DataLaVista™¶

Connect to data¶

This page explains the three ways to bring data into DataLaVista, the file types it reads, and the extra fields it adds to make SharePoint data easier to query. It is for anyone building a dashboard. Connecting is the first part of the Query tab, and everything else builds on it.

Select Connect + Load in the toolbar. The status bar says "Not connected" until you do. The Connect to Data Source popup has four tabs, one for each kind of source:

Tab	Use it for	Good to know
SharePoint Lists	Lists on the SharePoint site the page runs in.	Only available inside a SharePoint site. The site address fills in on its own after a few seconds. Your SharePoint permissions decide which lists you can read, and no password or token is stored.
Upload Files	A file on your computer.	Choose the file, select Add to Queue, and repeat for more files. The data is saved inside the report configuration, so the dashboard is self-contained. The file grows with the data, and anyone you share it with gets that copy of the data.
Remote Files	A file on the web, including a file in a SharePoint document library.	Paste the address, or select Browse SharePoint to pick a file from a library, then Add to Queue. The website that hosts the file must allow other sites to read it. Files in your own SharePoint site always work.
Open Dashboard	A saved report configuration.	Opens a dashboard you saved earlier, from a file or from a link.

When the queue holds everything you need, select Connect & Load. Each file or list appears in the Tables & Fields panel on the left.

File types¶

Format	File name ends in
CSV	`.csv`
JSON	`.json`
XML	`.xml`
SQLite	`.sqlite`, `.db`
Excel	`.xlsx`, `.xls`

DataLaVista cannot connect directly to a database on your network, such as SQL Server or Oracle, because a browser is not allowed to open those connections. Export the data to one of the file types above, or put it in a SharePoint list.

Extra fields DataLaVista adds¶

Real data, especially from SharePoint, often holds lists inside a single field or whole records inside a field. DataLaVista adds extra fields next to the original ones so you can query that data with plain SQL. The original field is never changed.

A SharePoint lookup field that allows several values keeps its display values, separated by semicolons. A field ending in Ids holds the matching ID numbers, and a field ending in Data holds the full records, which the -> operator in SQL can reach and which the query builder uses for automatic joins.
A SharePoint hyperlink field keeps the address. A field ending in Label holds the link text.
A field that holds a list of values shows the most useful part of each value, separated by semicolons. When DataLaVista cannot tell which part is useful, it shows the list as text. A field ending in Data always holds the full list.
A SharePoint person field, a single-value lookup field, and any field that holds a record are expanded into one field per part, named after the field and the part. A person field named Requester might become RequesterTitle, RequesterEmail, and RequesterDepartment, depending on what the data holds.

The Tables & Fields panel¶

The panel on the left lists every connected source, its tables, and the fields in each table. You can rename a source, a table, or a field here. Renaming changes only how the name appears in DataLaVista, in your query results, and on your dashboard. The data in the list or file stays as it was.

Conclusion¶

You can now connect a SharePoint list, a file from your computer, or a file on the web, and find its fields in the panel. Next, shape the data in Build a query.

Additional resources¶

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