true
}
]
}

Scenario 2 – Distributed Stack

In this example, there are three query nodes in which each component is located
in a different remote location. This scenario, while costly to implement,
demonstrates a distributed application stack configuration where each
component is replicated and located on a separate server independent of the
other components. If any component fails, the rest of the architecture remains
intact. For example, the web server is on one server, the ElastiCubes are stored
on another server, and the MongoDB is located on another server.
The build cube in this example is called “BuildTest1”. This ElastiCube is
distributed to three remote ElastiCube servers defined in the cube1, cube2, and
cube3 objects. The build cube is distributed first to cube1, then cube2, and then
cube3 as defined in the tasks object. The URLs are standard URLs for cube1 and
cube2 while the URL for cube3 is secured through SSH. When the URL is secured,
you must provide the URL and the required credentials to access it.
The first time the Sisense Orchestrator Service tries to build the BuildTest1
ElastiCube, it attempts an accumulative build and if that fails, an entire build. If
both builds fail, Sisense attempts to update the schema only. After each build is
replicated, the previous version of the ElastiCube is deleted as specified in the
reattach object. This task takes place At 14:15 on the 1st of every month. After a
build is successful, Sisense sends an email to [email protected].

{
"general":{
"logLevel":"DEBUG",
"emails":[
{
"email":"[email protected]",
"name":"Example1"
}
]
},
"cubes":{
"localCubeBuildTest1":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce"
},
"cube1":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce",

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.91\\C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\Pr
ismServer\\ElastiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\PrismServer\\Ela
stiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce"
},
"cube2":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce",

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.92\\C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\Pr
ismServer\\ElastiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce",
"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\PrismServer\\Ela
stiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce"
},
"cube3":{
"ecube":"Sample ECommerce",

"url":"\\\\127.128.129.93\\C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\Pr
ismServer\\ElastiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce",

"localPath":"C:\\ProgramData\\Sisense\\PrismServer\\Ela
stiCubeData\\Sample ECommerce"
}

},
"tasks":{
"task1":[
{
"build":{
"cube":[
"cube1",
"cube2",
"cube3"
],
"queue":[
"accumulate",
"entire",
"schemachanges"
]
}
},
{
"distribute":[
"cube1",
"cube2",
"cube3"
]
},
{
"reattach":{
"deleteOldDbfarm":true,
"cube":[
"cube1",
"cube2",
"cube3"
]
}
},
{
"mail":"fail"
}
]
},
"scheduler":[
{
"task":"task1",
"schedule":"15 14 1 * *",
"enabled": true
}
]
}
Add Query Nodes

In some configurations, replicating components can improve performance by

scaling out and preventing any potential bottlenecks. Each component you
replicate must be added to the ElastiCube Set and the config.json file. You can
continue to add query nodes according to your requirement so long as the nodes
are included in the config.json file.
To add a query node:
Stop the Sisense Orchestrator Service. Open Windows Services, select
Sisense.Orchestrator, and click .

In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin and select the Data Sources tab
on the left.
Hover over the ElastiCube you want to add to the ElastiCube Set and click on
the menu that appears. Click Add to ElastiCube Set and select the set that
you want to add the ElastiCube to.
Edit the config.json located at Sisense/Sisense.Orchestration/Config/ and add
the new ElastiCube to the Cubes object.
Save the config.json file.
Restart the Sisense Orchestrator Service.
Remove Query Nodes

You can remove query nodes by removing them from the ElastiCube Set and the
config.json file.
To remove a query node:
Stop the Sisense Orchestrator Service. Open Windows Services, select
Sisense.Orchestrator, and click .

In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin and select the Data Sources tab
on the left.
In the ElastiCube Set table, click and clear the checkboxes of the ElastiCubes
to be removed. Click Save after you have selected the relevant ElastiCubes.
Edit the config.json located at Sisense/Sisense.Orchestration/Config/ and
delete the relevant ElastiCubes from the Cubes object.
Save the config.json file.
Restart the Sisense Orchestrator Service.
Next Steps
Setting Up ElastiCube Sets
Setting Up ElastiCube Sets
Previous Steps
Distributing ElastiCubes
Sisense ElastiCube Sets are collections of ElastiCube models with identical
schemas that allow you to query running ElastiCubes within the ElastiCube Set
while other ElastiCubes are building.
Note: From Sisense V6.5 onwards, you can query ElastiCubes during
accumulative builds without ElastiCube Sets. However, to ensure that your users
can query ElastiCubes after a failed build, you can implement ElastiCube Sets to
handle your queries while Sisense rebuilds the failed ElastiCube.
Grouping ElastiCubes into ElastiCube sets has several benefits:
Allowing viewers to query the most up-to-date cubes within an ElastiCube
Set.
Reducing server load during builds by using multiple nodes in which only the
non-building node is queried.
Achieving data redundancy by running builds interchangeably across
multiple nodes.
To maximize availability and reduce build and dashboard response times,
administrators can distribute resource allocation across multiple Sisense nodes.
By adding ElastiCubes across multiple servers to a single ElastiCube Set,
administrators can configure ElastiCube Sets to run builds interchangeably via
the Sisense Orchestrator Service so the most up-to-date and complete
ElastiCubes are queried.
The Sisense Orchestrator Service is an automated service that can be configured
to synchronize builds across the ElastiCube Set. If you change your schemas
within any of the ElastiCubes, you must manually change the schemas in all of the
ElastiCubes and rebuild the cube entirely.
This page provides the following information:
Instructions on Creating and Deleting ElastiCube Sets.
A walkthrough for how you can create a set and configure the Sisense
Orchestrator Service. See Working with ElastiCube Sets.
(Optional) Instructions on how to implement and configure the Sisense
Orchestrator Service. See Activating the Sisense Orchestrator Service.
How to update an ElastiCube within an ElastiCube Set.
Creating ElastiCube Sets
From the Admin page, Administrators can create ElastiCube Sets.
ElastiCube Sets require at least two ElastiCubes. The Administrator can add
multiple ElastiCubes to a set, however, ElastiCubes can only be part of a single
ElastiCube Set at a time. After an Administrator creates an ElastiCube Set or adds
an ElastiCube to an existing set, the ElastiCube is disabled in the original server
and no further actions can be performed outside of the set.
Sisense recommends that you develop ElastiCubes in a development
environment or separate ElastiCube to ensure they work before adding them to
an ElastiCube Set.
Note: Build nodes used in high availability configurations should not be included
in your ElastiCube Set. If you have implemented high availability, only query
nodes should be included in the ElastiCube Set.
To create an ElastiCube Set:
Click Admin and select the Data Sources tab on the left.
For the relevant ElastiCube you want to add to the ElastiCube Set, select and
click Create ElastiCube Set.

In the Create ElastiCube Set window, enter a name for the set and select the
ElastiCubes you want to include in the set.
From the Routing Strategy list, select a strategy for how you want to route
traffic to your ElastiCube Set. See Routing Queries in ElastiCube Sets for
more information.
From the Failover ElastiCube list, select which ElastiCube you prefer to use if
the other ElastiCubes in the set are not available. Failover ElastiCubes only
handle queries when an ElastiCube that is part of the ElastiCube Set
fails.(Note: this feature is available in Sisense V6.7 onwards).

Click Create.
In the Existing Dashboards popup message, indicate if you want to associate
your ElastiCube’s dashboards with the ElastiCube Set or maintain the
association with the original ElastiCube.

Click OK. The ElastiCube Set is created and displayed in the Admin page.
After you have created an ElastiCube Set, you can configure the ElastiCube
Set’s Hierarchies, Access Rights, and Data Security.
Adding ElastiCubes to ElastiCube Sets

After you have created an ElastiCube Set, you can add more ElastiCubes to the
set.
When you add an ElastiCube to an existing ElastiCube Set, any dashboards
associated with that ElastiCube are passed on to the ElastiCube Set.
Note: You cannot add ‘localhost’ to an ElastiCube Set. Instead, you can add your
localhost as a new server with its IP address as the server name and then add
ElastiCubes from it to an ElastiCube Set.
To add an ElastiCube to the ElastiCube Set:
Click Admin in the upper right corner and select the ElastiCubes tab on the
left.
For the relevant ElastiCube you want to add to the ElastiCube Set select and
click Add to ElastiCube Set.

OR
In the ElastiCube Set table, click and select Edit and select the
ElastiCubes to be added to the set. Click Save after you have selected the
relevant ElastiCubes.
The ElastiCube is added to the ElastiCube Set and displayed in the
ElastiCube Set table on the Admin page.
Deleting ElastiCube Sets

Administrators can delete ElastiCube Sets. Deleting an ElastiCube Set removes

the set from the Admin page and any dashboards associated with that set.
To delete an ElastiCube Set:
Hover over its title and click the Trash icon.
Click Delete to confirm that you want to delete the ElastiCube Set.
Overcoming Build Failures in ElastiCube Sets

In Sisense, if an accumulative build fails, you must rebuild the ElastiCube that
failed entirely to ensure the validity of the ElastiCube.
If you use the Sisense Orchestrator Service, Sisense recommends that you define
the value of the Queue key as “FullUpdateExisting, Full”
"queue": ["FullUpdateExisting","Full"]
In this configuration, the Sisense Orchestrator Service attempts to build the set
using accumulative builds and in the event of a failure, a full build is initiated.
Retrieving a Token

As part of the config.json file, you must provide a token that Sisense uses for
authenticating your ElastiCube Sets.
You can retrieve this token through Sisense’s API documentation. After you
retrieve the token, save it as the value of apiKey in the config.json file.
To retrieve a token:
In Sisense, access the API documentation, select Admin> REST API > REST
API Reference.

In the REST API Reference site, select Version 1.0 in the top-right corner of
the page.
Open the authentication method.
Enter your login credentials and click Run. The access_token is displayed in
the Response Body below.

Copy the token and paste it into the value of apiKey in the config.json file.
Updating ElastiCubes within an ElastiCube Set

The Sisense Orchestrator Service automatically updates your data across

ElastiCubes within an ElastiCube Set. If you want to modify the schema, for
example, by adding new tables, you must manually rebuild the ElastiCubes and
then import that ElastiCube to the other machines hosting your ElastiCube Set.
While rebuilding your ElastiCube, you should deactivate the Sisense Orchestrator
Service to prevent it from updating the ElastiCubes with different schemas.
After the schemas are identical for all the ElastiCubes across the ElastiCube Set,
you can reactivate the Sisense Orchestrator Service to automatically update your
ElastiCubes.
To update an ElastiCube within ElastiCube Set:
Stop the Sisense Orchestrator Service. Open Windows Services, select
Sisense.Orchestrator, and click .
Apply your schema changes to the ElastiCube and run a full build.
Export the ElastiCube and import it on your other machines. For more
information, see Importing and Exporting ElastiCube Data.
In Windows Services, restart the Sisense Orchestrator Service by selecting
Sisense.Orchestrator and clicking .
Next Steps
Routing Queries in ElastiCube Sets
Routing Queries in ElastiCube
Sets
When a user queries an ElastiCube that is part of an ElastiCube Set, Sisense
routes the query to a single ElastiCube with the latest ElastiCube build. By
default, ElastiCube Sets operate in active-passive mode. In active-passive mode,
one ElastiCube, by default the ElastiCube with the latest build, handles incoming
queries. This ElastiCube is active while the remaining ElastiCubes are on standby
in passive mode.
Sisense also supports active-active mode where queries are spread across
available ElastiCubes within an ElastiCube Set. In active-active mode, each
ElastiCube that is not currently building can handle queries.
You can modify how queries are routed to ElastiCubes within ElastiCube Sets by
selecting one of the following routing strategies:
Single: (Default). ElastiCubes operate in active-passive mode where the
ElastiCube with the freshest data receives all the queries while the remaining
ElastiCubes are on standby.
Multiple ElastiCubes – Fresh Data: ElastiCubes operate in active-active mode
where queries are spread across all ElastiCubes with the latest data.
Multiple ElastiCubes – Best Spread: ElastiCubes operate in active-active mode
where queries are spread across the largest group of ElastiCubes with identical
data.
To set a query routing strategy:
Click Admin and select the Data Sources tab on the left.
For the relevant ElastiCube Set, select Edit.

From the Routing Strategy list, select the relevant strategy.

Click Save.
Securing the Message
Broker's Communication
Note: The procedure described below is an optional step for hardening the
security of the Sisense Message Broker.
The message broker is responsible for communicating events across Sisense
components. To ensure that your communication is secure, RabbitMQ, which
Sisense uses as the message broker, supports Transport-Layer-Security (TLS)
connections. TLS encrypts traffic between Sisense components and verifies that
various Sisense components are authentic.
The communication is encrypted through the use of certificates. You are
responsible for generating your certificate bundle, which includes the Certificate
Authority (CA file), a certificate (public key) file and a private key file. To encrypt
and decrypt traffic, you must provide Sisense with certificate/key pairs in the
Sisense Configuration Manager. The following article explains how you can
generate TLS certificates.
To enable TLS-connections for the Sisense message broker:
Open the Configuration Manager in your browser located at
http://localhost:3030/.
Under the section Message Broker, toggle TLS Enabled to enable TLS
support.

Enter the following details:

Connection String: The connection string to the Sisense message broker.
The RabbitMQ uses the AMQP URI Specification for connections.
CA Certificate: Enter your CA certificate. This is provided when you
generate your certificate bundle.
Private Certificate: Enter your private certificate. This is provided when
you generate your certificate bundle.
Private Key: Enter your private key. This is provided when you generate
your certificate bundle.
Click Save.
Expanding Single-Node
Deployments to Multi-Node
Deployments
If you want to expand an existing single-node deployment to a multi-note
deployment retaining your existing assets, you need to take the following into
consideration:
Migrating your application database (MongoDB) containing the system
metadata (users, groups, dashboard definitions, and much more)
Usage of ElastiCube Sets for query load balancing
Migrating resource files (rebranding files, email templates, languages, etc.)
Migrating plugin files
And more.
Contact Sisense Support to assist with this process.
Using ElastiCube Models in
Multi-Node Environments
You can manage your ElastiCube models in multi-node deployments with the
following configuration and behavior:
Step 1

The application must know the IP address of the build server. You can specify
the build node server IP address in the Configuration Manager:
In your browser, open the Configuration Manager at: [server address]:3030,
for example, 127.61.98.2030:3030.
In Build Node Server, enter the IP address of the build node.
Step 2

To edit and build ElastiCubes in the Data page, you must add the build node as a
remote server.
In the Admin page, select Data Sources and click Add Server.

Enter your IP address. Make sure to use the server IP address and not the server
name when you add

it.
Note: If you initiate a build from the Data page at the same time that a build is
initiated by the Orchestrator service or when a build is already in progress, one
of the builds may fail. If this happens, initiate another build.
You will now see the ElastiCubes from the build server on your Data page. This
ElastiCube is displayed with the IP address of the build node.

You can now edit and build ElastiCubes that reside on your build server from the
Data page.
Step 3

If you want to use multiple query nodes, configure the Orchestrator to distribute
your ElastiCube models from the build node to the query nodes.
For more information, see Activating the Sisense Orchestrator Service.
Step 4

Connect your dashboards to an ElastiCube or ElastiCube Set.

If your dashboard is new, you can select the data source when creating the
dashboard. For existing dashboards, see Changing a Dashboard’s Data Source.
If you want to use ElastiCube Sets, perform the following steps:
Add the query nodes as remote servers in the Admin page. See Step 2 for
information on how to set up a query node as a remote server.
Make sure the Orchestrator has completed distributing the Elasticubes to the
query nodes. You will be able to see the ElastiCubes from the query nodes
on the Data page.
Create the ElastiCube Sets using the ElastiCubes on the query nodes.
Connect the dashboards to the ElastiCube sets. See Changing a Dashboard’s
Data Source for more information.
Note: You must edit only the ElastiCube used for the build, meaning the
ElastiCube that is located on the build node. You should not edit the
ElastiCubes that are on the query nodes, and are part of the ElastiCube sets,
as their data is overwritten upon the next build.
Supporting Usage Analytics in
Multi-Node Environments
Usage Analytics is supported in multi-node deployments. The information is
collected from all the nodes in the system, stored on the build node, and then
displayed in your dashboard on the application node.
If you are using the Usage Analytics feature in a multi-node deployment, these
are the steps you need to perform to support Usage Analytics. In some cases, you
may have defined these settings already, if so, verify that each of these steps is
complete.
Step 1

Sisense must know the IP address of the build server. You can specify the build
node server IP address in the Configuration Manager on your application node:
In your browser, open the Configuration Manager at: [server address]:3030,
for example, 127.61.98.2030:3030.
In Build Node Server, enter the IP address of the build node.
Step 2

On the application node, enable Usage Analytics.

In the Admin page, select Usage Analytics.

Toggle Collect Usage Analytics to enable.

Enabling Usage Analytics creates the Usage Analytics Model ElastiCube on
the build node.
Step 3

Add the build node as a remote server to the application node.

In the Admin page, select Data Sources and click Add Server.

Enter your IP address. Make sure to use the server IP address and not the server
name when you add

it.
Then, on the build node, schedule builds for the Usage Analytics Model
ElastiCube.

See Scheduling Builds for more information.

Step 4

Configure the Orchestrator on your build node to distribute the Usage Analytics
Model ElastiCube to the query nodes.
See Distributing ElastiCube Builds to Query Nodes for more information.
Step 5

On your application node, add your query nodes as remote servers.

In the Admin page, select Data Sources and click Add Server.

Enter your IP address. Make sure to use the server IP address and not the server
name when you add it.
Step 6

Create ElastiCube Sets for the Usage Analytics Model ElastiCubes for the query
nodes.

See Creating ElastiCube Sets for more information.

Step 7

Update your default Usage Analytics dashboards to use the Usage Analytics
Model ElastiCube Set.

See Changing a Dashboard’s Data Source for more information.

You are now ready to view your Usage Analytics data in a Multi-Node
deployment topology.
Overview
Sisense Usage Analytics is a set of pre-defined dashboards and ElastiCube that
enable you to monitor your Sisense user and dashboard activity. With Sisense
Usage Analytics, you can better understand how users are interacting with
Sisense dashboards and optimize your configuration accordingly. For example,
you can understand which dashboards are making an impact and how fast the
dashboards are loading.

Sisense collects usage data for the following actions:

Opening a dashboard
Changing a filter
Selecting areas (filter)
Drilling down into widgets
Exporting a dashboard to PDF
Exporting a dashboard to images
Adding KPIs to Pulse
The data displayed in your Usage Analytics dashboards is collected once Usage
Analytics is enabled. When you first enable the feature, there will only be a small
amount of data. Data is accumulated while the feature is enabled, and stored on
your Sisense Server for 30 days.
Sisense Usage Analytics includes the following dashboards:
Usage - Dashboards: Provides insights regarding the number of dashboards in
your system, how often they are used, and their performance.
Usage - Domains: Provides insights regarding the behavior of your users, from
different email domains in your system. This is useful for OEMs who have tenants
from different email domains. From this dashboard you can monitor system
usage for each tenant.
Usage - General: Provides a general summary of dashboard performance,
dashboard usage, and who is viewing your dashboards.
Usage - Groups: Provides insights regarding group activity in your system and
their dashboard usage.
Usage - Users: Provides insights regarding the behavior of specific users in the
system.

The Usage Analytics dashboards included with Sisense are visible after you
activate the Usage Analytics feature in the Admin page. After activating Usage
Analytics, Sisense displays the default Usage Analytics ElastiCube in the Data
page and your default Usage Analytics dashboards in the Analytics page.
You can fully customize the default ElastiCube and dashboards as you like.
Note: The Usage Analytics ElastiCube is built on a CSV file where your data is
stored. This CSV should not be modified in any way or the ElastiCube will not
build. To update the Usuage Analytics data, you should perform a full build.
If you modify your ElastiCube and it no longer builds, or if you ever need to
revert back to the original ElastiCube and dashboards, you can do so through the
Admin page or through the REST API. See Restoring Usage Analytics for more
information.
If you have implemented a multi-node environment and want to view usage data
across all your nodes, there are additional steps you must take to set it up. See
Supporting Usage Analytics in Multi-Node Environments for more information.
Note: Groups with ';' in their name will lead to incorrect data being displayed in
your Usage Analytics as this causes the groups to be parsed as two separate
groups.
Related Topics
Activating Usage Analytics
Dashboard Analytics
Domain Analytics
General Analytics
Groups Analytics
Users Analytics
Restoring Usage Analytics
Supporting Usage Analytics in Multi-Node Environments
Activating Usage Analytics
There are two steps to activating Usage Analytics. The first step is to enable
Usage Analytics from the Admin page, and the second step is to build the model
called Usage Analytics Model that is automatically created when Usage
Analytics is enabled.
Once Usage Analytics is enabled, your server’s activity is recorded on your
Sisense Server. Enabling Usage Analytics adds a Usage Analytics ElastiCube to the
Data page and a Usage Analytics folder to your Dashboards list where all the pre-
defined usage dashboards are stored.

These dashboards are initially empty until you complete the second step, which
is to build the pre-defined Usage Analytics model. After you build your Usage
Analytics model, your Usage Analytics dashboards will display the updated usage
data. The data displayed in your Usage Analytics dashboards is collected when
Usage Analytics is enabled. All the data displayed in your Usage Analytics is
stored on your Sisense Server for 30 days.
If you have implemented a multi-node environment and want to view usage data
across all your nodes, there are additional steps you must take to set it up. See
Supporting Usage Analytics in Multi-Node Environments for more information.
Note: To display the latest usage analytics data, you need to perform a full build
on the Usage Analytics model. You can automate this step by scheduling periodic
builds.
To activate Usage Analytics:
In the Admin page, select Usage Analytics.

Toggle Collect Usage Analytics to enable. Sisense automatically adds the

Usage Analytics Model to your Data page.
In the Data page, open the Usage Analytics Model.
Build the Usage Analytics Model. Your Usage Analytics dashboards display all
the information collected since you began collecting usage analytics data. To
update your dashboards with the latest data, you need to run a full build
each time.
Dashboard Analytics
The Usage - Dashboard dashboard provides you with the ability to see how often
your dashboards are being used, how often Viewers are interacting with them,
and how quickly your dashboards are loading.
You can filter the information displayed in your widgets with a set of filters on
the right. With these filters, you can filter the details about your dashboard by
various parameters, such as a specific dashboard or user or group.

This dashboard is useful for answering the following questions:

Question Widget

How many dashboards have Dashboards Use in Period

been used?

How many Viewers have been Avg Viewers per Dashboard

looking at my dashboards?
Question Widget

How many times have my Avg Refreshes per Dashboard, Dashboard

dashboards been refreshed? Refreshes and Viewers

How long does it take to load a Average Dashboard Load Time, Avg Action per
dashboard? Dashboard, Dashboard Load Time

How much are Viewers Avg Actions per Dashboard, Dashboard

interacting with my dashboards? Actions, Dashboard Usage

Who is looking at my Dashboard Viewers

dashboards?
Domain Analytics
Domain Analytics provide you with insights regarding users from different email
domains active in your account. A domain represents each unique email domain
of your users in your Sisense system. For example, if you have users with the
email addresses [email protected] and [email protected], these represent two
different domains. This dashboard is useful for OEMs who want to monitor and
track their tenants' activity in their Sisense system.

The Usage - Domain dashboard contains data regarding how many domains were
active for the recorded period of time, the number of Viewers per domain, how
often they are using your dashboards, and what type of dashboard load
performance your customers are experiencing.
You can filter the information displayed in your widgets with a set of filters on
the right. With these filters, you can filter the details displayed in your dashboard
by each domain.
With the Usage - Domain dashboard, you can keep track of how many users you
have per domain. For example, in the Users per Domain and Number of
Dashboard Viewers per Domain tables, you can view how many users your
customers have, and monitor their license utilization.
This dashboard is useful for answering the following questions:
Question Widget

How many domains are using my Active Domains in Period

dashboards?

How many dashboards are users from Avg Viewed Dashboards per Domain, Avg
each domain viewing? Viewers per Domain, Users per Domain

How often are dashboards being Avg Refreshes per Dashboard per Domain,
refreshed by users from the domain? Dashboard Refreshes and Viewers

How many Viewers do I have per domain? Avg Viewers per Domain, Number of Dashboard
Viewers per Domain

How much are users from each domain Avg Actions per Domain, Actions over Time
interacting with my dashboards?

How well are my dashboards loading? Avg Load Time, Dashboard Load Time

Who is viewing my dashboards? Dashboard Viewers per Domain

General Analytics
The Usage - General dashboard provides you with insights regarding your
Sisense system, including how often Sisense is being used and its performance.
You can filter the information displayed in your widgets with a set of filters on
the right. With these filters, you can filter the details about your system activity
by an individual dashboard or per user or group.

This dashboard is useful for answering the following questions:

Question Widget

How often are dashboards being refreshed? Avg Refreshes per Day, System Usage

How many Viewers are active each day? Avg Viewers per Day, System Usage

Have many actions occur in my dashboards Avg Actions per Day, Actions, System Usage
per day?

How long does it take to load a dashboard? Avg Load Time, Dashboard Load Time,
Question Widget

System Usage

Which dashboards are being viewed? Dashboard Viewers

Who is viewing my dashboards? Dashboard Viewers

Groups Analytics
The Usage - Group dashboard provides you with insights regarding your Sisense
groups. This dashboard is useful to see which groups are active and check the
system performance for dashboards for your groups.

The Usage Domain dashboard contains data regarding how many groups were
active for the recorded period of time, how often they are using your dashboards,
and what type of dashboard load performance your users are experiencing.
You can filter the information displayed in your widgets with a set of filters on
the right. With these filters, you can filter the details displayed in your dashboard
by each user, group, or dashboard.
With the Group Analytics dashboard, you can keep track of your groups and
remove or edit any groups that aren’t being used.
This dashboard is useful for answering the following questions:
Question Widget
Question Widget

How many active groups do I have? Active Groups in Period, Dashboard Refreshes and
Viewers

Can unnecessary groups be Active Groups in Period, Avg Active Viewers per
deleted? Group, Dashboard Viewers per Group

How many active users are in a Avg Actions per Group, Actions, Dashboard Refreshes
group? and Viewers

How many actions does a group Avg Actions per Group, Actions
perform?

How many dashboards were Avg Dashboards Viewed per Group

viewed by a group?

How many times was a dashboard Avg Dashboards Refreshed per Group
refreshed by a group?

Whats the dashboard load time for Avg Load Time per Group, Load Time
my groups?

Who is in my groups? Dashboard Viewers per Group

User Analytics
The Usage - User dashboard provides you with insights regarding your Sisense
users. This dashboard is useful to see which users are active and which users are
using a license unnecessarily.

The User Analytics dashboard contains data regarding how many users were
active for the recorded period of time, how often they are using your dashboards,
and what type of dashboard load performance your users are experiencing.
You can filter the information displayed in your widgets with a set of filters on
the right. With these filters, you can filter the details displayed in your dashboard
by each user, group, or dashboard.
This dashboard is useful for answering the following questions:
Question Widget

How many active users do I have? Active Users in Period, Dashboard Refreshes and
Viewers, User Activity
Question Widget

Can unnecessary users be deleted? Active Users in Period, Viewed Dashboards per
User, User Activity

How often are my users viewing Avg Refreshes per User

dashboards?

How many times is a dashboard being Dashboard Refreshes and Viewers

refreshed?

How many times are users interacting Avg Actions per User, User Actions
with my dashboards?

How fast are my dashboards loading? Dashboard Load Time

Who is viewing my dashboards? Dashboard Viewer, Viewed Dashboards per

Users
Restoring Usage Analytics
You can work with your Usage Analytics ElastiCube and dashboards like you
would with any other ElastiCube or dashboard you own.
If you have modified the Usage Analytics ElastiCube and cannot build it anymore,
you can restore the default ElastiCube from the Admin page or the REST API.
Restoring the ElastiCube or a dashboard returns it to the original state. Any
changes you made will be deleted.
To restore your Usage Analytics ElastiCube and dashboards in Sisense:
In the Admin page, click Usage Analytics.
If Collect Usage Analytics is not enabled, toggle the switch to enable it.
Click Restore to for the relevant assets or click both Restore buttons to
restore the ElastiCube and dashboards.
To restore your Usage Analytics ElastiCube and dashboards through the
REST API:
In the Admin page, click REST API and then select API Reference.
For the ElastiCube, run the following endpoints to restore your Usage
Analytics assets:
admin, POST /usageanalytics/restore/cube
For your dashboards, run the following endpoint:
admin, POST /usageanalytics/restore/dashboards
Extracting Usage Analytics
Data
You can run SQL queries to extract data from ElastiCubes, including the Usage
Analytics ElastiCube. This data is collected and stored in a CSV file. You can
download this CSV file with the SQL Runner with the following call:
http://localhost:8081/api/datasources/LocalHost/Usage%20A
nalytics%20Model/sql?query=select%20*%20from%20usage&form
at=csv
In this example, LocalHost is the name of the server where the Usage
Analytics ElastiCube is located. If you are connecting remotely, change this to the
IP address or name of the server as defined in the Data Sources table in the
Admin page of Sisense.
Note: Following security enhancements made in Sisense V7.0 and later, this
feature is only available to Administrators. You can allow additional user roles to
access it by customizing that user's role.
For more information, see SQL Runner.
Managing Plug-ins
Sisense plugins enable you to extend the functionality and capabilities of your
Sisense dashboard through standard web development languages such as
JavaScript and HTML.
For more information about developing Sisense Plug-ins, see JavaScript API &
Plugins.
In the Sisense Admin page, you can view a list of your current plugins, their
version as defined in your plug-in’s script, and their status, enabled or disabled.

From the Plug-ins page, you can enable or disable your plugins. This is useful for
testing new plugins or troubleshooting issues with your dashboard. When a plug-
in is disabled, its functionality is no longer available in the Sisense Web
Application.
To enable or disable a plug-in:
In the Sisense Web Application, select Admin > Plugin-Ins.
Toggle the Enable/Disable switch to activate or deactivate a plug-in.
OR
To activate/deactivate multiple plugins, select the checkbox of the relevant
plugins. When you select any of the checkboxes, an Enable/Disable switch is
displayed in the menu bar. Toggle the switch to enable or disable all the
selected plugins.

After enabling or disabling a plug-in, Sisense rebuilds your Plug-ins’ list. The
next time you refresh your dashboard, the plugins will be enabled or
disabled as defined in the Plug-ins page.
Setting Up a Custom Email
Server
Sisense includes a default email server configuration, which uses Mandrill by
MailChimp to send automated emails such as dashboard reports or password
reset emails. This configuration can be used for POC and testing environments.
For production environments, you should provide your own email server.
Custom email servers allow all your email transactions to be completely
managed on your side.
Through the Sisense REST API, you can send an HTTP POST request to issue
Sisense emails through your own custom email server instead of the default
Sisense email server. The REST API exposes properties that you can configure for
the custom email servers such as security, timeout, and logging properties.
When authenticating an HTTP request, Sisense only supports the basic
authentication through the Authorization method using plain text.
To set up a custom email server:
In the Sisense Web Application, click Admin, and then Rest API, followed by
REST API Reference.
In version 1.0 of the REST API, select Settings, then POST
/settings/email_server.
In the body of your call, define the values of the following keys:
Key Value

enable If True, allows access to the custom email server instead

of the default Sisense email server.
Note: This property is different from the enable property
found in version .9 of the REST API POST
/settings/system request. In .9, enable activates Sisense
Key Value

emails. In version 1.0, enable sends Sisense emails

through your custom server.
host The hostname or IP address to connect to. By
default, this is 'localhost'.

port The port to connect to (defaults to 25 or 465).

secure When you send an email, some email servers check if

secure transport (TLS) is available for that address or
domain.
This value determines if the connection should use TLS
(if True) or not (if False). The default value is false.The
connection may be upgraded to TLS if the email server
requires it.
ignoreTLS If this is True and secure is False, TLS will not be used
even if the email server attempts to upgrade the
connection to TLS-secure.
This field should be set to True when connecting to a
non-secure SMTP server.
requireTLS If this is True and secure is False, it forces the
connection to be upgraded to TLS-secure even if the
email server does not advertise support for TLS.

connectionTimeout How many milliseconds to wait for the connection to

establish.

greetingTimeout How many milliseconds to wait for the greeting after

connection is established.

socketTimeout How many milliseconds of inactivity to allow.

Key Value

user The user name of the user.

As non-secure or restricted SMTP servers do not require
authentication, do not include this field when connecting
to a non-secure SMTP server.
pass The user’s password for the email server.
As non-secure or restricted SMTP servers do not require
authentication, do not include this field when connecting
to a non-secure SMTP server.
logger If set to True, Sisense logs events such as which
server you connected to.If the value is not defined or
is False, then nothing is logged.

debug If set to True, then Sisense logs SMTP traffic. When

False, Sisense logs only transaction events.Debug
logs record everything and may increase in size
quickly and impact performance. You should only
set activate debug logging when troubleshooting a
specific issue and then reset the logging level back
to info.
Click Run.
After you have set up the email server, you need to change the sender email
address to the domain of your custom email server so they are consistent.
You can update the sender email through the POST 0.9 /branding endpoint
in the SisenseREST API.

{
"emails": {
"senderEmail": "[email protected]"
}
}
Click Run.
Activating a Sisense AMI from
the AWS Marketplace
Sisense provides a BYOL (Bring Your Own License) AMI (Amazon Machine
Image) on the Amazon AWS Marketplace. You can utilize your image to run your
Sisense instances on AWS. Before you create an instance, make sure you have
your Sisense account user and password available to initialize the instance.
Note: The payment to AWS covers the price of the machine on AWS, using an
existing Sisense license. Your Sisense license payment is part of the existing
Sisense account billing, and is not charged to your AWS account.
To initialize your Sisense instance:
Instantiate the Sisense 7.x AMI from the AWS Marketplace to create your
Sisense server.
Connect to your Sisense server using Remote Desktop. The Sisense Activation
screen is displayed.
Sign in using the your Sisense credentials: the email address and password
you provided when acquiring your Sisense license.
Click Sign In to continue. Your account information will be verified, and your
server automatically initialized. After completing the initialization, your
browser will automatically be launched, displaying the Sisense login
window (http://localhost/app/account#/login).
Enter the same user name and password you provided to activate the server,
and click Login to login to Sisense server. You Sisense server is now active
and available for your use. The Sisense Web UI is available - and displays
the Analytics landing page.

Troubleshooting:
In case you activate Sisense server, and login to it, and the Sisense WebUI isn’t
displayed, restart your Sisense server. As you have already activated the
Sisense instance, your Sisense application is ready. Click Start to launch the
application, and display the login screen.
Provide your Sisense user and password to begin working with the
application.
Getting Started with Linux
Welcome to the Linux Getting Started guide.
Before you begin…
Sisense supports many different types of business users, but this guide is
designed for DevOps and IT users.
This guide explains all the steps you need to provision Sisense on Linux, but you
should have at least some experience configuring server software and with Linux
Below are the primary steps required to get Sisense up and running on Linux.
"Step 1. Verifying System Requirements" on page 1236
"Step 2. Planning Your Configuration" on page 1240
"Step 3: Configuring Port Settings" on page 1246
"Step 4: Initializing Sisense on Linux" on page 1252
"Step 5: Creating Data Groups" on page 1268
"Step 6: Monitoring Sisense on Linux" on page 1272
In addition, here are some additional topics you might be interested in:
Linux FAQs
Supported Connectors
Sisense on Windows versus Linux
Migrating Sisense from Windows to Linux
Debugging Cloud-Native Sisense on Linux
Upgrading Sisense on Linux
Uninstalling Sisense from Linux
Uploading Files through the File Manager
Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails
Translating Sisense Metadata
White Labeling Sisense
Step 1. Verifying System
Requirements
Previous Step
Getting Started with Linux
The following minimum hardware requirements and recommendations apply to
all servers running Sisense, including physical hardware and virtual machines.
The Sisense Linux deployment is certified to run on the following operating
systems:
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
RHEL 7.x
Centos 7
Amazon Linux 2.0
The Sisense Linux Cloud-native deployment is currently certified to run on local
data centers and on AWS. Certification on Azure and GCP will be provided in the
future.
Your servers should meet or exceed the minimum of these hardware
recommendations.
Note the Linux cloud-native deployments require an additional 4 GB RAM
beyond the Sisense requirements for Windows deployments, to handle the
cluster infrastructure.
The actual hardware requirements of the cluster depends on many parameters,
including the data size, the models created in the system, and the dashboard
complexity, and needs to be determined per specific deployment. Additionally,
using custom queries in model definitions adds additional compute load to the
system, and needs to be considered when planning your deployment.
Deployment Processor CPU RAM DISK SPACE
Type

Single node 64-bit 8-core, 16 GB 50 GB for the first partition. For the
2.0 GHz second partition or disk
or /opt/sisense, the space should be
higher two times the amount of your data

Multi-Node (per 64-bit 8-core, 16 GB 50 GB for the first partition. For the
server) 2.0 GHz second partition or disk
or /opt/sisense, the space should be
higher two times the amount of your data
Additional Requirements
Root Linux file system ("/") must have at least 50GB of free space
Sisense recommends that your Linux deployment include AVX2 which is
introduced in Haswell
The default network plugin Calico is required for cluster support for IP-in-IP
tunneling in your network. Optionally, you can use the network plugin
Weave with encrypted VXLAN
Servers must be connected to the Internet and must have network access to
Dockerhub
The installation requires the user/password or SSH key. In a multi-node
deployment, the same user needs to be defined on all of the servers
If your deployment includes shared storage with GlusterFS, each node must
have a second unformatted unmounted unpartitioned hard disk with at
least 30GB disk space available, and additional storage for the ElastiCubes.
Sisense recommends that the second disk size be at least the size of all
ElastiCubes multiplied by 2.
Next Steps
Step 2. Planning Your Configuration
Step 2. Planning Your
Configuration
Previous Step:
Step 1. Verifying System Requirements
Sisense supports two deployment topologies on Linux: a single-node
deployment, and a multi-node deployment. This page describes the two
supported deployments and the differences between them.
In both deployments, the Sisense application is provided as Docker containers.
The orchestration between these containers is managed through Kubernetes as
displayed in the diagram below.
This diagram illustrates how Sisense utilizes Kubernetes for redundancy and
load balancing regardless of the number of machines. When you initialize
Sisense, it is installed as a Kubernetes namespace. The services and ElastiCubes
that make up the Sisense application are pods spread across the node or nodes in
your deployment.
In addition, Sisense supports shared storage with GlusterFS or Amazon EFS for
data distribution, consistency, and resiliency.
Single-Node
In its most basic configuration, Sisense can run on a single Linux machine. The
deployment scenario is straightforward to set up, maintain, and upgrade.
The single server deployment will deploy all Sisense nodes on a single server
using Kubernetes orchestration. It can support a sandbox environment for
development and testing, but it is also a valid configuration for some production
environments.
The deployment will utilize the storage available locally on the host server.
Multi-Node
Sisense supports the configuration of multiple machines, or nodes. In a multiple
node deployment, you have one build-node, two application/query nodes. You
can add additional query nodes as needed. In addition, Sisense supports
GlusterFS and EFS for shared storage.

As with a single-node deployment, Kubernetes is used to manage the

orchestration of Docker containers across a namespace. Kubernetes is also used
for load balancing within the Sisense deployment.
The minimum deployment size for a Sisense multi-server deployment is three
servers. In three server deployments, two servers will each run as an application
and query node. The third server will run as the build node.
In a basic three server deployment, one of the servers is a dedicated build node.
The other two servers both provide the functionality of an application and a
query node. The infrastructure services must be deployed on each of the three
servers, to adequately provide high-availability and redundancy of the
infrastructure modules.
Additional query nodes can be added to the deployment, to support additional
query load. They will function only as query nodes.
Sisense uses Helm as the installer for the Sisense application. One of the Helm
charts labels a Kubernetes node for the application. Helm charts have been
configured to add labels to the Kubernetes nodes for application and build nodes.
Based on the label, Kubernetes loads the Sisense pods on the correct node on the
cluster. Kubernetes also places ElastiCubes on each node according to dynamic
labels given in the data group.
Next Steps
Step 3: Configuring Port Settings
Step 3: Configuring Port
Settings
Previous Step
Step 2. Planning Your Configuration
Sisense uses certain ports to communicate with machines on the Internet and
within your Sisense namespace. Below is a description of the ports that you may
need to allow in your deployment.
Note: In cluster deployments, open all traffic between the nodes (TCP and UDP).
Inbound Rules for Sisense
The following ports should be opened to your network so you will be able to
access the Sisense application, SSH and Kubernetes dashboard:
Ports Description

TCP HTTPS/HTTP WEB (SSL/non-SSL mode). These ports should be

443/30845 open to allow your users to access Sisense.

TCP 22 SSH. This port should be opened when your Administrator needs to
deploy or upgrade Sisense.

TCP 6443 This port should be opened when your Administrator needs to
access the Kubernetes dashboard.
Cluster Mode
When deploying multiple nodes, the following ports should be opened between
each node:
Ports Description

TCP 2379 - 2380 etcd

TCP 10248 - 10259 Kubernetes

TCP 9100 Node exporter

Cluster Network Plugin
Sisense support two cluster network plugins, Calico and Weave. The default
network plugin used by Sisense is Calico.
Calico and Weave secure the communication between your nodes. The following
ports should be opened:
Calico
Ports Description

TCP 9099 Calico

TCP 179 Calico - bird

Weave
Ports Description

TCP 6783 Weave’s control and data

UDP 6783/6784 Weave’s control and data

UDP 4789 VXLAN

TCP 111 rpcbind

TCP 179 bird

Cluster Shared File System Implementation
Sisense supports GlusterFS or Amazon EFS for shared storage. Depending on
which you use, the following ports should be opened:
GlusterFS
Ports Description

TCP 24007 Gluster Daemon

TCP 111 rpcbind

Ports Description

TCP 49152-49251 GlusterFS

TCP 2049 NFS

TCP and UDP 24007 - 24008 Gluster servers

Amazon EFS
Ports Description

TCP 2049 NFS

When using Amazon EFS, make sure that Sisense instances VPC is opened to the
EFS security group.
Amazon EFS should be exposed to your server
Load Balancer
If you are using an external load balancer, make sure that the load balancer
supports WebSockets.
If you are using Amazon AWS with load balancing, ALB supports WebSockets,
ELB does not.
Next Steps
Step 4: Initializing Sisense on Linux
Step 4: Initializing Sisense on
Linux
Previous Step
Step 3: Configuring Port Settings
Note: Your Linux non-root user must have sudo permissions to initialize Sisense.
The steps below describe how to initialize Sisense on Linux in a single or multi-
node deployment.
To initialize Sisense on Linux, you must download and extract the Sisense Linux
archive on your Linux machine. This archive includes a config.yaml, which
contains all the configuration settings that are needed to deploy a single-node or
multi-node cluster.
From the config.yaml file, you can customize your installation by using various
parameters described below. Once the parameters have been defined, you run
the script and Sisense will be deployed. You can then retrieve the URL to access
the Sisense application online.
Click here for instructions for Single Node Deployments
Before you set up Sisense on your single Linux machine, you must mount
/opt on a dedicated disk. For instructions on how to mount /opt, click
here.
Make sure you have enough disk space on the disk you mount to include the
20GB + 2*(size of the ElasticCube data), No less than 50GB.
To initialize Sisense in a Linux environment:
In your Linux CLI, enter the following command to download the Sisense
tar.gz file.
wget [sisense-linux-deployment-link]
Contact Sisense to receive the latest Linux archive file.
Extracting the tar.gz file:
tar zxf [sisense-linux-deployment-package-name]
Navigate to the directory where you extracted the tar.gz file.
cd sisense-[sisense-version]
Edit the config.yaml file.
vim config.yaml
After running this command, the parameters of the config.yaml file are
displayed.
In config.yaml file, insert values for the following parameters:

Parameters Value

k8s_nodes K8S node/nodes are the set of machines that are used to run
Sisense.
The installation machine is used only during installation to run
the installation scripts. The Installation machine can be one of
the K8S nodes, but it can also be a different machine (remote
installation).
This parameter defines the following:
node: name of your node.
internal_ip: The internal IP addresses define the location
within your Kubernetes cluster.
external_ip: The external IP address defines how your cluster
can be accessed from outside, or the DNS name of the node. It
can also be the same value as the internal IP in case this is the
only IP used to access the node.

remote_installat If you are running your installation from a Bastion machine,

ion part of the K8S nodes, or remotely, enter true.

update If you are upgrading Sisense, enter true, otherwise, keep this
value as the default.
If you enter true, Sisense skips the Kubernetes installation. If
Parameters Value

your Kuberenetes cluster is already configured and running,

keep yes to skip cluster installation.
Staging and dev environments can run on the same cluster as a
separate namespace. For installing on a separate namespace
,the value of namespace_name needs to be update.

application_dns Enter your DNS name. The default is the first node of your
_name external IP. If you have not defined a secure connection (No
SSL), Sisense uses the external IP of your first node when
accessing Sisense.

linux_user Enter the name of your Linux user. This user must not be the
"root" user, but should have sudo privileges, and all the other
privileges as a root user.

password Enter the password of your Linux user or ssh_key.

ssh_key If you have a secure connection to your server, enter the SSH
key of the Linux user defined in sisense_user. The SSH key
should be in .pem format.

is_kubernetes_cl For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

oud

storage_type For single deployments, leave this field empty as Sisense use the
host path /opt/sisense.

nfs_server For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

nfs_path For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

efs_file_system_i For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

d
Parameters Value

efs_aws_region For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

fsx_file_system_i For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

fsx_region For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

sisense_disk_siz For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

mongodb_disk_ For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

size

zookeeper_disk For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

_size

namespace_na Enter the name of the Kubernetes namespace.

me Note: Kubernetes Ports should be released (Non-listening
mode).

gateway_port Enter the port of the API gateway for your deployment.
If you are not implementing SSL, this will be the port used to
connect to Sisense.

is_ssl Enter true for secure connections to Sisense. Enter false if you
have not implemented SSL.

ssl_cn_name Enter the Host name (CN name) the certificate is issued for.
Example: test.sisense.com

ssl_key_path If you connect to your server securely, enter the SSL keypath.
When SSL is defined, the Sisense API Gateway Port will be 443
and not the value defined in gateway_port.

ssl_cer_path If you connect to your server securely, enter the SSL certificate
Parameters Value

path (.crt file).

weave_enabled For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

weave_passwor For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

new_node For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

remove_node For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

node_to_remov For single node deployments, leave this field empty.

recover_kubern Enter true if one of your nodes is broken. Sisense removes the
etes node and recovers it.

http_proxy If you must use a web proxy, set this to the unsecured proxy
value.

https_proxy If you must use a web proxy, set this to the secured proxy value.

no_proxy If you must use a web proxy, to exclude certain addresses from
your proxy, enter the IP addresses separated by a comma.

internal_monito Enter false to disable a Grafana dashboard that is supported by

ring Prometheus for monitoring your deployment.
For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

external_monito Enter false to disable external monitoring with your Logz.io

ring account. If you set this value to yes, provide values for
sisense_ownerid and logz_key.
For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

is_efk Enter true to add Docker Logging via EFK (Elasticsearch +

Fluentd + Kibana). Sisense preconfigures these to work
Parameters Value

together, but does not provide a dashboard.

For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

uninstall_cluste Enter true to remove Kubernetes infrastructure and Sisense

r services.

uninstall_sisens Enter true to uninstall Sisense services, but leave your

e Kubernetes infrastructure in case it's needed in the future.

remove_user_da Enter true to delete all user data. This deletes your ElastiCube
ta models, application database, message broker, and plug-ins.
Run the configuration script.
./sisense.sh config.yaml
Your configuration settings are displayed with a message to confirm that
you want to deploy Sisense with these settings.
Enter Yes to confirm that you want to deploy Sisense. Enter No to abort the
deployment. If you entered Yes, Sisense will be deployed. If there are any
issues, you can view the installation logs here: [installation-dir]/sisense-
ansible.log. When this installation is complete a list of endpoints are
displayed for accessing Sisense and managing your deployment. The URLs
are listed below. In addition, you can run the following command to return
the URL to access Sisense.
kubectl cluster-info
This displays the URL of your Sisense application. You can enter this
address into your browser to access Sisense. To verify that all your services
are running as expected, you can enter the URL of Sisense with the port and
/app/test to the end of the address in your browser. This displays the status
of each of your services. For example, 0.0.0.0:PORT/app/test.
List of endpoints in the single installation:
To connect to Sisense, in your browser, enter the following in your browser:
For non-secure connections:
http://{IP}:30845/
For secure connections:
https://{IP}/
To connect to your Kubernetes dashboard, enter the following in your browser:
https://{IP}:6443/api/v1/namespaces/kube-
system/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy
Click here for instructions for Multi-Node Deployments
To initialize Sisense in a Linux environment:
In your Linux CLI, enter the following command to download the Sisense
tar.gz file.
wget [sisense-linux-deployment-link]
Contact Sisense to receive the latest Linux archive file.
Extracting the tar.gz file:
tar zxf [sisense-linux-deployment-package-name]
Navigate to the directory where you extracted the tar.gz file.
cd sisense-[sisense-version]
Edit the config.yaml file.
vim config.yaml
After running this command, the parameters of the config.yaml file are
displayed.
In config.yaml file, insert values for the following parameters:

Parameters Value

k8s_nodes K8S node/nodes are the set of machines that will be used to run
Sisense.
The installation machine is used only during installation to run
the installation scripts. The Installation machine can be one of
the K8S nodes, but it can also be a different machine (remote
installation).
This parameter defines the IP address of your internal and
external IP address.
If you are implementing a multi-node deployment, remove the
comments from # k8s_nodes and define the internal IP,
external IP, disk_volume_device, and role for each node.
The internal IP addresses define the location within your
Parameters Value

Kubernetes cluster. The external IP address defines how your

cluster can be accessed from outside, or the DNS name of the
node. It can also be the same value as the internal IP in case this
is the only IP used to access the node.
If you are using GlusterFS for shared storage,
disk_volume_device is the location where ElastiCubes and
other shared assets are stored. You need to define this value for
each node. To retrieve the value, run the lsblk command on
each node and enter the location returned for each node.
The role defines the role of the node. There are three possible
values:
query, application, and build.
remote_installat If you are running your installation from a Bastion machine,
ion part of the K8S nodes, or remotely, enter yes.

update If you are upgrading Sisense, enter yes, otherwise, keep this
value as the default.
If you enter yes, Sisense skips the Kubernetes installation. If
your Kuberenetes cluster is already configured and running,
keep yes to skip cluster installation.
Staging and dev environments can run on the same cluster as a
separate namespace. Make sure you have enough storage in the
GlusterFS for a second namespace. For installing on a separate
namespace ,the value of namespace_name needs to be update.

application_dns Enter your DNS name. The default is the first node of your
_name external IP.
If you have not defined a secure connection (No SSL), Sisense
Parameters Value

uses the external IP of your first node when accessing Sisense.

linux_user Enter the name of your Linux user. This user must not be the
"root" user, but should have sudo privileges, and all the other
privileges as a root user.

password Enter the password of your Linux user or ssh_key.

ssh_key If you have a secure connection to your server, enter the SSH
key of the Linux user defined in sisense_user. The SSH key
should be in .pem format.

is_kubernetes_cl Enter true if you already have a Kubernetes cluster. Sisense

oud supports the following Kubernetes clusters:
Amazon EKS
Google GKE
Azure AKS
Click the links above for instructions on how to set up Sisense
on the relevant cluster type.
If you do not have a Kubernetes cluster, enter false and skip the
next few parameters until storage_type.

storage_type Enter one of the following values:

If you are uing the Sisense installed Kubernetes
(kubespray)
glusterfs: For using GlusterFS with the three second disks, you
defined in disk_volume_device on the first 3 machines.
nfs: For using an external NFS server as the shared storage. You
must define nfs_server and nfs_path and have root read/write
permissions on the path from the cluster hosts.
efs: For using Amazon EFS, you must enter values for
Parameters Value

efs_file_system_id and efs_aws_region.

fsx: For using Amazon FSx luster, you must enter values for
fsx_file_system_id and fsx_region.
If you provide your own Kubernetes
azurefile: For Azure AKS, use “Azure Files” storage service and
enter azurefile. Define the values nfs_server and nfs_path
below.
nfs: For Google GKE, use “Google Cloud Filestore” storage
service and enter nfs. You must have your own Filestore and
enter values for nfs_server and nfs_path.
efs: For Amazon EKS, enter efs. You must enter values for
efs_file_system_id and efs_aws_region.
fsx: For Amazon EKS, enter fsx for using Amazon FSx luster. You
must enter values for fsx_subnet_id and
fsx_security_group_id.
nfs_server Enter the address (IP or DNS) of your NFS server.

nfs_path Enter the location of your NFS server.

The mounting point for each logical disk (Sisense app,
MongoDB, and Zookeeper) will be created under this path.

efs_file_system_i Enter your EFS File System ID.

efs_aws_region Enter your EFS AWS region.

fsx_file_system_i Enter your Amazon FSx luster file system ID.

fsx_region Enter your Amazon FSx luster file system region.

Parameters Value

sisense_disk_siz If you have implemented GlusterFS for storage, enter the

e amount of disk space in gigabytes to be allocated for Sisense.
Important! You need to provide enough space to support your
Sisense ElastiCube models. At least two times the amount of
data in all ElastiCubes. GlusterFS is set for two replicas so
assume the same logical disk is in two of the physical disks you
set in the disk_volume_device.
Every namespace takes additional logical disk spacefrom the
physical disks. If you have not allocated enough space, the
installation will fail.
You can use the following equation:
sisense_disk_size = 50GB x 3. (In a three node deployment)
If you allocate space for the application DB and configuration
DB (the values of mongodb_disk_size and zookeeper_disk_size)
this should be considered as well. If you enter 150GB as the
value, this allocates 50GB in a 3 node deployment minus 3 times
(the values of mongodb_disk_size and zookeeper_disk_size).
Sisense also recommends that you specify an additional 5GB
free space for the value of sisense_disk_size.

mongodb_disk_ The amount of disk space allocated for the Sisense application
size database.
This value should be multiplied by the number of nodes your
deployment has.
It is recommended to leave the default of 3 GB. If only metadata
is stored in the MongoDB, there is no need to increase the size.

zookeeper_disk The amount of disk space allocated for the ZooKeeper service.
Parameters Value

_size This value should be multiplied by the number of nodes your

deployment has.
It is recommended to leave the default of 1 GB. If only metadata
is stored in Zookeeper, there is no need to increase the size.

namespace_na Enter the name of the Kubernetes namespace.

me If you have multiple deployments, for example, for a
development and production environment, you should have a
unique namespace for each deployment.
In addition, for multiple deployments, each should have a
unique gateway_port value, and for each deployment after the
first, the value of update should be set to true.
Note: Kubernetes Ports should be released (Non-listening
mode)

gateway_port Enter the port of the API gateway for your deployment.
If you are not implementing SSL, this will be the port used to
connect to Sisense.

is_ssl Enter true for secure connections to Sisense. Enter false if you
have not implemented SSL.

ssl_cn_name Enter the Host name (CN name) the certificate is issued for.
Example: test.sisense.com

ssl_key_path If you connect to your server securely, enter the SSL keypath.
When SSL is defined, the Sisense API Gateway Port will be 443
and not the value defined in gateway_port.

ssl_cer_path If you connect to your server securely, enter the SSL certificate
path (.crt file).
Parameters Value

weave_enabled Enter true if your cluster uses Azure virtual machines or any
other place in your deployment does not support IP in IP
network protocol. The default network plugin is calico,. Sisense
supports the Weave network plugin for communication
between nodes. You must include your Weave password in the
value for weave_password below.
Enabling weave will change the network protocol between the
nodes to secured vXLAN
If the weave_password is empty, the vXLAN will not be
encrypted.

weave_passwor Enter your Weave password.

d To disable encryption on the vXLAN enter an empty string.

new_node If you have already provisioned Sisense and have a working

cluster, you can add additional nodes. Enter true to add new
nodes. The new nodes should be defined under k8s_nodes
above in addition to your existing nodes. Adding new nodes
does not affect your existing nodes.

remove_node Enter true to remove a node from your cluster. Enter the node
to be removed in the value of node_to_remove below.

node_to_remov Enter the name of a node to be removed. You can remove

e multiple nodes by entering each node separated by a comma;
node_1, node_2.

recover_kubern Enter true if one of your nodes is broken. Sisense removes the
etes node and recovers it.

http_proxy If you must use a web proxy, set this to the unsecured proxy
Parameters Value

value.

https_proxy If you must use a web proxy, set this to the secured proxy value.

no_proxy If you must use a web proxy, to exclude certain addresses from
your proxy, enter the IP addresses separated by a comma.
You need to include the internal IP address of the host in the list.

internal_monito Enter false to disable a Grafana dashboard that is supported by

ring Prometheus for monitoring your deployment.
For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

external_monito Enter false to disable external monitoring with your Logz.io

ring account. If you set this value to true, provide values for
sisense_ownerid and logz_key.
For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

is_efk Enter false to disable Docker Logging via EFK (Elasticsearch +

Fluentd + Kibana). Sisense preconfigures these to work
together, but does not provide a dashboard.
For more information, see Monitoring Sisense in Linux.

uninstall_cluste Enter true to remove Kubernetes infrastructure and Sisense

r services.

uninstall_sisens Enter true to uninstall Sisense services, but leave your

e Kubernetes infrastructure in case it's needed in the future. This
can also be used if you need to remove Sisense from your own
cloud-based cluster without impacting the cluster itself. Only
Sisense the application is removed.

remove_user_da Enter true to delete all user data. This deletes your ElastiCube
ta models, application database, message broker, and plug-ins.
Run the configuration script.
./sisense.sh config.yaml
Your configuration settings are displayed with a message to confirm that
you want to deploy Sisense with these settings.
Enter Yes to confirm that you want to deploy Sisense. Enter No to abort the
deployment. If you entered Yes, Sisense will be deployed. If there are any
issues, you can view the installation logs here: [installation-dir]/sisense-
ansible.log. When this installation is complete a list of endpoints are
displayed for accessing Sisense and managing your deployment. The URLs
are listed below. In addition, you can run the following command to return
the URL to access Sisense.
kubectl cluster-info
This displays the URL of your Sisense application. You can enter this
address into your browser to access Sisense. To verify that all your services
are running as expected, you can enter the URL of Sisense with the port and
/app/test to the end of the address in your browser. This displays the status
of each of your services. For example, 0.0.0.0:PORT/app/test.
List of endpoints in the single installation:
To connect to Sisense, in your browser, enter the following in your browser:
For non-secure connections:
http://{IP}:30845/
For secure connections:
https://{IP}/
To connect to your Kubernetes dashboard, enter the following in your browser:
https://{IP}:6443/api/v1/namespaces/kube-
system/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy
Next Steps
Step 5: Creating Data Groups
Step 5: Creating Data Groups
Previous Step
Step 4: Initializing Sisense on Linux
If you choose to set up a multi-node deployment, your ElastiCubes are stored in a
shared storage . For each ElastiCube, there is one instance stored on your shared
storage resource. You can create multiple instances which are loaded in memory
on the other machines in your deployment. Creating multiple instances of
ElastiCubes can improve performance.
To create and manage each of the instances of your ElastiCubes, you can create
Data Groups in Sisense. Data Groups are collections of ElastiCubes that make it
easy to manage your resources for multiple instances of ElastiCubes. Data Groups
allow you to assign and split a system’s resources between the ElastiCubes
according to your use-case.
For example, let’s assume you have several high priority ElastiCubes with a lot of
concurrent users, and some other ElastiCubes with fewer users with data that
doesn’t change very often. You can group your high priority ElastiCubes into one
data group, and your lower priority ElastiCubes in another group. For the first
group, you can create multiple instances of your ElastiCubes on each of the
machines in your deployment and allocate more resources to this data group. For
the lower priority group, you may want to create fewer instances and provision
these instances in memory on one of your slower machines.
To create a data group:
In the Sisense Admin page, select Data Groups.
In the Data Groups area, click .

In the Add Data Group dialog box, define the following:

Group Name: Enter a name for your data group.
Build Node: Select the build node where you want to host an instance
of an ElastiCube.
Query Nodes: Select the query nodes where you want to host instances
of your ElastiCubes.
ElastiCubes: Select the ElastiCubes that are to be assigned to your data
group.
(Optional) Click More to display advanced options for specifying resource
allocation for your nodes. For the relevant nodes, enter values for the
following:
Reserved Cores: The amount of CPU cores dedicated to an ElastiCube
on a node.
Max Cores: The maximum amount of CPU cores dedicated to an
ElastiCube on a node.
Reserved RAM: The amount of RAM dedicated to an ElastiCube on a
node.
Max RAM: The maximum amount of RAM dedicated to an ElastiCube on
a node.
Select Set as Default to add new ElastiCube models to this group.
Click Apply to create the data group. After the group is created, you can
monitor its status under the System Management tab in the Admin page
of Sisense.
Next Steps
Step 6: Monitoring Sisense on Linux
Step 6: Monitoring Sisense on
Linux
Previous Step
Step 5: Creating Data Groups
Sisense comes with several tools for monitoring the health of your deployment
that allow you to troubleshoot any issues. These tools allow you to monitor the
following areas:
Dashboard performance and ElastiCube build times
Sisense cluster status
Sisense containers in your Kubernetes namespace
Sisense Monitor
Sisense Monitor provides information about dashboard performance and your
ElastiCube builds. For example, you can identify if too many concurrent builds
are affecting query performance and then take corrective action such as
scheduling builds throughout the day.
For more information, see Sisense Monitor. To access Sisense Monitor, contact
your CSM.
System Management
In the Admin page of Sisense, you can view the health of your nodes from the
System Management tab. Within the System Management tab, you can view
which nodes are active, the status of your system, and a description of the
system's hardware specifications.
Grafana
Sisense provides a Grafana dashboard on Prometheus for monitoring your
Sisense Linux cluster. This dashboard allows you to track performance and usage
of different pods across different namespaces, investigate performance issues
from a centralized location.
You can access your Grafana from the System Management tab:

OR
In your browser, type http://{IP}:(random _port*)/login
You can retrieve the port with the following command: kubectl get svc
-n monitoring prom-operator-grafana
EFK (Elasticsearch, FluentD and Kibana)
Elasticsearch, FluentD and Kibana (EFK) is a combined logging mechanism that
lets you build dashboards for monitoring important parts of your deployment
from metrics collected by FluentD. If you provisioned EFK (is_efk = true) when
you initialized Sisense on Linux, Sisense activated EFK.
This means that Sisense began collecting metrics about your deployment that
you can access through Kibana. Keep in mind that Sisense does not provide a
Kibana dashboard, only access to Kibana with metrics collected by FluentD.
You can access Kibana and create your own dashboard with the collected metrics
by entering the IP of your node, and port 30561 in your browser.
NodeIPaddress:30561
Kubernetes Dashboard
The Kubernetes Dashboard provides an interface for troubleshooting Sisense
containers, and manage the cluster’s resources. You can use the dashboard to get
an overview of how Sisense is running on your cluster as well as monitoring
Sisense resources.
To access your Sisense Kubernetes dashboard, enter the following URLs
into your browser:
Single Node Deployments
https://{IP}:6443/api/v1/namespaces/kube-
system/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy
Multi-Node Deployments
https://{IP}:6443/api/v1/namespaces/kube-
system/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxyquee
Note: {IP} should be replaced with the IP address you defined in the config.yaml
file when you provisioned Sisense.
Linux Connectors
The table below contains a list of connectors supported in Linux and what
version their support started in:
Connector Support ElastiCube Live Models Commen
ed From ts
CSV V7.3 Documentati ElastiCub
Linux on e models
Beta only. Live
not
currently
supporte
d

Excel V7.3 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
Beta only. Live
not
currently
supporte
d

Generic JDBC V7.3 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
Beta only. Live
not
currently
Connector Support ElastiCube Live Models Commen
ed From ts
supporte
d

Google Ads V7.4.3 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
only. Live
not
currently
supporte
d

Google Analytics V7.4.1 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
only. Live
not
currently
supporte
d

Google BigQuery V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Beta

Google Sheets V7.3 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
Beta only. Live
not
currently
supporte
Connector Support ElastiCube Live Models Commen
ed From ts
d

MemSQL V7.4.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
MySQL V7.3 Documentati Documentati
Linux on on
Beta

Oracle V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Beta

PostgreSQL V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Beta

Redshift V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Beta

SalesForce V7.3 Documentati ElastiCub

Linux on e models
Beta only. Live
not
currently
supporte
d

Snowflake V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Connector Support ElastiCube Live Models Commen
ed From ts
Beta

SQL Server V7.3 Documentati Documentati

Linux on on
Beta
Linux Frequently Asked
Questions
Does the Linux deployment support single and multi-
server deployments?
The Linux deployment supports both single and multi-server deployments, and
such deployments have already being installed in the Linux program.
Which type of multi-server deployments are supported on
Linux?
Sisense supports: 1 build node, 2 app/query nodes, and 0-n additional
query/build nodes. Other multi-server deployment models are not supported.
Which flavor of Linux is supported?
Currently Ubuntu 18.04 has been certified for Sisense deployments. We may
certify additional Linux flavors in the future.
Reference: http://releases.ubuntu.com/18.04.2/ubuntu-18.04.2-live-server-
amd64.iso
Will we continue to support Windows deployments after
the Linux release?
We plan to continue to support Windows deployments following the Linux
release.
Do Linux deployments support all features of the
Windows deployment?
The Linux release supports the same general feature set as Windows, with some
differences:
Only the Data page is available for creating and editing Sisense models. The
desktop ElastiCube manager is not supported on Linux at all.
Only connectors supported by the Data page (web-based ElastiCube
manager) are supported by Linux.
PSM.exe is not supported on Linux. The functionality provided by PSM.exe is
available over new Linux CLI and/or REST API.
ElastiCube to ElastiCube import is not supported in the initial release.
Which connectors are supported on Linux?
The following connectors are already supported in Sisense Linux:
MySQL
SQL Server
PostgreSQL
Redshift
Oracle
Generic JDBC (ElastiCube models only, no Live models)
CSV (ElastiCube models only, no Live models)
Excel (ElastiCube models only, no Live models)
SalesForce (ElastiCube models only, no Live models)
Google Sheets (ElastiCube models only, no Live models)
Google BigQuery
Snowflake
Additional connectors will be supported in future releases.
What will our users experience when their server is
moved to Linux?
Sisense on Linux provides a web UI similar to the windows web UI. The changes
users experience depends on their roles, as follows:
Viewers: No change at all.
Designers: Minor changes. The concept of ElastiCube Sets doesn’t exist in
Linux. Dashboards are created on ElastiCubes, also in multi-server
deployments. Except for that, no change.
Data Designers: No concept of remote servers. All Models are created on the
same cluster. Except for that, no change.
Data Admins: No concept of remote servers. All Models are created on the
same cluster.
Administrators: Administrator users are the main role who will experience
a difference when working on Linux. The main difference is the installation
and upgrade, which are completely different in Linux. The method for
installing all extensions (plugins, email templates, rebranding files) is
different. Some administrative activities are different, for example the
mechanism for configuring and defining high-availability has completely
changed. There is a new concept of Data Groups for managing ElastiCube
orchestration and resources replacing the Windows High-Availability
orchestrator. Some administrative activities are exactly the same on Linux
as on Windows, for example,User Management, Group creation, Active
Directory, and more.
Is there a migration process from Windows to Linux?
There is an automatic migration process from Windows Sisense V7.2 and later to
Windows. The process migrates almost all the assets customers created,
including: User management (users, groups, data security rules), ElastiCubes,
dashboards, plugins, email templates, languages, and rebranding files. Customers
will need to upgrade to Sisense V7.1 or later to use the migration tool.
How long does it take for the migration process to run?
The migration process takes between 10 minutes to a few hours depending on
the size of the data that needs to be migrated.
Sisense recommend that you migrate only the ElastiCube metadata without the
ElastiCube data(.ecdata files) to shorten the migration duration. In that case,
following the migration, “build entire” is required on the ElastiCubes migrated to
the Linux system before the dashboards can be viewed.
How long does it take to provision a Linux deployment?
The installation of a single node and of multi-node deployments takes up to 10
minutes as long as the environment has a good internet connection.
How does the deployment work?
The installation is a relatively small tar.gz file containing a set of
scripts/ansible/helm configuration files and definitions for installing the system.
Most of the system is installed from a Docker hub and public Ubuntu repositories
using apt get.
What is the required servers size?
The Linux installation requires a similar machine spec to the Windows servers
used by existing deployments, with an additional 4GB of memory for the cluster
management.
How should a single server Linux be installed?
Sisense recommends the Linux server be installed with 2 disks or at least two
partitions:
The Linux disk should have at least 50GB.
The second disk is used for the ElastiCubes. It’s size depends on the data size
mounted on /opt/sisense/storage.
Minimal Size: 100GB
Recommended: At least the size of all the ElastiCubes * 2.5
How should the servers of a multi-server Linux
deployment be installed?
Sisense recommends that Linux be installed with 2 disks or at least two
partitions:
The Linux disk should have at least 50GB.
The second disk is used for the ElastiCubes. Its size depends on the data size
mounted on /opt/sisense.
Minimal Size: 100GB
Recommended: At least the size of all the ElastiCubes * 2.5
For more information on the GlusterFS, see: https://docs.gluster.org/en/latest/
and https://github.com/heketi/heketi
Which user is needed in order to configure and deploy the
Linux server?
Any user is good enough as long as they have sudo permissions. The installation
requires the user/password or SSH key. In a multi-node deployment, the same
user needs to be defined on all of the servers.
How do I backup and restore the system? Can I use mirror
disk?
Single Server:
Backup the machine
Use a mirror disk with a regular Linux mechanism.
Use a backup and restore script
Multi-Node:
As Sisense uses Kubernetes and GlusterFS, mirror can not be used. GlusterFS
saves 2 copies of each page (GlusterFS uses the term brick).
If any of the servers die, Sisense continues to be highly available.
In addition, Sisense is currently developing backup and restore scripts that will
be part of the installation.
Does the Linux deployment require specific CPU feature?
Sisense recommends that your Linux deployment includes AVX2 which was
introduced in Haswell.
Which plugins are supported?
All certified plugins are now supported on Linux and automatically installed as
part of the default installation, including:
Sisense BloX
Insight Miner
Embed Images
Histogram
JAQLine
Every version upgrade will update all certified plugins to the version compatible
with the release.
Note: Any manual change that you make to certified plugins will be overwritten.
Sisense recommends not modifying certified plugins. If you want to change them,
duplicate the plugin, rename it (including the internal label), and modify the
duplicate version of the plugin. The upgrade process creates a backup copy of all
plugins, which can be restored if needed.
Uploading Files through the
File Manager
Sisense enables you to customize your Linux deployment with custom
connectors, plugins, translations, and rebranded dashboards stored in your
Linux shared storage. You can easily manage all of these files through the File
Manager in the Sisense Admin page with your Sisense Administrator credentials.
Accessing the File Manager
Note: Only Sisense Administrators can access the File Manager.
To access the File Manager:
In the System Management tab of the Admin page, click File Management.

The File Manager is displayed in a new window.

Managing Files in the File Manager
In the File Manager, you can upload your static customized files for your Sisense
deployment. The File Manager displays a list of relevant directories where the
relevant customized files can be stored in your shared storage. You can upload
the files by opening the relevant directory and dragging the files into your
browser.
The list below describes which files should be placed in the directory with links
to the relevant pages where you can find more information about the files that
should be stored in each folder.
branding: This directory contains customized files for rebranding Sisense.
See Rebranding Sisense for more information.
connectors: This directory contains Sisense connectors and any customized
connectors you have developed. See Custom REST Connector for more
information.
emails: This directory contains customized automated Sisense emails. See
Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails.
plugins: This directory contains plugins and is the location where new
plugins should be stored.
samples: This directory contains sample ElastiCubes included in your
deployment.
translations: This directory contains translations of the Sisense interface.
Migration from Sisense
Windows Deployment
Sisense provides a migration tool for migrating existing Windows deployments
to Linux deployment. The Windows2Linux migration tool migrates the following
Sisense assets from a Sisense deployment in Windows to a Sisense deployment in
Linux:
Data models (ElastiCube and Live) (.ecdata files)
Note: ElastiCubes in draft mode will not be migrated. All ElastiCubes you
intend to migrate should be built before running the migration tool
Dashboards
User definitions: users, groups, data security rules
System resources: plugins, translation files, email templates, rebranding
assets
In a single node deployment, the Windows2Linux migration tool should be run
from your production machine. If you have implemented a multi-node
deployment, the tool should be run on one of your query nodes. This assumes
that your query nodes are identical. If they are not identical, then you should run
the tool on each query node you want to migrate. When you run the migration
tool on the second query node, you should perform a partial migration of just the
.ecdata files. In this scenario, you should consult with Sisense Technical Support
for more information.
As the migration tool is run on one of your query nodes and not a build node, if
you have any customized files, such as rebranded emails or translated language
files, you must migrate these manually to the following directories in your Linux
machine:
Rebranded Files: /opt/sisense/storage/rebranding
Automated Emails: /opt/sisense/storage/emails
Customized Languages: /opt/sisense/storage/languages
Plugins: /opt/sisense/storage/plugins/
Note: In multi-node deployments, these files are saved in shared storage that
you can access with the command:
kubectl -n [NAMESPACE] cp [FILENAME] management-
<TAB>:/opt/sisense/storage/[shared asset name -
plugins, languages, emails]
When you run the migration tool in Windows, Sisense duplicates all the assets to
be migrated in a new directory automatically created on your Windows machine.
Keep in mind that depending on the size of your .ecdata files (your data models
and their data), this assets directory can be quite large and you must insure that
you have enough space to support these files. Once the migration is complete, the
assets directory is deleted, while your original files remain on the machine.
Note: SSO will be disabled automatically in Linux after migrating the Sisense
assets.
Prerequisites
Sisense V7.2 and higher. For Sisense V7.1 and earlier, contact Sisense
Data is transferred through SSH through port 22.
Downtime is required for each ElastiCube only while exporting the ElastiCube
data
To migrate to multi-node environments, contact Sisense
Moving assets from Windows to Linux uses SCP, which uses Secure Shell
(SSH) for data transfer. You should ensure that such communication
possible from Windows to Linux machines
Limitations
Sisense does not migrate static data source files (Excel, CSV) for ElastiCubes
The following assets are not currently migrated:
Pre/Post build plugins
Scheduled builds
Custom REST connectors
Rebranding files
Email templates
Translation files
Single Node Migrations
The instructions below apply to single node deployments where all your Sisense
assets reside on a single machine.
In Windows:
Download the Win2Linux file to your Windows-based Sisense query nodes.
Contact Sisense for the latest version of this file.
Unzip the file. Make sure that the files are extracted to a folder with no spaces
in the folder’s name.
In the directory where you extracted the migration file, open the config.json
file in a text editor and define the following:
Note: In most cases, the default value provided by Sisense is correct and
does not need to be changed.
Parameter Description

TEMP_DIR_FOR_ASSE Enter the location on your Windows machine where your

TS Sisense assets are stored before they are sent to an
archive file and migrated to Linux.

ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_P Enter the location on your Windows machine where your

ATH Sisense assets are stored before they are sent to an
archive file and migrated to Linux.

EXPORT_ECDATA Set the value to true to export your ecdata and JSON
schema files or false to export only the JSON schemas.

Section: STATIC_ASSETS
PLUGINS_PATH Enter the location of your plugins directory on your
Windows machine.

TRANSLATIONS_PAT Enter the location of your translations directory on your

H Windows machine.

REBRANDING_PATH Enter the location of your rebranding directory on your

Windows machine.

EMAIL_TEMPLATES_ Enter the location of your email templates directory on

PATH your Windows machine.
Parameter Description

Section: SISENSE_API
USERNAME Enter the Sisense Administrator's user name for
Windows.

PASSWORD Enter the Sisense Administrator's password for Windows.

WIN_BASE_URL Enter the BASE URL for Sisense including the port.

Section: LINUX_SCP
HOST Enter your host or the IP address of your Linux machine.

USERNAME Enter the SSH username of your Linux machine

PASSWORD Enter the password of your Linux machine

AMAZON_RSA_PEM_K If your Linux machines are hosted by Amazon, enter the

EY_PATH directory where your PEM key is located.

DESTINATION_DIREC Enter the Linux directory where all assets and scripts will
TORY be transferred to.

Section: LINUX_TOKEN_LOGIN
PORT Enter the port number for your Linux API Gateway.

URL_SUFFIX The location of your Sisense API token. This value should
not be changed.

Section: WIN_MONGODB
MONGODB_IP Enter the address of the Sisense application database on
your Windows machine.
If you have not changed this address, you can use the
default value.

MONGO Enter the port number for your Sisense application

Parameter Description

DB_PORT database.
If you have not changed this, you can use the default value.

MONGODB_DATABAS Enter the names of any additional Sisense databases

ES associated with your Sisense application database. Each
additional database should be separated by a comma.

Section: WIND_ZOOKEEPER
ZOOKEEPER_IP Enter the address of the Sisense configuration database
on your Windows machine.
If you have not changed this address, you can use the
default value.

ZOOKEEPER_PORT Enter the port number for your Sisense configuration

database.
If you have not changed this, you can use the default value.

Section: LINUX_MONGODB
NAMESPACE Name of the Sisense namespace where the application
database is to be migrated to.

POD_NAME For single node deployments, enter "mongod-0" as the

value. For multi-node deployments, enter "sisense-
mongodb-replicaset-0".

Section: LINUX_ZOOKEEPER
SERVICE_NAME Enter the name of service responsible for the
configuration database.

NAMESPACE Name of the Sisense namespace where the configuration

database is to be migrated to.
Parameter Description

DISABLE_HTTPS Enter true to disable secure connections within your

Zookeeper replica set.

DISABLE_SSO Enter true to disable SSO within your Zookeeper replica

set.

LINUX_PLUGINS_PAT Enter the location where plugins are to be stored on

H Linux.

STORAGE_PATH Enter the location where ecdata files should be stored on

your Linux machine or shared storage.

NAMESPACE Enter the name of the Sisense namespace where ecdata

files should be stored.

URL_SUFFIX Enter the address of the API endpoint used to import

(LINUX_IMPORT_ECD ElastiCubes. This value does not need to be changed.
ATA)

URL_SUFFIX Enter the address of the API endpoint used to import

(LINUX_IMPORT_JSO ElastiCube schemas. This value does not need to be
N_SCHEMA) changed.
Open the Command Prompt (CMD) as an Administrator from within the
win2linux_migration folder and run the following command to validate
your changes in the config.json file:
win2linux_migration.exe -h
In the Command Prompt, run the command below to migrate Sisense to
Linux.
win2linux_migration.exe all_steps
Once the script is complete, a confirmation message is displayed in the
Command Prompt. Continue to the next part, migrating in Linux.
In Linux:
Note: Before completing the migration process, ensure that you have a working
Sisense installation running in Linux.
In Linux, open the Linux host shell and go to /home/sisense.
Open the config.json file.
Verify that the parameters under LINUX_MONGODB are correct. POD_NAME
should be set to the name of the primary pod name in cases where you have
created a replica set for the application database. If you have a replica set
for your application database, make sure to enter the primary pod name.
The following command can return the primary pod name:
kubectl -n sisense -c mongod-container exec -it
sisense-mongodb-replicaset-0 -- mongo prismWebDB --
eval "rs.status()"
Verify that the parameters under LINUX_ZOOKEEPER are correct.
SERVICE_NAME should be set to the name of the primary pod name in cases
where you have created a replica set for the configuration database
(ZooKeeper).
Execute the following command to validate your configuration:
sudo python win2linux_sisense.py -h
Execute the following command to complete the migration your
configuration:
sudo python win2linux_sisense.py all_steps
While the script is running, a message may appear asking you to confirm if
your ZooKeeper configuration should be overwritten. Enter "y" to confirm
that it should be overwritten.
Once the script is complete, a confirmation message is displayed in the
command line. The migration is complete and you should be able to access
Sisense through your browser as before.
Multi-Node Migrations
The instructions below apply to multi-node deployments where your Sisense
assets are replicated and reside on multiple machines.
Prerequisites
Make sure that there are no ElastiCubes builds running during the migration
in the query machine
Make sure that no ElastiCubes are transferred from the build to the query
node during the migration process
In Windows:
Download the Win2Linux file to your Windows-based Sisense machine.
Contact Sisense for the latest version of this file.
Unzip the file. Make sure that the files are extracted to a folder with no spaces
in the folder’s name.
Create the directory C:\assets_to_linux with the same name and
syntax.
Copy the static Sisense assets folders to the new folder you created in Step 3,
C:\assets_to_linux. These directories are typically located in
C:\Program Files\Sisense\app. For example, C:\Program
Files\Sisense\app\plugins should be moved to
C:\assets_to_linux\plugins.
plugins
resources
templates
translations
In the directory where you extracted the migration file, open the config.json
file in a text editor and define the following:
Note: In most cases, the default value provided by Sisense is correct and
does not need to be changed.
Parameter Description

TEMP_DIR_FOR_ASSE Enter the location on your Windows machine where your

TS Sisense assets are stored before they are sent to an
archive file and migrated to Linux.

ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_P Enter the location on your Windows machine where your

ATH Sisense assets are stored before they are sent to an
archive file and migrated to Linux.

EXPORT_ECDATA Set the value to true to export your ecdata and JSON
schema files or false to export only the JSON schemas.

Section: STATIC_ASSETS
COLLECT In multi-node migrations, enter true to collect the static
Parameter Description

assets described in Step 4 and migrate them.

PLUGINS_PATH Enter the location of your plugins directory on your

Windows machine.

TRANSLATIONS_PAT Enter the location of your translations directory on your

H Windows machine.

REBRANDING_PATH Enter the location of your rebranding directory on your

Windows machine.

EMAIL_TEMPLATES_ Enter the location of your email templates directory on

PATH your Windows machine.

Section: SISENSE_API
USERNAME Enter the Sisense Administrator's user name for
Windows.

PASSWORD Enter the Sisense Administrator's password for Windows.

WIN_BASE_URL Enter the BASE URL for Sisense including the port.

Section: LINUX_SCP
HOST Enter your host or the IP address of your primary Linux
machine.

USERNAME Enter the SSH username of your primary Linux machine

PASSWORD Enter the password of your primary Linux machine

AMAZON_RSA_PEM_K If your Linux machines are hosted by Amazon, enter the

EY_PATH directory where your PEM key is located.

DESTINATION_DIREC Enter the Linux directory where all assets and scripts will
TORY be transferred to.
Parameter Description

Section: LINUX_TOKEN_LOGIN
PORT Enter the port number for your Linux API Gateway.

URL_SUFFIX The location of your Sisense API token. This value should
not be changed.

Section: WIN_MONGODB
MONGODB_IP Enter the IP address of the Sisense application database
on your primary Linux machine.
If you have not changed this address, you can use the
default value.

MONGODB_PORT Enter the port number for your Sisense application

database.
If you have not changed this, you can use the default value.

MONGODB_DATABAS Enter the names of any additional Sisense databases

ES associated with your Sisense application database. Each
additional database should be separated by a comma.

Section: WIND_ZOOKEEPER
ZOOKEEPER_IP Enter the address of the Sisense configuration database
on your Windows machine.
If you have not changed this address, you can use the
default value.

ZOOKEEPER_PORT Enter the port number for your Sisense configuration

database.
If you have not changed this, you can use the default value.

Section: LINUX_MONGODB
Parameter Description

NAMESPACE Name of the Sisense namespace where the application

database is to be migrated to.

POD_NAME For single node deployments, enter "mongod-0" as the

value. For multi-node deployments, enter "sisense-
mongodb-replicaset-0".

Section: LINUX_ZOOKEEPER
SERVICE_NAME Enter the name of service responsible for the
configuration database.

NAMESPACE Name of the Sisense namespace where the configuration

database is to be migrated to.

DISABLE_HTTPS Enter true to disable secure connections within your

Zookeeper replica set.

DISABLE_SSO Enter true to disable SSO within your Zookeeper replica

set.

LINUX_PLUGINS_PAT Enter the location where plugins are to be stored on

H Linux.

STORAGE_PATH Enter the location where ecdata files should be stored on

your Linux machine or shared storage.

NAMESPACE Enter the name of the Sisense namespace where ecdata

files should be stored.

URL_SUFFIX Enter the address of the API endpoint used to import

(LINUX_IMPORT_ECD ElastiCubes. This value does not need to be changed.
ATA)

URL_SUFFIX Enter the address of the API endpoint used to import

Parameter Description

(LINUX_IMPORT_JSO ElastiCube schemas. This value does not need to be

N_SCHEMA) changed.
Open the Command Prompt (CMD) as an Administrator from within the
win2linux_migration folder and run the following command to validate
your changes in the config.json file:
win2linux_migration.exe -h
In the Command Prompt, run the command below to migrate Sisense to
Linux.
win2linux_migration.exe all_steps
Once the script is complete, a confirmation message is displayed in the
Command Prompt. Continue to the next part, migrating in Linux.
In Linux:
Note: Before completing the migration process, ensure that you have a working
Sisense installation running in Linux.
In Linux on your master machine, open the Linux host shell and go to
/home/sisense.
Open the config.json file.
Verify that the parameters under LINUX_MONGODB are correct. POD_NAME
should be set to the name of the primary pod name in cases where you have
created a replica set for the application database. If you have replica set for
your application database, make sure to enter the primary pod name. The
following command can return the primary pod name:
kubectl -n sisense -c mongod-container exec -it
sisense-mongodb-replicaset-0 -- mongo prismWebDB --
eval "rs.status()"
Verify that the parameters under LINUX_ZOOKEEPER are correct.
SERVICE_NAME should be set to the name of the primary pod name in cases
where you have created a replica set for the configuration database
(ZooKeeper).
Execute the following command to validate your configuration:
sudo python win2linux_sisense.py -h
Execute the following command to complete the migration your
configuration:
sudo python win2linux_sisense.py all_steps
While the script is running, a message may appear asking you to confirm if
your ZooKeeper configuration should be overwritten. Enter "y" to confirm
that it should be overwritten.
Once the script is complete, a confirmation message is displayed in the
command line. The migration is complete and you should be able to access
Sisense through your browser as before.
Upgrading Sisense on Linux
The process for upgrading to the latest version of Sisense is similar to the
process of provisioning Sisense. The key difference is that the value of upgrade in
the config.yaml file must be changed to Yes.
If you are upgrading a multi-node environment, Sisense recommends you create
a new namespace for the upgraded environment to ensure uptime. In this case,
you must also define a new namespace value for the parameter
namespace_name.

Backup existing version using the following guide - Linux k8s Sisense assets
collector
Upgrade Sisense using the following guide - How to Install Sisense in Linux -
Kubespray Cluster/Single Installation (tar.gz)
Restore Sisense Data from the previous version using the following guide - Linux
k8s Sisense assets restore

To upgrade Sisense in a Linux environment:

Navigate to the directory where you extracted the tar.gz file.
cd sisense-[sisense-version]
Edit the config.yaml file.
vim config.yaml
After running this command, the following parameters are displayed.
In config.yaml file, define values for the following parameters:
Uninstalling Sisense from
Linux
If you need to remove Sisense, there are several options available to you from the
Sisense config.yaml file you configured when you originally set up Sisense on
Linux. You can remove Sisense, remove the Kubernetes cluster, or delete all your
Sisense data.
To remove Sisense, you need to edit the config.yaml file from the Linux terminal
and modify any of the following values:
Uninstall_cluster: Enter true to remove the Kubernetes infrastructure and
Sisense services.
Uninstall_sisense: Enter true to uninstall Sisense services, but leave your
Kubernetes infrastructure in case it's needed in the future. This deletes
Sisense, but leaves your Sisense user data and ElastiCube models.
Remove_user_data: Enter true to delete all user data. This deletes your
ElastiCube models, application database, message broker, and plug-ins.
To remove Sisense completely, enter true for each of the parameters described
above in the config.yaml file. For more information, see Step 4: Initializing
Sisense on Linux.
Debugging Cloud-Native
Sisense on Linux
This page provides a list of commands and log locations that you can use to
debug your your Sisense deployment on Linux.
Get kubectl tab completions:
source <(kubectl completion bash) 2>/dev/null
Get helm tab completions:
source <(helm completion bash) 2>/dev/null
Get a list of pods:
kubectl -n sisense get pods
OR
kubectl -n sisense get pods -o wide
Access management logs:
kubectl -n sisense logs $(kubectl -n sisense get pods -l
app="management" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name" )
Tail the log and print the last 10 lines:
kubectl -n sisense -f --tail=10 logs $(kubectl -n sisense
get pods -l app="management" -o custom-
columns=":.metadata.name" )
Get Kubernetes events:
kubectl -n sisense get events
Monitor Kubernetes events:
kubectl -n sisense get events --watch
Restart and build the Sisense service:
kubectl -n sisense delete pod $(kubectl -n sisense get
pods -l app="build" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name" )
Restart all services:
kubectl -n sisense delete pods $(kubectl -n sisense get
pods -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name")
Shut-off Sisense single node deployment:
kubectl scale -n sisense deployment --all --replicas=0
Restore Sisense single node deployment:
kubectl scale -n sisense deployment --all --replicas=1
Note: This is not recommended in multi-node deployments as some of the
services have more than 1 replica. Sisense recommends you use the installer to
update the load system.
The location of log directorys:
On the first installed node.
/var/log/sisense/namespace/
/var/log/sisense/sisense/combined.log -- logs of all
services
For each service, there is a log file that you can retrieve, for example:
/var/log/sisense/sisense/query.log
/var/log/sisense/sisense/api-gateway.log
Get Sisense CLI:
kubectl -n sisense cp $(kubectl -n sisense get pods -l
app="management" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name"
):/etc/sisense.sh .
source sisense.sh
login_sisense <server-ip>:30845 <sisense-admin>
Get a list of ElasticCubes from the CLI:
si elasticubes list
Build an ElastiCube from the Sisense CLI:
si elasticubes build -name ariel -type full
Get GlusterFS topology information:
kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l name="heketi" -o
custom-columns=":.metadata.name" ) heketi-cli topology
info
View disk usage for shared storage:
kubectl -n sisense exec -it $(kubectl -n sisense get pods
-l app="management" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name" )
-- bash -c "df -H /opt/sisense/storage"
See all device allocations in the GlusterFS:
for i in $(kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l
name="heketi" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name" )
heketi-cli node list | awk '{gsub(/Id\:/,""); print $1}')
; do kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l name="heketi"
-o custom-columns=":.metadata.name" ) heketi-cli node
info $i ; done
Expand Sisense disk volume by 1GB:
VOL=$(kubectl get persistentvolumes $(kubectl get
persistentvolumeclaims -n sisense storage -o custom-
columns=":.spec.volumeName") -o custom-
columns=":.spec.glusterfs.path" | grep vol | awk
'{gsub(/vol_/,""); print $1}')
kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l name="heketi" -o
custom-columns=":.metadata.name" ) -- bash -c "heketi-cli
volume expand --volume=$VOL --expand-size=1"
Get all services:
kubectl get services -n sisense
Execute bash on a pod:
kubectl -n sisense exec -it $(kubectl -n sisense get pods
-l app="management" -o custom-columns=":.metadata.name")
bash
List all blocked devices in the system:
lsblk
Get Kubernetes dashboard URL:
kubectl cluster-info
Get an Admin user token:
kubectl describe secret -n kube-system admin-user-token
List helm releases:
helm list --all
Expose the Message Broker Management UI:
kubectl port-forward -n sisense pod/sisense-rabbitmq-ha-0
30999:15672 --address=0.0.0.0
Expose the Sisense application database internal communication port:
kubectl port-forward --address 0.0.0.0 -n sisense
sisense-mongodb-replicaset-0 30846:27017
Kill all evicted pods:
kubectl get po --all-namespaces | grep Evicted | awk
'{print $2, "--namespace", $1}' | xargs kubectl delete
pod
Get the Grafana of the cluster:
kubectl -n monitoring get svc prom-operator-grafana
Sisense CLI Commands
In addition to the REST API, Sisense includes a CLI (Command Line Interface)
commands that support executing various Sisense-related commands using the
Linux command line.
Accessing the Sisense CLI
To access the Sisense CLI:
Connect to your Linux host using ssh.
Run the command ".add_completion-ns-sisense.sh".
After running the command, you can then run Sisense commands in the format si
<group name> <command> <parameters>.
For example, if your command is part of the DataGroups group, your command
would like this: si datagroups list
The table below lists the Sisense commands, descriptions, related parameters,
and examples.
DataGroups

Commands Description Parameters

list Displays a list of all data groups.
Example:
si datagroups list
create Create a new data group. Mandatory:
Example: name
si datagroups create -name example Optional:
connector-mode
index-size
default
query-instances
query-cpu-limit
query-cpu-request
query-memory-
limit
query-memory-
request
query-cores-usage-
percentage
build-cpu-limit
build-cpu-request
build-memory-
limit
build-memory-
request
Commands Description Parameters

build-cores-usage-
percentage
enable-recycler
rename Rename a data group. Mandatory:
Example: name
si datagroups create -name example -new- new-name
name example
update Update a data group. Mandatory:name
Example: Optional:
si datagroups update -name example connector-mode
index-size
default
query-instances
query-cpu-limit
query-cpu-request
query-memory-
limit
query-memory-
request
query-cores-usage-
percentage
build-cpu-limit
build-cpu-request
build-memory-
limit
build-memory-
Commands Description Parameters

request
build-cores-usage-
percentage
enable-recycler
assign Assigns an ElastiCube to a data group. Mandatory:name
Example: cube
si datagroups assign -name example -cube
examplecube
attach Attaches a node to a data group. Mandatory:name
Example: node
si datagroups attach -name example -node roles
myhost -roles BUILD,QUERY
detach Detaches a node to a data group. Mandatory:name
Example: node
si datagroups detach -name example -node
myhost
delete Deletes a data group. Mandatory:name
Example:
si datagroups detach -name example
ElastiCube

Command Description Parameter

s s
list Displays a list of all ElastiCubes.
Example:
si elasticube list
start Starts an ElastiCube. Mandatory:
Example: name
si elasticube start -name example
stop Stops an ElastiCube. Mandatory:
Example: name
si elasticube stop -name example
delete Deletes an ElastiCube. Mandatory:
Example: name
si elasticubes delete -name example
detach Detaches an ElastiCube. Mandatory:
Example: name
si elasticube detach [-name example] [-delete false] Optional:
delete
attach Attaches an ElastiCube. Optional:pat
Example: h
si elasticubes attach -path /path/to/cube/files title
build Builds an ElastiCube. Mandatory:t
Example: ype
si elasticube build -name example -type full -sync Optional:
Command Description Parameter
s s

true [< ecm_model.json] sync

name
import Import an ElastiCube. Optional:
Example: path
si elasticube import -path start
\"/opt/sisense/storage/path/to/NameOfCube.ecdat
a\" -start false
reset Deletes all ElastiCubes from a database and storage
Example:
si elasticube reset
export Exports an ElastiCube. Optional:
Example: name
si elelasticube export -name MyCube -path path
\"/opt/path/to/NameOfCube\" -file file
cubeName.ecdata2
console Starts mclient console for a specific Elasticube. Optional:
Example: language
si elasticube console -name xxx -language sql or name
elasticube console -name xxx -language mal
Deployment
Commands Description Parameters
list Displays a list of all nodes. Optional:id
Example:
si deployment list
add Adds a node to the system. Mandatory:
Example: id
si deployment add -id myhost -hostname myhost - hostname
roles BUILD,QUERY roles
remove Removes a node from the system. Mandatory:
Example: id
si deployment remove -id myhost
instances Lists all instances in the deployment.
Example:
si deployment instances

version List all the deployment nodes' versions.

Example:
si deployment version
Datasources
Commands Description Parameters
list Displays a list of all data sources. Optional:id
Example:
si datasources list
query Query JAQL on data source. Mandatory:
Example: name
cat myJaql.txt | si datasources query -name Optional:
myEcube format
sql Executes an SQL query on data source. Mandatory:
Example: name
echo 'select * from MyTable' | si datasources sql -
name myEcube
System
Commands Description Parameters
list Displays versions of your services.
Example:
si system
Configuration
Commands Description Parameters
get Gets the configuration value. Mandatory:k
Example: ey
si configuration get -key category.entry -type key Optional:
type
set Sets a configuration value. Mandatory:
Example: key
si configuration set -key category.entry -new- new-value
value 1412
reset Resets a configuration to the default value if Optional:
possible. key
Example:
si configuration reset -key category.entry, or to
reset all configuration of a sepecific category:
configuration reset -key category, to change all
configurations: configuration reset -key ALL
Linux Release Notes
Breaking Changes
Deleting or renaming a column in a model that has a row-based data security
rule defined on it prevents all dashboards from loading. The row-based data
security rule must be corrected or deleted for your dashboards to load.
The ElastiCube Set concept is not supported on Linux, and therefore the API
/elasticubes/sets is no longer supported. The “Data Group” entity can be
used for ElastiCube resource management.
ElastiCubes imported from Windows must be fully built on Linux after
importing them. Afterwards, you can perform accumulative builds
Deprecated Features
The PSM.exe functionality has been replaced by the REST API
The desktop ElastiCube Manager has been replaced by the Data page
available in the Sisense web application
7.4.3
7.4.3.215 - Official release of Sisense V7.4.3 - August 4, 2019
New Features and Enhancements

More Supported Deployment Options

Version 7.4.3 is certified for the following deployment options:
Single/M Locati Kubernet OS(*) Storage Not
ulti on(Clo es e
ud
Provid
er)

Single ALL Sisense Ubunt Local second disk

Node kubespray u,
RHEL,
Cento
s,
Amaz
on
Linux
2

Multi- On Sisense Ubunt GlusterFS/NFS

Node Prem kubespray u,
RHEL,
Cento
s

AWS Sisense Ubunt GlusterFS/NFS/EFS/FSx FSx

bundled u, uses
kubespray RHEL, EBS
Cento for
Single/M Locati Kubernet OS(*) Storage Not
ulti on(Clo es e
ud
Provid
er)

s, Mon
Amaz o ZK
on
Linux
2

Amazon Ubunt EFS/FSx

Elastic u,
Kubernetes RHEL,
Service Cento
(EKS) s,
Amaz
on
Linux
2

Azure Sisense Ubunt Gluster/ Azure file share

kubespray u,
RHEL,
Cento
s

Azure Ubunt Azure Files

Kubernetes u,
Service RHEL,
Single/M Locati Kubernet OS(*) Storage Not
ulti on(Clo es e
ud
Provid
er)

(AKS) Cento
s

Google Sisense Ubunt GlusterFS/NFS/Google Cloud

Cloud kubespray u, Filestore
Platfor RHEL,
m (GCP Cento
s

Google Google Cloud Filestore

Kubernetes
Engine
(GKE)
(*) The following OS versions are certified:
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
RHEL 7.x
Centos 7
Amazon Linux 2.0
Expanded Support for Plugins
All certified plugins are now supported on Linux and automatically installed as
part of the default installation, including:
Sisense BloX
Insight Miner
Embed Images
Histogram
JAQLine
Every version upgrade will update all certified plugins to the version compatible
with the release.
Note: Any manual change that you make to certified plugins will be overwritten.
Sisense recommends not modifying certified plugins. If you want to change them,
duplicate the plugin, rename it (including the internal label), and modify the
duplicate version of the plugin. The upgrade process creates a backup copy of all
plugins, which can be restored if needed
Pivot Enhancements:
The Pivot widget now supports export to PDF. The first 1000 rows of the pivot
are exported. To export the full pivot result set, use the Export to Excel feature
Connectors
The following additional connectors are now supported on Linux:
Google Ads
MemSQL
For the full list of supported data sources, click here.
Other
Usage Analytics is now supported on Linux
You can now import and export ElastiCubes and Live data models only to a
local machine or to the Sisense server
Selected Bug Fixes
Some security issues were resolved
Emails from systems configured to use SSL will be generated correctly
The password recovery feature now works correctly when SSL is configured
Unsupported functions for Live data sources were removed including,
running sum, running average, and rank frunctions
Plugins:
When the Dynamic ElastiCube plugin was enabled, other plugins didn’t
operate correctly
When the Accordion and Aggregated plugins were enabled, dashboards
didn’t return results
The JAQLine plugin displayed a blank window
Accumulative builds on Snowflake didn’t always work correctly
The “Add Build Alert” action added alerts to ElastiCubes that were not
selected
Data Security:
Defining data security over REST API is now supported
Data security attributes are now applied without delay
The Pulse page is now translated to Italian as expected
Limitations

Widgets
Linux supports the latest version of the Pivot widget, replacing the previous
Pivot widget available on Windows. All existing widgets using the Windows
Pivot widget are migrated automatically to the new Pivot widget.
The following features are not yet supported on Linux Pivot widgets:
Plugins on pivots (front-end plugins)
Sisense Narratives
Changing the “First day of week” doesn’t affect all the weeks in a pivot
table
The Scatter Map widget isn’t fully functional Linux
Pie and Scatter charts do not highlight filtered slices
ElastiCubes
ElastiCubes imported from Windows must be fully built on Linux after
importing them. Afterwards, you can perform accumulative builds
Connectors
Excels with static ranges cannot be built
In PostgreSQL, CSV, and MySQL, you need to import time fields as text, and
then convert them to a time field
When importing an ElastiCube that was exported from Windows, the file
paths are not automatically converted to Linux paths
("/opt/storage/sisense/..."). You need to change the connectivity settings
for each table to a valid CSV file
Sisense Live is supported on MySQL, excluding MySQL 8.0
Accumulative build by date using SalesForce connector fails
Google Ads and Google Analytics connectors’ table customizations are not
supported
Admin Page
Data Designers cannot see their own Live models in the Admin page.
Session inactivity timeout always uses the system global parameter and
doesn’t enforce separate Admin inactivity configuration values
Data Security
Following importing an ElastiCube, you must open the ElastiCube on the data
page at least once, before you can add row-based data security rules
Plugins
The Jump to Dashboard plugin functions on Linux, but once you associate the
plugin with a dashboard, you cannot edit it. You need to delete it and
redefine it
Other
Sisense Narratives is not supported on this version
Pre/post build plugins (This is planned for a future release)
After upgrading from Sisense Linux beta, you need to restart the management
service using the CLI command:
kubectl -n sisense delete pods $(kubectl -n sisense
get pods | grep management | awk '{print $1}')
7.4.1
7.4.1.571 - Selected bug fixes - July 11, 2019
7.4.1.564 - Selected bug fixes and security hardening - June 25, 2019
7.4.1.561 - Selected bug fixes - June 19, 2019
7.4.1.555 - Official release of Sisense V7.4.1 - June 11, 2019
Announcing Breaking Changes
The ElastiCube Set concept is not supported on Linux, and therefore the API
/elasticubes/sets is not supported. The “Data Group” entity can be used for
ElastiCube resource management.
New Features and Enhancements
Dashboard responsiveness was significantly improved when navigating
between dashboards
Google BigQuery connector supports worldwide query location for improved
performance
New informative tooltips for ElastiCube and Live tiles in the Data page
The “return to” parameter for SSO via JWT is now configurable in the
Configuration Manager (Documentation)
Scheduled reports are sent even if some of the widgets are not loaded in the
dashboard (Documentation)
Find functions quickly in the Formula Editor by name or syntax
(Documentation)
Non-Admin Redshift users can now connect to specific databases in Redshift
(Documentation)
Performance improvements for Live models on top and bottom ranking
filters. This is relevant for all databases and MySQL from v5.8 and above
Supported Connectors

The following data source is now supported in this Linux release:

Google Analytics
For the full list of supported data sources, click here.
Deprecated Features
The PSM.exe functionality has been replaced by the REST API
The desktop ElastiCube Manager has been replaced by the Data page
available in the Sisense web application
Limitations

The following data sources are supported by the Linux release: (Documentation)
MySQL
SQL Server
PostgreSQL
Redshift
Oracle
Google BigQuery
Snowflake
Generic JDBC (ElastiCube models only, no live models)
CSV (ElastiCube models only, no live models)
Excel (ElastiCube models only, no live models)
SalesForce (ElastiCube models only, no live models)
Google Sheets (ElastiCube models only, no live models)
Limitations

ElastiCubes
ElastiCubes imported from Windows must be fully built on Linux after
importing them. Afterward, you can perform accumulative builds
You cannot import ElastiCubes over REST API
Widgets
Linux supports the new Pivot widget, replacing the previous Pivot widget
available on Windows. All existing widgets using the Windows Pivot widget
are migrated automatically to the new Pivot widget.
The following features are not yet supported on Linux Pivot widgets:
Plugins on pivots (front-end plugins)
Sisense Narratives
Export to PDF (Export to excel and CSV is supported)
The Scatter Map widget isn’t supported on Linux
Connectors
Excels with static range cannot be built
In Postgres, CSV, and MySQL, you need to import time fields as text, and then
convert to a time field
When importing an ElastiCube that was exported from Windows, the file
paths are not automatically converted to linux paths
("/opt/storage/sisense/..."). You need to change the connectivity settings
for each table to a valid CSV file
Sisense Live is supported on MySQL, excluding MySQL 8.0
Data Security
Defining data security over REST API is not supported
Data security attributes are applied only after a 5 minute delay
Data security values are not populated correctly for a live connection with
direct query toggled off
Plugins
All of the certified plugins are supported on Linux, except for the following
plugins which are not yet supported on the Linux release:
Sisense BloX
Insight Miner
Embed Images
Histogram
JAQLine
The Jump to Dashboard plugin functions on Linux, but once you associate the
plugin with a dashboard, you cannot edit it. You need to delete it and
redefine it
Other
Usage Analytics is not currently supported for Linux (planned to be
introduced in a future release)
After upgrading from Sisense Linux beta, you need to restart the management
service using the CLI command: kubectl -n sisense delete pods $(kubectl -n
sisense get pods | grep management | awk '{print $1}')
Pre/post build plugins (planned to be introduced in a future release)
The Sisense Cloud Managed
Service
Sisense’s Cloud Managed Service is a cloud-based service that provides a secure,
high-performance BI environment. Sisense’s Cloud Managed Service enables
organizations to focus on their businesses and BI results, without having to
manage the technical aspects of deploying a BI project. The Sisense Cloud is
based on the same scalable, performant, and agile solution that is available to
Sisense’s entire client community through our on-premises offering.
Cloud Security
Sisense Cloud customers take advantage of the robust security and available
certifications provided by Sisense and industry’s cloud computing leaders, such
as Amazon Web Services. A description of the Sisense security measures can be
found here.
Cloud Managed Service SLA (Service Level
Agreement)
The Sisense Managed Service is a robust and reliable solution. It is hosted on
AWS, one of the most reliable computing platform with the highest SLA standard,
as set out in the AWS SLA. Based on the AWS SLA, Sisense defines the BI Service
SLA, as set out in the Sisense Cloud Terms and Conditions.
Cloud Managed Service Administration
Sisense deploys your system in a dedicated virtual private network on AWS. The
Sisense Cloud Operations Team sets up the cloud environment and works with
your Administrative users on establishing access to the cloud environment and
securely connecting to your data sources.
In addition, there are a few other steps you must take:
Complete the Cloud Setup Form: This form should be completed by you and
provides Sisense with the necessary information for configuring your Cloud
environment on Sisense's side.
Setting Up the Cloud Environment: On your side, there are few things you
must configure including access to Sisense, and verifying that the relevant
ports are open.
(Optional) Complete the Cloud Migration Form: If you need to migrate your
existing production/trial/POC system, complete this form. Once complete,
return the form to your Customer Success Manager. The Cloud Operations
team reviews the form, requests clarifications as needed, and assists you
with migrating Sisense.
Setting up the Cloud
Environment
While Sisense configures your cloud environment, there are a few steps you must
complete to manage Sisense. The Sisense Cloud Operations team will assist you
to complete the following tasks described below.
Access to the Cloud Environment
Data Transfer
Configuring your Network
Optional Configuration
Access to the Cloud Environment
Based on the details provided in the Cloud Setup Form, the Sisense Cloud
Operations Team deploys the cloud environment. How your users access the
environment is described in the diagram below.

All users can access dashboards and Sisense via secure HTTPS from any location.
The default Sisense site is https://<customer_name>.sisense.com. Should a
custom domain be required, Sisense supports custom URLs using SSL certificates
provided by you, as described here.
If necessary, you can access the Desktop ElastiCube Manager as described in
Accessing the Desktop ElastiCube Manager.
Data Transfer
In some cases, you may want to transfer data to Sisense, for example, when
uploading Excel files or customized add-ons.
Sisense supports the following data source connections to connect to the Sisense
application database:
Direct connection to a database with or without SSL
If selected, you will provide Sisense with your public/external IP and port of
the database. If SSL encryption is required, you will provide an SSL
certificate and send it to Sisense
Site-2-site VPN (IPSec) tunnel
If you choose this option, Site-2-site VPN, Sisense will create a dual-tunnel
AWS VPN. You must configure a firewall to connect to the database via
internal IP routing based on the AWS configuration instructions provided
by Sisense.
SSH Tunnel
The SSH server should be set up on the database server or via a bastion
gateway.
VPC Peering
For databases deployed on an AWS VPC, you need to provide the VPC
details. Once the cloud environment is deployed, Sisense will issue a
peering request or, alternatively, you can issue a peering request from your
VPC.
Access to AWS RDS, Athena, etc. with or without SSL
Secure FTPS as described here: Transferring Files to Sisense Cloud.
Sisense Customer Data Proxy
If none of the above methods is applicable, the Sisense Customer Data Proxy
(CDP) can be deployed on a virtual machine behind a firewall to locally
connect to your data source(s). The CDP is an OVA VM image to be deployed
within your network where it should have at least one interface on a subnet
with the source DB, and at least one interface routable to the internet, and
open for outgoing connections on port TCP 22. The CDP maintains the
outbound connection to the Sisense cloud to transfer the data via an
encrypted SSH tunnel. The CDP supports multiple data sources within your
network. For a detailed description of the CDP, click here.
Configuring your Network
Sisense’s Cloud Managed Service is deployed on secure AWS server(s)
specifically dedicated to you. Access to the server is restricted to designated
applications only. No other programs/processes can be run on the Sisense
Server.
To connect the Sisense Managed Cloud Service to your database, the following
ports should be open for outbound traffic:
990
8443-8444
4000-4100
The relevant IP addresses are provided to you by Sisense from the Sisense Cloud
Operations Team.
After setting up your cloud environment, Sisense will contact you to schedule an
online Cloud Access Verification Session.
Optional Configuration
Custom DNS: Review to implement a rebranded URL for Sisense.
SSO: Review to implement SSO in your cloud environment.
Drivers: Review to connect to various data sources with the Sisense
JDBC connector.
Accessing the Desktop
ElastiCube Manager
While the Sisense web application has most of the features of the desktop version
of the ElastiCube Manager, some features have not been migrated yet. If you need
to connect to the desktop ElastiCube Manager for any reason, you can connect
through Microsoft's Remote Desktop Web Access. Once connected, you can
access the Desktop ElastiCube Manager for your environment.
To connect to the desktop ElastiCube Manager with Microsoft Remote
Desktop Web Access:
Type the URL of the RDWeb Access Web site into your browser. It can only be
entered using the verified IP's given to Sisense. By default, you can access
the RDWeb Access website at the following location.
https://server_name:8443/rdweb
Where server_name is the fully qualified domain name of the web server
where you installed RD Web Access:

Download the ElastiCube Manager RDP file by clicking it.

Once downloaded, you may continue to use the file to access the ElastiCube
Manager. You are not required to download a new one each time except for
rare cases where there is a Windows update.
Open the file and re-enter your credentials to allow the certificate. Mac users
must download the Windows Remote Desktop application from the app
store to open the RDP file.
After you have accessed the ElastiCube Manager, you can open and modify your
settings as needed.
Troubleshooting

You cannot access the RDWeb page

Make sure your network is open to outbound traffic to your dedicated Sisense
machine on port 8443
Make sure that your IP is whitelisted by Sisense Support. You can find your IP
by searching "what is my IP" in Google and sending the information to
Sisense Support. If your IP is not a static IP, mention this in the support
ticket.
When trying to open the RDP file you get an error
Make sure that you are able to enter the Rdweb site to eliminate possible
network issues
Open a ticket with the screenshot of the error
Adding an additional application
If you'd like to add any additional application such as ODBC or the
orchestrator wizard, please open a ticket.
If access from a static IP address is not possible, for example, you do not have a
permanent work location, dynamic access can be provided by Sisense as
described here.
Accessing your Sisense Server
from a Dynamic Location
When connecting to your Sisense Server through RDWeb, FTP, or to restart
services, only whitelisted IPs with Sisense can be used. If you do not have a static
IP address or are working from multiple machines or IP addresses, the best
option to connect to your Sisense Server is to request your IT team to route the
request to your Cloud Sisense Server so it uses the office IP.
If this is not possible, by request, Sisense can provide a proxy machine for you
and provide you with a VPN.

The flow for connecting the Sisense backend through a Sisense proxy is as
follows:
1. Connect to the VPN. See the steps below for instructions on how to connect to
the VPN from a Mac or in Windows.
2. Use the remote desktop connection to connect to the proxy server.
3. Log in to the proxy server where you can use the FTP and RDWeb application.
Connect to the VPN

For Mac:
Open the Terminal as an Administrator and run this command:
sudo chmod 776 /Users
Uninstall any old Java versions from your computer, and download and install
the latest Java SE Development Kit (JDK).
Ensure that Safari is not blocking popups by clicking Safari > Preferences
then navigate to the Websites tab. Select Pop-up Windows and then set
the site to Allow.

Open Safari and go to https://nydcvpn.sisense.com.

Log in using your VPN credentials.
Click Connect under Native Application.
Click the link in the new pop-up window to download the Check Point Mobile
agent.

Install the agent by double-clicking it.

Restart your Mac.

Click Trust server when you're prompted with this screen.
Enter your computer password, and install the SNX_Install_Tool.

After this is installed you should see Connected under the Status line.

Windows VPN
Download the Check Point Capsule VPN from the Microsoft Store.
Extract and install the Check Point Capsule VPN.
Create the VPN connection profile by going into your Network Settings and
adding a new VPN connection:
VPN Provider: CheckPoint Capsule VPN
Server name: nydcvpn.sisense.com
User Name and Password: Enter your user name and password.
Connect to the VPN you created.
Transferring Files to Sisense
Cloud
After you have opened the relevant ports, you can transfer files to the Sisense
Server using an FTP site.
The types of files that you need to transfer are static data files, custom
connectors, and plugins.
Sisense shares the following folders on the FTP site:
C:\Customer Data: This folder is used mainly for uploading Excel and CSV
files that you want to import into the ElastiCube.
C:\Program
Files\Sisense\DataConnectors\DotNetContainer\Connectors: This
folder is used to add and manage REST Connectors.
C:\Program Files\Sisense\DataConnectors\JVMContainer: This folder
contains XML files responsible for connecting to web-based data sources,
such as Facebook.
C:\program files\Sisense\app\plugins: This folder contains your web
plugins and add-ons.
C:\program files\Sisense\app\Resources: This folder contains
rebranding files and additional images to be displayed in your Sisense
application.
C:\Program Files\Sisense\Prism\Server\Plugins: This folder contains
Pre and Post plugins for the ElastiCube Manager.
C:\program files\Sisense\app\galaxy-
service\src\features\emails\templates: This folder contains
automated emails sent to your users from Sisense, for example, when you
create an account for a user. See Rebranding Sisense Automated Emails for
more information. If you are making a change in this folder, notify your
Cloud administrator so changes can be tracked to prevent any problems
when upgrading Sisense.
The following is an example of how to connect with FileZilla:
Enter the following information and click Quickconnect:
Host: Your domain name for the Sisense Machine. For example
mysite.sisense.com
Username: Your cloud user name, for example cloud\user.
Password: Your cloud password.
Port: The port, typically, 990.

After you log in, the following folders are displayed:

Drag and drop the file from your File Explorer or Finder.
For plugins, you need to download them locally, unzip them, and move the
unzipped folder into PrismWeb_plugins FTP directory.
Uploading CSV and Excel Files
When uploading CSV or Excel files to the Customer Data FTP directory, how you
access this folder from the desktop ElastiCube Manager differs from the Sisense
Web Application. The instructions for both are provided below.
Desktop ElastiCube Manager
Click Add Data in the top menu of Sisense.
Under the Files category select Microsoft Excel File.

In the window that opens, locate the Excel file.

Sisense Web Application
In the Data page, open an ElastiCube or create a new ElastiCube.
In the ElastiCube, click . The Add Data dialog box is displayed.

Click Microsoft Excel. The Microsoft Excel Connect area is displayed.

Select Server Access to define the location of your files on the Sisense
Server. If your Excel files frequently change, or you have scheduled builds,
you should place your files on your server as the data is taken from the
Excel files each time the ElastiCube is built.
Note: To use this option, you must have remote access to the server.
Select Input Folder Path and enter the full file path with the file name
where your Excel files are located. This will display each Excel file in the
folder in the next screen where you select what tables to add to the
ElastiCube.
OR
Select Input File Path and enter the full file path with the file name and its
extension of your Excel file. For example, C:\Example.xlsx. This file display
all the tables in the Excel file on the next screen where you select what
tables to add to the ElastiCube.
If you need to access any other folder or are having issues connecting and using
the application, submit a ticket through Support.sisense.com.
Restarting Sisense Services
There may be scenarios where you need to restart or stop a service on the
Sisense Server. You can reset the Sisense services through the following site:
https://mysite.sisense.com:8444
Note: Your firewall must allow traffic to the Sisense machine on port 8444.
To restart a Sisense service:
Open your Restart Service page at the following address:
https://mysite.sisense.com:8444, where mysite is your domain.
Enter your cloud user name without the cloud\ domain in the beginning. For
example, if its cloud\username enter just username.
Enter the cloud password.
To restart a service, click Restart and wait for 30 seconds.

Click Check Status to make sure the service is back up.

To learn more about these services, click here.
Welcome to Sisense Labs
Sisense Labs offers you opportunities to evaluate and implement our latest, most
exciting technical capabilities and product ideas – while they are still being
conceived and developed. Sisense Labs provides benefits for both you and the
Sisense Labs team. Data driven companies get to try out cool new features before
they are available anywhere else. Just as important, when you test out a Sisense
Labs product, you become part of the development process. Your feedback helps
Sisense shape emerging products to best suit your needs and the market.
With a strong emphasis on innovation, short development cycles and open
feedback channels, the projects in Sisense Labs are intended to showcase our
most promising new ideas. The Sisense Labs team coordinates and assists with
bringing the innovation from an idea to proof of concept, to a supported product
with full documentation and tutorials.
Currently, you can test drive the following Sisense Labs' products:
Sisense BloX
Sisense Boto
Sisense Bulb
Amazon Echo
Overview
Breaking Changes

Sisense BloX 2.0 includes major infrastructure changes. These changes will affect
how your Sienese BloX widgets from earlier versions are displayed.
Sisense encourages you to upgrade to the latest version of Sisense BloX as this
version provides more flexibility, allowing you to customize every element in
your widgets.
The following are a list of breaking changes that you can expect when upgrading
to the latest version of Sisense BloX:
Styling and layout changes. You should verify that the styling of your Sisense
BloX widgets works as expected
The value of <style> is no longer a string and should now include CSS
Values of attributes are now case-sensitive
Conditional formatting includes a max value
JumpToDashboard and lightboxes are not supported with SisenseJS

If you have an earlier version of Sisense BloX or want to install an earlier version,
you can find the documentation here.
Sisense’s BloX lets you create dynamic, rich widgets that can turn your
dashboard into an interactive business app. BloX are JSON objects rendered as
HTML inside widgets on your dashboard. The idea behind Sisense BloX is to
allow you to create dynamic and interactive content in your widgets, thus
allowing you to gather insights and take immediate action from within your
widget or dashboard. For example, you can create widgets that visualize an
important KPI, while also displaying buttons that allow you to push a webhook to
take an action you define.
Sisense BloX offers much more than just a customizable design. With Sisense
BloX, you can:
Add images to your widget
Embed iFrames
Add custom scripts
Organize your content in containers and columns
Add multiple types of actions
Collect input from your users
Who Should Try This
Sisense BloX are JSON objects that render HTML and CSS. Therefore, to create
your own interactive BloX, you should have a basic understanding of how JSON
works, and have knowledge of HTML and CSS.
The following pages will show you how you can create interactive dashboards
with Sisense BloX:
Tutorials
Installing Sisense BloX
How Sisense BloX Works
Creating Interactive Dashboards
Customizing Your BloX Widget's Look and Feel
Embedding BloX Widgets
Sisense BloX Reference
Limitations
Sisense BloX requires Sisense V7.2 or later
If you have users using Internet Explorer or if you need to export Sisense
BloX to PDF, use JS ES5 rather than ES6 in your custom actions as well as IE-
compliant CSS syntax
BloX responsiveness is limited, meaning the sizes will be adjusted with
background image size or the original widget size, but have some
compatibility limitation due to the Sisense overall grid. You should test your
BloX widgets in different screen sizes
Images from an external source may not load properly in the Excel or
PDF reports. See Adding Images for information on how to load images
locally.
BloX are not compatible with Amazon's Echo. This will be available in a future
release
If you use the Custom-Style Plugin, this will overwrite the conditional color of
BloX
Items and values are limited to 20 panels each
List view ( Carousel: false) is limited to 100 first items
Sisense BloX v1.1 does not support any native Sisense visualization
Once BloX is installed, refresh plugin list on the Admin page to see it
displayed
Base64 as an image will cause the widget to load slowly
BloX for Mobile
BloX responsiveness is limited. For optimal view, Sisense suggests you design
widgets for desktop or widgets for mobile,
Mobile best practice:
Choose images that can fit mobile screens or keep the background as a color
Keep all text below 10 font size
Make a clear Call-to-action to be displayed on the center
Limit your items into 1 column and no more than 5 different text/data
elements
Limit all icons to Small
Social feed template is not supported
Click here for Terms and Conditions.
Installing Sisense BloX
Download and install Sisense BloX 2.1.0. If you want to install an earlier
version, you can find the documentation here. Once the installation is
complete, the BloX widget is added to your list of widgets.

Note: If Sisense BloX does not appear in your list of plugins, in Windows,
restart the Sisense.Plugins service.
Installation in Multi-Node Environments

If you have implemented a multi-node environment and want to install Sisense

BloX, you should run the BloX installer on the server that runs the plugin service.
Typically, this is the build node.
If you have multiple plug-in services running on multiple machines, you should
install BloX on each machine that runs the Sisense.Plugin service.
Note: This may affect your saved templates and in some cases will show only
limited saved templates in Sisense BloX. Contact your CSM and
[email protected] if you experience this issue.
BloX Design Panel
This page describes the features and functionality within the BloX Design Panel.
After installing Sisense BloX, the first step is to create a new widget or edit an
existing widget and to choose the widget type BloX.
This transforms the Widget Editor into the BloX Design Panel, which contains the
following features and functionality:

Layout: Displays the current state of your visualization as defined in the BloX
Editor and Configuration Editor.
Filters: Add dashboard and widget filters to your Sisense BloX widgets. For
more information about filters, see Creating Widget Filters and Creating
Dashboard Filters.
Templates: Contains a list of predefined templates Sisense has designed that
you can edit to fit your use case. The easiest way to design BloX widgets is
to choose the template closest to your use case and modify it. However, you
can create one by deleting the content from the editor and using the code
snippets to create your own templates. After you create a template, they can
be exported and imported.
Editor: Contains the HTML JSON objects that determine the content of your
BloX, including text and interactive actions such as buttons. This is where
you provide the content of your BloX and describe what actions your BloX
can do. See Creating Interactive Dashboards for more information.
Configuration Editor: Contains CSS JSON objects that determine the look
and feel of your cards. See Customizing Your BloX Widget's Look and Feel
for more information.
Snippets: Contains predefined code snippets for BloX elements that you can
copy into the editor to add those elements to your widget.
From the BloX Design Panel, you can create your own cards by customizing
predefined templates created by Sisense or by creating your own templates
from scratch.
Actions: Contains predefined code samples for creating actions. You can
create your own actions as well.
Creating Interactive
Dashboards
While you can continue using Sisense's default widgets in your BloX dashboard,
the real value of BloX is turning your dashboard into an interactive business app.
The typical work flow for creating BloX widgets is to take a pre-made template,
and then modify it by adding content, snippets, and actions. After you have
finished modifying the template, you can save it and start creating new widgets
from it.
The sections below explain how you can use in Sisense BloX to transform your
dashboard.
BloX Widgets: Describes how to build BloX widgets
Templates: Describes how to modify and create templates
Adding Content to Widgets: Describes how to add content to your widgets
using snippets and actions.
If you haven't already, you may want to review the tutorials for more
information.
BloX Widgets
Interactive dashboards in Sisense consist of BloX widgets. In the Editor, you
define the content of your BloX widgets.
BloX widgets are built on schemas that have the following basic structure:
Body: The body of your BloX is made up of building-blocks known as
elements. Elements can be composed in a variety of arrangements to create
many types of BloX.
Actions: Many BloX have a set of actions that you can take. This property
describes the actions that typically get rendered in an "action button" at the
bottom of your widget.
The example below illustrates the JSON structure common to all BloX:

{
"style": "",
"script": "",
"title": "",
"body": [
{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "This is my Sisense
InfoCard"
},
{
"type": "Image",
"Url":
"https://cdn.sisense.com/dotcom/images/sisense-
logo.png"
}
]
}

At the top are two keys, style and script, for adding your own JavaScript and CSS
if you want to use custom classes in your BloX widgets.
Below is the body element that behaves just as a body element does in a typical
web page. Within the body element, each element has a type property that
determines what type of object it is. In the example above, there are two
elements; a TextBlock and an Image:
TextBlock: Adds a block of text with properties to control what the text
looks like.
Image: Adds an image with properties to control what the image looks like.
As in web pages, in BloX widgets, every element stacks vertically and expands to
the width of its parent. You can use snippets like containers, columns, and
column sets to add multiple elements side-by-side. Containers act as HTML divs
where you can define a collection of elements. Column Sets contain columns.
Within a Column Set, each column can be placed next to another column to allow
you to add multiple elements on the same row instead of stacking them one on
top of the other.
Other elements you may use are Input and Action elements for collecting and
submitting data. These elements and more are described in the Reference page.
You can build a widget based on this structure, but each template pre-defined by
Sisense already uses this structure, so Sisense recommends using these
templates and modifying them for your use case.
Templates
In the right corner of the BloX Design Panel, under the Design tab you can see
your templates.
Templates are created by Sisense, but you can modify these to create your own
templates. Templates are pre-built widgets with content and actions.
The easiest way to work with Sisense BloX is to modify templates that are the
closest to your use case. After selecting a template, the Layout, Editor, and
Configuration Editor are updated with the content of your template. In the
Editor, you can add the content that is displayed in your widget. You can create
this yourself as described in the BloX Widgets section, however, it is much easier
to use snippets and actions to modify them as describe in sectionsSnippets and
Actions.
The procedures below describe how to save your templates after editing them
and import and export them.
Saving Templates

From the menu in the right corner of the editor you have two options for saving
templates:
Save Changes: Saves your changes to the current template you are working on.
Save As New Template: Saves your changes in a new template. If you select this
option you are prompted to enter a name for the template. The template is then
added to your list of templates above.
Exporting Templates

You can export your templates and import them later or share them with other
Sisense users so they can add them to their dashboards. Templates are exported
as JSON files that include the content under the Editor and Configuration tabs
(HTML and CSS).
To export a template,
In the BloX Design Panel, click the download icon and select Export
Template.

You are them prompted to download the JSON file that represents your
template.
Importing Templates

You can import templates (JSON files) that you have exported or that you
downloaded.
To import a template:
In the BloX Design Panel, click the menu and select Import Template.

Navigate to your exported template JSON file and select it.

Click OK to upload it. The template is uploaded and added to your list of
templates.
Deleting Templates

If you no longer need a template, you can delete it. Before deleting a template,
you may want to export it in case you need to use it in the future.
To delete a template:
In the BloX Design Panel, click the menu and select Delete Template. The
template is removed and no longer visible in the BloX Design Panel.

Adding Content to Widgets

Sisense makes it easy to add content to your widgets by providing code snippets
for the supported elements described above. With snippets you can build a
complete widget or edit an existing BloX template by inserting the relevant
elements.
If you want to create a new BloX widget from scratch, you can begin with the
BloX Main snippet, and then add additional snippets to it. This snippet contains
the mandatory keys for any BloX widget.

{
"title": "BloX",
"showCarousel": true,
"backgroundImage": "",
"body":
[
{ "type": "Container",
"items":
[
{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "This is my Sisense BloX
Card"
}
]
}
]
}

From this basic snippet, more snippets can be copied and pasted into the BloX
Editor and then modified according to your needs.
For example, the TextBlock snippet can be added to your template to add a text
object. You can then modify the snippet as required to fit the style of the rest of
your BloX.

{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "{panel:Date}",
"spacing": "medium",
"horizontalAlignment": "center",
"color": "default",
"size": "medium",
"weight": "light",
"lineColor": "#414241
}

It’s important to remember that snippets are JSON objects that while they can be
added anywhere to your template, they must not break the structure of the
template. For example, if you add the text block snippet shown above to an
existing template, you need to add a comma to the previous object, as you would
in any JSON file:

{
"type": "TextBlock",
"size": "light",
"weight": "light",
"horizontalAlignment": "center",
"spacing": "medium",
"color": "default",
"text": "{panel:Google} views
},
{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "{panel:Date}",
"spacing": "medium",
"horizontalAlignment": "center",
"color": "default",
"size": "medium",
"weight": "light",
"linAdding Text

Text blocks display text in your widget and give you a way to provide context to
your users.

{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "{panel:Date}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

text string No Text to be displayed. You can use

placeholders to display values
dynamically from your data. For
example, {panel:Date} refers to the
value of the Date column.
Adding Actions

You can add actions to your widgets. Sisense supports a variety of actions such as
applying filters to a dashboard or submitting a form through a webhook. You can
read more about supported actions here.
You can create your own custom actions. Actions that you create consist of
custom JavaScript you provide, see Creating Custom Actions for more
information. In addition, you can leverage Sisense's JavaScript API for adding
more functionality to your dashboards.
Once you create an action, its added to your code snippets where Designers can
add the action to their widgets.
To create -your own actions:
Open a BloX widget.
In the Editor, open the menu and select Create Action.

The Action Editor is displayed.

Enter a name for your action. This name is displayed when your action is
added to the My Action in the Snippets section.
Click Next. Sisense opens an Action template with two parameters, type and
title.

In the Action Editor, enter the code for your action.

Click Create. The new action is added to the My Actions section of your
snippets.

After the action has been added, you can open its menu to edit or delete the
action.
Adding Images

Images are useful for providing context or for branding your dashboard. Like
Text blocks, images have their own element, as shown in the snippet below.

{
"type": "Image",
"url": "/plugins/BloX/blox-
images/ConditionalCard/green_boto_bg.png",
"size": "auto"
}

There are two options for hosting images, internally on the Sisense Server or
externally. If you host the images externally, the value of "url" is the full external
address of the image.
When exporting your dashboard as a PDF or image, images hosted externally
may not be displayed properly in your report. You can host images locally on
your Sisense Server in the /resources/ directory located at C:\Program
Files\Sisense\app\resources. Images hosted here will be displayed
properly in your dashboard and when exported to your reports. You can refer to
this images with a shortcut as shown below:
"url": "/resources/sample.png",
If you want to use as a background image, you can do so by defining the URL of
backgroundImage:
"backgroundImage":
"https://s3.amazonaws.com/sisenseblox/Sample+-
+SenseBUZZ+/Background+Imags/Header.png",
However, the background image will only cover up to the title area in your
widget. If you want to display a background image that covers the title area of
your widget as well, set display to "none".
"titleStyle": [
{
"display": "none"
}
],

Property Type Required Description

type "Image" Yes Must be Image.

url string Yes The URL to the image. To add your own images
to BloX directly from the Sisense Server, you
can upload them to
C:\Program Files\Sisense\app\resources and
insert them in BloX by referring to the
/resources/ directory.
"backgroundImage": "/resources/sample.png",

size object No Controls the approximate size of the image. The

physical dimensions will vary per host. Specify
"auto" for true image dimension, or "stretch" to
force it to fill the container.
Adding Sparklines

Sparklines allow you to add a tiny simple graph over a widget that conveys the
basic shape of your data in a meaningful, but compact way. Sparklines are useful
for showing trends in your data.
You can add sparklines to any BloX widget by defining the values of the
sparkline.

{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "<span class='sparklines'
width='200' height='50' lineWidth='3' fillColor=''
minSpotColor='#000' maxSpotColor='#000'
sparkType='line' Color='#000'>{spark:Data}</span>
}

Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock

title string Yes Span with the class 'sparklines' that defines
the dimensions and values of your
sparkline. You can use a placeholder as the
values of your sparkline, {spark:Data}, or
enter each value hardcoded separated by a
comma, 3, 15, 32, 75.
Embedding iFrames

You can embed iFrames into your widgets. This is useful for display websites,
social media feeds, or streaming videos. To display content in an iFrame, you add
a Text block with the value of the text field the URL you want to display in an
iFrame element.
Note: Each attributes included in the value of iframe src must be wrapped
with single quotation marks 'x'. See the example below for more information.

"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "<iframe
src='https://www.facebook.com/plugins/page.php?href=htt
ps%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsisense&tabs=timeline&wid
th=500&height=600&small_header=true&adapt_container_wid
th=true&hide_cover=false&show_facepile=true&appId=22667
5974333047' width='500' height='600'
style='border:none;overflow:hidden' scrolling='no'
frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true'
allow='encrypted-media'></iframe>"

Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

text string Yes The URL of the iFrame you want to open.
Adding Carousels

In many cases, there is more than one item in the result set. If you want to show
them all, you can display them as a list as shown below:

Note: Due to performance concerns there is a limit of 100 list items.

Another option is to display your data in a carousel that your users can scroll
through as shown in the example below:
In the Card Editor, you can change the value of the boolean key “showCarousel to
true, to display a single set of items that users can toggle through or false to
display a list.

{
"title": "Multi Purpose Card",
"showCarousel": true,
"panels": [
{

In addition, you can modify the amount of time it takes to cycle between values in
your carousel with the Carousel Animation object or whether or not to display
arrows. The default speed is 500 milliseconds. You can increase or decrease by
adding the Carousel Animation snippet and changing the value of delay as
needed.
To hide the carousel arrows, set the boolean “showButtons” to false.

{
"title": "BloX",
"showCarousel": true,
"carouselAnimation": {
"delay": 500,
"showButtons": true
},
}
Using Conditionals

Conditionals allow you to create thresholds that trigger events in your widgets
when met. In the example below, the background color is set to gold when the
placeholder {panel:Total Revenue} is greater than 1000.

{
"title": "BloX",
"showCarousel": true,
"conditions": [
{
"minRange": "-Infinity",
"maxRange": 1000,
"backgroundColor": "#fd6e69",
"image":
"https://image.ibb.co/d5vPpe/red_boto_bg.png"
},
{
"minRange": 1000,
"maxRange": 10000,
"backgroundColor": "#ffcb05",
"image":
"https://image.ibb.co/dNuvvK/yellow_boto_bg.png"
},
{
"minRange": 10000,
"maxRange": "Infinity",
"backgroundColor": "#3adcca",
"image":
"https://image.ibb.co/bY68FK/green_boto_bg.png"
}
],

There are two steps to implementing conditionals. The first step is to add the
condition_data class to an object. In the Conditional Formatting Target snippet,
you can see several examples like the one below. In this example, the
condition_data class has been added to a TextBlock. The condition is triggered by
the value of "text" in this case, a dynamic value taken from the dashboard panel.

{
"type": "TextBlock",
"class": "condition_data",
"text": "{panel:Data}"
},

The second step is to define what is the condition that must be met to trigger an
action, and its results. Sisense supports two types of conditions, numeric and
strings.
Numeric Conditions
Numeric conditions include a range of numbers. In the Conditional Range
snippet, the min and max ranges are defined and what happens when the value
of the Conditional Formatting Target reaches a certain number. In the example
above, if Total Revenue ("text": "{panel:Total Revenue}") equals 1000 or less,
then a red background image is displayed.
There are two types of values you can enter, integers, such as 10, 20, 30 etc. or
percentages, such as 20%, 30%, 40%, etc. For integers, simply add the value. If
you choose to enter a percentage, add the value as a decimal, for example, the
value .2 represents 20% in your widget.
Note: For the best results, your min and max range should be continuous. For
example, for negative conditions, set your minRange to "-Infinity" and your
maxRange to 0. For neutral conditions, set minRange to 0 and maxRange to 10,
and for positive conditions, minRange 10 and maxRange "Infinity". You can set
the values as you like, but ideally, all the ranges of all conditions should create a
continuous range with no gaps and no overlaps.
String Conditions
In addition, you can define strings that also trigger events. For example, in the
Conditional Text snippet, you can redefine how your widget appears when
“textEquals” equals a string you define as shown in the sample below, “Blox”. The
results of the action are then defined below in the same object. The important
thing to remember is that the value must be a string and placed within quotes “ “.

{
"conditions": [
{
"textEquals": "Blox",
"backgroundColor": "",
"hide": false,
"fontSize": "",
"fontWeight": "",
"color": "",
"image": ""
},
]
}
Customizing Your BloX
Widget's Look and Feel
You can customize the look and feel of your Sisense BloX widgets. The look and
feel of your templates are defined in the Configuration Editor. In addition, you
can customize any element in your widgets by adding the <style> key and using
inline CSS as the value of the <style> key. Both methods are described below.
Configuration Editor
The Configuration Editor contains a JSON structure that renders the key:value
pairs as CSS in your card. From the Configuration Editor, you can define the look
and feel of your template.
Each template has its own JSON structure and elements. Some of these elements
can be referenced from the Card Editor, but most can be set in the Configuration
Editor.
For example, the color key inside the Card Editor of the multiple_indicators card
refers to the “attention” object. This object defines the font color of the text
displayed in the card and is located in the Configuration Editor.
Layout Editor

"type": "Column",
"items": [
{
"type": "TextBlock",
"spacing": "small",
"text": "42%",
"color": "attention",
"size": "extralarge",
"horizontalAlignment": "center",
"weight": "bolder"
},

Configuration Editor

},
"emphasis": {
"foregroundColors": {
"default": {
"normal": "#333333",
"subtle": "#EE333333"
},
"accent": {
"normal": "#2E89FC",
"subtle": "#882E89FC"
},
"good": {
"normal": "#54a254",
"subtle": "#DD54a254"
},
"warning": {
"normal": "#e69500",
"subtle": "#DDe69500"
},
"attention": {
"normal": "#cc3300",
"subtle": "#DDcc3300"
}
},
"backgroundColor": "#08000000"
}
},

You can modify the hex values of these colors in the Configuration Editor, or
remove the reference in the BloX Editor and define your own colors specific for
each element, such as TextBlocks.
Another example is redefining the background color of your BloX. The following
is an example taken from the ‘Sparkline’ template:
The ‘Sparkline’ template has a white background color by default. You can
change this to yellow by modifying the value of the backgroundColor key.
"backgroundColor": "#FFFFFF"
To
"backgroundColor": "yellow"

The Configuration Editor provides most of the CSS you need to redefine your
BloX, but with Sisense BloX, you have complete freedom to customize the look
and feel to meet your use-case using custom CSS written in JSON key:value pairs.
Customizing Elements
For each element in your Sisense BloX widgets, you can customize the look and
feel by adding the <style> key with some inline CSS as the value. This is useful if
you want to specify custom styling that is distinct from the rest of your template
or dashboard.
The example below shows a text block that has been customized through the
<style> key:

"body": [
{
"type": "Container",
"items": [
{
"type": "TextBlock",
"text": "❤️️ Welcome to BloX ❤️️ ",
"style": {
"text-align": "center",
"font-weight": "bold",
"font-size": "24px",
"margin": "100px"
}
}
]
}
],
Embedding BloX Widgets
After you have created a BloX widget, you can embed the widget directly into
your dashboard, website, or application.
Sisense provides three easy ways to embed a BloX widget, through an iFrame,
QR code, or direct URL.
To generate the code to embed a BloX Widget:
Open the widget you want to embed in the BloX editor.
Click the download icon.

Select how you want to embed your BloX widget, iFrame, QR code, or direct
URL.

After you select the relevant option, the code is displayed for you to copy
Sisense BloX Reference
The following tables describe the properties for the JSON objects that are used or
can be used in the Sisense BloX.
Snippets
Containers

Blox Main
Card schema for BloX.
Property Type Required Description

style string No Space to enter your own internal

CSS stylesheet.

script string No Space to enter your own custom

JavaScript, similar to <script> </script>
tags in an HTML header.

title string No Name displayed as the title of the widget.

body array[] Yes The Card elements to show in the primary

card region.

actions Action[] No The Actions to show in the BloX's action

bar.

showCarousel boolean No Indicates if an element should be

displayed as a carousel instead of a list.
Container
Containers group items together.
Property Type Required Description

type "Container" Yes Must be Container.

style string No Style hint for Container.

items array[] Yes The Card Elements to include in the

Column.
Column Set
ColumnSet divides a region into Columns allowing elements to sit side-by-side.
Property Type Required Description

type "ColumnSet" Yes Must be ColumnSet.

columns Column[] No The array of Columns to divide the region

into.
Column
Defines a container that is part of a ColumnSet.
Property Type Required Description

type "Column" Yes Must be Column.

items array[] Yes The Card Elements to include in the Column.

Attributes

Click here to expand

Property Type Required Description

backgroundColor string No Determines the background

color of a widget.

backgroundImage string No Adds a background image to

the widget. For more
information, see Adding
Images.

horizontalAlignment string No Controls how Items are

horizontally positioned within
their container.

verticalContentAlignment string No Controls how Items are

vertically positioned within
their container.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing

between this element and the
previous element.

separator boolean No The Separator object type

describes the look and feel of a
separation line between two
elements.

carousel object No Converts your list into a

carousel. See Adding
Carousels.
Property Type Required Description

conditional range string No Allows you to create

conditional text string No thresholds that trigger events

in your widgets when met. For
conditional formatting string No
more information see Using
conditional formatting string No Conditionals.
target

widget title style object No Defines how widget titles are

displayed.

hide widget title style string No If you want to display a

background image that covers
the title area of your widget as
well, set display to "none".
Text Styling

Click here to expand.

Items Type Required Element

Font Size string No Controls the size of the text.

Font Color string No Controls the color of TextBlock Items.

Font Weight string No Controls the weight of TextBlock Items.

Text Wrap boolean No True if text is allowed to wrap.

Components

Sparkline Charts
Sparklines allow you to add a tiny simple graph over a widget that conveys the
basic shape of your data in a meaningful, but compact way. Sparklines are useful
for showing trends in your data.
You can add sparklines to any BloX widget by defining the values of the
sparkline.
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be "TextBlock".

id string No A unique ID associated with the element.

class object No

text object Yes Span with the class 'sparklines' that defines
the dimensions and values of your
sparkline. You can use a placeholder as the
values of your sparkline, {spark:Data}, or
enter each value hardcoded separated by a
comma, 3, 15, 32, 75.
iFrame
You can embed iFrames into your widgets. This is useful for display websites,
social media feeds, or streaming videos. To display content in an iFrame, you add
a Text block with the value of the text field the URL you want to display in an
iFrame element.
Note: Each attributes included in the value of iframe src must be wrapped with
single quotation marks 'x'. See the example below for more information.
Property Type Required Description
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

text string Yes The URL of the iFrame you want to open.
Image
The Image Item allows for the inclusion of images in BloX.
Property Type Required Description

type "Image" Yes Must be Image.

id string No A unique ID associated with the

element.

class string No

url string Yes The URL to the image.

altText string No Alternate text for the image for

accessibility.

size string No, default: Controls the approximate size of the

auto image. The physical dimensions will
vary per host. Specify "auto" for true
image dimension or "stretch" to
force it to fill the container.

Additional Properties
horizontalAlignment string No Controls how Items are horizontally
positioned within their container.

opacity object No Controls how much opacity (0-1 in

%) to apply to images. “type”:
“image”, “opacity”:0.7

selectAction object No An Action that will be invoked when

Property Type Required Description

the Image is tapped or selected.

style string No Controls the way Images are

displayed.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing

between this element and the
previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type describes

false the look and feel of a separation line
between two elements.
Text Block
The TextBlock Item allows for the inclusion of text with various font sizes, weight
and color, in BloX.
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

id string No A unique ID associated with the

element.

class string No

text string Yes The actual text to display.

Additional Properties
color string No Controls the color of TextBlock
Items.

horizontalAlignment string No Controls how Items are

horizontally positioned within
their container.
Property Type Required Description

size string No Controls the size of the text.

weight string No Controls the weight of TextBlock

Items.

wrap boolean No True if text is allowed to wrap.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing

between this element and the
previous element.

separator boolean No, The Separator object type

default: describes the look and feel of a
false separation line between two
elements.
2-Column List
The FactSet Item makes it simple to display a series of facts (e.g. name/value
pairs) in a tabular form.
Property Type Required Description

facts Fact[] Yes The array of Facts.

type "FactSet" No Must be FactSet.

id string No A unique Id associated with the element.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing between this

element and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type describes the look
false and feel of a separation line between two
elements.
Fact
Describes a Fact in a FactSet as a key/value pair.
Property Type Required Description

type "Fact" Yes Must be Fact.

title string Yes The title of the fact.

value string Yes The value of the fact.

HTML Text Block
The TextBlock Item allows for the inclusion of text with various font sizes, weight
and color, in BloX.
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

id string No A unique ID associated with the

element.

class string No

text string Yes The actual text to display.

Additional Properties
color string No Controls the color of TextBlock
Items.

horizontalAlignment string No Controls how Items are

horizontally positioned within
their container.

isSubtle boolean No Indicates whether the color of the

text should be slightly toned
down to appear less prominent.

maxLines number No When Wrap is true, you can

specify the maximum number of
lines to allow the textBlock to
Property Type Required Description

use.

size string No Controls the size of the text.

weight string No Controls the weight of TextBlock

Items.

wrap boolean No True if text is allowed to wrap.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing

between this element and the
previous element.

separator boolean No, The Separator object type

default: describes the look and feel of a
false separation line between two
elements.
Input Fields

Text Input
Input.Text collects text from the user.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.Text" Yes Must be Input.Text.

id string Yes ID for the value (will be used to identify

collected input when SUBMIT is clicked).

class string No

title string No Title of the button.

placeholder string No Title Description of the input desired.

Additional Properties
isMultiline boolean No Do you want to allow multiple lines of
input.

maxLength number No Hint of maximum length characters to

collect (may be ignored by some clients).

style string No Style hint for Input.Text.

value string No The initial value for a field.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing between

this element and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type describes the
false look and feel of a separation line between
two elements.
Date Input
Input.Date collects a date from the user.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.Date" Yes The type must be Input.Date.

id string Yes ID for the value (will be used to identify

collected input when SUBMIT is clicked).

class string No

Additional Properties
max string No Hint of maximum value expressed in ISO-
8601 format (may be ignored by some
clients).

min string No Hint of minimum value expressed in ISO-

8601 format (may be ignored by some
clients).

placeholder string No Title Description of the input desired.

value string No The initial value for a field expressed in

ISO-8601 format.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing between

this element and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type describes the
false look and feel of a separation line between
two elements.
Time Input
Input.Time collects the time from the user.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.Date" Yes The type must be Input.Date.

id string Yes ID for the value (will be used to identify

Property Type Required Description

collected input when SUBMIT is clicked).

class string No class

Additional Properties
max string No Hint of maximum value expressed in ISO-
8601 format (may be ignored by some
clients).

min string No Hint of minimum value expressed in ISO-

8601 format (may be ignored by some
clients).

placeholder string No Title Description of the input desired.

value string No The initial value for a field expressed in

ISO-8601 format.

spacing string No Controls the amount of spacing between

this element and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type describes the
false look and feel of a separation line between
two elements.
Number Input
Input.Number collects a number from the user.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.Number" Yes The type must be

Input.Number.

id string Yes ID for the value (will be used

to identify collected input
Property Type Required Description

when SUBMIT is clicked).

class string No

placeholder string No Title Description of the input

desired.

Additional Properties
max number No Hint of maximum value (may
be ignored by some clients).

min number No Hint of minimum value (may

be ignored by some clients).

value number No The initial value for a field.

spacing string No Controls the amount of

spacing between this element
and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type

false describes the look and feel of a
separation line between two
elements.
Radio Buttons
Allows a user to input a Choice.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.ChoiceSet" Yes The type must be

Input.ChoiceSet.

id string Yes Must be radiotVal.

class string No
Property Type Required Description

style style No, default: Style hint for Input.ChoiceSet.

"compact"

placeholder string No Title Description of the input

desired.

choices Input.Choice[] Yes Choice options.

Additional Properties
isMultiSelect boolean No, default: Allow multiple choices to be
false selected.

value number No The initial choice (or set of

choices) that should be
selected. For multi-select,
specify a comma-separated
string of values.

spacing string No Controls the amount of

spacing between this element
and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type

false describes the look and feel of
a separation line between
two elements.
Checkbox
Allows a user to input a Choice.
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.ChoiceSet" Yes The type must be

Input.ChoiceSet.
Property Type Required Description

id string Yes Must be checkboxVal.

class string No

style style No, default: Style hint for Input.ChoiceSet.

"compact"

placeholder string No Title Description of the input

desired.

choices Input.Choice[] Yes Choice options.

Additional Properties
isMultiSelect boolean No, default: Allow multiple choices to be
false selected.

value number No The initial choice (or set of

choices) that should be
selected. For multi-select,
specify a comma-separated
string of values.

spacing string No Controls the amount of

spacing between this element
and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type

false describes the look and feel of
a separation line between
two elements.
Dropdown
Property Type Required Description
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.ChoiceSet" Yes The type must be

Input.ChoiceSet.

id string Yes Must be selectVal.

class string No

style style No, default: Style hint for Input.ChoiceSet.

"compact"

placeholder string No Title Description of the input

desired.

choices Input.Choice[] Yes Choice options.

Additional Properties
isMultiSelect boolean No, default: Allow multiple choices to be
false selected.

value number No The initial choice (or set of

choices) that should be
selected. For multi-select,
specify a comma-separated
string of values.

spacing string No Controls the amount of

spacing between this element
and the previous element.

separator boolean No, default: The Separator object type

false describes the look and feel of
a separation line between
two elements.
Dynamic Inputs
Dynamic inputs allow you to display dynamic options for dropdowns, radio
buttons, and checkbox inputs.
The Dynamic Input snippet displays a dropdown list and when you change the
value of “choices” to match your Items, a list of values based on your data is
displayed. The default value included in the snippet is choices:Title,Value where
title is the name of the option displayed and Value is the ID of the option selected
that is input when selected.

{
"type": "Input.ChoiceSet",
"id": "selectVal",
"class": "",
"displayType": "compact",
"value": "1",
"choices": "{choices:Category,Id}"
}

For example, if your Items display Brand as a list of strings, these can be
displayed in a dropdown by changing the value of “choices” to “{choices:Brand}”
where Brand equals the title of the options to be displayed.
While a dropdown list is the default option for the Dynamic Inputs snippet, you
can use the same functionality for radio buttons and checkboxes.
For example, by changing the value of choices in the Checkbox or Radio Button
snippets from an array to a string, you can display input options based on your
data.

{
"type": "Input.ChoiceSet",
"id": "checkboxVal",
"class": "",
"layout": "vertical",
"isMultiSelect": true,
"value": "1,3",
"choices": "{choices:Brand}"
}

Toggle
Property Type Required Description

type "Input.Toggle" Yes Must be Input.Toggle.

title string Yes Text to be displayed alongside

the toggle option.

valueOn string No Enter "true" to set the toggle to

selected or enabled by default.

valueOff string No Enter "false" to set the toggle to

unselected or disabled by
default.

value string Yes A value you want to send when

the toggle is selected.
Slider
Property Type Required Description
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

id string Yes

class string No

text Slider array Yes List of values in the slider.

Use 'sliderData' prefix within
slider configuration block to
connect it to metadata item from
'Items' panel.

Additional Properties
items array No Connection to metadata item.

range string No Enable slider range mode.

point-color string No Changes color of slider draggable

button.

line-color string No Changes color of slider

(horizontal line).

value number No Default value (for single selection

slider mode).

value-start number No Default start value (for range

slider).

value-end number No Default end value (for range

slider).
Discrete Slider
Property Type Required Description

type "TextBlock" Yes Must be TextBlock.

Property Type Required Description

id string Yes

class string No

text Slider array Yes List of values in the slider.

Use 'sliderData' prefix within
slider configuration block to
connect it to metadata item from
'Items' panel.

Additional Properties
items array No Connection to metadata item.

range string No Enable slider range mode.

point-color string No Changes color of slider draggable

button.

line-color string No Changes color of slider

(horizontal line).

value number No Default value (for single selection

slider mode).

value-start number No Default start value (for range

slider).

value-end number No Default end value (for range

slider).
Actions
Actions turn your BloX into interactive business applications by letting your
users perform certain actions inside a widget. Actions are located after your body
element, unless you add an Action.Set that allows you to place Actions within the
body.

{
"type": "ActionSet",
"actions": [
{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"action": "lightbox",
"title": "Share",
"url": "http://www.sisense.com"
}
]
}

The snippets in this section can be applied to elements to add actions to them.
For example, you can convert images into clickable elements with the Clickable
Elements snippets.
Action Buttons

Button
You can create a button with the Action Section that when clicked, triggers an
action.

{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"title": "View in SalesForce",
"url":
"https://sisense.salesforce.com/{panel:Id}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

title string Yes Label for button or link that

represents this action.

url string Yes The URL to open.

Inline Button
When Action.OpenUrl is invoked, a URL you define is opened in your browser.

{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"title": "View in SalesForce",
"url":
"https://sisense.salesforce.com/{panel:Id}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

Property Type Required Description

title string Yes Label for button or link that

represents this action.

url string Yes The URL to open.

Clickable Element
When Action.OpenUrl is invoked, a URL you define is opened in your browser.

{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"title": "View in SalesForce",
"url":
"https://sisense.salesforce.com/{panel:Id}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

title string Yes Label for button or link that

represents this action.

url string Yes The URL to open.

Action Types

Open URL
When Action.OpenUrl is invoked, a URL you define is opened in your browser.

{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"title": "View in SalesForce",
"url":
"https://sisense.salesforce.com/{panel:Id}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

title string Yes Label for button or link that

represents this action.

url string Yes The URL to open.

Open URL in Popup
When Action.OpenUrl is invoked, a URL you define is opened in a lightbox pop-
up.

{
"type": "Action.OpenUrl",
"action": "lightbox",
"title": "View in SalesForce",
"url":
"https://sisense.salesforce.com/{panel:Id}"
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.OpenUrl" Yes Must be Action.OpenUrl.

Property Type Required Description

action "lightbox" Yes Must be lightbox. Determines that the

URL should be opened in a pop-up.

title string Yes Label for button or link that

represents this action.

url string Yes The URL to open.

Submit
Submit action takes input fields and merges them with optional data fields. It
then generates an event to a client asking for data to be submitted. It is up to the
client to determine how that data is processed. For example, the action below
submits an ID to a webhook defined as the value of the “url” key.

{
"type": "Action.Submit",
"action": "post",
"title": "Submit",
"data": {"id": "007007"}
"url":
"https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/171572/kay5ad/
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.Submit" Yes Must be Action.Submit.

action "post" Yes Must be "post".

title string Yes Label for button or link that represents

this action.

data string,object No Initial data that the input fields will be

combined with. This is essentially
Property Type Required Description

‘hidden’ properties.

url string Yes The URL where the data is to be sent to.
BloX Popup
Action.ShowCard defines an inline BloX that is shown to the user when it is
clicked.

{
"type": "Action.ShowCard",
"title": "ShowCard",
"card": {
"showCarousel": true,
"backgroundImage": "",
"body": []
}
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Action.ShowCard" Yes Must be Action.ShowCard.

title string Yes The title to be displayed in the pop-

up's window.

card object Yes Defines the content to be displayed

in the pop-up.
Dashboard Filters (by Panel Name)
You can add dashboard filters to your widget according to their panel name as it
appears in the left panel when editing a widget.
For example, your users can apply a filter by its panel name, even if the filter
wasn't previously defined in a dashboard, by clicking a button when you add this
action.

{
"type": "Filters",
"title": "{{category.text}}",
"data": {
"filters": [
{
"panelName": "Category",
"filterJaql": {
"explicit": true,
"members": [
"{{category.value}}"
]
}
}
]
}
}

Propert Type Requir Description

y ed

type "Filter Yes Must be Filters.

Propert Type Requir Description
y ed

title string Yes Title of the action.

data object Yes Contains the filters to be applied to the dashboard.

filters object Yes Defines the filters to be applied to the dashboard.

panelNa string Yes Name of the filter as its displayed in the Panel.
me

filterJaql object No Add custom advanced filters to your widget. In the

filterJaql object, paste the code snippet created under
the Advanced filters tab when creating a filter. For
more information, see Advanced Filtering Criteria.

Dashboard Filters (by Filter Name)

You can add dashboard filters to your widget according to their filter name.
For example, your users can filter a dashboard by clicking a button when you add
this action to that button.
{
"type": "Filters",
"title": "Last Month",
"data": {
"filters": [
{
"filterName": "Months in Date",
"filterJaql": {
"last": {
"count": 1,
"offset": 1
},
},
"dim": {
"title": "Year",
"table": "Lead Generation",
"column": "Date",
"datatype": "datetime",
"level": "Years"
}
},
]
}
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Filters" Yes Must be Filters.

title string Yes Title of the filter to be displayed in the right

dashboard panel.

data object Yes Contains the filters to be applied to the

dashboard.

filters object Yes Defines the filters to be applied to the

dashboard.

filterJaql object No Add custom advanced filters to your widget. In

Property Type Required Description

the filterJaql object, paste the code snippet

created under the Advanced filters tab when
creating a filter. For more information, see
Advanced Filtering Criteria.
Dashboard Filters (by Dimension)
You can add dashboard filters to your widget according to dimension (dim).
For example, your users can filter a dashboard by clicking a button when you add
this action to that button.

{
"type": "Filters",
"title": "Filter (by Dimension)",
"data": {
"filters": [
{
"filterJaql": {
"last": {
"count": 1,
"offset": 0
}
},
"dim": {
"title": "Year",
"table": "Lead Generation",
"column": "Date",
"datatype": "datetime",
"level": "Years"
}
},
}

Property Type Required Description

type "Filters" Yes Must be Filters.

Property Type Required Description

title string Yes Title of the filter to be displayed in the right

dashboard panel.

data object Yes Contains the filters to be applied to the

dashboard.

filters object Yes Defines the filters to be applied to the

dashboard.

filterJaql object No Add custom advanced filters to your widget. In

the filterJaql object, paste the code snippet
created under the Advanced filters tab when
creating a filter. For more information, see
Advanced Filtering Criteria.
Jump to Dashboard
Adds a an action to an object in your widget that when clicked, opens a
dashboard according to the Dashboard ID.

{
"type": "JTD",
"title": "Jump To Dashboard",
"data": {
"dashboardId": "",
"panelsToInclude": [
{
"panel": "Category",
"value": "{{category.text}}"
}
],
"args": {
"displayDashboardsPane": false,
"displayFilterPane": true
}
}
}

Property Typ Requir Description

e ed

type "JTD Yes Must be JTD.

title strin Yes Title of the action.

dashboardI strin Yes The ID of the dashboard found at the end of the URL of
d g your dashboard. For example,
http://localhost:8081/app/main#/dashboards/5818
4c2f295b2b342b000023 - the set of characters after
the last ' / ' is your Dashboard ID.

panelsToInc obje No Enter the any panels you want to add to your
lude ct dashboard when it is opened.

args obje No Add additional arguments and functionality to the

ct action when a dashboard is opened. For a complete
list of all the args you can apply, see the Technical
Details for the Jump to Dashboard addon.

Collected Product and Usage Data

User Information
Data Description

Sisense Owner ID The email address of the owner of the Sisense account.
Sisense-Related Information
Name Description

Sisense Version The version of Sisense installed on the machine.

Sisense Monitoring The version of Sisense’s remote support module

Version (monitoring).
Action Logs
Name Description

Action The type of action performed by the user, for example: openURl,
LightBox, Post API etc.

Area The area of the application the action is related to, for example: Setup,
Dashboard View, widget

Feature The name of the feature being used, for example: Plugin Admin, Dev to
Production, Pulse, Export to Excel.
Note: The action log does not include licensee data, and does not attribute
actions to identifiable users.
Logs
Parameter Description

Product Product exception data such as when an exception occurred, which

Exception application, the message returned and the error type.
Log

Event Log Record when an error occurred, in which application, and the error
message. The error messages within the event logs may contain
information such as IP address, and ElastiCube, dashboard, or
widget names.
Sisense BloX Tutorials
The following tutorials describe how to create an interactive dashboard that
includes features such as embedded iFrames, action buttons for submitting data,
and carousels for comparing products.
Introduction
Installing BloX
Creating Banners
Using Columns
Designing BloX Widgets
Adding Sparklines and Action Buttons
Embedding iFrames
Adding Carousals
Adding Forms
Embedding Social Media Feeds
Using Conditionals
Using Webhooks
Exporting and Importing BloX Templates
Saving and Deleting BloX Templates
Creating Actions
Embedding BloX Widgets
BloX 2.0 Course

This course includes an updated use case relevant for BloX 2 features.
At the end of the course, you will be familiar with new capabilities such as inline
styling, custom actions, template sharing, integrating QR codes and much more.
Part 1 - Introduction and Warehouse Employee Solution
Part 2 - Supply Chain Manager Solution
Sisense Boto
Sisense Boto™ Terms of Use
Sisense Boto™ is an experimental product of Sisense Ltd. (collectively with its
affiliates, “Sisense” “we“, “our” or “us“) created to give the members of the public
(“you”) free access to powerful Artificial Intelligence analytics on big datasets.
Sisense does not offer any support for Sisense Boto. Any questions or issues may
be directed to discussion forums on the Sisense website. Sisense does not
guarantee that Sisense Boto will remain available in the future and may modify
or remove it at any time.
By using Sisense Boto, you agree to comply with these Terms of Use.
Sisense Boto and the Documentation pertaining to it are provided “as-is” without
warranty of any kind. Sisense and its licensors and suppliers disclaim all express,
implied or statutory warranties, including without limitation any implied
warranties of title, non-infringement of third party rights, merchantability, or
fitness for a particular purpose to the extent permitted under applicable law. You
alone bear the entire risk arising out of the use of Sisense Boto. We specifically
disclaim any liability for your use of or reliance upon any results or outputs of
Sisense Boto. We do not guarantee Sisense Boto will produce results or output
for all data inputs. In no event shall Sisense or its directors, officers,
employees, shareholders, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, or licensors be
liable for any damages arising out of or related to the use, inability to
use, performance, or nonperformance of Sisense Boto except to the
extent such liability may not be disclaimed under applicable law.
Sisense reserves the right to limit your access or block you from using Sisense
Boto at its discretion if you violate these Terms of Use or abuse the service.
Accessing Sisense Boto

Sisense Boto may be accessed through: (i) the web interface or (ii) through bots
running on platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Slack.
Sisense Boto may only be used by a natural human using the interfaces or bots
provided by Sisense. Any attempt to use a script, bot, other interface, or any
other automated or manual means to circumvent the interfaces or bots or
repeatedly accessing Sisense Boto could damage or overload the system and is
strictly forbidden. You may not frame or embed the Sisense Boto interfaces or
bots in any other website or interface nor may you modify Sisense Boto in any
way. Sisense may terminate access to Sisense Boto by anyone who jeopardizes
the availability or integrity of our system.
Accessing Sisense Boto through bots

If you access Sisense Boto through bots on another platform, your use is subject
to the terms of use of those platforms in addition to these Terms of Use. Please
refer to and comply with the terms of use on such websites.
Sisense Boto bots may be used to connect to a Sisense Server software for which
you have an active license. Alternatively, you can upload your data as a .csv file
through the Sisense Boto web interface or bot.
If you use the Sisense Boto bots with your licensed Sisense Server software, your
use of the Sisense Server software is governed by the license agreement between
you and Sisense (the “License Agreement”). However, none of the
representations, warranties or indemnities provided by Sisense in the License
Agreement shall apply to Sisense Boto or the bots. For purposes of the limitation
of liability provisions of the License Agreement, Sisense Boto is not provided
under the terms of a Sales Order and no amount has been paid or is payable to
Sisense in connection with the Sisense Boto or the bots.
Uploading your data to Sisense Boto

You may upload your data to Sisense Boto and copy and use the outputs of the
Sisense Boto for noncommercial purposes only, subject to these Terms of Use.
Uploaded data is limited to a single .csv file of 10Mb or smaller at a time.
Ownership of your input data

By uploading data or inputting data into Sisense Boto, you warrant and represent
that you have all the rights and authority to use the data with Sisense Boto. You
further grant Sisense a worldwide irrevocable license to store, copy, analyze, and
generate the results from the data that we return to you. We may also use your
inputs in accordance with the Privacy Policy below.
Children

You must be 13 or older (or whatever age your local jurisdiction requires for
providing your data without parental consent, whichever is older) to use Sisense
Boto. Sisense will block you from using Sisense Boto if we discover you are under
age.
Use Restrictions

Sisense Boto is intended to be used solely for lawful purposes. Sisense does not
screen or review the inputs or the data you use with Sisense Boto. You are solely
responsible for ensuring that your use of Sisense Boto complies with all
applicable laws, regulations, and rules that apply to you or your data and does
not violate any third party rights.
You may not use Sisense Boto to:
attempt to reverse engineer Sisense Boto or use data inputs or queries to
discover the algorithms or technologies underlying Sisense Boto.
attempt to circumvent any security protections, probe for any vulnerabilities,
penetrate, or otherwise violate the security of the system or tamper, interfere, or
disrupt networks or systems.
defame, abuse, harass, or otherwise violate the rights of privacy and publicity of
others;
share inappropriate content, advertising, spam, spyware or malware;
infringe upon the rights of others.
You may not input into Sisense Boto personally identifiable data of others,
protected health information (PHI), payment card information, personal finance
information, export-controlled data, or any other data that is subject to any laws,
regulations, industry standards, or contractual obligations that restrict the use or
onward transfer of the data or require the recipient to protect the data in any
way that is inconsistent with use of Sisense Boto under these Terms of Use.
Export Restrictions

You represent and warrant that you are not located in and will not export or re-
export, either directly or indirectly, Sisense Boto to any country or entity under
United States restrictions or to any country or entity subject to trade sanctions.
Sisense Boto Privacy Policy

We take reasonable measures to secure Sisense Boto and any communications

with you, but cannot guarantee complete security of your data when you use
Sisense Boto. We don’t encrypt the data stored on our servers.
Sisense Boto may not be used to analyze or process personal information of
others. You are exclusively responsible for ensuring that your use of
Sisense Boto does not violate the privacy rights of others.
Sisense is operated from servers in the United States. By using Sisense Boto, you
agree to transmit and process your data in the United States and that you have
the required permission to transmit such data to United States locations. When
you use the Sisense Boto interface on the Sisense website, your use is also subject
to the Sisense Privacy Policy and website Terms of Use.
What data we collect

When you interact with Sisense Boto through bots, Sisense collects your chat
address (the name or other identifier you use on the platform) only as long as
you keep Sisense Boto in your contact list on the platform you use. If you delete
Sisense Boto from your contact list, the chat record is deleted as well and Sisense
does not retain a copy of the chat.
When you connect your own Sisense Server software to the Sisense Boto bots,
the data on your Sisense Server isn’t disclosed to Sisense. However, outputs of
the data are retained with the chat record which is visible to Sisense as long as
you keep Sisense Boto in your contact list on the platform you use. You can delete
your data and the chat record by removing the Sisense Boto bot from your
contact list.
When you upload your data to Sisense Boto (as a .csv file or otherwise)
(“uploaded data”), Sisense does not keep such data longer than 48 hours. The
outputs and analysis results of the uploaded data are retained by Sisense as part
of the chat dialogue only while the session remains active. The chat dialogue is
deleted when you close the browser window or tab you used to access Sisense
Boto.
How we may use your data and inputs

We will not disclose, sell, or provide your information to third parties, except in
the following circumstances:
To operate Sisense Boto and provide you the results of the analysis.
To test and improve the performance of Sisense Boto, study usage patterns, and
develop other Sisense products. We may compile information and generate
reports related to our users’ use of Sisense Boto, and may share aggregated
statistical information with third parties.
If the information is required by law, we will share information in response to
legal process, court orders, subpoenas, or to establish or exercise our legal rights
or defend against legal claims;
Information collected from users of Sisense Boto could be transferred as part of
or in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, restructuring, the sale
of substantially all of Sisense’s stock and/or assets relating to Sisense Boto or
Sisense’s business or other corporate change, including during the course of any
due diligence process.
If you use Sisense Boto, we may contact you to interest you in learning more
about our products and services, send you surveys, or seek user feedback.
General

Sisense may revise these Sisense Boto Terms of Use at any time by updating this
posting. You should visit this page from time to time to review the current Terms
of Use.
Any claim relating to Sisense Boto will be governed by and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of Israel, without reference to its conflict-
of-laws principles and you hereby consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in
the civil courts sitting in Tel Aviv, Israel. You agree to waive all defenses of lack of
personal jurisdiction and forum non-conveniens. If any term or provision of
these Sisense Boto Terms of Use is for any reason held to be invalid, such
invalidity shall not affect any other term or provision.
Last updated: June 11, 2018
Introduction
While Sisense provides you with a centralized location for consuming data in the
Sisense Web Application, sometimes you need quick access to your data without
having to jump across applications to ask data questions. Sisense Boto analyzes
your data and returns natural language insights within 3rd party applications
such as Skype and Slack. In addition, you can upload CSV files and Sisense Boto
will provide you with insights directly in your chat.
Note: To participate in the Sisense Boto Beta Program, your Sisense server must
be accessible over the Internet without a VPN.
Sisense Boto supports the following 3rd party applications:
Skype
Slack
Facebook
Click the links above to add Sisense Boto to your applications.
How does it Work?
Sisense Boto analyzes your data and returns insights to you in natural language
in 3rd party applications.
After setting up Sisense Boto, all you need to do is chat with it and tell Sisense
Boto which dashboards you would like to get insights for, or upload a CSV file for
Sisense Boto to analyze.
Throughout your chat, Sisense Boto will provide instructions with how interact
with it. The one thing to keep in mind is that as you dive deeper into your data,
each dive acts as a level so, to go to previous insights, you can type back until
you get to the desired level.
The easiest way to learn about Sisense Boto is to see it in action:
Setting Up Sisense Boto
To interact with Sisense Boto, you must add Sisense Boto to your application.
Skype
Slack
Facebook
Click the links above to add Sisense Boto to your applications.
After adding Sisense Boto to your application, greet Sisense Boto by typing, ‘Hi’.
The first time you message Sisense Boto, you will be asked to authenticate your
account.
To authenticate, click the link and enter the following details:
Sisense server address: The address of your Sisense account including the
protocol (“http://”) and your server’s port, for example
http://192.168.1.0:8081.
Email address: Your Sisense account email address.
Password: The password of your Sisense account.
After you have entered your details, click Authenticate and return to your
application. Greet Sisense Boto again by typing ‘Hi’. Sisense Boto will get your
environment ready, which takes just a few seconds. Once it’s ready, you can now
begin to consume data from with your application.
Sisense Boto will offer some advice to get started. You can select Skip to pass on
the tutorial.
Interacting with Sisense Boto
Sisense Boto provides an interface for returning insights, so no need to ask
questions. Just select your dashboard from the carousel and begin diving in.

To get an idea of just how easy it is to work with Sisense Boto, check out some of
our tutorials below:
Share Insights Instantly with Anyone

Unveil Insights from Your CSV Files

Get Deeper Insights

Once you have started exploring a dashboard, Sisense Boto will display the
following buttons:
Show my Dashboards: Display a list of your dashboards in a carousel in
your 3rd party application
Get Whisper: Return a natural language explanation of your widget.
Go Deeper: Return more explanations of your widget.
Thank you Boto: Return to the main menu.
Remove from List: Remove a dashboard from current dashboard carousel.
This does not delete the dashboard, just removes it from the carousel.
Add to List: Add a removed dashboard to dashboard carousel.
Open in Web: Open your Sisense application filtered by the selected widget.
Filtered by: Show the list of filters applied to the selected dashboard.
Sisense Advanced Commands
As you begin exploring your dashboards and their widgets, you will see a button
called Advanced Options.
Below are a list of advanced commands you can use and their meanings:

Show my dashboards: Display a list of your dashboards in a carousel in

your 3rd party application.
Get [WIDGET NAME]: Return the last widget you explored to the chat and
provides some natural language details of the data.
Get [WIDGET NAME] from [DASHBOARD] dashboard: Return a specific
widget and its natural language explanation.
Get [DASHBOARD NAME] dashboard: Return a list of widgets your
dashboard and its data.
Analyze [WIDGET NAME]: Return a natural language explanation of your
widget.
Share [WIDGET NAME]: Share the widget with another user. After Sisense
Boto returns your insights, select the Sisense user's name or type Other to
share a widget with a non-Sisense user, for example, an email address.
Sisense Boto will then forward the widget and its insights to the external
user.
CleanUP: Scans your activity for the past 30 days and suggests removing any
unused dashboards from the dashboard carousel. This does not delete the
dashboard, just prevents it from being displayed. You can add the
dashboard again by using the Add to List button.
Refresh: Clears your metadata. This is useful if Sisense Boto seems to be
running slow or you are experiencing a bug.
Back: Returns you to the previous step in your data exploration. For example,
if you explore a dashboard, then select Go Deeper, selecting back would
return you to the dashboard.
Goodbye: Ends your Sisense Boto session. This clears all the metadata. To
restart a new session, say ‘Hi’.
Analyzing CSV Files

In addition to analyzing your dashboards, you can upload CSV files (up to 10mb
in size) and Sisense Boto will analyze the data and return natural language
insights.
After uploading the file, you select the column in the CSV file you want to Sisense
Boto to analyze. Uploaded files are deleted by Sisense automatically several
hours after the upload takes place.
To analyze your data:
Drag your CSV file into your chat with Sisense Boto. Sisense Boto will request
that you select a column to analyze.
Select a category. Sisense Boto will begin to analyze it. This may take several
minutes depending on the size of your file and how many insights are
extracted. The maximum amount of time is 5 minutes.
When Sisense Boto is done, your insights will be displayed in chat.
For more insights, click Next and Sisense Boto will display any more
insights if any are available.
Sharing Insights

You have several options for sharing insights, by typing ‘Share’ or click the Share
button. If you use the advance command, Share [Widget Name], you will be
prompted to select the Sisense user. If you want to share some insights with a
non-Sisense user, just select Other and you will be able to enter that user’s email
address. Sisense Boto will then forward your insights via email to the user.
Group Chat

You can begin a group chat with a colleague and then invite Sisense Boto to join
the conversation by typing, '@sisense_boto'. Remember, when Sisense Boto
returns insights, anyone in the conversation will be able to see those insights,
however, only users who you shared the dashboard with can click the Explore
button to access the dashboard from within the chat.
In your conversation, interact with Sisense Boto as you would within a private
session.
Sisense Enabled Bulb
Beta License Agreement
This product is still in beta and may undergo further changes.
The following are instructions for using various equipment with Sisense’s BI
Everywhere software functionality (the equipment and the BI Everywhere
software is collectively referred to herein as the “Product”). This notice is to
remind users that the Product is a beta release offering and is not warranted to
be at the level of performance of a commercially available product offering. In
addition, the Product may be substantially modified prior to first commercial
release, or at Sisense’s option may not be released commercially in the future. As
such, by using the equipment along with the Sisense Software, each user agrees
(i) to follow all instructions provided by Sisense with respect to the installation
and use of the equipment with the Sisense Software, including the below, and (ii)
that such use continues to be for testing and evaluation purposes only.
The Product and Documentation are provided “AS IS” without warranty of any
kind, and Sisense and its licensors and suppliers disclaim all warranties, express,
implied or statutory, including without limitation any implied warranties of title,
non-infringement of third party rights, merchantability, or fitness for a particular
purpose. The entire risk arising out of the use or performance of the Product
remains with the user.
For the sake of clarity, the provisions in the license agreement between the
licensee of the Sisense Software and Sisense (the “License Agreement”),
providing any representations, warranties or indemnities shall not apply to the
Product. For purposes of the limitation of liability provisions of the License
Agreement, no amount has been paid or is payable to Sisense in connection with
the Product. However, the license provisions continue to apply to the Sisense
Software and the confidentiality provisions of the License Agreement shall
continue to apply to those portions of the information shared with you by
Sisense that are Confidential Information as defined in the License Agreement or
any confidentiality agreement in effect between the licensee and Sisense.
Introduction
Traditional dashboards provide comprehensive access to vast amounts of data,
however, sometimes you need quick, actionable insights. The Sisense-Enabled
Bulb provides an immediate visual representation of a KPI. Sisense recommends
choosing a KPI that is meaningful to your business and you expect might change
frequently. KPIs that are relatively static are less meaningful to monitor with the
Sisense-Enabled Bulb.
To see how Sisense’s Marketing department has implemented the Sisense-
Enabled Bulb, click here.
If you have not purchased a bulb, for US customers you can purchase one from
the LIFX US site and for European customers, you can visit the LIFX Europe site.
This topic provides the following information:
How does it Work: Describes how the Sisense-Enabled Bulb works.
Connecting the Sisense-Enabled Bulb to Your Wi-Fi: Describes how to connect
your Sisense-Enabled Bulb to your Wi-Fi.
Retrieving a Sisense-Enabled Bulb Token: Describes how to retrieve a LIFX
token for your bulb.
Connecting Your Bulb to Sisense: Describe how to connect Sisense to your
Sisense-Enabled Bulb.
Troubleshooting the Sisense-Enabled Bulb: Describes how to troubleshoot
potential issues with the Sisense-Enabled Bulb.
How does it Work?
The Sisense-Enabled Bulb is connected to your Wi-Fi connection and dynamically
updates when a data alert is triggered. You can create data alerts for a wide array
of conditions. To learn more, see Data Alerts.
Sisense can be configured to send a webbook to Zapier each time a data alert is
triggered. When the webhook arrives, Zapier sends a request, also known as a
‘Zap’, to LIFX API. The Zap contains the ID of your bulb and defines how your
bulb should respond to an alert. For example, how many times the bulb show
blink or what color to display.
To set up an LIFX bulb, you need to connect your LIFX bulb to your Wifi, retrieve
an ID for your bulb, and finally, create a Zap that is sent to the LIFX API when
your data alert is triggered.
Connecting the Sisense-Enabled Bulb to Your
WiFi
To connect to the Sisense-Enabled Bulb to your wifi, you must download the LIFX
app. The LIFX provides an interface in Apple or Android-based mobile devices for
defining your bulb’s color and connections settings.
To connect to the Sisense-Enabled Bulb:
Before plugging the lamp into the power outlet, screw the bulb into the lamp.
Plug the lamp into the power outlet and turn it on.
Note: You can reset the lamp by turning the lamp on and off 5 times. When
you reset the lamp you must complete this procedure again.
Download and install LIFX. For Apple-based mobile devices, click here, and
for Android, click here.
Open the LIFX app .
In LIFX, tap Register and create an account.

Enter an email address and password to be used for your LIFX account and
tap Sign In.
In the top-right corner, tap + and then Connect light. LIFX locates the bulb.
Tap the name of the bulb located by LIFX.

Connect the bulb to your Wi-Fi.

LIFX will connect to your Sisense-Enabled Bulb, and display a list of all your
Sisense-Enabled Bulbs. The current color of your bulb is displayed.
Retrieving a Sisense-Enabled Bulb Token
To allow Sisense to communicate with your LIFX bulb, you must provide Sisense
with access to your LIFX bulb. After you provide access, LIFX returns a token that
you include in your Zap that enables your bulb to authenticate requests from
Sisense when updating your bulb’s color.
To retrieve a token:
In your web browser, open the Sisense LIFX authorization site located here.

Enter your LIFX account email address and password in the relevant fields.
Click Sign in. The Authorization page is displayed.

In the Authorization page, click Authorize. Your Sisense BulbiToken is

displayed. Save this token for later.
Connecting Your Bulb to Sisense
Now that have set up your bulb and retrieved a token, you can create a Zap that
defines how your bulb responds to a data alert.
When connecting your bulb to Sisense, you need Sisense V6.5 or later and a
Zapier account. If you do not have a Zapier account, you can make one for free
here.
Note: Repeat this procedure for every color you want your bulb to support. For
example, if you use colors green and red to represent alerts, repeat this
procedure twice, once for each color.
To configure Zapier to work with the Sisense-Enabled Bulb:
Log in to your Zapier account.
Open this Zap template prepared by Sisense.
Click Create this Zap.
Click Continue. The Webhook Setup options are displayed.
Click Continue. The Test Webhooks page is displayed.
In the Test Webhooks page a webhook generated by Zapier is displayed, click
Copy to clipboard to copy this URL.
Test the webhook by pasting the it into your browser and add ?data= to the
end of the URL to verify that the webhook works. For example:
https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/1779449/5f9jj7/?data=
If the webhook is working as expected, you should see “status”: “success”
and some additional IDs in your browser. Keep the URL saved in your
clipboard as you need to paste it again later.
In the Test Webhooks page, click I did this to confirm that you have tested the
webhook. A message is displayed confirming that the test was successful.
Open Sisense.
Create a new data alert or edit an existing alert. For more information, see
Creating Data Alerts.
In the Notifications Options of your alert, select Zapier and paste the
webhook URL copied from Step 6 into the URL field (without the ?data=
parameter included in the URL).

In the bottom left corner of the window, click Additional Options and select
Notify only once after a condition is met to limit how many times your
bulb refreshes itself after an alert is triggered.
Return to Zapier and click Continue.
Create a new webhook by clicking Continue. The Set Up Webhooks page is
displayed.

In the URL field, enter your LIFX URL. The URL has the following structure:
https://api.lifx.com/v1/lights/BULB_ID/effects/pulse
. Replace BULB_ID with your LIFX bulb ID. The ID should be written in
lowercase letters.
Select Show advanced options. Additional fields are displayed.

From the Payload Type list, select Form.

In the Data section you need to add several key-value pairs that determine
the behavior of your bulb when an alert is triggered. The values of these
keys are passed as parameters through your webhook to the bulb. Click + to
add five fields. Entering the following details into the fields:
Key 1: Enter from_color in the Key field and in the Value field, enter the
default color for your bulb.
Key 2: Enter color in the Key field and in the Value field, enter the color
you want the bulb to be when an alert is triggered.
Key 3: Enter power_on in the Key field, and in the Value field, enter true.
When true, Sisense turns the bulb on even if it is not already on.
Key 4: Enter cycles in the Key field and in the Value field enter the number
of cycles. Cycles are the number of times a light pulsates when an alert is
triggered.
Key 5: Enter period in the Key field and in the Value field enter the
number of seconds for each period. Periods are the time in seconds for a
single cycle to complete.
Key 6: Enter persist in the Key field and in the Value field, enter true.
When true, the last color displayed in the bulb is the color displayed until
your next alert.
For example:

In the Unflatten field, enter yes to convert fields with underscores into
nested dictionaries.
In the Headers section, enter the following key-value pair:
In the Key field, enter Authorization.
In the Value field, enter Bearer and your LIFX token with a space in
between, for example, Bearer 23Sk5fj23934fLMNs. Click here to
retrieve your LIFX token.
Click Continue. The Test Webhook page is displayed.
Click Create & Continue. The next time the alert is triggered, Sisense fires a
webhook that activates your Sisense-Enabled Bulb.
Troubleshooting the Sisense-Enabled Bulb
Bulbs are designed to communicate on channels 1 through 11 on the 2.4GHz
(802.11 b,g,n) spectrum. If your router is in auto-channel mode, disable it
and ensure you are somewhere between channels 1 through 11. We suggest
channels 1, 6, or 11, as these are the only channels that are non-
overlapping.
You can reset the bulb by turning it on and off 5 times in a row. When you
reset the lamp you must reconnect the lamp as described here.
Sisense Alexa Skill
Beta License Agreement
The following are instructions for using various equipment with Sisense’s BI
Everywhere software functionality (the equipment and the BI Everywhere
software is collectively referred to herein as the “Product”). This notice is to
remind users that the Product is a beta release offering and is not warranted to
be at the level of performance of a commercially available product offering. In
addition, the Product may be substantially modified prior to first commercial
release, or at Sisense’s option may not be released commercially in the future. As
such, by using the equipment along with the Sisense Software, each user agrees
(i) to follow all instructions provided by Sisense with respect to the installation
and use of the equipment with the Sisense Software, including the below, and (ii)
that such use continues to be for testing and evaluation purposes only.
The Product and Documentation are provided “AS IS” without warranty of any
kind, and Sisense and its licensors and suppliers disclaim all warranties, express,
implied or statutory, including without limitation any implied warranties of title,
non-infringement of third party rights, merchantability, or fitness for a particular
purpose. The entire risk arising out of the use or performance of the Product
remains with the user.
For the sake of clarity, the provisions in the license agreement between the
licensee of the Sisense Software and Sisense (the “License Agreement”),
providing any representations, warranties or indemnities shall not apply to the
Product. For purposes of the limitation of liability provisions of the License
Agreement, no amount has been paid or is payable to Sisense in connection with
the Product. However, the license provisions continue to apply to the Sisense
Software and the confidentiality provisions of the License Agreement shall
continue to apply to those portions of the information shared with you by
Sisense that are Confidential Information as defined in the License Agreement or
any confidentiality agreement in effect between the licensee and Sisense.
Introduction
Sisense provides you with the means to interact with your data through
traditional point-and-click interfaces as well as through voice commands. With a
single voice command, you can retrieve and hear your numeric KPIs. The Sisense
Alexa Skill searches your widgets and dashboards to provide you with the best
result according to your command.
Sisense enables Amazon’s Echo, which is a voice-powered, wireless-enabled
speaker that interfaces with Alexa, to retrieve your data in Sisense. Alexa is a
cloud-based voice service that powers the Echo. Alexa’s default capabilities such
as playing music can be extended through skills. Sisense has developed a Sisense
skill that extends the Echo’s functionality and returns numeric KPIs through
voice commands.
This page provides the following information:
How does it Work: Describes how the Sisense Alexa Skill works.
Setting up the Sisense Alexa Skill: Describes how to set up the Sisense Alexa
Skill.
Querying the Sisense Alexa Skill: Describes how to query the Sisense Alexa
Skill.
Troubleshooting: Describes how to troubleshoot potential issues with the
Sisense Alexa Skill.
How does it Work?
After launching Sisense via voice command, you can retrieve numeric data
quickly by asking Alexa about your KPIs similar to issuing traditional queries
through Sisense. Your Sisense Alexa Skill listens for the command and forwards it
to Alexa.

Alexa handles your requests and routes the request to the Sisense ElastiCube
where your information is retrieved. Alexa then translates this data into an audio
response played back by your Sisense Alexa Skill.
Setting Up Sisense Alexa Skill
Sisense has developed a skill that enables you to retrieve your data via voice
commands. This skill takes requests from the Alexa service and leverages the
Sisense APIs to retrieve your data.
To enable your Sisense Alexa Skill to accept your voice commands and pass them
through the Alexa service and the Sisense APIs, you will need to enable the
Sisense skill.
Before setting up your Sisense Alexa Skill, you may want to create a new user
with a single dashboard associated with their account so you can easily test your
Echo without returning unexpected results from various dashboards.
Note: To participate in the Sisense Alexa Skill Beta Program, your Sisense server
must be accessible over the Internet without a VPN.
To set up the Sisense Alexa Skill:
Download the Alexa app from the app store and activate it using your email
address.
Android
iTunes
Turn on your Echo and connect it to your WIFI.
Open the Sisense Skill page and click Enable.

After you have enabled the skill, the Link Account button is displayed.
Click Link Account to display the Sisense Insights page in a new window. If
you have a pop-up blocker enabled, you may need to allow the website
insights.sisense.com to be opened in a new window.

In the Sisense Insights page you link the Sisense skill to your Sisense account.
Enter the following details:
Sisense server address: The address of your Sisense account including
“http://.
Email address: Your Sisense account email address.
Password: The password of your Sisense account.

Click Authenticate. Your account is now authenticated and you can begin to
work with the Sisense Alexa Skill.
Querying the Sisense Alexa Skill
The table below provides a list of supported commands, the objects they refer to,
and the results you can expect when you give the command:
Command Results

Refresh metadata Refreshes the dashboard list.

List my dashboards Lists your top five most frequently used

dashboards.

List all widgets from Returns all widgets' names from that specific
<dashboard title> dashboard.
dashboard

Analyze <dashboard Returns a summary of all your Indicator widgets.

title> dashboard

Analyze <widget title> Returns an NLP analysis of that specific widget.

from <dashboard title>
title

Help Returns all available commands.

Logout Disables the skill. If you want to access this skill

again, you must enable the skill with Amazon.
Security

There are two potential security issues that arise when working with the Sisense
Alexa Skill. The first issue is what happens to data when you ask a question.
When you ask questions and receive answers, your data is sent to and returned
from the Alexa service. This data transfer takes place across secured SSL
ensuring that no one can access your data.
The second issue is securing the Sisense Alexa Skill itself, so no one can access it
and retrieve your data. When you say to Alexa, “Deactivate Account”, this
disconnects your Sisense Alexa Skill from your Sisense account. Alexa will ask
you to confirm that you want to deactivate your account. If you respond “Yes”,
the account is deactivated. No one will be able to access your data through the
Sisense Alexa Skill until the next time you manually reactivate your account.
Troubleshooting

For Amazon Tap and Echo devices, you can use Voice Training. Voice Training
helps Alexa understand your speech patterns. During a Voice Training session,
the Alexa app shows 25 different phrases, which you say to your device. To learn
more, go to Voice Training.
If your selected language doesn’t match the language settings for your Amazon
account, Alexa may not always understand what you say and may have trouble
pronouncing things. For example, if you are located in Canada and are having
language problems, change the language setting to US English.
If you have any issues authenticating your Echo, you can try to enable the device
from the desktop through the following site.
Viewing Dashboards on
Mobile Devices
Sisense Mobile connects you to your dashboard anytime, anywhere on your
Android or iPhone mobile devices. Sisense Mobile decreases time to insight with
an intuitive UI, search bar for locating dashboards, and responsive visualizations;
You can explore your dashboards with simple gestures optimized to let you dive
deep into your data or apply filters to view the data you want.
Check out a demo video below to see how you can tap, zoom, and swipe to
interact with your data.

Sisense now offers a premium white-labeled version of the Sisense Mobile app
that can be customized according to your branding. For more information, see
Rebranding Sisense Mobile.
Getting Started
Supported Phones and Operating Systems
iPhone – Requires iOS 9 or later, Supported iPhone 5 device or higher.
Android – Requires Android versions 4.4 or later.
Get Sisense Mobile

To download the Sisense Mobile App for your device, click the relevant link
below according to your version of Sisense.

Note: Sisense Mobile is supported by Sisense V6.5 and later.

Logging in to Sisense Mobile

After you have downloaded Sisense Mobile, open the app to launch the login
screen and enter the server address and your Sisense user credentials.
The server address should include the server IP or domain name (alias). If you
are not using the default port (80), you will need to add the port as well, for
example: http://xx.xxx.xx.xx:8081. When working with SSL security protocol, use
the ‘https’ prefix.
You can sign out by opening the navigation menu and tapping Sign Out.
If you have problems connecting, check the following:
If your server is not on port 8081, check that the port has been added
correctly, for example, 192.168.1.1:8080
Try to access the server from your phone's web browser
Try to access the server from other computers connected to the same
WIFI connection as your phone
Navigating Sisense Mobile
When you first log in to Sisense Mobile, a list of your folders, dashboards, and
recently opened dashboards is displayed.

Tap a dashboard to open the dashboard, or if your dashboard is located in a

folder, tap the folder then tap the relevant dashboard to open it.
You can also locate a dashboard quickly by tapping the search icon and typing
the name of the dashboard. As you begin to type, any dashboards that match the
characters you entered are displayed.
Once the dashboard is displayed, you can tap the dashboard’s title to display
more details.
By rotating your device horizontally, you can view your dashboard in landscape
view.

Exploring Data
In Sisense Mobile, you can filter and drill down into your data, much like you do
from your PC.
Filtering Widgets

To filter a dashboard, you can tap the filter icon . This displays the list of
available filters.
You can disable your filters by swiping left on the filter to display a toggle button.
Tap it to disable a filter.
A gray background behind the filter indicates the filter has been disabled.

To dive deeper into your filters, tap the relevant filter to open all of its available
options. Then, tap any of the filter options to toggle the filters to your data.
Drilling into your Data

You can drill down in most widgets to get an in-depth view of a selected value.
For example, tap on a slice in a pie chart to see the absolute value in addition to
the percentage.
In the following example, the left chart shows the lead breakdown by campaign
source, and on the right side, the chart shows a breakdown of visits from various
social media sources.

Any time you select a value, a tooltip is displayed at the bottom of your screen,

which provides a description of the selected value and the drill down
icon. In this example, you see the total lead and its percentage.

Note: You cannot drill down while in landscape mode.

To return to a higher level, click on a breadcrumb. To drill all the way up, click on
the X icon.
Viewing More Details

Sisense Mobile supports a variety of gestures that let you dive deeper in your
data and see more details.
Highlight a Value Swipe across your Visualizations

Pinch in to Zoom Pinch out to Expand

Sharing Widgets
You can share widgets as PNG images from Sisense Mobile across various apps
supported on your device.
In your dashboard, tap a widget to open Widget Mode, then tap the menu icon
and tap Share. Your device will display a list of apps that you can use to send the
image of your widget as a PNG file.

Sisense Pulse
Sisense Pulse is a centralized location where you can stay on top of your most
important KPIs across multiple dashboards or manage your data and build alerts.
By adding important KPIs from your dashboards to Sisense Pulse, you can get a
comprehensive picture of your data from a single location.
Sisense Pulse contains tiles that display information from your dashboards and
the status of your ElastiCube builds.
Within Sisense Pulse, there are two types of tiles, data tiles that display your
widgets’ current status and recent history and build tiles that display the latest
status of your ElastiCube builds.

In Sisense Mobile you can manage your alerts from Sisense Pulse or create data
alerts based on widgets in your dashboards.
Note: Build alerts can only be created from the Sisense Web Application.
You can access Sisense Pulse from Sisense Mobile by opening the navigation
menu and tapping Pulse.
Creating Data Alerts

Data alerts are triggered by conditions you define for your widgets. For example,
if you have an Indicator widget that represents your company’s revenue, you can
define an alert that notifies you when this revenue reaches or falls below a
certain threshold.
For each type of widget you can add to Pulse, you can monitor a single value. For
example, for Column charts, you can monitor a single section (value) of a column.
To monitor multiple values, you can add each value you want to monitor to Pulse
separately.
When you create an alert for a specific value, Sisense applies any filters that were
already applied, for example, if you create a data alert for the total revenue of a
given age range, the pulse alert created will be called Total Revenue and will be
filtered by the value of the age range you selected.

To create a data alert, from your dashboard, tap the relevant widget to open it in
Widget Mode. In Widget Mode, tap the value you want to monitor, then tap the
menu icon and tap Add to Pulse. This opens the Alert Conditions menu where
you select the type of data alert you want to create. For example, if you create a
threshold data alert, the following settings are displayed.

After you have set the conditions, tap Save and the new alert will be added to
Sisense Pulse.
Managing Alerts

You can manage your alerts from Sisense Pulse. In Sisense Pulse, tap the relevant
tile to open Tile Mode. Once you’re in Tile Mode, the menu icon is displayed in
the top right corner. Tap it to display a list of alert management options.

From the options area, you can edit alerts, delete alerts, deactivate alerts, and
toggle notifications.
Pulse Notifications

If your Sisense user has been configured to receive Pulse alerts to your mobile
device, when an alert is triggered, you will receive a notification from the Sisense
Mobile app.

You can swipe left on an alert to clear the alert or to view the alert in Sisense
Pulse.

To clear all alerts, click the trash can icon at the top of the notification feed.
Note: You must have Sisense Mobile installed to receive Pulse notifications.
Single Sign On
Sisense supports SSO for Sisense Mobile. If your Sisense server is configured to
use SSO, Sisense Mobile will use the same SSO configuration. No additional
configuration is required on the Sisense server.
When you log in to Sisense Mobile, you are redirected to the IdP login URL using
web view. Following authentication by the IdP, the SSO token is returned to the
Sisense Server, which returns a web cookie to Sisense Mobile, and the application
is opened. For more information about how to implement SSO, see Single Sign
On.
Plugins
Sisense Mobile V2.3 and above supports Sisense plugins and supports plugins
made with the Sisense JavaScript API.
For information on developers plugins for Sisense Mobile, click here.
Supported Sisense Plugins

The following table lists Sisense plugins that are supported on Sisense Mobile.
Plugin Comment

Aggregated Table

Auto Add Filter Based On User

Comments Always use an absolute URL for the form.

Dynamic Buckets

Embed Images Always use absolute URLs for the image

Filtered Measure (Parameter)

Forecasting

Jump to Dashboard From Sisense Mobile BI app version 2.5.2

Release Notes
April 4, 2019
Support added for Jump to Dashboard plugin
April 26, 2018
Sample dashboards are now available
Bug fixes
March 3, 2018
Support for Hours and Minutes time resolutions in date filters (Sisense 7.0.1
and above)
Ability to collapse/expand Recent Dashboards
Improved support for SSO connectivity
Bug fixes

WFM Metrics and Definitions Handbook(Updated)
No ratings yet
WFM Metrics and Definitions Handbook(Updated)
3 pages
Copc High Performance Management Techniques (HPMT) Training: A Proven Path To Success
No ratings yet
Copc High Performance Management Techniques (HPMT) Training: A Proven Path To Success
2 pages
LAFVIN Smart Robot Tank Kit
0% (1)
LAFVIN Smart Robot Tank Kit
197 pages
MIS Advanced Spreadsheet With Excel
No ratings yet
MIS Advanced Spreadsheet With Excel
9 pages
VICIdail Presentation
No ratings yet
VICIdail Presentation
2 pages
POC Preparation Document
No ratings yet
POC Preparation Document
3 pages
Tableau Training
83% (6)
Tableau Training
35 pages
Copyleft
No ratings yet
Copyleft
27 pages
Virtual Contact Center CRM API User Guide PDF
No ratings yet
Virtual Contact Center CRM API User Guide PDF
104 pages
The Soft Sell: The Implications of Softphone Technology For Your Company
No ratings yet
The Soft Sell: The Implications of Softphone Technology For Your Company
14 pages
Business-Call-Centre-Agent-User-Guide (Telstra) PDF
No ratings yet
Business-Call-Centre-Agent-User-Guide (Telstra) PDF
83 pages
CRM 8.9 Call Center
No ratings yet
CRM 8.9 Call Center
5 pages
The Complete Roadmap For Full-Stack Development in 2023
No ratings yet
The Complete Roadmap For Full-Stack Development in 2023
8 pages
Genesys Cx-In-Financial-Services v04 1
No ratings yet
Genesys Cx-In-Financial-Services v04 1
18 pages
Huawei Contact Center Performance Optimization Management Datasheet
0% (1)
Huawei Contact Center Performance Optimization Management Datasheet
4 pages
Dell's Customer Contact Centres in India
No ratings yet
Dell's Customer Contact Centres in India
13 pages
9 Secrets To Boosting First Call Resolution
No ratings yet
9 Secrets To Boosting First Call Resolution
17 pages
List of Escalation Matrix With TAT V 1 9
No ratings yet
List of Escalation Matrix With TAT V 1 9
5 pages
Avaya WFM
No ratings yet
Avaya WFM
4 pages
PPT ch01
No ratings yet
PPT ch01
49 pages
Elastix Call Center Manual Eng
No ratings yet
Elastix Call Center Manual Eng
25 pages
Nilesh Roy's Resume
No ratings yet
Nilesh Roy's Resume
6 pages
Control-M Workload Automation User Guide
No ratings yet
Control-M Workload Automation User Guide
395 pages
Talkdesk Stress in The Call Center - New PDF
100% (1)
Talkdesk Stress in The Call Center - New PDF
54 pages
LTRT-57601 CPE SIP Troubleshooting Guide
No ratings yet
LTRT-57601 CPE SIP Troubleshooting Guide
80 pages
Ip Pabx
No ratings yet
Ip Pabx
19 pages
Factor Affecting Customer Contact Center Performance in Bank Industry in Case of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
No ratings yet
Factor Affecting Customer Contact Center Performance in Bank Industry in Case of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
29 pages
TotalWorkforceManagement External Employees SAP
No ratings yet
TotalWorkforceManagement External Employees SAP
8 pages
2016 Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report Summary
No ratings yet
2016 Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report Summary
24 pages
Call Center MGMT
No ratings yet
Call Center MGMT
18 pages
Define Workforce Management
No ratings yet
Define Workforce Management
5 pages
Five9 WFA Datasheet
No ratings yet
Five9 WFA Datasheet
2 pages
Exotel - Inbound Call Centre
No ratings yet
Exotel - Inbound Call Centre
17 pages
Dayforce User Guide Information
No ratings yet
Dayforce User Guide Information
17 pages
Guide For Effectively Measuring and Tracking Contact Center KPIs Datasheet
No ratings yet
Guide For Effectively Measuring and Tracking Contact Center KPIs Datasheet
19 pages
PhonEX ONE Product Description February 2018
No ratings yet
PhonEX ONE Product Description February 2018
48 pages
Recognition, Which Allows Callers To Simply Speak Their Choices
No ratings yet
Recognition, Which Allows Callers To Simply Speak Their Choices
18 pages
VP Call Center Director in Phoenix AZ Resume Hans Huber
No ratings yet
VP Call Center Director in Phoenix AZ Resume Hans Huber
3 pages
Deepija Telecom Pvt. LTD.: Omni Channel Contact Center Solution
No ratings yet
Deepija Telecom Pvt. LTD.: Omni Channel Contact Center Solution
28 pages
Call Centre Design, Operation and Optimisation - A Structured and Scientific Based Approach
No ratings yet
Call Centre Design, Operation and Optimisation - A Structured and Scientific Based Approach
189 pages
Abbreviation and Terms in Telecom
100% (1)
Abbreviation and Terms in Telecom
32 pages
Cutting Costs With A VoIP Business Phone System
No ratings yet
Cutting Costs With A VoIP Business Phone System
4 pages
Infosys BPO
No ratings yet
Infosys BPO
9 pages
A Collaboration Framework For Cross-Enterprise Business Process Management
No ratings yet
A Collaboration Framework For Cross-Enterprise Business Process Management
12 pages
PowerPoint Presentation On DMS
No ratings yet
PowerPoint Presentation On DMS
55 pages
The Speech Analytics Experience Use Case
No ratings yet
The Speech Analytics Experience Use Case
5 pages
AtTask User Guide
No ratings yet
AtTask User Guide
345 pages
Transforming Customer Experiences: WWW - Exed.hbs - Edu/tce
No ratings yet
Transforming Customer Experiences: WWW - Exed.hbs - Edu/tce
4 pages
Innovative Workplace Flexibility Options For Hourly Workers PDF
No ratings yet
Innovative Workplace Flexibility Options For Hourly Workers PDF
103 pages
BPO Industry Facing The Challenges
0% (1)
BPO Industry Facing The Challenges
19 pages
Azure databricks mastery
No ratings yet
Azure databricks mastery
53 pages
Next Generation Insurance Contact Center Final
No ratings yet
Next Generation Insurance Contact Center Final
16 pages
2019 Call Center Presentation
No ratings yet
2019 Call Center Presentation
12 pages
Avaya WFM Schedulers Guide
100% (1)
Avaya WFM Schedulers Guide
622 pages
T-Bytes Digital Customer Experience February Edition 2021
No ratings yet
T-Bytes Digital Customer Experience February Edition 2021
82 pages
Telesemana - Central Product Catalog
No ratings yet
Telesemana - Central Product Catalog
31 pages
Web Dev
100% (1)
Web Dev
346 pages
Avaya Call Managment System Supervisor
No ratings yet
Avaya Call Managment System Supervisor
580 pages
Wishup Frontend Assignment: Objective
50% (2)
Wishup Frontend Assignment: Objective
2 pages
Strategic MGMT Project On PMCare Report
No ratings yet
Strategic MGMT Project On PMCare Report
26 pages
SisenseV71 User Guide
No ratings yet
SisenseV71 User Guide
1,195 pages
Gray Hat Hacking the Ethical Hacker's
From Everand
Gray Hat Hacking the Ethical Hacker's
Çağatay Şanlı
5/5 (1)
ChatGPT for Business: Strategies for Success
From Everand
ChatGPT for Business: Strategies for Success
Matthew C. Smith
1/5 (1)
Blog Smarter, Not Harder: SEO, Blogging, and AI Strategies to Skyrocket Your Traffic
From Everand
Blog Smarter, Not Harder: SEO, Blogging, and AI Strategies to Skyrocket Your Traffic
Jay Nans
No ratings yet
ADBTF14 - RAM - HIMS Asset Management System (Demo)
100% (1)
ADBTF14 - RAM - HIMS Asset Management System (Demo)
25 pages
Veritas Netbackup 8 0 Administration
No ratings yet
Veritas Netbackup 8 0 Administration
4 pages
Https - Myguru - Upsi.edu - My - Documents - 2020 - Courses - MTD3063 - Material - K00814 - 20201005132608 - 03 CSS
No ratings yet
Https - Myguru - Upsi.edu - My - Documents - 2020 - Courses - MTD3063 - Material - K00814 - 20201005132608 - 03 CSS
17 pages
AMIT
No ratings yet
AMIT
3 pages
Insight3d Tutorial
No ratings yet
Insight3d Tutorial
13 pages
Teramind-On-Premise-Deployment-Guide
No ratings yet
Teramind-On-Premise-Deployment-Guide
79 pages
Magelis XBTN en
No ratings yet
Magelis XBTN en
186 pages
Bit Defender
No ratings yet
Bit Defender
130 pages
Creating Hyper Links
No ratings yet
Creating Hyper Links
7 pages
SpringBoot Notes
0% (1)
SpringBoot Notes
2 pages
HEU3010 Debug
No ratings yet
HEU3010 Debug
14 pages
TAQA-User Manual-Depreciation List-En V1 0
No ratings yet
TAQA-User Manual-Depreciation List-En V1 0
9 pages
Chandra CV
No ratings yet
Chandra CV
3 pages
Fop If Else
No ratings yet
Fop If Else
11 pages
IT SKILLS FILE Anjali Mishra
No ratings yet
IT SKILLS FILE Anjali Mishra
24 pages
Using Grep, TR and Sed With Regular Expressions
No ratings yet
Using Grep, TR and Sed With Regular Expressions
7 pages
Module II - Requirements
No ratings yet
Module II - Requirements
155 pages
Retro Pie Tweaks
No ratings yet
Retro Pie Tweaks
6 pages
HTML & XML: Basic Structure of HTML Page
100% (1)
HTML & XML: Basic Structure of HTML Page
7 pages
Log
No ratings yet
Log
7 pages
Collibra DGC Release Notes 5.9.0
No ratings yet
Collibra DGC Release Notes 5.9.0
20 pages
4400fquickstartguide e
No ratings yet
4400fquickstartguide e
73 pages
COS-211 Assignment
No ratings yet
COS-211 Assignment
13 pages
Unix Dumps
No ratings yet
Unix Dumps
21 pages
Shantanu Khosla Resume
No ratings yet
Shantanu Khosla Resume
3 pages
Recon For Web Pen-Testing
No ratings yet
Recon For Web Pen-Testing
17 pages