Running data functions in Spotfire web clients

Data functions that perform different types of calculations can be created using the installed Spotfire client. If the data function is saved in the library, anyone with authoring licenses plus the Execute Data Functions license feature (under Spotfire Advanced Analytics) can use the data function when creating an analysis. Consumer users can benefit from the results of the calculations when interacting with the finished analysis.

Before you begin

Data function definitions have been created using the installed Spotfire client and saved in the library.

Procedure

On the authoring bar, click f(x) or Files and data.
If you cannot see any data functions in the f(x) flyout, you can select and pin data functions from the library yourself, provided that you have the required licenses. See Pinning data functions to the f(x) flyout.
Use search to find a specific data function. Note that search in the f(x) flyout will only search among the pinned data functions in that flyout; you must either start in the Files and data flyout or use the menu in the search field and select Find items in the library to actually search the library.

Tip: When clicking Files and data , you can find all data functions in the library by entering type:datafunction in the search field, and limit further by typing a part of the name. See Searching the Library for more details.
Click on the data function in the f(x) flyout, or double-click on the data function in the Files and data flyout, to run it directly.

Note: Some data functions require that you already have some data in the analysis to be able to run. Others might work best if you have a specific type of visualization available, etc.

You can view more information about the data function before you run it by clicking on the menu next to it in the list and selecting View details.
If the data function needs some configuration, the flyout will show a list of the information you should provide. Click on each item to expand and make the selections needed.

Tip: If there are many inputs in your selected data function, and only some of them are required, you can click Always show required inputs first to move optional inputs to the end of the list and hide them.

It is the author of the data function that determines what the data function will do and what it needs to be able to perform its function. In some cases, you might need to select a data table, in others, you would type a value, or select one or more columns. You must provide all required options to be able to continue, but you might also be able to provide optional configurations, such as threshold values or similar.

If you need more help understanding the different input or output types, see Configuring data function parameters.
Determine whether updates to the data function results should be manual or automatic whenever input settings are changed, using the Refresh function automatically check box.
Click OK when you are done.
If the results from the data function can be added to the analysis in several different ways, the summary view is shown in the flyout and you will get the option to determine how to add your new data.
Depending on the type of data function, and how the author has configured it, you might be able to add the data as a new data table, as rows or columns added to an existing data table, as calculated columns, or, for single values, as a document-, column- or data table property value. If there are multiple outputs, you can exclude some, but not all, of them.
Click OK when you are done.

Results

The data function is executed.

Depending on the type of data function and what the results are, the analysis will be updated and ready to be opened by Consumer users once it has been saved in the library.

Tip: When a data function instance has been added to an analysis, and the outputs are columns or rows used in a visualization, you can tweak your input values directly from the visualization, and quickly try out different input values. Even more editing options are available when looking at Data functions in the Data canvas.