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DataLaVista™

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This page shows you the quickest ways to open DataLaVista and walks you through a first dashboard with sample data. It is for anyone who wants to try the tool before installing it anywhere. You need a current web browser and about ten minutes.

Before you start

  • A current browser, such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
  • Some data, or the sample files linked below. DataLaVista reads CSV, JSON, XML, Excel, and SQLite files, and SharePoint lists when it runs inside a SharePoint site.

There is nothing to install. DataLaVista is one web page, and everything it needs is inside that page.

Open the live demo

The quickest way to see DataLaVista is the demo on this website:

The demo loads only the sample data on this website. Nothing you do in it is saved unless you download it.

Run DataLaVista on your own computer

  1. Download DataLaVista.html and save it anywhere on your computer. In most browsers, right-click the link and choose Save link as.
  2. Open the saved file in your browser, for example by double-clicking it.

Files you upload from your computer work right away. Files on the web only load when the website that hosts them allows it, which the Connect to data guide explains.

Add DataLaVista to a website

  • For a SharePoint Online site, follow Install DataLaVista in SharePoint. SharePoint lists on that site then appear as data sources.
  • For another website or web application, host DataLaVista.html on your web server and show it in an iframe, or add the files the way your platform adds custom pages or scripts. The files are in the dist folder on GitHub.

Your first dashboard

These steps use the sample file studies.csv from this website. The same steps work with your own file.

  1. Open the dashboard designer and select Connect + Load in the toolbar. The Connect to Data Source popup opens.
  2. Select the Remote Files tab, paste this address into the file address box, and select Add to Queue: https://code.depressioncenter.org/datalavista/samples/data/studies.csv. Then select Connect & Load. The file appears in the Tables & Fields panel on the left.
  3. On the Query tab, pick the fields you want in the Query Builder, or write a query in the SQL Editor. The results preview below shows the table your dashboard will use. Check it before you go on.
  4. Select the Design tab. Add a chart and a table to the canvas, and map a field to each one. Add a filter if you want people to narrow the data.
  5. Select the Preview Dashboard tab. Try the filter and compare a few numbers with the results preview from step 3.
  6. Select the Generate Report tab. Select Save Local Copy to download the dashboard as a file you can open again later with the Open Dashboard tab of the Connect to Data Source popup. Inside SharePoint, Publish to SharePoint saves it to a document library and gives you a link to share.

Two more sample files use the same steps: researchers.xml and participants.json.

Conclusion

You can now open DataLaVista, load a file, and go from a query to a shared dashboard. Read the guide for each step when you want more detail, starting with Connect to data.

Additional resources

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