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Whether the Phocas Implementations team designs your databases or you do it yourself, as time goes on, you might want to modify those designs to meet your business’s needs. It's not unusual to go back and make changes, either to add new elements, delete things that are no longer needed or simply make some changes to the name or order of the items.
In Designer, you can take the following actions:
Unmap or delete itemsCustomize the database components - For example, you can change the name of a dimension, change the format of a measure or rearrange the order in which items display. There are a number of customization options available. Expand the sections below for information.
Customize the database components:
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Some changes you make in Designer can potentially affect dashboards, favorites, and other items in Phocas that are connected to your database. For example, if you delete the Sales Rep dimension in Designer, this will result in cause a user's Sales Rep performance pie chart favorite to fail. Therefore, you should take particular care when deleting dimensions, properties, measures, streams, and dates. Renaming items is fine. For example, if you rename the Sales Rep dimension, the user's Sales Rep performance pie chart favorite will still work. |
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After you modify a database, you need to save and rebuild the database to apply your changes. |
Rename an item
You can renameRename dimensions, properties, measures, and streams, to give
a stream a more meaningful title.Notes:
Stream names cannot contain the characters \, @, !, ? <, | or ~
In measures:
The title (calculated or otherwise) should never be a calculation.
Care should be taken when using a forward slash, '/' in a title, particularly where numbers are also being used.
Brackets should not be used if the title also contains a forward slash.
them more meaningful titles. Be careful not to use any of the reserved words and characters.
Click the Edit button next to the item name, then enter a new title (name) and click Save.
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In measures, if you are designing a source databasesdatabase for use in Rebates (the database that Rebates will interrogate), there aresome characters thatmust not be used in Measure names, as this can adversely affect rebatesrebate calculations. Measure names must only contain the following characters: "_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz". Spaces cannot be used. Click the Edit button next to the item name, then enter a new title (name) and click Save. Image Removed |
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You can set matrix mode column headings (known as 'captions' in the options menu on the grid) to default to name only. When you do so, users see only the name for the selected dimension and do not have the option of changing it, for example, to 'name and code' or just 'code', as the matrix captions option is disabled. Click the Edit button next to the dimension name, then select the Hide Code checkbox and click Save. |
title | Reorder items |
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Reorder items
Change the order in which the dimensions, properties, measures, and streams display in their respective menus in Phocas. By default, items display in the order in which you map them
. You can change this, to determine the order in which the items display in their respective menus in Phocas.
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Watch the Design your own database video from 2:13 to 2:17 for a demonstration. |
Click the item’s Move button, then drag and drop it in the new position.
Image RemovedImage AddedFor example, in the image below, the Budget stream is being dragged from next to Sales across to the right of Orders. This sets it as the third stream in the list in the user's menu.
Image RemovedYou can also change the order in which items display in a dimension group (see section below).Image AddedExpand | ||
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The order in which properties are mapped, and their naming convention, will affect affects the results that users see when using the Map charts (Marker, Circle, and Heat) feature in Analytics.
To test mappable properties enter the string into https://www.openstreetmap.org. | ||
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Change the data type of an item
You have the option to change theChange the data type of
items in thedimensions, properties, measures
and, streams
(, and
thedate (in some circumstances)
database components. The data type options that are available depend on the component.sections. Changing the data type is particularly helpful for classifying your properties, as the data type can make a difference to the way the data can be
used /analyzed
/and sorted in Phocas.
Click the Edit button next to the item name,
thenselect the required data type from the Type dropdown list and click Save.
The available data types depend on the component:
Text - The default data type for dimensions and properties.
Number - The default data type for measures.
Boolean - Available for properties only. See below for more information about Boolean property types.
Date - See Map the date for more information.
Paragraph - Available for properties only. Useful if you have a property containing a lot of text, such as a product description, and you want users to be able to view and export it in full. In the Phocas grid, the text is truncated to 100 characters, but users can click items to view the full text in a separate window.
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These are not case-sensitive.
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Group properties
If you have a large list of properties, you can group themPut properties into groups by prefixing the property name with the group name, a dash, and a right arrow (without spaces), like this: Name->
Click the Edit button next to the property name, then enter the group name prefix and click Save.
Grouping is handy when you have a large list of properties. For example, suppose you want to group the properties Street, Country, and Postcode into a group named Address. After you add the prefix Address-> to the name of each property, users will see these properties grouped in the Property menu in Phocas.
Image RemovedClick the Edit button next to the property name, then enter the group name prefix and click Save.
Image AddedCustomize dimensions (hide the code, create groups, and include a group as a property)
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Set matrix mode column headings (known as captions in the options menu on the grid) to default to name only, so users only see the name for the selected dimension. As the code caption is unavailable, users don’t have the option of changing it, for example, to Name and code or just Code. In the Dimensions section, click the Edit button next to the dimension name, then select the Hide Code checkbox and click Save.
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Map dimension groupsYou can group your dimensions The following information is for adding groups in Designer. You can also add and manage dimension groups in your Financial Statements module. Put your dimensions into groups for analysis purposes. A group can be anything that works for your business, as long as the data exists. For example, you might want to group your:
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You can set Set a dimension as a property. Note that properties added this way will This dimension property is different from and independent of the transaction properties that you map to the database, so they do not display in the regular Properties section in Designer. After mapping a dimension group (see section above), click the Edit button next to the dimension name, then select the required property from the Include as Property dropdown list and click Save. The newly created property will be named as per the dimension title. |
Customize measures (change the format or create your own calculated measures)
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| You can set a format to determine how a measure will display by default in the Phocas||||
Determine the default format of a measure that users see when they open the database. Users can overwrite this by customizing the format of their own measures.
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Often, your raw data will contain contains only basic measures, such as cost, value, and so on. You can use these measures as the basis of a new 'calculated' measure, such as profit (value minus cost).
Note about measure titles for a Rebates source database If you are designing a source databases for use in Rebates (the database that Rebates will interrogate), there are some characters that must not be used in Measure names, as this can adversely affect rebates calculations. Measure names must only contain the following characters: "_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz". Spaces cannot be used. | |||||
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You can enable or disable period types for the database. If you created a new period type, it becomes available for selection in Designer, where you need to select it and rebuild the database for the new period type to be available in Phocas. Select a period type
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Customize period types (set the period types and configure the moving period count)
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When you create a new database, the default period types (Year, Month and Day) are automatically selected for you. You might want to remove one of these period types or add others. Over time, as your needs change, you can review this list and change the period types that are available to users. If you create a new period type, for the new period type to be available to users, you need to add it to the database, then rebuild the database.
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You can dictate Set how many moments constitute a moving period (as used in Use Moving mode). On a Month period type, this is typically 12 (the default), which will ultimately display what many refer to as a 'moving annual total'. However, you can select any value. For example, if you select 3, it makes the moving mode display rolling quarters instead of years. For period types other than month, 0 (zero) moving periods is the default. Note that in Moving mode, 0 does not mean 'none'. It is more like a starting point, as Moving mode takes the number of moments in your active period, counts back that many 'moving' moments, and then adds those to each column. For example, a setting of 0 when using a period of the Last 7 days displays rolling seven 7 days but switching to a period of the Last 30 days displays rolling 30 days. In the Period Types window, click the More button next to a period type, use the arrows to select the moving period count and click Save. Image RemovedChange the number of days to summarizeThe default number of days summarized in a database is 31. Sometimes you need a different number of days to be summarized, for example to: compare daily month to date with the daily month to date previous year, or .
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Set a stream as Balance Brought Forward
SettingSet a stream as Balance Brought Forward
givesto give the transactions an opening balance plus movements. This is typical in a Financial database, where the value in a General Ledger account for a selected month is effectively the sum of all prior transactions. It is also useful with Inventory Movements databases, which also typically have an opening stock 'as set by a stocktake' and adjustments in and out for receipts and dispatches.
Click the Edit button next to the stream name, then select the Balance Brought Forward checkbox and click Save.
Modify the general database options (customize activity filter labels, suppress empty dimensions and streams, and set the Retained Earnings account code)
The Options button on the top right of the Design screen (next to the Save button) gives you access to general database options.
Image AddedCustomize activity filter labels
You can use the synonyms option to customize theCustomize the activity filter labels that appear in the Phocas grid. For example, in a Sales database, you might prefer the labels Sales and No Sales to Activity and No
activityActivity, or in a Purchasing database you might want Purchases, No
purchasesPurchases, and so on.
Click the Options button on the top right of the Design screen.
Image RemovedEnter your synonym and click Save.
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Enter your synonyms into the respective boxes, and click Save.
Suppress empty dimensions and streams
Remove dimensions and streams from the front-end view of the database when they do not contain any data. The items remain in the database design but don't display for users when they open the database.
Select the Suppress empty dimensions and streams checkbox and click Save.
Set the Retained Earnings account code
You need to tell Designer which(financial databases only)
Set the Retained Earnings account code you want to use
for the purpose of calculatingto calculate Retained Earnings for the Balance Sheet. When the database is being built, Designer uses the specified code to assign Retained Earnings to the correct place. If no code is specified, it creates its own code, called Retained Earnings. Only accounts within the Equity category will work
.Click the Options button on the top right of the Design screen.
Image RemovedEnter a value in the Retained Earnings Code box, and click Save.
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VideoDesign your own database (covers some of the actions outlined on this page) |