Providing Data

• Aug 24, 2021
• 6 minutes to read

The Dashboard Designer allows you to bind dashboard items to data in a uniform and similar manner. See the Bind Dashboard Items to Data topic for common information.

The difference is in the data sections that the specific dashboard item has. This topic describes how to bind the Range Filter dashboard item to data in the Designer or in code.

• Binding to Data in the Designer
• Binding to Data in Code
• Example

Binding to Data in the Designer

The image below shows a sample Range Filter dashboard item that is bound to data.

To bind the Range Filter dashboard item to data, drag and drop a data source field to a placeholder contained in one of the available data sections. A table below lists and describes Range Filter data sections.

Section	Processed as	Description
Values	Measure	Contains data items against which the Y-coordinates of data points are calculated.
Argument	Dimension	Contains a data item that provides values displayed along the horizontal axis of the Range Filter. These values are used for filtering. You can use only continuous Date and Numeric values as arguments (for example, DateTime, Decimal and others). Discrete types like String are not supported. Note Note that the Options button (the icon) allows you to create predefined ranges used to select the required date-time interval.
Series	Dimension	Contains data items whose values are used to create chart series.

Binding to Data in Code

To provide data for the Range Filter dashboard item, use the following properties.

Argument	RangeFilterDashboardItem.Argument
Series	RangeFilterDashboardItem.Series
Values	To provide values that determine the Y-coordinate of data points, do the following. Create the required number of series (SimpleSeries objects). Assign measures for each series using the SimpleSeries.Value property. Add the created SimpleSeries objects to the RangeFilterDashboardItem.Series collection.

Example

Form1.cs

using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using DevExpress.DataAccess.Excel;
using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
using System;

namespace Dashboard_CreateRangeFilter
{
    public partial class Form1 : XtraForm
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
        private RangeFilterDashboardItem CreateRangeFilter(IDashboardDataSource dataSource)
        {
            RangeFilterDashboardItem rangeFilter = new RangeFilterDashboardItem();
            rangeFilter.DataSource = dataSource;
            SimpleSeries salesAmountSeries = new SimpleSeries(SimpleSeriesType.Area);
            rangeFilter.Series.Add(salesAmountSeries);
            salesAmountSeries.Value = new Measure("Extended Price");
            rangeFilter.Argument = new Dimension("OrderDate");
            rangeFilter.Argument.DateTimeGroupInterval = DateTimeGroupInterval.MonthYear;
            rangeFilter.FilterString = "[OrderDate] > #2018-01-01#";
            rangeFilter.DateTimePeriods.AddRange(
                DateTimePeriod.CreateLastYear(),
                DateTimePeriod.CreateNextMonths("Next 3 Months", 3),
                new DateTimePeriod
                { Name = "Year To Date",
                  Start = new FlowDateTimePeriodLimit(DateTimeInterval.Year, 0),
                  End = new FlowDateTimePeriodLimit(DateTimeInterval.Day, 1)
                },
                new DateTimePeriod
                { Name = "Jul-18-2018 - Jan-18-2019",
                  Start = new FixedDateTimePeriodLimit(new DateTime(2018, 7, 18)),
                  End = new FixedDateTimePeriodLimit(new DateTime(2019, 1, 18)) }
                );
            rangeFilter.DefaultDateTimePeriodName = "Year To Date";
          // The caption is initially hidden. Uncomment the line below to show the caption.
          //rangeFilter.ShowCaption = true;
            return rangeFilter;
        }

        private PivotDashboardItem CreatePivot(IDashboardDataSource dataSource)
        {
            PivotDashboardItem pivot = new PivotDashboardItem();
            pivot.DataSource = dataSource;
            pivot.Columns.AddRange(new Dimension("Country"), new Dimension("Sales Person"));
            pivot.Rows.AddRange(new Dimension("CategoryName"), new Dimension("ProductName"));
            pivot.Values.AddRange(new Measure("Extended Price"), new Measure("Quantity"));
            pivot.AutoExpandColumnGroups = true;
            return pivot;
        }

        private DashboardExcelDataSource CreateExcelDataSource()
        {
            DashboardExcelDataSource excelDataSource = new DashboardExcelDataSource();
            excelDataSource.FileName = "SalesPerson.xlsx";
            ExcelWorksheetSettings worksheetSettings = new ExcelWorksheetSettings("Data");
            excelDataSource.SourceOptions = new ExcelSourceOptions(worksheetSettings);
            excelDataSource.Fill();
            return excelDataSource;
        }
        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Dashboard dashboard = new Dashboard();

            DashboardExcelDataSource dataSource = CreateExcelDataSource();
            dashboard.DataSources.Add(dataSource);
            RangeFilterDashboardItem rangeFilter = CreateRangeFilter(dataSource);
            dashboard.Items.Add(rangeFilter);
            PivotDashboardItem pivot = CreatePivot(dataSource);
            dashboard.Items.Add(pivot);

            // Create the dashboard layout.
            dashboard.RebuildLayout();
            dashboard.LayoutRoot.FindRecursive(rangeFilter).Weight = 20;
            dashboard.LayoutRoot.FindRecursive(pivot).Weight = 80;
            dashboard.LayoutRoot.Orientation = DashboardLayoutGroupOrientation.Vertical;

            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard = dashboard;
            dashboardViewer1.ReloadData();
        }
    }
}

Form1.vb

Imports DevExpress.DashboardCommon
Imports DevExpress.DataAccess.Excel
Imports DevExpress.XtraEditors
Imports System

Namespace Dashboard_CreateRangeFilter
    Partial Public Class Form1
        Inherits XtraForm

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
        End Sub
        Private Function CreateRangeFilter(ByVal dataSource As IDashboardDataSource) As RangeFilterDashboardItem
            ' Create a Range Filter dashboard item and specify its data source.
            Dim rangeFilter As New RangeFilterDashboardItem()
            rangeFilter.DataSource = dataSource
            ' Create a new series of the Area type and add this series to the Series collection to
            ' display it within the Range Filter.
            Dim salesAmountSeries As New SimpleSeries(SimpleSeriesType.Area)
            rangeFilter.Series.Add(salesAmountSeries)
            ' Specify a measure to provide data used to calculate the Y-coordinate of the data points.
            salesAmountSeries.Value = New Measure("Extended Price")
            ' Specify a dimension to provide Range Filter argument values.
            rangeFilter.Argument = New Dimension("OrderDate")
            ' Specify a group interval for argument values.
            rangeFilter.Argument.DateTimeGroupInterval = DateTimeGroupInterval.MonthYear
            ' Restrict the displayed data.
            rangeFilter.FilterString = "[OrderDate] > #2018-01-01#"
            ' Add predefined ranges to the context menu.
            ' You can show the item caption and use the Select Date Time Periods drop-down button to apply predefined ranges.
            rangeFilter.DateTimePeriods.AddRange(DateTimePeriod.CreateLastYear(), DateTimePeriod.CreateNextMonths("Next 3 Months", 3), New DateTimePeriod With {.Name = "Year To Date", .Start = New FlowDateTimePeriodLimit(DateTimeInterval.Year, 0), .End = New FlowDateTimePeriodLimit(DateTimeInterval.Day, 1)}, New DateTimePeriod With {.Name = "Jul-18-2018 - Jan-18-2019", .Start = New FixedDateTimePeriodLimit(New Date(2018, 7, 18)), .End = New FixedDateTimePeriodLimit(New Date(2019, 1, 18))})
            ' Specify the period selected when the control is initialized.
            rangeFilter.DefaultDateTimePeriodName = "Year To Date"
            ' The caption is initially hidden. Uncomment the line to show the caption.
            'rangeFilter.ShowCaption = true;
            Return rangeFilter
        End Function

        Private Function CreatePivot(ByVal dataSource As IDashboardDataSource) As PivotDashboardItem

            ' Create a pivot dashboard item and specify its data source.
            Dim pivot As New PivotDashboardItem()
            pivot.DataSource = dataSource

            ' Specify dimensions that provide pivot column and row headers.
            pivot.Columns.AddRange(New Dimension("Country"), New Dimension("Sales Person"))
            pivot.Rows.AddRange(New Dimension("CategoryName"), New Dimension("ProductName"))

            ' Specify measures whose data is used to calculate pivot cell values.
            pivot.Values.AddRange(New Measure("Extended Price"), New Measure("Quantity"))

            ' Specify the default expanded state of pivot column field values.
            pivot.AutoExpandColumnGroups = True

            Return pivot
        End Function

        Private Function CreateExcelDataSource() As DashboardExcelDataSource
            Dim excelDataSource As New DashboardExcelDataSource()
            excelDataSource.FileName = "SalesPerson.xlsx"
            Dim worksheetSettings As New ExcelWorksheetSettings("Data")
            excelDataSource.SourceOptions = New ExcelSourceOptions(worksheetSettings)
            excelDataSource.Fill()
            Return excelDataSource
        End Function
        Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load

            ' Create a dashboard and display it in the dashboard viewer.
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard = New Dashboard()

            ' Create a data source and add it to the dashboard data source collection.
            Dim dataSource As DashboardExcelDataSource = CreateExcelDataSource()
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.DataSources.Add(dataSource)

            ' Create a Range Filter dashboard item with the specified data source 
            ' and add it to the Items collection to display within the dashboard.
            Dim rangeFilter As RangeFilterDashboardItem = CreateRangeFilter(dataSource)
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.Items.Add(rangeFilter)

            ' Create a pivot and add it to the dashboard. 
            Dim pivot As PivotDashboardItem = CreatePivot(dataSource)
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.Items.Add(pivot)

            ' Create the dashboard layout.
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.RebuildLayout()
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.LayoutRoot.FindRecursive(rangeFilter).Weight = 20
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.LayoutRoot.FindRecursive(pivot).Weight = 80
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard.LayoutRoot.Orientation = DashboardLayoutGroupOrientation.Vertical

            dashboardViewer1.ReloadData()
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace