Customize or Create a new Analysis Model¶
This page provides information regarding customizing an Analysis Model or creating a new Analysis Model.
Overview¶
Analysis Models - Power BI provides the capability to customize a published or uploaded model and upload the modified version through IFS Cloud Web to a target workspace. Also, you can create your own Analysis Models and upload them through the IFS Cloud Web to the desired target workspace.
To customize an IFS Core model, download the required version from the Download Model page.
To customize a previous model version,
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Use the latest required Power BI file from the local repo
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Create and Load Parquet Data Sources if required
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Whitelist IP and obtain SAS token
- Customize the model via Power BI desktop -connect to ADLS Gen 2 by utilizing the SAS token
- Save the model version in a repo
- Upload as New model or Overwrite an existing model
Analysis Models - Power BI provides the freedom to create your models and upload the .pbix file via the IFS Cloud Web. See further details regarding building a model from scratch. To create a new Analysis Model based on defined Parquet Data Sources,
- Create and Load Parquet Data Sources as required
- Whitelist IP and obtain SAS token
- Create model via Power BI desktop -connect to ADLS Gen 2 by utilizing the SAS token
- Save the model version in a repo
- Upload as New model
Read more about Creating and Loading Parquet data source(s).
Download Model¶
All IFS Core Model versions that are available in the Golden Workspace can be downloaded from the Download Model page for further actions.
There are two ways to Navigate to the Download Model page.
1.Search Download Models via Navigator. (Solution Manager > Reporting and Analysis > Analysis Models - Power BI > Analysis Models > Download Models)
2.Download Model function via the Analysis Models page.
Navigating using this method always binds together with an IFS Core Analysis Model entry. Therefore, when an IFS Core Model is selected only after navigating to the Download Models page, it will always include a pre-selected value in the properties Title, Release and Model Version. (For example: If the CRM model is selected from the Analysis Models page, the Download Models page Title property is pre-selected as CRM, along with the Release and Model Version. But the value can be changed if required via the dropdown). Also, the pre-selected value is the latest version of the latest release of the selected model that is available in the Golden Workspace.
Note
This is only applicable if the selected Analysis Model is delivered by IFS (i.e. Available in the Golden Workspace).
Navigation :
| Selection | Result in Download Models Page |
|---|---|
| IFS Core Model via Analysis Models page | The latest version of the model is Pre-selected |
| Any other Model via the Analysis Models page | Navigation disabled (Download Model option is not available) |
| Search directly via Navigator (No model is selected) | No value is pre-selected in the Title, Release, Model Version drop-down |
Data Properties:¶
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Display name of the model is listed in this Title selector. The dropdown shows all the Analysis Models that are available in the Golden workspace. The Title is a mandatory selection. This property needs to be set before selecting the Release property. |
| Release | Release field is filtered based on the related Title value selection. The dropdown shows all the available IFS Releases in which the Model is released. I.e. If the selected Title is CRM, the Release property filters the available releases for CRM Model. The Release is a mandatory selection. |
| Model Version | Model Version field is filtered based on the related Release value selection. The dropdown shows all the available Model versions in the Golden Workspace. I.e. If the selected Title is CRM, and the Release is 24R1, the Model Version filters the available CRM model versions during 24R1 (example: V1, V2 ) The Model Version is a mandatory selection. |
How to Download a Model¶
1.Select Title as desired.
2.Select the required IFS Release of the model.
3.Select the required version of the model.
At this stage, once the version is selected, the Download action is enabled.
4.Once the Download is selected, the Model will be downloaded into the local folder. The file format is .pbix.
The downloaded Model naming convention is based on the data property selection.(IFS_[title] _ [Release]__[ModelVersion] . example: IFS_EmployeeAbsence_24R1_V2.pbix)
The downloaded model file will include the below parameters set by default.
| Parameter Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| IfsDataLakeContainerPath | SAS URI Refer to details about SAS. | Data Lake Container path |
| RlsMode | ImportWithRls | RLS Enabled |
| RlsMode | ImportNoRls | RLS Disabled |
Upload Model¶
Uploading a model is done when,
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A published model needs to be customized.
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The downloaded Golden Workspace model(IFS-Core Model) needs to be customized.
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Own model is created.
The Upload Model option is available through the Analysis Models page. Navigating to the Analysis Models page can be done by searching via the IFS Cloud web Navigator.
Note
During the transition status (Uploading, Publishing, Loading, Refreshing), the Upload Model button will not be displayed.
After customizations are applied to a model, or a new model is created, the model is uploaded to the target workspace from the Upload Analysis Model page in IFS Cloud Web. This is accomplished by setting main details such as Area, Model display name and New model Display Name if required.
Data Properties:¶
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Area | The selected Analysis Model entry's area value will be the default value. The dropdown shows all the available functional Areas available for Uploading an Analysis Model. It will be the target workspace in which the Uploaded model is Published. The area is a mandatory selection. It can be changed if required. |
| Upload your Power BI Report |
With the Browse option, the customized or New .pbix model can be uploaded. The limit of the .pbix file size is max 20MB. If the uploaded file requires to be changed, the Delete option deletes the uploaded file and another file can be browsed. Uploading a .pbix file is a mandatory action. |
| Model Display Name | Based on the Area value selection, all the available models within the respective target workspace is filtered and displayed via the drop-down list. The selected Analysis Model entry's name will be the default value. If updating an existing model, the related Display Name of the model can be selected from the list. If uploading a new model, the New Analysis Model option can be selected from the list. Model Display Name is a mandatory field. It can be changed if required. This property needs to have a value set before initiating the Upload process. |
| New Model Display Name (conditional) | If the Model Display Name value = New Model, then the New Model Display Name field appears. This field will take over the uploaded model's name by default, but the New Model Display Name can be changed if required. i.e. Uploaded .pbix file name = General_Ledger_24R1Demo , New Model Display Name = General_Ledger_24R1Demo This is a mandatory field. |
| RLS Embedded | By default, RLS toggle is ON during the Upload process. This needs to be changed based on the Model's RLS status. |
Setting Parameters Before Uploading a Model ¶
The below parameters need to be set in the Power BI dev file via Power BI Desktop, before uploading the .pbix model via the IFS Cloud Web Upload Analysis Model page.
When the RLS Mode parameter is not set in the Power BI file that is being uploaded, the default RLS Value is set to True (ImportWithRls). If ImportNoRls is added as the value, it will set the RLS Mode to False.
| Parameter Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| IfsDataLakeContainerPath | SAS URI Refer details about SAS. | Data lake container path |
| RlsMode | ImportWithRls (Default Value) |
RLS Enabled**** |
| RlsMode | ImportNoRls | RLS Disabled |
Important: Make sure the exact characters noted above in the 'Parameter Name' column are followed when creating a parameter.
Read more About Row Level Security.
Also, during an upload, it is important to ensure that the Source hierarchy of the query is set as below.
How to Upload a Model¶
Uploading as a new model (Own models / IFS Core model)¶
1.Select the Analysis Model entry as desired and select the Upload Model button.
2.The respective Area according to the entry selection is pre-selected in the Area field. This can be changed if required.
3.Browse and upload the .pbix file.
4.Select Model Display Name as New Analysis Model.
5.The New Model Display Name field appears and takes over the uploaded Power BI file name. New Model Display Name can be changed by typing in a value. (New Model Display Name character limit should not exceed 200)
6.RLS-Embedded toggle is ON by default.
Important:
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RLS Embedded toggle represents the model's RLS status. Therefore, this toggle needs to be switched accordingly.
- If a model has no RLS Embedded and the RLS Embedded toggle in the Upload Analysis Model page is ON, the model will be Uploaded but it will display errors while refreshing, configuring lobby elements etc.
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If the RlsMode parameter is set in the .pbix and if this is RLS Embedded toggle is set otherwise, the RlsMode parameter will be overridden.
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Therefore, make sure to follow RLS-related settings accurately in the model.
7.Click Upload.
Note
During an Upload Error Scenario, it is notified within the Upload Analysis Model page and will not be directed automatically to the Analysis Models page. Further attempts can be made to initiate the upload process again.
After Uploading:
When the Uploading progress initiates successfully, it displays a toast message of successful initiation along with a message displayed as the banner on this page. It displays a countdown where it will be re-directed to the Analysis Models page since the process is asynchronous. The status column will transition values as below. Refer to the status transition
A new entry is added to the Analysis Models page, and the related entry is updated with the transitioned status value.
Uploading Completed - Target Workspace:
The model is available in the target workspace.
Report data is available in the Power BI Service and Refresh Intervals need to be set to the relevant Analysis Model via IFS Cloud, to schedule model refreshing.
Uploading a Customized Model:¶
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Select the Analysis Model entry that is required to be updated and click Upload Model to open the Upload Analysis Model page.
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The respective Area according to the entry selection is pre-selected in the Area field. This can be changed if required.
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Browse and upload the .pbix file.
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The Model Display Name is pre-selected based on the entry selection. This can be changed if required. All the available models in the given workspace area are listed.
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RLS Embedded toggle is ON by default. Turn OFF according to the model's RLS status.
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Click Upload.
Scenario 1: Updating Model is already existing and Prompt for overwrite¶
6.1.1 As the selected model already exists, the Upload Analysis Model will display a message via a Prompt, providing the option to Overwrite the existing model or cancel.
6.1.2 Proceeding the overwrite prompt updates the existing model in the target workspace with the new model.
Note
During an Overwrite scenario, when an already Published Model is updated, the target workspace includes two semantic models and two reports -one from the Publishing process and the other from the Uploading process. During further attempts at Uploading in this scenario, if the choice is overwriting the existing model, the target workspace keeps the first semantic model along with the updated Reports.
6.1.3 Cancelling the overwrite prompt enables updating as a new model. Once the prompt is canceled, the Model Display Name should be changed to New Analysis Model, to enter a new name value (by default, the Uploaded .pbix file name will be taken over. New Model Display Name character limit should not exceed 200).
After the name change, Upload will initiate the process and add a new model to the target workspace.
Scenario 2: A new model name already exists and a Prompt for overwrite¶
6.2.1 As the entered New Model Display Name already exists, Upload Analysis Model displays a message via the prompt, providing the option to Overwrite the existing model or cancel.
6.2.2 Proceeding the overwrite prompt updates the existing model in the target workspace with the new model.
6.2.3 Cancelling the overwrite prompt enables adding a new model name. Once the prompt is canceled, the Model Display Name should be changed to New Analysis Model, to enter a new name value (by default, the Uploaded .pbix file name will be taken over. New Model Display Name character limit should not exceed 200).
It is important to follow RLS-related settings accurately in the model.
After the name change, Upload will initiate the process and add the new model to the target workspace.
Note
Note that for this release, Shared is not an area which is provisioned to be used during the Analysis Models Publish/Upload.
After Uploading:
When the same Published model is updated, the respective entry is updated with the transitioned Status value, while it updates as a new entry in the Analysis Models page when it gets uploaded as a New Analysis Model. Similarly, upon successful initiation of the uploading process, the Upload Analysis Model displays a toast and success message and will be redirected to the Analysis Models page. Refresh Intervals can be set as the status transitioned to Uploaded.
Once the refresh Intervals are set and the Model is refreshed, the Status value is updated accordingly.
The Analysis Model Details page includes the related Refresh Details of the model. Logs can be viewed for further details.
Analysis Model Status Transition in the Uploading Process¶
| Analysis Models Starting status | Transitioned status | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Uploading | Upload Error | Error while uploading .pbix when creating new model/update existing |
| Uploading | Uploaded | Uploading successfully completed to target workspace initiated |
| Uploaded | Loading | Cron expression of Analysis Model is expired |
| Loading | Loading Error | Error while loading Parquet Data Source |
| Loading | Refreshing | Refreshing the Analysis Model data set |
| Uploaded | Refreshing | Refreshing the Analysis Model data set |
| Refreshing | Refreshed | Model refreshing completed successfully |
| Refreshing | Refresh Error | Model refreshing was not successful |
Adding New Parquet Data Source to an Analysis Model¶
As a part of the customization process, new Parquet data sources can be added to the model that is being customized. This can be achieved by Creating a Parquet data source based on Information Sources and other Views and performing an Explicit load.
About ADLS Gen 2 container:
ADLS Gen 2 is a type of storage account. Within a container in the storage account, folders are available per Area, and data sources are available within the Area folder (folder per data source). Data sources can be created in each of the Area folders, and the Shared folder can be used for Shared Dim/Fact/Views.
Read more about creating and Loading parquet data sources.
To access these folders /containers and connect to a data source through Power BI Desktop, a Shared Access Signature token (SAS token) is required to be created and obtained. The SAS token can be used to connect temporarily to the folders and files in that folder.