BI Dashboard Builder - Getting Started with Analytics on Construct Apps

NOTE: As of Patch 17, Construct PM includes a menu screen for Analytics reports. This is currently only available for mobile devices, not web deployment.

This screen displays the Analytics reports, created in CMiC Analytics, that the app user has access to via their security role(s). The screen will only be available for users authenticating via Web SSO.

Displaying BI Reports in Mobile Apps

iPads and other tablets running the Construct apps will display all BI reports that the user has access to. However, apps running on iPhones or other smartphones will only display the list of BI reports that are marked as ‘mobile friendly’.

Mark BI Reports as Mobile Friendly

To mark BI reports as mobile friendly, navigate to the report settings within Query Builder or Dashboard Builder in your CMiC web application. The Settings icon () in the top section of the screen will show a pop-up when clicked. Check the ‘Mobile friendly’ checkbox and save the report.

Designing Mobile App Friendly Reports

Designing BI reports for use in Construct apps is very similar to how you would design them for the desktop. All design happens in the CMiC web application. However, there are some important differences to keep in mind so that the experience is smooth for report viewers.

Know Your Maximum Width

Reports must be designed with a maximum width in mind. For dashboards, this means that any visual element must not exceed the width of the screen. For queries, this means that the number of columns as well as the width of the columns must be adjusted to be less than the maximum width of the screen.

Horizontal scrolling is not supported when viewing BI reports on Construct apps.

For example, when designing a dashboard to be viewed on an iPhone or other smartphone, it is recommended that the visual elements not be wider than 350 pixels. This ensures that the visual elements are contained within the width of the iPhone screen.

Table elements in a dashboard must also be sized appropriately. Within each table, users will not be able to scroll through columns and rows. The number of columns must be chosen carefully to fit within the size of the table. Pagination must be configured so that vertical scrolling within the table is not needed. Scrolling within tables is not supported in Analytics reports displayed in Construct apps.

For example, when designing a BI query to be viewed on an iPad, it is recommended that the number of columns and the column widths be adjusted so that the width of the query does not exceed the width of the iPad. For most iPads, a good rule of thumb is 700 pixels. Another good way to design BI reports for iPads is to resize the Dashboard Builder or Query Builder window to match the width of an iPad screen.

In Query Builder, estimate how large the screen will be to avoid vertical scrolling. A good rule of thumb is 25 rows for iPads/tablets and 20 for smartphones. In Dashboard Builder, the pagination settings will be different depending on the vertical size of the table. Make sure to configure the pagination settings so that scrolling within the table visual is not needed, as that is not supported.