Creating a Package for a Managed Data Mashup

A package is a set of metadata copied from a space and used in managed data mashups, when child spaces share a parent space. The parent space package of metadata is imported to the child spaces and augments the existing metadata in the child space. See Managed Data Mashups.

Important: ADR spaces that have been converted to use the new repository metadata can be used as Networks in Modeler, but similar to Modeler Networks, you cannot create prepared sources from that shared Network.

• Packages Overview
• Prior to creating a package
• To create a package

Packages Overview

A Space Administrator can create a package of metadata from the parent space.

The following metadata can be put into a package:

• visualization sources
• dimension tables
• measure tables
• bucketed measures (when both the related dimension and measure tables are included)
• variables
• aggregates
• custom subject areas
• Dependent objects such as hierarchies and custom measures and attributes are automatically included

Tips:

• When you select an object, Birst automatically includes any dependent objects, such as hierarchies and custom attributes and measures. You can view any dependent objects that will be exported by clicking View in the Dependencies column.
• Aggregates that use data level security must also include any source element that feeds the aggregate. In the package you can check the Hide column to hide the source elements that you do not want to see in the child space.
• When a dimension or measure table has security filters applied to it in the parent space, a package that contains those dimension or measure tables needs to also include the metadata that the security filter refers to (dimension tables or variables). This is needed even if the data is served from an aggregate table. If this is not done, security in the child space will not work. You can hide the dimension tables or variables used for security by checking the Hide column.
• Hidden objects in the package will not be visible in the spaces that import it.  

Prior to creating a package

Before you create a new package consider the following:

• Familiarize yourself with the feature's details, especially regarding joins, at Managed Data Mashups.
• Managed Data Mashups using Packages is an add-on feature. To see the Packages tab the account must be enabled for the feature. To enable it for your account contact your Infor Representative. For Appliances, see the Community article Birst Account Feature Provisioning.
• You control who has access to the package in a child space by selecting the user group or groups who can access it. Think about who will use the composite data and if a useful group does not exist, create a new user group for them. Include the Space Administrator for the child space in the group, if that user is not the same administrator who creates the package. See Creating Groups.

To create a package

1. On the Home page, select the parent space from which you want to export metadata.
2. Go to Admin - Customize Space - Packages.
3. Click Create. The Add Package dialog box opens.
4. Provide a name and description for the package.
5. In the General tab, drag the objects you want to include in the package from the tree on the left to the table on the right.
   Tip: Use Ctrl-click and Shift-click to add multiple objects to a package.
   
   
   

6. In the Access tab, select which user groups can have access to and import this package. You can assign this package to one or more groups.
   Tip: See Before you create a package for more information about access to packages.
7. Notice that the Usage tab is blank when you first create the package. When a child space imports the package, it is listed in the Usage table so you can see which child spaces have imported the package. To get back to the Usage tab later, select the package and click Modify.
8. Click Save. The package displays in the Packages list.
   
   
   
   

Next Steps

• To add the package to a child space:
  • For instructions from the Flash interface, see Importing a Package.
  • For instructions from the HTML5 interface, see Use a Networked Source.
• To change the contents, remove user or group access, or delete a package see Modifying a Package.
• Tip: After creating and testing packages, lock them so that they cannot be changed in a production environment. Go to Admin - Manage Space - Modify Properties and enable the Lock Packages property.

• If imported content from a package is not visible in the child space, try publishing the parent space. This should publish the changes to the child space.

• When you copy a child space and its packages, the packages in the child space will, by default, point to original parent space that the packages originated from. If you want the packages in the new copied child space to point to a copy of the parent space, (i.e. a copy of the original space from which the packages originated), you will need to employ the repointPackages web service API or Admin command (Command Window feature) to change where the packages in the copied child space point. This API lets you change the parentID of the imported package in the newly copied child space. See the Birst Command Web Service library and Administrative Commands repointPackages topic for more details.