Tempo Report Object

This page provides detailed information on how to create and configure a Tempo report object.

What is a Tempo report?

A Tempo report object allows developers to display an interface on either the Reports tab (default) or the Tasks tab in Tempo.

When to use this report object

Use a Tempo report when you want to display an interface in either the Reports or Tasks tab in Tempo.

Elements of this object

This design object contains the following elements:

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#	Element	Actions
1	Name	Enter a name for the object. Follow the recommended naming standard when creating this name. Examples: Yearly Earnings, Tickets by Status, or Tickets by Priority.
2	Description	Enter a description for the object. This description displays in the Tempo Reports list view.
3	Interface	Select an interface to display as the report. The interface you select cannot contain rule inputs.
4	Save as Task Report	Select this check box to display the object in the Tasks tab of Tempo, instead of the default Reports tab. Appian recommends that you only select this option for Tempo report objects that display a read-only grid with process task links.

What is a Tempo report?

A Tempo report object allows developers to display an interface on either the Reports tab (default) or the Tasks tab in Tempo.

When to use this report object

Use a Tempo report when you want to display an interface in either the Reports or Tasks tab in Tempo.

Elements of this object

This design object contains the following elements:

Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

#	Element	Actions
1	Name	Enter a name for the object. Follow the recommended naming standard when creating this name. Examples: Yearly Earnings, Tickets by Status, or Tickets by Priority.
2	Description	Enter a description for the object. This description displays in the Tempo Reports list view.
3	Interface	Select an interface to display as the report. The interface you select cannot contain rule inputs.
4	Save as Task Report	Select this check box to display the object in the Tasks tab of Tempo, instead of the default Reports tab. Appian recommends that you only select this option for Tempo report objects that display a read-only grid with process task links.

Security

Security can be configured for the Tempo report object, as well as for the various objects and data referenced within the Tempo report.

Object security

The security role map of a Tempo report object controls which users can see or modify it and its properties.

If default security groups are configured for your application, the default security groups pre-populate the role map when you create a Tempo report object.

If default security groups are not configured for your application, you are automatically assigned Administrator permissions for any Tempo report object you create. System administrators can always access a Tempo report object, regardless of object-level permissions.

See Editing Object Security to modify a Tempo report object's security.

The following table outlines the actions that can be completed for each permission level in a Tempo report object's security role map:

Actions	Administrator	Editor	Viewer
View the object in Tempo	Yes	Yes	Yes
View object security	Yes	Yes	Yes
View the object definition	Yes	Yes	Yes
Update the object definition	Yes	Yes	No
Update the object security	Yes	No	No
Delete the object	Yes	No	No

Data security

Security for the data displayed in a Tempo report object is based on the security of the underlying data source. Users must have at least Viewer permissions to the data to view it in a Tempo report.

If a user does not have Viewer permissions to some or all of the data in a Tempo report object, the report or a subsection of it may fail to load.

For more information on how to configure the security of the underlying data source, see Process Security and Data Store Security.

Manage this object

This section explains how to create, edit, move, duplicate, delete, and deploy Tempo report objects.

Common object options

There are a few common options available across different design objects. The following options are available in a decision.

Option	Available?
Versioning	No
Renaming	Yes
Viewing Appian Design Guidance	No
Duplicating	No
Viewing Performance Details	Yes
Object overwrite protection	Yes

To view options that are available from the toolbar in Appian Designer, see Common View Elements.

Create the object

Tempo report objects can be created by any user in the Designer role.

To create a Tempo report object:

1. Create an interface using the components you want to display in the report.
2. In your application, go to the Build view.
3. Click New > Tempo Report.
4. Configure the object properties.
5. Click Create.
6. Configure security for the object.
7. Click Save.

Once the Tempo report object is created, it is available for all users with at least viewing rights. The URL stub created for the Tempo report can be shared between users but will only work for those that can already view the report.

Edit the object properties

To edit Tempo report properties:

1. In your application, go to the Build view.
2. Select the name of the Tempo report object you want to edit.

3. Modify any of the object properties as needed.

   Note:  To change whether the Tempo report displays in the Tasks tab as a Tempo task report, you must create a new report.

   

4. Click SAVE.

Move the object

Users with Administrator permission to this object or rule folder can move it to another folder:

1. Navigate to the parent folder that the object or folder is in.
2. Select the object or folder. You can select more than one.
3. Click the Move button on the toolbar. The Move Objects dialog appears.

4. Use the folder picker or browser to select the new parent folder.

   Tip:  You can also create a new folder in the browser, if you have Editor permissions to its parent folder.

5. Click Move.

Delete the object

Deleting a Tempo report object removes the object from the system. It will no longer appear in Tempo.

To delete a Tempo report:

1. In your application, go to the Build view.
2. In the ALL OBJECTS tab, select the report you want to delete.
3. In the toolbar, click DELETE.
4. Review any object dependents.
5. Click DELETE.

Design best practices

Performance

Limit the number of series values and categories

The number of series values for a chart component affects performance. The fewer values that need to be evaluated, the better the performance.

Limit the number of chart components

Each interface component added to the interface used as a Tempo report also impacts the report's performance. This especially applies to chart and grid components. The more complex each component, the higher the strain on performance. Keep this in mind when adding more than one complex component to the selected interface.

Limit Queries to external databases

Store external data or the result of expressions that do heavy data manipulations in local variables defined using a!localVariables() to avoid re-executing them upon every reevaluation. Use local variables to avoid redundant queries when configuring one or more components that use the same data.

Usability

Review and adjust the chart

As discussed, many factors affect the size, layout, and performance of a chart. Be sure to review the chart as it displays in to end users and apply the best practices above to tweak the end result. Modifying your rule for the dashboard in one browser while viewing the report in another is a great way to see the impact of your changes easily.

Use appropriate column layouts for report content

Two-column layouts provide greater density for smaller charts and grids, allowing users to see more data without scrolling and facilitating side-by-side comparisons. One-column layouts provide additional space to show charts and grids that contain more data points. A one-column layout is recommended for grids that include more than 5 columns and/or lengthy text content. Charts that show more than 7 data points are generally best-shown in one-column layouts.

To create visually-balanced reports, it is recommended to use the same layout (one-column or two-column) for all report sections. When mixing different layouts within a report, make sure that the height of content in each column of two-column sections is similar in order to minimize white space. For the same reason, it is preferable to place a one-column section above a two-column section; this reduces the likelihood of a shorter column creating empty space above the start of the next section. An example of an effective mixed-layout report is a grid in a one-column section above a two-column section containing a variety of smaller charts.

Keep chart labels short

Long label text may reduce the amount of space available for the plot area of charts. When there is limited room to show chart labels, some text may overlap and certain labels may be hidden to preserve space.

Minimize the number of chart series and categories

Design charts with as few dimensions and data points as needed to optimize display. Simpler charts are easier to comprehend and also load more quickly.

Line charts or column charts with a large number of data points will require users to scroll horizontally to view all the data.

Pie charts with a large number of slices, particularly if some of the slices are very thin (values with small magnitude compared to the overall data represented), may display with some data labels not visible. If this cannot be avoided, enable tooltips so users can see data values by hovering over pie slices.

Limit theNumber of grid columns and keep text short

Grids with a large number of columns, long column header labels, and/or long text data values will require users to scroll horizontally to view all columns. Use a one-column layout to allow more grid columns to be seen without scrolling. Consider reformatting or abbreviating label and data values to reduce their character length.

Accessible reports must provide a plain text representation of data

While charts are an effective medium for visually presenting data, they are primarily intended for consumption by sighted users. To make the same data available to non-sighted users who interact with Appian through a screen reader, provide a grid view of report content. See this recipe for an example.

See also

• Process Report Object: Learn about reports that pull data from process models, process instances, or active tasks and other activities. These reports can then be used with a!queryProcessAnalytics() and interfaces to display data to users.
• Report and Dashboard Objects: Learn how developers can deploy reports and dashboards created in Process HQ.
• Task Report Tutorial: Walk through a pattern for creating your first task report.

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