Data Sources

Overview

Depending on how a definition is configured, fields stored in the definition can be entered either as free text, or by the user selecting items from a pick list. The data sources that present these pick lists to users can come from a number of different types of data repositories in your organisation.

It is usually desirable for the system of record for any particular organisational data, to provide this master data to other systems as a 'look up' data source.

Teamfolio enables this through the use of Connections and Data Sources.

Data Sources

A data source is a simple configuration that points TeamFolio at a specific set of data using a previously configured system connection. It is usually the case, and recommended that a data source points to a read only view of just the data required to populate the TeamFolio lookup used in the definition.

Relationship to Connections

A connection is a simple configuration that provides TeamFolio with credentials and a target system entry point for accessing limited data on said system. Data sources define the set of data to be presented from another system. The data source needs a connection to first connect to that system of record.

For more detail on connections and how to configure these before using them in data source configurations, refer to the article on (Data) Connections.

Permissions Required

To configure Connections and Data Sources, the logged in user needs to be a member of the administrators authorisation group.

Navigation

To configure Data Sources, from the admin menu gear icon in the top right of the web page, navigate to Connections> Manage Data Sources:

Navigation

1. Click the cog icon at the top right of the page to open the admin menu ...
2. ... then select the Connections menu ...
3. ... then select Manage Data Sources. :::

Managing Data Sources

The second part of the process is to set up one or more data sources to use the connection(s) you've created previously. Navigate to the Manage Data Sources menu option to be presented with the list of existing data sources:

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Creating a New Data Source

The previous screenshot shows the familiar admin grid with the administrator about to click the Create New button. Doing so will take you to the following Create Data Source configuration page:

Create a Data Source

1. The first step is to choose one of the existing Connections from the drop down list. In this example, the Demo Data Product connection has been selected.

   1. The Data Source Type field is determined by the connection type selected. The value is automatically displayed in this read-only field.

2. Enter a Name for the data source. This can be any text string and it will be displayed when referencing the data source, for example when configuring a Definition.

3. The View Name is the exact name of the view or table in the source system. This information will usually be provided by the system administrator of the source system. This person will also likely provide the details needed for configuration of the connection to this system.

4. A Data Source in TeamFolio currently accepts four Field Name values, two of which are required. The following table provides more detail on this.

Data Source Field Name Attributes

Field Name Attributes	Required?	Description
Unique Identifier	yes	Enter the name of the field containing the unique identifier, as named in the view/table of the source system.
Name	yes	Enter the name of the field containing the data that will be displayed as a selectable value in TeamFolio. The value entered in the configuration must be the field name in the view/table of the source system.
Description	no	An optional field that can be used to provide additional, descriptive information for each row of data returned in this data source.
Path	no	An optional field that can be used to provide a relevant url for each row of data returned in this data source.

Data Source Types

TeamFolio currently supports the following data source types: Taxonomy and Biography Field. Taxonomy data sources should be configured where a definition will require a lookup list of available terms for creating skills or skill levels. e.g. surfacing a list of company projects. Biography Field data sources should be configured where a definition will source the entire skill information from the external system. e.g. an in-house database application running on Microsoft SQL Server.

System Data Sources

There are two system data sources that both use the system connection. The system connection is called the Default SharePoint Host connection. TeamFolio uses these data sources for accessing content and attributes from the SharePoint Term Store and SharePoint User Profile Service respectively.

You can see these system data sources on the Manage Data Sources (see screenshot below) but it is not possible to update or delete either of these:

Default 'System' Data Sources

1. The two system data sources;
2. You can't edit or delete either of these.

Updating Existing Data Sources

Select the existing data source to update and click Update:

Update an Existing Data Source

1. Select the connection to update:

   

2. View/update settings as required and then click Update (or Cancel). In this example, we can see and edit the existing configuration for a connection to a (SQL Server) product database. The data source uses this Demo Product Data connection to retrieve Product Categories data.

   

Deleting Existing Data Sources

You can delete a data source in the same way you'd delete a connection. After selecting a data source to delete and clicking the Delete button, you will be prompted to confirm deletion of the data source to make sure the deletion is intended.

caution

Any definitions that use the data source that you're deleting, either as the main source of field (skill) values or as a lookup far a skill rating, the definition(s) will no longer provide access to these look up data sources for new skills/ratings. Existing data will however remain.

If the data source is subsequently recreated with a view to having the same definition(s) reuse the data source, even if the data source has the same name, uses the same connection and points to the same view/table, it is still effectively a new data source. The definition(s) will (all) need to be reconfigured to utilise this new data source.

Example: Definition Using a Custom Data Source

In this example, we look at the Bicycle Products [EDS] definition. (the '[EDS]' tagged on at the end of this particular definition exists only because this screenshot is taken from a demonstration environment. It refers to this definition having an 'External Data Source', purely to aid the person do the demo!)

When this definition was configured, it was set up to use the Product Categories data source when the Term Set Enabled flag was set to true.

Configure Definition Data Source(s)

TIP

You can use a custom data source for configuring either, or both of the Field data source and/or the Skill Rating data source. In this example, the custom Product Categories data source is used for the Field and a SharePoint Term Set is used for the 'skill rating', labelled Experience.

The following screenshot shows how this definition appears on a profile page:

Profile Page View of Definition with Custom Data Source

You can see it looks just like any other term-connected definition and for those with appropriate permissions, the data can be edited just like a normal definition with the additional ability for users to filter the data list in the right panel. This was included to cater for:

• the fact that data from an external data source may present a very long list of values;
• external data sources from a relational database table or view are not hierarchical:

Managing Profile Data for a Definition with a Custom Data Source

1. In this example, these values come from a remote (SQL Server) database that is the organisation's Products database or system of record;
2. The user can filter long lists of data;
3. In this example, the Experience skill rating looks up data from a term set in a SharePoint Term Store. :::