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Save selection to cube
Hi all,
I'm investigating possibilities to save arbitrary selections (see post linked below) but I find that even if I can manage to save them to a text cube, it is impossible to "restore" them when needed in the context of a maintenance interface.
However, it is possible in the context of a procedure, to save the current selection and then to restore it at a different point of the procedure.
Therefore I understand that Board is quite capable of saving and restoring selection using a specific format.
Now my idea is, could we do the same using a cube, and not a variable inside a procedure ?
Then we would have two additional actions in the selection part of a procedure :
- Save selection to cube
- Restore selection from cube
Let's say I want to associate a selection (which can be made on several trees with a total of 70+ entities) with an allocation rule.
I would create a text (?) cube structured by the entity "Allocation rule".
I would select the rule (through a pager for example) and create my selection thanks to multiple selectors in the screen. Then i would use a procedure to "save selection to cube".
When going back to that rule, I would then restore the screen selection by first filtering on the "Allocation rule" then using the stored selection in the cube to restore the selection to screen in the procedure.
Note: the format used to store selection could be the same as the one existing in the excel addin to pass a selection in a formula:
"Entity1=member_code;Entity2=member_code"
My Board-ology Process
Author: Karry Schupp, Senior Financial Analyst for DH Pace Company and Community Captain
Although our company has been using Board for over three years, I still feel like I am new to it. I have so much to learn, but the ever-changing business environment is not going to wait for me to get up to speed—I must adapt. As I produce new reports, end-users see how useful the product is and request improvements and modifications to current reports. In most cases, the reports touch on hot topics that need some alterations that I am not even sure that Board can handle.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to produce a report that ranks our locations by margin. That seemed simple enough. Board has a sorting function and a way to apply a rank; however, nothing is that simple. The request required the locations to be grouped into three categories and then ranked within those groups. This added a level of complexity that I was unsure how to do it, and to top it off, we updated to the newest version, 14.3. I believe that if someone can explicitly express what they want, there must be an executable solution. I just had to take a deep breath, and dig in.
First, I start with research. I learn as much as I can about the key features of the report needed. Board has made the research simple by providing outstanding tools such Board Manuals, How-to Guides, Training Courses, Forums and News, all found on the Board Community. These resources are amazing and provide a variety of ways for users to learn.
Most importantly, Board works with Partner companies; our Partner is CFO Solutions. I would describe CFO Solutions (or any Board Parter) as a Board Concierge. They not only provide help and answer questions, but they do most of the heavy lifting as well. They are our experts to go to first when we need help.
After research, I begin to talk it through. Sometimes just talking to someone about what you want to do can help you arrive at the answer. Now that we have added another Analyst, we are able to bounce ideas off each other. Explaining already created reports and processes to the new Analyst has also helped me realize improvements that could be made. If I cannot talk it through with a co-worker, I can rely on our Board Partner, CFO Solutions, to listen and provide feedback.
Lastly, I have found that thinking outside the box can force a solution. All the resources mentioned earlier will never provide the answer—only thinking outside the box on how to apply those resources will work. In addition, I think about how I would solve the report request if I was using older reporting tools and/or queries, or how current Board reports can be adapted to come up with solutions.
Many of you reading this will be screaming at your screen—yelling the solution because it came to you automatically. For those of you who are new to Board, I would suggest utilizing the various learning materials offered. As you progress, you will come up with your own way to arrive at solutions. One day, I will go back and read this and laugh at my struggle. My process allowed me to come up with a solution quickly and effectively. Keep learning!
Enhancing "Screen Subscriptions" & "Presentation's Send To"
This idea suggests enhancing the "Subscriptions" and "Send To" features to provide more flexibility and customization when emailing dashboards as attachments.
Proposed Enhancements:
- Custom Email Addresses:
- Allow users to directly input email addresses, making it easier to share dashboards with external recipients or non-Board users.
- Advanced Attachment Options:
- Add features from the "Export Printable Report" function, like choosing between vertical or horizontal layouts for PDFs, adjusting margins, etc.
These changes would simplify sharing dashboards and offer users more control over the presentation of emailed reports, making these tools more versatile and user-friendly.
Flex Grid - Charts improvement - Number Scaling options
Give the possibility to display data in currency format (thousands separated by a dot) and in k€, similar to Number Scaling options available in Dataview. Also in pie charts display values next to or inside each portion (always in currency and k€).In flexgrid charts insert axis labels to make the chart clearer.
Display Cube Dimensions in Dynamic Selection
Hello Board Team,
I’d like to suggest a UX improvement for screens that use dynamic selections based on a cube.
👉 Current limitation:
When using a dynamic selection linked to a cube, it’s currently not possible to see which dimensions (entities) are used in that cube from the screen configuration. This makes it harder to understand the logic behind the selection, especially when revisiting a capsule later or when multiple developers are involved.
🎯 Suggestion:
Add an option to display or preview the dimensions used in the cube (e.g., via a tooltip, pop-up, or a "View cube structure" button) directly within the dynamic selection settings.
✅ Benefits:
- Improved transparency for developers
- Faster debugging and maintenance
- More intuitive design experience
Thanks for considering this idea!
"Preview Mode" in Dataflows
Hello Community
Problem:
Currently, there is no way to preview the output of a Dataflow without executing it entirely. This leads to several issues:
- Risk of overwriting existing data if the logic is incorrect
- Long execution times, especially without perimeter filters
- Difficulty testing or validating transformations safely during development
💡 Suggestion:
Introduce a "Preview Mode" button for each Dataflow step (similar to what exists in Layouts), which:
- Runs the step in simulation mode without writing to the target cube
- Displays the expected output temporarily
- Helps developers verify logic safely before actual execution
🎯 Benefits:
- Safer development and testing
- Faster debugging
- Reduced risk of data loss or errors
🎉 We Have Our Board Champions Social Media Challenge Winners! 🏆
Our Exclusive Board Champions Challenge, #BoardAndProud (ending June 30), was all about fun, creativity, and sharing the Board spirit on LinkedIn – and wow, you delivered! 💥
👏 Congratulations to our winners:
- @Aelys Saux - Andros
- @Fabian Höfner - Villeroy & Boch
- @Bart Scott - CFO Solutions
- @Andrea Del Pero - Bios Management
- @alemarcoli - Bios Management
Thank you to everyone who joined in, got creative, and spread the community love. You made this challenge a true celebration of what makes Board awesome. 💙
Stay tuned for more fun ahead. 😉
🔗 For more details on this challenge, click here
Enhancing Generic Entities in Time Range Section
Currently, in the Time Range section of Board, we have the ability to use generic entities to address specific time-related business needs. Some common examples include:
- YTD (Year-to-Date) Months
- YTG (Year-to-Go) Months
- Monthly references such as JAN, FEB, MAR, etc.
These generic entities are very useful for standard monthly or yearly time periods. However, many businesses require more granular time periods related to weeks or days, such as:
- Week-to-Date (WTD) or Week-to-Go (WTG) entities, which are essential for weekly performance tracking and planning.
- Specific business weeks (e.g., Week 1, Week 2, etc.) aligned with fiscal calendars or retail cycles.
- Day-based entities like Day-to-Date (DTD) or specific weekdays (e.g., Mondays, Fridays) to support daily operations or targeted analyses.
- Rolling periods, such as last 7 days, last 30 days, or custom rolling windows.
Currently, Board allows only 3 generic entities to be defined, which limits the flexibility and scope of time-based analysis. This restriction can lead to users getting stuck or needing to create complex workarounds.
Proposed Idea:
Increase the number of generic entities allowed in the Time Range section, or provide a more flexible mechanism to define and manage a broader set of time-related generic entities. This would enable richer and more diverse time analyses, directly supporting specific business cases related to weeks and days without limitations.This enhancement would significantly improve the user experience and analytical capabilities in Board’s time dimension handling.
Add an comment field for each block inside a Layout
Hi Community,
I would like to suggest a new feature for Layouts in Board: the ability to add comments to each bloc
🎯 Purpose:
This would help developers document the purpose or logic behind each bloc directly in the Layout, without needing external documentation or complex naming conventions. The comment would be visible only in Design mode, not to end users.
Let me know what you think!
Automated Email Notifications for Broadcasting Module
Automation is really important these days because it saves time and helps teams work better. That’s why I think it’s sad that customers using the Broadcasting Module in Board can’t get automatic email notifications through API users, Scheduled Jobs, or Batch processes.
It would be great to have email alerts sent automatically without needing to do anything manually. This would make the Broadcasting Module much more useful and save a lot of effort.
Please consider adding this feature! I’m sure it would bring more smiles to everyone’s faces 😄