The New Optimized Story Experience: The Unification of Story and Analytic Applic...

Following the last blog, now the new Optimized Story Experience which unifies Story and Analytic Application is available for customers with QRC2/2023 Release!

In addition to the new features which are already released with wave03, we are delivering further feature highlights:

Advanced Responsive Layout

The new responsive layout provides you the entire flexibility that the story layout can be optimally adapted on different screen resolutions and different mobile devices:

• Both Free-Positioning and Auto-Flow are supported in responsive layout. You can combine these 2 options  at the same time to cover your responsive scenarios.
  • Free-Positioning: user can freely move and position the widgets in the responsive lane.
  • Auto-Flow: Widgets are positioned sequentially.
• Widgets can be overlapped in responsive layout. E.g. you can define a chart and a shape to be overlapped.
• Widget size can be automatically scaled per device size.
• User can configure responsive rules for different device types:
  • Default responsive rule for mobile phone is delivered out-of-box.
  • Responsive rules can be cascaded down for different device types.
  • Auto-Flow can be based on Row, horizontal priority or Column, vertically priority.
  • Widgets can be excluded from the Auto-Flow.
  • Widgets can be hidden for a certain device.
  • User can set widget width/height/position for each device.
• Live-preview of layout for each device is available in design time
• User can add further advanced features like scripting, theme, CSS, custom widgets etc. in Responsive Layout.

With QRC2 release, we support the below 2 responsive layout in Optimized Story Experience

• Advanced Responsive Layout (the feature I described above)
• Classic Story Responsive Layout (without the support of scripting, device preview etc, more for compatibility mode purpose)

The new story created with Responsive Layout in QRC2 Release, automatically leverages the Advanced Responsive Layout capability that is described above.  Story that is converted from classic stories to Optimized Story Experience with QRC2 Release, the migrated story still leverages the classic Story Responsive Layout. We are planning to support the migration to Advanced responsive Layout in H2/2023.

Data Change Insight

Data Change Insight is a scheduled alerting capability. It helps you to auto-discover the significant data changes on the chart-level. These data changes could be value change across thresholds, value changes across reference lines and top N member changes. For different types of data changes, different chart types are supported. You can subscribe to the data changes and also define a threshold to get informed about the relevant data changes.

You can be pro-actively informed about the relevant data changes via email, SAP Analytics Cloud notification and  notification on SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile Application. In addition, Data Change Insights across different stories can be displayed on SAC Home Screen. You can filter, search and see more details about the particular data change insight  and also navigate from data change insight to the associated story.

Last but not least, Data Change Insight supports imported and live data sources. We provide the additional option for live connection that you can save the data snapshot in a remote repository within your company firewall in case you have concern about data security.

Check out this blog about how to leverage Data Change Insight capability for BW live connections.

Mobile Support for Optimized Story Experience

With QRC2/2023 release, both responsive page and canvas page are supported on Mobile devices. We recommend you to use responsive page for mobile scenarios. Canvas page is more for very specific customized scenarios and analytic application migration scenarios:

• The advanced responsive layout should be considered as the first choice if you are planing to create a responsive scenarios.
• The canvas page is available for story developer to create more specific mobile scenarios where e.g. pixel exact positioning etc. is required. In addition, classic analytic applications are migrated to the new optimized stories, based on canvas page. They are supported on mobile devices in SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile Application as of QRC2/2023 release.

Hosting and Uploading Custom Widget Resource Files into SAP Analytics Cloud

Now you have the option to host and upload custom widget resources files (JSON + JavaScript) into SAP Analytics Cloud without the needs of setting up a separate web server.

You can find all the details in the blog Hosting and Uploading Custom Widgets Resource Files into SAP Analytics Cloud

Bookmark Privileges

To further enable the flexibility of assigning user authorisations, we are introducing privileges for global bookmark and personal bookmark with QRC2/2023 Release. Please make sure to grant the corresponding bookmark privileges to the custom roles you defined in your company.

Switch between Advanced Mode and Standard Mode

An icon in Toolbar now is provided in design time that you can switch between standard mode and advanced mode . You can start to build story in standard mode and switch to advanced mode for leveraging more advanced features like scripting, CSS and advanced widgets.

Further Enhancements about Integration with Data Analyzer

With the last blog we already mentioned, that story viewers can jump to Data Analyzer from a story table for further data exploration purpose and the entire table state (like filter, drill down etc.) can be completely taken over. 

Now with QRC2 Release, below enhancements have been delivered:

• The Story Viewer can decide whether Data Analyzer should be opened within the current tab as an overlay or opened in a separate browser tab.
• In addition, it is now also possible to jump from a Chart to Data Analyzer for further data exploration purpose. Here we currently support chart types like column, bar, line, numeric, pie and donut chart. This will be extended to other chart types as well.

Script API Enhancements for Input Control and User Information

The below enhancements have been delivered for Input Control:

• Script APIs that can Get/Set Active Selected Members for Input Control
• Script API that can identify whether member “All” is selected
• Script API that can set “All” members in Input Control
• OnSelect event has been provided to Input Control
• Script APIs to retrieve user information about teams and roles ( getRolesInfo() and getTeamsInfo() )

By leveraging the above enhancements, story developer can define more interactive scenarios and user-friendly workflow.

Vertical Filter Panel is Available in Story Design Time

Now with QRC2/2023 Release, Vertical Story Panel is also available in story design time in addition to story runtime.

Story Designer or Developer can very conveniently switch between horizontal filter bar and vertical filter bar in design time depends on their needs.

Story Details Setting

In order to enable the Data Change Insight capabilities, Supporting Mobile on Canvas Page and Data Exploration capability, don’t forget to enable these capabilities in Story Details Setting dialog after you saved the stories.

Demo:

Below you can find a demo video where I am highlighting the new features with more details. Enjoy!

Additional Links:

Blogs:

Custom Widget Samples:

You can download free samples from here

Thanks for reading this blog and feel free to leave your comments in the comment area.