Customizing and extending applications

We recommend that you always follow these two rules when you customize or extend applications:

  • Work with copies of content, not with the original content
  • Prefix the unique names of all content that you create, including roles and permissions, with cust_

Content that is provided by Infor, including DataLinks, is protected but you can use your own content to extend and customize applications. For example, you might add a cube to the OLAP database and create new reports on that cube. Or you might create your own dashboards. You can copy protected content and customize the copy.

You can protect your content from being changed or overwritten. For example, you can protect reports and their variables. Therefore, customizing an application does not prevent you from installing subsequent updates. There is no protection for the OLAP database.

Caution: Protection of content has no effect in the Application Studio full client and you can modify protected Infor content. But, if you do so, the Import Wizard prevents you from importing the modified content into BI Services. Therefore, we recommend that you always work on copies.

To customize reports and applications you must have these Infor BI 11.0 components installed:

  • Application Studio, including Application Studio WebServices .
  • OLAP Server
  • Repository Administration and OLAP Administration.
  • Infor BI Dashboards (optional)

This is a summary of the process to customize an application:

  1. Download the application to customize.
  2. Download your current OLAP database and import it to OLAP Server.
  3. Create or update reports in the Application Studio full client.
  4. Assign report permissions to roles in the customized reports.
  5. In Application Studio, export customized reports for the application.
  6. Import customized reports in the Manage Applications dashboard.
Parent topic: Managing applications