Concepts → Data Destination
About a data destination
A data destination is an object in the Data Manager of a tenant that enables the seamless export of one or more supported insights to a specific file-hosting, file-sharing, or cloud storage service, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and FTP and SFTP servers. As an object, a data destination has an owner who initially created the object. With Discretionary Access Control (DAC), the object owner can control access to the object.
There are multiple data destination types: FTP servers, Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Microsoft OneDrive.
The following table shows the file formats supported for each data destination type.
| Data Destination Type / File Format | CSV File | Excel File | Google Sheet | Text File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTP | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Google Drive | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Google Sheets | ✔ | |||
| OneDrive | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| SFTP | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| BlackLine | ✔ |
You can send to a data destination any of the following supported insight visualizations:
- Listings Table
- Aggregated Table
- Pivot Table (in Excel, or Google Sheets formats only)
The Export Server automatically converts Organizational, Advanced Map, and Sunburst insights to a tabular form and includes them in the generated file(s) when you send all supported insights on a tab or a dashboard, or when you schedule the delivery of supported insights on the dashboard. This applies to all supported file formats: CSV, Excel, and Google Sheets. However, you cannot send these types of visualizations individually, unless you preview the insight as a table first.
You can manually send a specific supported insight, all supported insights on a dashboard tab, or all supported insights on the entire dashboard. You can also schedule the delivery of all supported insights for a given dashboard.
Configurations for a data destination
Using some data destinations requires the following:
- Security configurations
- Default and Tenant Configurations (Google Drive and Google Sheets only)
The Security and Default and Tenant Configurations for accessing Google Drive and Google Sheets as external data sources or data destinations are the same. A System Administrator needs to complete these configurations only one time in order to support the use of one or both of the Google Drive and Google Sheets both as connectors (that is, external data sources) and data destinations.
Security configurations
Security and system administrators typically address the security requirements for the Google Drive and OneDrive integration.
Google Drive security configurations
In order to have access to Google Drive, as a data source or data destination, Incorta Direct Data PlatformTM uses the Google API, and as such, requires the following:
- Configure the Incorta Cluster to use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) using a valid certificate for a known public domain. For more information, review Security → HTTPS for Apache Tomcat with OpenSSL.
- G Suite account
- Google API Project with both the Google Drive API and the Google Sheets API enabled. Sign in to Google Developers Console, create a project, create an OAuth consent screen, and then create the client credentials. For more information, review Security → Client credentials for a Google Drive API project.
OneDrive security configurations
Security and system administrators typically address the security requirements for the OneDrive integration. To have access to OneDrive, Incorta requires the following:
- A Microsoft Azure account
- A OneDrive custom application. Go to the Azure Active Directory, and register an application to obtain the client credentials. For more information, review Security → OAuth for OneDrive.
FTP security configuration
To have access to an FTP server, Incorta requires the following:
- The hostname or IP address of the FTP server
- The port that the FTP server uses to listen to control connection requests using the FTP or FTPS protocols
- A user account that has full access to the FTP server
SFTP security configuration
To have access to an SFTP server, Incorta requires the following:
- The hostname or IP address of the SFTP server
- The port that the SFTP server uses to listen to control connection requests
- A user account that has full access to the SFTP server
BlackLine security configuration
To have access to a BlackLine server, Incorta requires the following:
- The host name to the BlackLine server
- The port that the BlackLine server uses to listen to control connection requests
- A user account that has full access to the BlackLine server
- (Optionally) A PGP encryption key file
Default and Tenant configurations
A Cluster Management Console (CMC) administrator for your Incorta Cluster must define the default tenant configuration, and each tenant, if required, to use the Google Drive client credentials (Client ID and Client Secret).
For more information, refer to Connectors → Google Drive → Security configurations for the Google Drive connector.
Data destination properties
When you create a data destination, you need to configure specific properties that vary according to the type of the data destination. To learn how to create and manage data destinations, review the Tools → Data Manager.
FTP data destination properties
The following table shows the FTP data destination properties:
| Property | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name Your Data Destination | text box | Enter the name of the data destination |
| Connects Using Passive Mode | toggle | Enable this option to connect to the FTP server in passive mode |
| Connects Using FTPS | toggle | Enable this option to connect to the FTP server using the FTPS protocol which supports Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) protocol |
| HostName | text box | Enter the fully qualified name or the IP address of the FTP server that you want to access |
| Port | text box | Enter the port that the FTP server uses to listen to control connection requests through the FTP or FTPS protocols depending on the protocol you use |
| Username | text box | Enter the name of the user who has full access to the FTP server |
| Password | text box | Enter the user password |
| Browse | button | Optional. Select to specify a folder from the directories shown. This folder will serve as the data destination folder. If you do not choose a folder, you will have access to all folders on the FTP server. |
SFTP data destination properties
The following table shows the SFTP data destination properties:
| Property | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name Your Data Destination | text box | Enter the name of the data destination |
| HostName | text box | Enter the fully qualified name or the IP address of the SFTP server that you want to access |
| Port | text box | Enter the port that the SFTP server uses to listen to control connection requests |
| Username | text box | Enter the name of the user who has full access to the SFTP server |
| Password | text box | Enter the user password |
| Browse | button | Optional. Select to specify a folder from the directories shown. This folder will serve as the data destination folder. If you do not choose a folder, you will have access to all folders on the SFTP server. |
BlackLine data destination properties
The following table shows the BlackLine data destination properties:
| Property | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name Your Data Destination | text box | Enter the name of the data destination |
| Host Name | text box | Enter the fully qualified name or the IP address of the BlackLine server that you want to access |
| Port | text box | Enter the port that the BlackLine server uses to listen to control connection requests |
| Username | text box | Enter the name of the user who has full access to the BlackLine server |
| Password | text box | Enter the user password. |
| Enable Encryption | toggle | Enable this option to enable sending encrypted .pgp files. Note: When enabled, you can only send .pgp files and not .txt files. |
| PGP Public Key | text box | Paste the pgp public key that BlackLine provided. Note: You must add the public key as a one line replacing any line break with \n. |
Google Drive and Google Sheets data destination properties
The following table shows the properties of a Google Drive or Google Sheets data destination:
| Property | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name Your Data Destination | text box | Enter the name of the data destination |
| Authorize | button | Select this button to authenticate your Google account and grant Incorta full access to your storage. Choose an account to use to access Google Drive and select the Allow button. The New Data Destination dialog will reappear, and the Authorize button will change to Authorized with the name of the account to the right. |
| Browse | button | Optional. Select a folder from the directories shown. This folder will serve as the data destination folder. If you do not choose a folder, you will have access to all folders found in your Google Drive. |
OneDrive data destination properties
The following table shows the properties of a OneDrive data destination:
| Property | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name Data Destination | text box | Enter the name of the data destination |
| Client ID | text box | Enter the OneDrive client ID that you obtain when you create an OAuth Custom App. |
| Client Secret | text box | Enter the OneDrive client secret that you obtain when you create an OAuth Custom App. |
| Authorize | button | Select this button to authenticate your OneDrive account and grant Incorta full access to your storage. Choose an account to use to access OneDrive and select the Allow button. The New Data Destination dialog will reappear, and the Authorize button will change to Authorized with the name of the account to the right. |
| Browse | button | Optional. Select a folder from the directories shown. This folder will serve as the data destination folder. If you do not choose a folder, you will have access to all folders found in your OneDrive. |
Manually send or schedule delivery
The following are the supported types of insight visualizations that you can send to a data destination:
- Listings Table
- Aggregated Table
- Pivot Table (in Excel or Google Sheets formats only)
The Export Server automatically converts Organizational, Advanced Map, and Sunburst insights to a tabular form and includes them in the generated file(s) when you send all supported insights on a tab or a dashboard, or when you schedule the delivery of supported insights on the dashboard. This applies to all supported file formats: CSV, Excel, and Google Sheets. However, you cannot send these types of visualizations individually, unless you preview the insight as a table first.
There are three types of operations for sending a supported insight to a data destination:
- Insight level: Manually send a specific insight to a data destination
- Tab level: Manually send all supported insights on a given dashboard tab to a data destination
- Dashboard level: Schedule the delivery of all supported insights for a dashboard, or manually send them to a data destination
You can schedule when to send supported insights for a given dashboard to a specific data destination as one or more files.
You can send a Pivot table insight to a data destination only in an Excel or Google Sheets format. You cannot send a Pivot table insight in a CSV file format.
When sending a Pivot table insight, whether in Excel or Google Sheets formats, the generated file will contain two worksheets for this insight: one for the Pivot table itself and another for the original detailed data that the Pivot table is derived from.
File exports and file naming
You can define the initial name of the generated file instead of the default provided name. However, the Export Server follows a specific naming convention for the generated files and/or worksheets.
For the default provided name, the Export Server uses the dashboard name, tab name, and/or insight name, as applicable. It removes spaces and special characters, other than the underscore(_), from these names and capitalizes the letter that follows a removed space or special character.
You can also append the file generation timestamp to the file name. In this case, the Export Server adds it in the following format: _YYYYMMDDhhmmss.
When sending supported insights to data destinations in Excel or Google Sheets formats, the worksheet name will depend on the insight name. For Excel files, the order number of the insight on the tab and an underscore precede the insight name.
The name of the worksheet in Google Sheets is limited to 50 characters, while it is limited to 31 characters in MS Excel. Thus, if the insight name exceeds this limit, the worksheet name will contain only a number of the first characters of the insight name depending upon the format: Google Sheets or Excel.
When the supported insight is a Pivot table, you cannot send it in CSV format. However, when sending it in Excel or Google Sheets formats, the generated file will contain two worksheets for this insight: one for the Pivot table itself and another for the original detailed data that the Pivot table is derived from. For the name of the worksheets, the Export Server uses the insight name (as applicable) in addition to “_Pivot” or “_Details”, respectively.
Specific insight
When you send a given insight to a data destination, the default file name consists of the dashboard name followed by an underscore (_) and the insight name after applying the naming convention rules to the dashboard and insight names.
If you specify another name, the Export Server will use the exact name you enter.
Dashboard tab
When you send a given tab on the dashboard to a data destination, the default file name consists of the dashboard name followed by an underscore (_) and the tab name after applying the naming convention rules to the dashboard and tab names.
If you specify another name, the Export Server will use the exact name you enter.
When sending a tab with multiple insights in a CSV format, the file will include only the first supported insight on this tab. In the case of sending it in an Excel or Google Sheets format, each supported insight will be on its own worksheet.
Dashboard
When you manually send all supported insights on a dashboard or schedule their delivery to a data destination, the default initial file name consists of the dashboard name after applying the naming convention rules. You can also define the initial file name instead. The Export Server appends an underscore and a tab name to the initial file name to name the generated file(s).
The following applies:
- When the supported insights are on one or more tabs, the Export Server exports the supported insights on each tab to a separate file that contains one or more insights, as applicable. The tab name is appended to the initial file name, whether the default one or the one that you define, to create a different file for each tab on the dashboard.
- The file generated in an Excel or Google Sheets format for a tab with multiple supported insights will have each supported insight on its own worksheet.
- The file generated in a CSV format for a tab with multiple supported insights will include only the first supported insight on this tab.
Additional considerations
Here are some additional considerations...
Maximum number of exported rows
The CMC Administrator can define the maximum number of rows that a user can export or download for a Listing Table, Aggregated Table, or Pivot table insights.
- The CMC administrator can edit the Default or Tenant Configurations to disable the Export All Data and/or the Export All Data (Pivot Table) options.
- The CMC administrator can also configure the Download Rows Limit to define the maximum number of rows to download or to export when these options are disabled.
Dashboard filters and dashboard runtime filters
When you apply dashboard runtime filters to the dashboard insights, the Export Server exports the supported insights after applying the filters only when you send a given insight or a given tab to a data destination. This does not apply when you send the entire dashboard.
- This applies whether you are sending to a Google Drive, Google Sheets, or OneDrive data destination and whether you are sending the supported insights or tab in an Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets format.
- The CMC administrator can enable the Include Prompt Selections in Excel Export option in the Default or Tenant Configurations to show the applied prompt filters, if any, at the top of each sheet. This applies to Excel files only.
- If applicable, the Download Row Limit option will control the number of exported or downloaded rows whether or not there are prompt filters applied.
Google drive file limits
Google Drive has limitations that can affect and limit the size of files that can be sent to a data destination. A Google Sheets file allows for a maximum number of cells or columns that can be in a single sheet or in multiple sheets. The export operation fails if the number of cells or columns to send to Google Sheets exceeds these limits. Additionally, you cannot preview or open with Google Sheets a CSV or Excel file that has cells or columns that exceed the limits. To access these files, you must download and view the files in an appropriate application.
For details about these limits, refer to Files you can store in Google Drive.