SmartSolve Tables and Views

Tables and views contain SmartInsight Report Entities. Report Entities configured within the SmartInsight Report Model Designer later become the data models attached to the Report Designer. The Report Designer must determine whether to apply table or view entities when configuring a report model. It is important to understand the difference between table and view entities.

Table Entities - A table is where the SmartSolve data (business object) is stored. Table entities can be used to build the report model, one field at a time.

View Entities - View entities contain the tables and links that have already been created in the SmartSolve database. Views are similar to SmartSolve Queries, and contain EVERY data field (business object), including user defined fields that exist within the record view. These are recommended for creating reports since fewer views are required.

The tables below show a comparison of two different report models created using the same entity, called Actor. The first image shows the Actor entity using the table option. The second image shows the Actor entity using the view option. Notice how more data fields are showing under the view entity. brownchicken

Report Entity Guidelines

Because views contain every field within the SmartSolve record, it is recommended that the report designer use views to build report models rather than tables. This reduces the number of joins that are needed in the model.
Custom views can be loaded into SmartInsight by using Pilgrim’s Entity Designer. See your Pilgrim Representative to discuss options for custom views with SmartInsight.
Even though you can link unlimited tables and views to a top level entity, it is recommended that you nest no more than 3-4 at a time within a single report model.
Modifying report models may break reports that were previously designed using the report model. This is especially true if you change the link columns or delete items from the hierarchy.
See Pilgrim’s SmartSolve DDF as a reference when setting up report models.