Data Preparation

• Dec 20, 2018
• 3 minutes to read

After you have connected to a data source, you can prepare data in various ways before analyzing it. For instance, you can join tables/views or aggregate data for SQL data sources using Query Builders available for WinForms and Web.

WinForms Query Builder

Web Query Builder

The following operations can be performed depending on the selected platform/data source type.

Data Source Type	WinForms Designer	Web Dashboard
SQL Data Source	The WinForms Designer allows you to prepare data in the Query Builder in the following ways. Join tables/views. Create additional columns using expressions. Pre-aggregate data. Filter data. If necessary, you can perform all operations using a custom SQL query. To learn more, see WinForms Designer - Working with Data. You can add calculated fields to SQL queries. To learn more, see WinForms Designer - Calculated Fields.	The Web Query Builder allows you to prepare data in the following ways. Join tables/views. Pre-aggregate data. Filter data. If necessary, you can perform all operations using a custom SQL query. To learn more, see Web Dashboard - Working with SQL Data Sources. You can add calculated fields to SQL queries. To learn more, see Web Dashboard - Calculated Fields.
OLAP Data Source	You can filter OLAP data at a dashboard item’s level. To learn more, see How to: Filter Dashboard Item’s Data in OLAP Mode.	To learn how to filter OLAP data at a dashboard item’s level, see How to: Filter Dashboard Item’s Data in OLAP Mode.
Excel Data Source	You can filter the entire Excel data source either in code or using the Filter Editor. To learn more, see Excel Data Source Filtering. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.	To learn how to filter the Excel data source in the Web Dashboard, see Filter Data Sources. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.
Entity Framework Data Source	You can use stored procedures to select only required data from the Entity Framework data source. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.	In the Web Dashboard, you can use stored procedures specified in code to select only required data (EFDataSource.StoredProcedures). The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.
Object Data Source	The Object data source can be filtered either in code or using the Filter Editor. To learn how to do this, see Object Data Source Filtering. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.	To learn how to filter the Object data source in the Web Dashboard, see Filter Data Sources. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.
Extract Data Source	After you created the Extract data source, you can filter it either in code or using the Filter Editor. To learn more, refer to Extract Data Source Filtering. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.	To learn how to filter the Extract data source in the Web Dashboard, see Filter Data Sources. The Calculated Fields topic shows how to add calculated fields to any supported data source type.