Custom components in a data-agnostic dashboard runtime

Abstract

A method implements a dashboard runtime that comprises a custom visualization component to render a visual representation of a data items of one or more queried datasets in a GUI; at least one query associated with at least the custom component; and an API to provide communication between the custom component and the at least one query. The API detects a user interaction with of a portion of the custom component via a first message that informs the dashboard runtime of the detected user interaction; passes a second message to the at least one query instructing the at least one query to rerun to receive an updated query dataset; and passes the updated dataset via a third message to the custom component and to any other components associated with the at least one query, such that the custom component and the other components automatically render updated visual representations of the updated dataset.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 implementing, by at least one computer processor, a dashboard runtime, the dashboard runtime comprising:   a custom visualization component to render a visual representation of a data items of one or more queried datasets in a graphical user interface (GUI);   at least one query associated with at least the custom visualization component; and   an application data interface (API) to provide communication between the custom visualization component and the at least one query, wherein the API includes instructions for:
 detecting a user interaction with of a portion of the custom visualization component via a first message that informs the dashboard runtime of the detected user interaction; 
 passing a second message to the at least one query instructing the at least one query to rerun to receive an updated query dataset based on the detected user interaction; and 
 passing the updated query dataset via a third message to the custom visualization component and to any other visualization components associated with the at least one query, such that the custom visualization component and the other visualization components automatically render updated visual representations of the updated query dataset in the GUI. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: implementing, by the dashboard runtime, a dashboard application builder to receive a configuration from a user that associates the custom visualization component with the at least one query. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising: invoking, by the dashboard application builder, a configuration wizard that allows the user to configure an instance of a selected custom visualization component from a set of custom visualization components, and to define the a least one query declaratively in a graphical user interface (GUI). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising: displaying in the GUI, by the dashboard application builder, a set of built-in visualization components and the set of custom visualization components for user selection. 
     
     
         5 . The method of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein a graphical user interface comprises a drag and drop interface that enables the user to drag and drop desired built-in visualization components and custom visualization components into the dashboard application, which results in creation of respective widgets. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising: receiving, by the configuration wizard, declarative metadata entered by the user, the declarative metadata defining the at least one query, a linked data source, and other parameters, and storing the declarative metadata in a declarative file stored within a database system or data repository. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , when a user interacts with the custom visualization component within the dashboard application, reading, by the dashboard application, the declarative file to execute the defined query to have the query dataset rendered by the custom visualization component. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: filtering the updated query dataset using one or more of global and embedded filters that are shared across multiple queries. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: implementing, by the dashboard runtime, the custom visualization component as a first layer, and implementing the at least one query and the one or more queried datasets as a second layer separate from the first layer. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising: routing, by the API, messages to and from different layers and translating or formatting the messages for consumption by the different layers, such that the different layers can be replaced with new layers without requiring remaining layers to be updated to communicate with the new layers. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, are configurable to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 implementing, by at least one computer processor, a dashboard runtime, the dashboard runtime comprising:   a custom visualization component to render a visual representation of a data items of one or more queried datasets in a graphical user interface (GUI);   at least one query associated with at least the custom visualization component; and   an application data interface (API) to provide communication between the custom visualization component and the at least one query, wherein the API includes instructions for:
 detecting a user interaction with of a portion of the custom visualization component via a first message that informs the dashboard runtime of the detected user interaction; 
 passing a second message to the at least one query instructing the at least one query to rerun to receive an updated query dataset based on the detected user interaction; and 
 passing the updated query dataset via a third message to the custom visualization component and to any other visualization components associated with the at least one query, such that the custom visualization component and the other visualization components automatically render updated visual representations of the updated query dataset in the GUI. 
   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising: implementing, by the dashboard runtime, a dashboard application builder to receive a configuration from a user that associates the custom visualization component with the at least one query. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , further comprising: invoking, by the dashboard application builder, a configuration wizard that allows the user to configure an instance of a selected custom visualization component from a set of custom visualization components, and to define the at least one query declaratively in a graphical user interface (GUI). 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , further comprising: displaying in the GUI, by the dashboard application builder, a set of built-in visualization components and the set of custom visualization components for user selection. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein a graphical user interface comprises a drag and drop interface that enables the user to drag and drop desired built-in visualization components and custom visualization components into the dashboard application, which results in creation of respective widgets. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , further comprising: receiving, by the configuration wizard, declarative metadata entered by the user, the declarative metadata defining the at least one query, a linked data source, and other parameters, and storing the declarative metadata in a declarative file stored within a database system or data repository. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , when a user interacts with the custom visualization component within the dashboard application, reading, by the dashboard application, the declarative file to execute the defined query to have the query dataset rendered by the custom visualization component. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising: filtering the updated query dataset using one or more of global and embedded filters that are shared across multiple queries. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 implementing, by the dashboard runtime, the custom visualization component as a first layer, and implementing the at least one query and the one or more queried datasets as a second layer separate from the first layer; and   routing, by the API, messages to and from different layers and translating or formatting the messages for consumption by the different layers, such that the different layers can be replaced with new layers without requiring remaining layers to be updated to communicate with the new layers.   
     
     
         20 . An apparatus comprising:
 a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that stores software of a dashboard runtime environment; and   a computer processor coupled to the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium to execute the software that implements the dashboard runtime environment and that is configurable to:
 separate, in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a dashboard application, widgets that render visual representations of query datasets from queries that provide the query datasets to the widgets; 
 implement an application builder that is configurable to:
 display a set of custom visualization components; 
 receive a user selection of a first custom visualization component; 
 enable the user to define a first query and associate the first query with the first custom visualization component to create a first widget, wherein the query is also associated with a second widget; 
 
 implement an application data interface (API) to provide communication between the widgets and the queries, wherein the API is configurable to:
 detect a user interaction with of a portion of the first widget via a first message from an input system; 
 pass a second message to the first query instructing the first query to run to receive an updated query dataset based on the detected user interaction; and 
 pass the updated query dataset via a third message to the first widget and the second widget, such that the first widget and the second widget automatically render updated visual representations of the updated query dataset in the GUI.