Customizing reports with Basic Business Intelligence (BABI).
Quick summary
PostgreSQL is the free, open source database that stores ERP information in a structured way and provides fast access to it. The article reviews the benefits of open source, the professional support available and real-time replication as a way to keep a standby server ready.
Contents
This week we continue with the training about BABI, our module of Business Intelligence which was begun in the blog Creating Basic reports with Basic Business Intelligence (BABI).
In this blog we will focus on the 5 fields available for customizing reports and graphs: Dimensions, Column Dimensions, Mesures, Order and Groups. To facilitate the comprehension we will continue with the same example as in the previous blog.
The main branch shows the products and the sales of each month at a second level.
This table allows us to modify the sorting order (Sequence); if we change the order to Month (1) and Product (2), the data tree changes and shows the months in the main branch and the products sold in each period at a second level.
We can also add fields in the data source table, adding a new record to the table and assigning the order by sequence number. In the example we could display data such as country, city, payment method, discount, etc...
2. Column Dimensions
This table indicates the information displayed in columns and what can be compared in the graph; the sample shows the year (Year).
3. Measures
The third table shows what data we want to display and how it will be aggregated: costs, sales, units, etc...
- Average: The aggregate shows the average values.
- Sum: The aggregate is the sum of the displayed values.
- Count: The aggregate shows the number of entries.
4. Order
- Ascending: Sort the data from lowest to highest, numerically or alphabetically.
- Descending: Sort the data from highest to lowest, numerically or alphabetically.
5. Groups
Finally, we have the Groups table, which allows us to specify the groups or user profiles that have access to the report. It uses the same user groups defined in OpenERP.
Frequently asked questions
What role does PostgreSQL play in the ERP?
It stores ERP information in a structured way and provides fast access to it.
Does being free and open source make PostgreSQL inferior?
No. The article explains that it can compete with proprietary systems such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database, and that specialized companies provide professional support.
What does real-time replication make possible?
It keeps a second server with the same information as the main one and allows it to be brought online if the primary system fails, without information loss according to the article.
Why does the article consider PostgreSQL a solid option?
It describes PostgreSQL as complete, solid and extensible, developed by contributors from different backgrounds rather than depending on a single company.
