Configuring the Multi Entity Grid Component

The Multi Entity grid displays information about the relationship between the records in two services and allows users to easily add, modify, or delete these relationships. For example, the figure below illustrates a multi entity grid that displays Functions as columns and Persons as rows. The individual cells in this case identify if a Person is linked to a particular function (which are also known as PersonFunctions records). These Person/Function relationships can easily be created or deleted by selecting or clearing the check boxes in the appropriate cells.

The features of a multi entity grid include:

• Two Cell Modes: The cells of a multi entity grid can use one of two modes:
  • Check Box: This option identifies if a relationship exists between the row record and the column heading. For example, in the figure above, Ulyses Aaronson has the check box selected in the Consulting Services column, which indicates that a PersonFunctions record exists to track this relationship.
  • Data Entry: This option displays a value from the corresponding record that can be added, edited, or deleted directly within the column's grid. For example, you can design a grid that displays the forecasted costs for a product by product type. In this case, the rows are products and the columns are cost types (or vice versa). The individual cells can then display the forecast amount from corresponding ProductCosts records, and these amounts can be edited directly within the grid without having to open a record form.
     
• Support for Two Display Locations: The Multi Entity Grid control is both a form component and a dashboard component, which means you can add it to dashboards and forms. See About the Visual Designer Multi Entity Grid for information on how to add the multi entity grid to a form.
• Double-click to Open Records: Double-clicking a row heading, column heading, or within a cell opens the corresponding record.
• Toolbar: The multi entity grid contains a toolbar with these options:
  • Open: This button opens the corresponding record for a selected row, column, or cell.
  • Refresh: Clicking this button refreshes the grid. If you make a change to a cell and the change does not reflect immediately, click the Refresh button to display the latest data.
  • Help: If the sub-type entity linked to the grid's cells has on-line help, clicking this button opens the on-line help file in the appropriate location.

Follow these steps to add a multi entity grid to a dashboard:

1. On the General tab of the Dashboard Parts record, select the Multi Entity Grid (General) component from the Component field.
2. Select the Properties tab.
3. Configure the following fields to identify the data that will populate the cells of the grid:
   
   • Entity: Select the sub-type entity that provides a relationship between the two services you will specify as the grid's rows and columns. Note that one of the services (either the rows or the columns) must be the parent for this sub-type entity.
   • Mode: Select Exists to display a check box that identifies if a corresponding subtype exists or does not exist. This option is only suitable if the only required fields in the sub-type are links to the row and column services or have a default value specified. Select Field to display the value of a particular field in the specified sub-type entity.
   • Field: If you selected the Field option as the Mode, select the field from the sub-type entity whose values you want to display in the grid's cells. Users will be able to modify these values directly within the grid. 
     
4. Click the Columns tab and configure the following fields to identify the data that will populate the column headings for the grid:
   
   • Type: Select Entity to add a column for each record in the selected entity. If you want to limit the number of columns to a particular sub-set of records, select the SQL type and enter a SQL statement that returns only the desired records.
   • Entity: Select the entity whose records should appear as columns in the grid.
   • Name: Select the field whose values should display as the column headings.
   • Order By Field: Select the field by which the columns will be sorted (in ascending order).
   • SQL: Select the entity whose records should appear as columns in the grid. See the figure below for an example (the grid only shows people with an address in Maryland).
     
      
5. Click the Rows tab and configure the following fields to identify the data that will populate the row headings for the grid:
   
   • Type: Select Entity to add a row for each record in the selected entity. If you want to limit the number of rows to a particular sub-set of records, select the SQL type and enter a SQL statement that returns only the desired records.
   • Entity: Select the entity whose records should appear as rows in the grid.
   • Name: Select the field whose values should display as the row headings.
   • Order By Field: Select the field by which the rows will be sorted (in ascending order).
   • SQL: If you selected a Type of SQL, enter the SQL statement that will return the desired sub-set of records from the specified entity. See the figure below for an example (the grid only shows people with an address in Maryland). 
     
6. Click the Relationships tab and define the relationship between the cell's sub-type entity and the column's and row's entities. Note that one of these entities must be the parent for the specified cell sub-type entity.
   
   • Type: If the row/column entity is the cell sub-type entity's parent entity, select Parent. If the cell sub-type entity has a linked field to the row/column entity, then select Field.
   • Field: Select the corresponding field from the cell sub-type entity that links it to the row/column entity (typically, this is a field named [row/column entity]ID). 
     
7. Click OK to save the Dashboard Parts record.