A summarization template allows you to configure details for condensing data using the summarization process. Each template specifies the dataview
Defines the object data that Action Views can interrogate. This can be one or more objects. that holds the source fields, the destination object that will hold the summarized data, mappings of source fields to destination fields, and an optional selection rule to determine what data is retrieved for summarization.
Field Mappings
When setting up your mapping fields, you must map a source field to a destination field of a compatible data type. Some data types must match exactly, but others have more than one possible match. For example:
- A numeric field on the source dataview must be mapped to a numeric field on the destination object. If the source field has decimal places, you must map it to a destination field with the same number of decimal places or more.
- A boolean field on the source dataview must be mapped to a boolean field on the destination object.
- A Date field on the source dataview can be mapped to a Date field or a DateTime field on the destination object.
- Some text-based fields on the source dataview (such as Email, Phone and Picklist fields) can be mapped to fields of the same data type on the destination object, or to String fields.
If you try to map two fields where the data types are incompatible, an error message will be displayed when you try to save the summarization template.
Summarization Methods
Each field mapping is assigned a summarization method of either SUM or Group By depending on whether or not the source field is flagged as Aggregatable on the source dataview. For example, typically monetary values such as document totals are Aggregatable and can therefore be summed, whereas names such as Account are not Aggregatable but can be used for grouping purposes.
If a field mapping defaults to the Group By summarization method, but then you flag its source field as Aggregatable on the source dataview, a message will be displayed advising you to review your summarization template because you may want to change that field mapping's summarization method to SUM and rebuild the summarization data. (The summarization method will not be updated automatically.)
Column Filters
You can apply column filters to be more selective about what information is summarized in columns. For example, if the selection rule retrieves sales invoice data you could apply column filters to summarize invoice totals in different columns depending on an invoice's due date. Only fields that have the Presentable checkbox enabled on the source dataview can be used in column filters. See About Column Filters in Summarization for more information.
Building up Selection Rules
Selection rules determine what data is retrieved for summarization. You build up a selection rule using one or more selection criteria, such as 'Account Name starts with S'. Only fields that have the Selectable checkbox enabled on the source dataview can be used in selection rules.
By default, a selection rule starts with an AND container. You can drag multiple fields into the container to create a selection rule.
You can join selection criteria using OR statements to create a selection rule.
Supplying Date Values
When a selection criterion is a date field, you can enter either an explicit date (hard date), or an offset of the current date (soft date Salesforce refers to soft dates as "relative date values". FinancialForce Accounting supports the following relative date values: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, Last "n" Days, Next "n" Days, This Week, Last Week, Next Week, This Year, Last Year, Next Year. See the Salesforce Help for details of how these relative date values are resolved. Note that Last "n" Days and Next "n" Days are ranges. For example if today is May 25 then Last 3 Days is from May 23 to May 25. A filter on transaction date of "< Last 3 days" would retrieve transactions dated prior to May 23.). Salesforce refers to soft dates as 'relative date values'. FinancialForce Reporting supports the following relative date values: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, Last 'n' Days, Next 'n' Days, This Week, Last Week, Next Week, This Year, Last Year, Next Year. See the Salesforce Help for details of how these relative date values are resolved.
Deleting Summarization Templates
If you want to delete a summarization template you must first purge any summarized data stored for that template. Purging does not delete the summarization template itself; it only deletes the summarized data generated from that template.