Configure Search Across Specific Dataset (v7.1.0+)

Content does not have to be physically located in Metric Insights in order to be searchable in the system. Global Search functionality is able to perform search not only within the system in general, but also through the Dataset columns. This means, that the Administrator can create a Dataset that contains links to Reports, located in an external tool and Global Search will be able to find them and present said links to the User. Besides that, searchability of the Reports can be restricted to particular Users/Groups based on Security Access Datasets.

This article describes how make the Dataset searchable and configure security for it.

PREREQUISITES:

  1. Create a Dataset that includes the Title and Link columns.
    • The Title column should contain Report titles and Link column should contain links to the corresponding Reports. The rest of the columns are optional.
    • Check Create a Dataset from CSV File article if necessary.
  2. Enable the Dataset.

NOTE: Be aware, that there will be no Tiles created for Reports, stored in the form of links inside a Dataset.

Access Admin > System > Search Setup and find the Datasets to include in search section in the Setup tab

  1. [+ Add Dataset]
  2. Dataset: Select the created Dataset from the drop-down menu.
  3. [Save]

2. Map Dataset Columns

  1. Title Column: Specifies the field by which the system searches for a Report.
    • By default, the system searches Reports by the Title column; however, you can add more columns in the Dataset Columns for Search section.
  2. Description: Description of the searched object; it will be displayed under the Title.
    • Description is also indexed by the search system.
  3. Object View URL: Attaches URL links to Titles; an external URL will be opened in a separate tab, while a URL from the same instance will be opened in the current window.
  4. Allow click through to external catalog: Select this checkbox to allow adding links to an external resource.
    • External Catalog Type: Chosen tool type will be displayed with a corresponding icon in the "View in ..." link.
    • External Catalog Asset URL: Attaches URL links to Objects in the external tool.
  5. Content Type Column: Includes names of content types based on which specific icons will be shown in search results. For the list of available Content Types, check the folded section below.
    • Content of this column indexed by the search system if set.
  6. Object Type Column: Includes names of Object types (e.g., Workbook for Tableau). Object type is displayed under the thumbnail image in the results list.
    • Content of this column indexed by the search system if set.
  7. Category ID Column: Includes IDs of actual Categories to be shown under the Description; Category IDs can be used for filtering from the MI left-hand panel.
  8. File Path Column: Includes paths to links located locally / in a file sharing system.
    • NOTE:
      • Required to fill out if you want to restrict Group access to content based on file paths. See the section below.
      • Users that have access to parent folders inherit access to content in child folders if links to this content are included in the Report Link Dataset. The inheritance doesn't apply to folder paths that include backslash "\" signs (for example, domain\folder-name\page-name). 
  9. Tags Column: Can include actual Tags and other text inputs.
    • Actual Tags will appear in search results as clickable and can be used for filtering; text inputs will appear as non-clickable text.
    • Content of this column indexed by the search system if set.
  10. Certification Flag Column: Includes the Certification state ("Y"/"N" or none).
    • Proceed with the rest of the Certification-related configuration at Step 15, if needed.
  11. Discoverability Flag Column: Includes the Discoverability state ("Y"/"N" or none). Discoverability settings work only if Access Restrictions are applied in the Access tab.
    • If a User doesn't have access to content based on the User/Group Restriction Dataset and Discoverability is set to "Y", the lock icon will appear next to the Report's name in search results.
  12. Engagement Column: Includes Engagement counts that are not tied to those calculated by the system. Can be set to any number.
  13. Folder ID Column: Includes IDs of existing Folders.
    • NOTE: This functionality is implemented for sorting by Folder IDs on Portal Pages in MI system.
  14. The following configuration is optional; however, will be ignored if the Certification Flag Column is not set-up.
    • Certification Level Column: Includes the existing Certification levels.
    • Certified By Column: Can include the existing MI Users or other text inputs.
    • Certification Date Column: Includes the certification date in the following format:  2019-06-04 07:58:40.
  15. Reporting Asset Unique ID: Includes the ID of the Report from the original BI tool.
  16. Ownership: Includes Business and Technical Owners, as well as Data Steward.

2.1. Column Data Visualization

Expand or collapse content Available Content Types

Here's a list of Content Types, available in the Content Type Column:

Alias in the Content Type Column Field Name of the BI App
alteryx
 Alteryx
anaconda
 Anaconda
ataccama
 Ataccama
atlan
 Atlan
atlassianjira
 Atlassian Jira
atscale
 AtScale
awssagemaker
 Amazon SageMaker
cloudera
 Cloudera
cognos
 IBM Cognos
collibra
 Collibra
cubedev
 Cube.dev
data-catalog
 Google Dataplex
data3sixty
 data3sixty
databricks
 Databricks
dataiku
 Dataiku
datarobot
 DataRobot
dataworld
 data.world
db2
 IBM Db2
dbt
 dbt
denodo
 Denodo
dremio
 Dremio
epic
 Epic
excel
 Microsoft Excel
google-bigquery
 Google BigQuery
googledrive
 Google Drive
googlesheets
 Google Sheets
ibm
 IBM
informatica
 Informatica
looker
 Looker
metric-insights
 Metric Insights
msssrs
 Microsoft SSRS
microstrategy
 MicroStrategy
mlflow
 ML Flow
montecarlo
 Monte Carlo
msppt
 Microsoft PowerPoint
mspurview
 Microsoft Purview
mssharepoint
 Microsoft SharePoint
msword
 Microsoft Word
mysql
 MySQL
obiee
 Oracle OBIEE
pdf
 PDF
video
 Video
postgres
 PostgreSQL
powerbi
 Power BI
qlik
 Qlik
rshiny
 R Shiny
salesforce
 Salesforce
sap-hana
 SAP HANA
sapbobj
 SAP BusinessObjects
snowflake
 Snowflake
splunk
 Splunk
starburst
 Starburst
tableau
 Tableau
teradata
 Teradata
thoughtspot
 ThoughtSpot
tibco
 Spotfire
trino
 Trino

If there is a column with Glossary Terms in the Dataset, it is possible to map it to the Metric Insights Glossary.

  1. [+ Add Dataset Column]
  2. Dataset Column: Select the column of the Dataset that contains Glossary Terms.
  3. Glossary Section: Select the Glossary Section to map the Dataset column to.
  4. [Save]

By default, only the Title and Description columns of the Dataset are indexed for search. To index additional columns, find the Dataset Columns for Search section.

  1. [+ Add Dataset Column]
  2. Dataset Column: Select the column of the Dataset to include in indexing.
  3. Column data is formatted in JSON: Select this checkbox if the data is in JSON format to avoid wrong reading.
  4. [Save]
Expand or collapse content Sorting Option

Starting with version 7.1.1, a column sorting option is available for Users.

Users can now reorder the columns selected for search by dragging them into the desired sequence. This updated order determines how the fields are displayed in the search results.

5. Add Custom Field Mapping

You can map the Report Link Dataset Columns to the existing Custom Fields and use them for filtering in search.

Custom Fields display values in search depending on the type of the Custom Filed in Metric Insights.

NOTE: A Custom Field column can be indexed for search, but it has to be added to the Dataset Columns for Search grid.

  1. [+Add Mapping]
  2. Map a Dataset Column to a Custom Field.
  3. [Save]

6. Manage Access

By default, the access is set to "No Security", meaning that any User can have access to the search data.

There are several ways of restricting Users from receiving access to the data of a specific Dataset.

6.1. Group Access

The first way to restrict Users from the data is to select Groups that are allowed to see it. All the Users within those Groups will be granted access to the data.

Only the Users that are members of chosen Groups will be able to search for the Dataset's content.

NOTE: Group Access Security uses both External Catalog Asset URL and Object View URL fields.

  1. Select the "Group Access" in the Content Search Security field.
  2. Click [+ Add Group], select the Group from the list and click [Save].
  3. Access Request URL: Optionally, add a URL, to which the User will be redirected after requesting access to the data.

6.2. Row Level

If a more complex access restrictions are required, it is recommended to use Row-level security.

In this case, security can be applied:

  • By using Group and User level mappings in Datasets,
  • Or by Linking content to MI Categories, so access is inherited just as it would be for a standard Metric Insights Element.

6.2.1. Row Level: Custom Security

Custom Security option allows you to give Groups or individual Users access to only specific Reports (by using their Report URL or the path to the corresponding Folder).

To use this type of security you will need to create a Dataset with the following columns:

  • A list of Groups/Users;
  • A list of Report URLs/Folder path that corresponding Group/User is allowed to access.

NOTE: Row Level Custom Security uses only Object View URL field.

  1. Group Access Control List: Choose the pre-loaded Dataset to restrict access for Groups.
  2. Depending on the selected Source Type, map the required columns.
  3. User Access Control List: Choose the pre-loaded Dataset to restrict access for Users.
  4. Map the required columns.

6.2.2. Row Level: Category Security

Category Security option give you an opportunity to use security settings, set for Categories in Metric Insights. It utilizes the Category ID Column field and applies security settings of chosen Categories. This means, that Users will be able to search for contents of those Datasets that belong to the Category they have access to (via individual or Group Privileges and Permissions).

Categories still need to be configured to give access to the appropriate Users and Groups. For more details about that, check Granting Power User Access to a Category and Granting Group Edit Access to a Category articles.

NOTE: Do not forget to save your changes and update search indexes to make changes effective.