Tag: queries

How to Include Calculated Data in Query Results

September 19, 2017 I've blogged before about the Filter Config and Filter Overrides within Dovetail Agent. I totally dig this feature, as it makes it super easy to customize the queries within the app without having to write code. We know it's easy to show data that comes from a database column within the query results - such as a contact's name or phone number. But what if we wanted to show something that is more dynamic? i.e. something that needs to be calculated? For example, in the result set for contact queries, what if we wanted to show the number of open cases that a customer has? There's not an existing field in the database that contains this data. The number of open cases needs to be summed up. So how can we do this in a query? SQL Views to…

Customizing Dovetail Agent

November 18, 2016 Adding customizations in Dovetail Agent, as of version 13, incorporates numerous changes that make the application easier to customize and extend.Stepping through a simple example will demonstrate how those changes make it easy to add a customization. OverviewThis example shows a customization to enhance the console, adding some eye-catching color for Cases that have a severity level that needs attention. If a Case has a Medium severity, the row should be pink, orange for a High severity Case, and if a Case severity is Urgent, then make the row red.By default, all rows in the console have a white background, so adding some colors will make those cases stand out. Cases with severity levels below Medium will still have the white background. RoadmapTo accomplish this customization, the Cases with raised severity shown in the Case grid on the console need to have…

How To Query Case Activities in Dovetail Agent

November 14, 2016 I recently posted about how to Query Anything with Dovetail Agent. Specifically I showed how to setup a custom query for part inventory.In this post, we’ll look at creating a specialized flavor of a existing query.We have built-in query capabilities for work items (including cases), but instead, lets walk-through an example of allowing for querying on case activities.For example, show me how many cases were dispatched to the benefits queue in the last 90 days.For case activities, we’ll need to query the activity log (table_act_entry). In general, I discourage querying against this table using your online production database, as it’s typically the biggest table in the database, and queries against this table can adversely affect performance for everyone using the system. But, depending on your particular use case, your database, database size, database tuning, etc – this may be ok.You…

Query Anything with Dovetail Agent

November 11, 2016 In this post, we’ll look at how to create new ad-hoc queries to query anything in your system, purely via configuration.For those that have been around the Clarify/Dovetail/First Choice space for a while, you might remember that we used to have an add-on product for the Clarify Client named Query Anything. So yes, this post title is a nod to that. This is a continuation of the series on queries within Dovetail Agent, so it might be useful to first review the previous posts:An overview of configuring queries in Dovetail AgentHow to override the baseline queries Out of the box, Dovetail Agent allows for ad-hoc queries on:AccountsContactsContractsEmployeesSite PartsSitesThese are all great – but its common that we want to query on other objects – other baseline Clarify objects, or even custom objects.Lets walk through an example of how to do this. Inventory QueryFor this…

Customizing baseline queries in Dovetail Agent

November 10, 2016 In my last post, I covered the Query Filter Config files, and how they’re used to define a query.Now, lets have a look at how we can override the baseline queries, customizing them for your specific implementation. Customizing a filter config doesn't mean you have to write rewrite the existing ones. You can write a config file just describing the customizations you need.We call these Filter Overrides.Using filter overrides, we can:remove a Columnremove a Facetremove a Fieldadd a Facetadd a Fieldadd a Columnadd a Join Example Filter OverrideThis is an example of a custom filter override file.We’ll override the Cases query, which is part of My Work, and adhoc queries on Work Items.<filter overrides="Cases">  <removeFacet key="priority" /> <removeColumn key="priority" /> <!-- Remove the created column. We'll…

Configurable and Customizable Queries in Dovetail Agent

November 8, 2016 I’ve talked in the past about the power of queries within Dovetail Agent and how end users can build and use them.In this post, I’ll dive a bit deeper into how queries are configured, and how they can be configured and customized. Query ConfigurationQueries within the app are driven by filter config files. This includes:Adhoc Queries available from the top-level Query menu, including:Work Items (Case/Subcase/Solution/Change Request/Part Request)Accounts, Contacts, Contracts, Employees, Site Parts, SitesCustom queriesTabs that contain filterable queries (such as the Contacts tab on the Site page) Filter Config FilesFilter Config Files are XML files that define:what tables/views are being queriedjoinswhat filters (facets) are available for the user to filter the query bywhat non-facet fields are queried for use in output datawhat output data is returned to the front-end of the application (columns)required privilege to make the entry available in the top-level…

What’s New in Dovetail Agent 13 – including expanded queries, T&E tracking, and parent-child cases

November 2, 2016 We recently released Dovetail Agent version 13. Highlights include: Log Time and Expenses Parent-Child Cases Individual Contacts Adhoc Queries Querying with a specific time History improvements for small images Lets take a closer look at these. Log Time and Expenses Cases and Subcases now include Time and Expenses tabs, allowing for tracking billable and non-billable time and expenses. T&E logs are often used in Field Service organizations, but many other service and support organizations use this functionality as well. Time and Expense logging can be enabled/disabled individually on a system wide basis, and is also privilege-class controlled, allowing organizations to control who is allowed to log T&E. Time On the Time tab, we include a summary of time broken down by Billable and Non-billable categories. In addition, we include any time logged as part of the Log…

Pro Tip: Query Ordering in Dovetail Agent

August 4, 2016 When viewing queries in Dovetail Agent, they’re ordered alphabetically. I was recently asked if there was a way to change the ordering. For example, I may have a certain query that I always want to be at the top of the list. Nope, sorry. They’re alphabetical. But, you can use a few tricks to get the ordering you want. A-Z Purely based on letters, if we want something at the top of the list, we could have its name being with “a”, or prefix it with “aaa” . Similar for “zzz” Reminds me of those businesses that would name their companies so that they would be first in the phone book: I’m not a big fan of this approach, but it does work. But we can do better. 0-9 Of course, we can also use numbers,…

Enhanced queries functionality in Dovetail Agent 5.6

August 18, 2014 With the 5.6 release of Dovetail Agent we've really amped up the querying functionality. This is a quick walkthrough of some of the new functionality. Queries Page Click on the Query list icon in the sidebar.This takes you to your Queries page. From here you can: View your existing queries Share, Delete, and Favorite queries View queries that you've subscribed to View queries that have been shared to you Create It Click on the green + icon on the My Queries tab header to start a new queryNow we can add our filters Click on the + (Add Filter) buttonSelect Created from the Name dropdownSelect within last (days) from the Operator dropdownType 30 into the Value textbox.Click ApplyWe now get results back - items created in the last 30 days. Lets add our 2nd filterClick on the Add Filter button…

Watching cases in Dovetail – 2014 edition

August 4, 2014 A couple of years ago I posted about watching cases in Clarify / Dovetail. The idea is still a good one, and I’ve recently combined the idea of watching a case with the new tagging functionality that’s available in Dovetail Agent 5. Overview It’s not uncommon that we want to keep up with what’s going on with certain cases – specifically cases that are being worked by others. For example, a high priority case for a new customer may have been recently created, and even though its being worked by someone else, I still want to keep abreast of what’s happening with it. Or perhaps the customer I’m going to visit next week has a case open that I want to stay in the loop on. Or I want to follow how one of my guys is dealing with a…