Code quality improvements with "red pins"
As a developer I want to be able to specify which variables are MANDATORY and which variables are optional. This is a feature like type validation and mandatory/optional that makes some programming languages more strict, but also less error prone.
I want to be able to specify for variables in matrices, smart columns and possibly queries if the variable is mandatory or optional. If it is mandatory you MUST pin it, and forgetting to pin it would give you an error and warnings inside MBA.
So That we can develop better vars,matrices, scs and queries with a more well-defined interface.
Benefits
1. Stricter mechanics for "programming" usually brings about better ability to validate that the things done by the user is correct. i.e. you can see that the user is sending an integer instead of the expected string. In this case the query has a REQUIRED variable, and 1 MANDATORY which would allow us to detect issues.
2. We see a lot error scenarios where "something" has been copied and then the pins are not pinned correctly - giving hard to detect random errors in production (and I am SURE you have all experienced the same issue!). Actually getting warnings around missing pinned mandatory pins would allow us to immediately spot these situations.
3. Basically stronger semantics around the query mechanics will allow higher quality modelling and solutions with less errors.
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Official comment
Thank you all for your feedback on this.
I can see how an area, in the configuration panel, to show which variables/inputs remain unpinned could be advantageous. I think this, along with a report such as Karl suggests may be a quicker way to address the issues you are having Søren whilst we look into the feasibility of what you are suggesting? Please let me know if that is not the case.
In the meantime I will discuss these options with the team to understand the likely work required to deliver and get back to you on where it will sit within the backlog.
Kind Regards
Jessica
Product Owner
Comment actions -
Yes please, anything that makes it easier to spot unpinned orange pins would be great.
It's easily the number one source of errors when configuring solutions, sometimes even when i know there's a pin missing it can take a while to find it in a long list of variables in that small box.
How about another tab when you flip around the panel called "unpinned inputs" that's only shown when you have unpinned orange pins, and which only shows those pins. That would make it a lot easier to spot when you're missing something.
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In my case the problem usually arises when you have multiple matrices that use the same query, which then gets modified. A typical example could be an element browser where on a couple of connected webpages there might be counter matrices, export to excel matrices, and a web ui matrices, and data completenes matrices, all based on the same basic query, and all sharing the same orange pins to action panels that the user can filter the results based on. Given that the orange pins are to user inputs i can't hide them in the matrix configuration, and whenever i alter the basic query there's a high likelihood that i'll miss updating an orange pin somewhere.
Add to that similar issues where you configure buttons with complicated synchronizer chains where missing an orange pin can be critical, then it would be great to have some kind of indication of whether there might be something missing somewhere.
Not sure about how the mandatory/optional aspect is intended to work, to some extent you could argue that we already have it with the ability to ignore the condition, but it would be great to have clearer indications within BA of why the matrix is shown as empty.
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