Writing Datafunnel Plugins

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Writing Datafunnel Plug-ins

• Alan Brown
• Corda Senior Software Engineer

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Session Outline

• Why create a datafunnel plug-in?
• What is a datafunnel plug-in?
• DashboardPlugin API
• RequestInfo object
• Examples
• Datafunnel Plug-in Weather from RSS
• External Transform Regression Line
• Q A

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Datafunnel Plug-in

• Why create a datafunnel plug-in?
• Not all data is accessible from JDBC, ODBC or as
  an Excel, csv, tab-delimited file or HTML table
• May have a proprietary data repository
• Data may come from a business logic application
• Data is available only as a web service

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External Transform

• Why create an external transform?
• The transform is more complex than the built-in
  CenterView transforms
• The transform requires input from multiple sets
  of data to operate
• The transform requires additional data not
  available to CenterView

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Datafunnel plug-in

• What is a datafunnel plug-in?
• One or more Java classes called from CenterView
  to load data into a Datafunnel.
• Code is called to load the data.
• Parameters are available that can be accessed to
  specify which data to load
• Data returned as a two dimensional string array
  (Stringrowscolumns)

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External Transform

• What is an external transform?
• One or more Java classes called from CenterView
  to modify data in an existing Datafunnel
• Code is called to transform the data
• Parameters are available that can be accessed if
  needed
• Data returned as a two dimensional string array
  (Stringrowscolumns)

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DashboardPlugin

• The Interface
• GetVersion(double version)
• getDatafunnel(reqInfo, data)
• data is null for df-external
• The following are also available but usually only
  used for KPI plug-ins
• getPCScript()
• getITXML()
• getHTML()
• http//wiki.corda.com/confluence/display/CV31/Dash
  boardPlug-InMethods

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RequestInfo

• getEnvVar(name) get an Environment variable
  e.g. userName
• getDate(format) return current date/time in
  specified format
• getVar(name) return value of specified
  variable e.g. request.zipcode
• getParameter(name) return value of datafunnel
  parameter
• getData(datafunnelName) return the specified
  datafunnel in Stringrowscolumns format
• consoleOut(message) output a message to the
  popup console
• Others available, but are more for KPI plug-ins.
• http//wiki.corda.com/confluence/display/CV31/Requ
  estInfoMethods

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Examples

• Datafunnel Plugin Pulling data for a Datafunnel
  from an RSS weather feed which is in XML, to be
  used in a dashboard.
• External Transform Creating a linear regression
  line from a set of (x,y) pairs.

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Weather Dashboard

• Details of dashboard
• Enter zip code
• Plots a point on US map representing the city the
  zip code belongs to
• Gives current weather information for that zip
  code
• Datafunnel uses ltdf-externalgt

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Weather Dashboard

• Details of plugin
• Zip code is obtained from request.zip
• RSS feed is loaded from Yahoo, using the supplied
  zip code
• XML data from RSS is parsed, and results stored
  in a 2-dimensional String array
• Plugin returns the array to the datafunnel

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Linear Regression Transform

• Details of dashboard
• Uses an inline datafunnel to supply data
• Applies ltexternal-transformgt
• Supplies parameters to control series names,
  option to include scatter points
• One example transforms x-y data the other
  transforms name-x-y data.

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Linear Regression Transform

• Details of plugin
• Data in Stringrowscols array
• Iterate through data, then calculate
• Slope
• Intercept
• Equation
• Return data Stringrowscols array
• Regression line is a 2-point series at end

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Additional Resources

• CD
• Corda Connection Visual Evolution 2008
• Go to portal.corda.com
• Login
• Resources
• Visual Evolution 2008
• Documentation
• http//wiki.corda.com/confluence/display/CV31/Dash
  boardPlug-InAPI
• Other VE Topics
• Extending CenterView with Plug-ins
• Plug-in Development Environment
• Extending the Dashboard Interface with Plug-ins
• Meet me in the Lounge

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• Q A

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