We are pleased to announce the release of the new version Stimulsoft Reports and Dashboards 2019.3 which is now available for download. The new version comes with minor and major updates including the updated viewer, support for OData v4, significant changes in dashboards, etc.

Updated viewer
In the version 2019.3, we redesigned and updated the viewer.exe application. Now you may view reports and dashboards, and connect report collections from the local and cloud storage, create a list of favorite reports, call the report designer to design or modify reports and dashboards.




Variables for dashboards
In the new version, you can use variables when filtering data on dashboards. You can use variables with or without user selection or entry of values. Create a variable in the dictionary and add a filter for the dashboard items using this variable. When viewing the dashboard, the parameters panel will be displayed in the viewer if the user may select (enter) values.





Charts with drill down in the dashboard
In release 2019.3, you can create charts with drill down in dashboards. Specify the data fields in the chart arguments and set the drill down mode in the interaction editor. While viewing the chart, click the Drill Down button, select the chart values, and click the Drill Down Selected button to display the drill down of these values.




Interactive dashboard
Now, when selecting a value on a chart, map, or in a table of dashboards, you can display another panel with interactive data. Select an element, call the interaction editor, and define the Show Dashboard action. Also, you can transfer the data filtering parameter from the main panel of dashboards to another one.




Embed all data
Starting with release 2019.3, you can easily embed all created data sources into a report file. Each type of connection will be converted to a separate XML file and embedded in the report file as a resource. In that case, the connection of data sources will be redefined on this resource. To insert all data in a report file, select the Embed all data to resources command from the Actions menu of the data dictionary.





Saving a report with embedded data
In this new version, when you save a report or dashboard, you can embed all created data sources into a report file. In the Save as dialog, you should select the Report Template with Embedded Data. Each type of connection will be converted to a separate XML file and embedded in the report file as a resource. In this case, the relationship of data sources will be redefined on this resource. The report will be saved with this embedded data.




Snapshots of dashboards
We have added the functionality to save the dashboard with current data to the MRT file. In this case, the created data sources will be embedded in the report as resources. You may open this report both in the designer and in the report viewer.




Images by URL in the dashboard table
Now it is possible to display images received by URL in the Table element of the dashboard. By default, references from data fields are processed and displayed as text in the Table element. If you need to get images from these references and show them in the Table element, you should apply the Image() function to the expression of the current data field. If the link points to the SVG image, you can also determine the size of the image in the arguments of the Image (url, height, width) function. After that, the images will be obtained from the specified links and displayed in the Table element.




Export settings of a dashboard
In release 2019.3, for the dashboards and its elements, you can define export settings when exporting to PDF, Excel, image files, and data files. Select the required type of export and specify its settings.




OData v4 support
Starting with the release 2019.3, we support for the fourth version of OData. Now all the features of the new version of this protocol are available. The fourth version of OData is used by default. If necessary, you can use the previous version of the protocol.




Retrieving data from Google Sheets
In release 2019.3, you can get data from your Google Sheets repository. Create a connection from the report designer to your Google Sheets repository, retrieve the data and design reports and dashboards based on them.




The Azure Table Storage adapter
You may design reports and dashboards based on data obtained from the Azure repository. When creating a new data source, select the type of Azure Table Storage, get the data, design reports and dashboards based on them.




Updated Online map
We have made significant improvements in the Online map element, expanded the functionality of this element and optimized its work. Now you can display a geographical object not only by longitude and latitude but also by its location. Also, you can now specify a data field with the values of geographic objects, as well as adjust the color of geographic objects and culture.




New maps of Taiwan and China
We have updated the types of regional maps with Taiwan and China. Add a regional map component to a report or dashboard, and select the required map view.




Publishing to Angular
In release 2019.3, we added the ability to publish a report or dashboard for Angular 6 and 7. Call the Publish Wizard, go to the JavaScript tab, select the Angular platform, and change the version. Then save the package, unpack it, and integrate it into your application. The Publish wizard is used to embed a report or dashboard into your application in a few steps.




Change the element type of the dashboard
Starting with 2019.3, we have added the ability to change the type of an element of the dashboard without recreating it. Select an item in the dashboard panel, click the Change Type button, and select the type to which you want to convert the current element.




Data transformation in dashboards
We have added the ability for web report designers to convert data from the elements of the dashboard. Select the dashboard item; click the Browse button of the Data Transformation property to open the editor. In this editor, you will find the data fields used in the current item. You can define data sorting by fields, replace values, calculate a cumulative total, display a percentage, or apply a filter for this data.




Renaming pages and dashboards
Starting from this release, we have added the editor of the name and alias of the page or dashboard. Double-click on the title of the page or the dashboard and, in the window that opens change its name and alias.




New themes of dashboards
We have added two new themes to the dashboard panels. To change the design of the dashboard, select it, and select the desired theme in the menu of style change.

Stimulsoft announces changes in system requirements for some products of Stimulsoft Reports and Stimulsoft Dashboards. Starting from the release 2019.2.2, you should have at least .NET Framework 4.5 and higher to work with our products.

We switched to the .NET Framework 4.5 due to significant enhancements in it. In particular, we are now able to support new data adapters. Also, migration to the latest version of the framework has enabled developers to improve support for sharing asynchronous and synchronous code.

If you want to continue using earlier versions of the .NET Framework, you can use previous versions of our software products.

We are pleased to announce the release of the new version Stimulsoft Reports 2019.2 which is now available for download. This release comes with the number of changes and updates which include the new product Dashboards.JS, a powerful, flexible data analysis tool for the JavaScript platform; our reporting tools now have Pareto chart, text in cells for JavaScript; dashboards are updated with the interaction functionality, Top N values and many more.

New product Dashboards.JS
We are glad to present a powerful, flexible and easily customizable data analysis and processing tool for the JavaScript platform. All that is needed is a JavaScript and HTML5 browser. Installing additional .NET, Java or Flash components is not required. Therefore, Dashboards.JS will work on most devices (from desktop computers to mobile devices). Dashboards.JS can work as a client-side solution, which means that there is no server side is required, as well as a server-side, can be used on the server side. The tool is perfectly compatible with Node.js. At the same time, the functionality of Dashboards.JS is no less than in other Stimulsoft products.



Pareto Chart
In the release 2019.2, when designing reports and dashboards, you will have the ability to create Pareto charts. This type of chart contains both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line.



Top N Values
In the new version, Chart, Indicator, Progress, Pivot elements for dashboards can display the top values. To do this, select an item in the dashboard panel, click the Browse button of the Top N property on the Property panel in the report designer. In the dialog, specify the number of top values and the mode above (top values) or below (low values). Also, other values that are not included in the list of top values can be summed up and displayed as a separate element as a chart, progress or indicator.



Disabling columns in Table
Starting with the release 2019.2, you can disable displaying the column in the Table element of dashboards. In order to apply this, select the data field in the element editor and uncheck the Visible option.



Hyperlinks in values of a table
In the new version, you can set hyperlinks, if the field type is defined as a Dimension, for data field values. To do this, select the data field in the Table element editor, select the Hyperlink checkbox and specify the address. Now in the report viewer, when you click on any value of this data field, you will be taken to the specified hyperlink. Each data field can specify its own hyperlink.



Interaction
We have added the ability to customize interactive actions when viewing the dashboard. Depending on specific user actions, a hint can be displayed, data filtering is applied, and transition by a hyperlink. Interactively actions can be defined for items such as the Chart, Regional Map, and Table. The setting of interactive actions is carried out in the interaction editor. For a chart and a map, you can open this editor by selecting the element and clicking the Browse button on the Interaction property on the Property panel. For the Table element, you can disable sorting and filtering in the Table headers in this editor. To configure the interactive actions of the data fields of the Table element, you should click the Edit button in the editor of this element.



Abbreviations in formatting
Starting with release 2019.2, you can use abbreviated numbers with numeric and currency formatting in reports or dashboards. For example, for thousands of values you may use the abbreviation K, for millionths - M, for billionths - B. To enable the use of abbreviations of values, set the checkbox next to Use Abbreviation in the format editor.



Negative red
In this version, you can highlight in red all negative numbers with numeric, currency, and percentage formatting. This functionality will work for both reports and dashboards. To do this, set the checkbox next to Negative in Red in the format editor. Now all numbers that are less than zero will be marked in red (see the picture below).



Export to JSON
Starting with the release 2019.2, we have added exporting a report to such a data format as JSON. To convert the report, click Save in the report viewer, select the item Data File... and select the JSON as the file type. You can export a whole report or only data or data with header and footers.



Exporting tables to Data
For the Table element of the dashboard, you now can export data of various types to files. To do this, when viewing the dashboard, click the Save button on the Table element and select the Data item. In the export settings menu, choose the type of data file (CSV, DBF, XML, JSON, DIF, SYLK) to which the contents of the Table element should be converted.



Export settings
In the version 2019.2, we have added the export settings when exporting dashboards or their elements to various formats. With these settings, you can change the page size, orientation, image quality, image type, scale. Export settings are displayed to the user in a pop-up dialog, after selecting the export command and before starting the process of converting dashboards or their elements.



Editing the rendered dashboard
We have added the Edit button in the dashboard preview. This button calls the report designer and opens the rendered dashboard in it. In the report designer, you can edit that dashboard and save the changes. You will these changes in the viewer. The editing mode of the rendered dashboard is possible only if you set the Calculation Mode property to Interpretation before the rendering.



Calculation of totals by condition
In the release of 2019.2, it became possible to use the functions of calculating totals with the condition in the elements of dashboards. The SumIf(,) function is used to sum the data field values by a condition, and the CountIf(,) function is used to count the number of values in a data field by a condition. The first argument in these functions is the data field, and the second is the condition for fetching values.



Text in cells in Reports.JS
A new component Text in Cells has been added to Reports.JS. Now you can use this component for designing reports. In order to add this component, select Text in cells on the toolbox or in the Insert tab, in the Components group and put it on the report page.

We are pleased to announce the release of the new version Stimulsoft Reports 2019.1 which is now available for download. The new version comes with minor and major updates including huge improvements in dashboards, enhancements in the Globalization editor, redesigned start page on the report designer, date and time formatting and etc.

New maps
In the release 2019.1, we added new maps - North America, USA and Canada, South America, Oman, Qatar, and the Middle East. Add the Region Map element, open the editor and select the required map view.



The new item in WEB
In the new version, we added a pivot table for Dashboards.WEB. This element can be used to process, group, and sum up data values by rows and columns in a table. Add a PivotTable element to the dashboard and enter the data columns in the respective fields of the rows, columns, and results. Also, the rows and columns in the Pivot Table can be nested. To do this, add a few data columns in the appropriate field. Each lower data column will be nested with respect to the top one.



New export for Tables
Now you can export the data of the Table element in the dashboards to the CSV format. Click the More button on the dashboard item and select the CSV file command.



Updated Globalization String editor
In this release, we redesigned and updated the GlobalizationString editor. Also, the ability to localize the elements of the dashboard has been added. Add a culture in the editor and define the field values. Now, when selecting this culture in the report, the fields from the list with the specified settings will be applied to the fields of the report or the dashboard.



Interactive charts in WEB
In release 2019.1, the charts in Dashboards.WEB support interaction with other elements. When selecting any graphical element of the chart, the data for other elements related to each other of this dashboard will be filtered.



Start page in the report designer
In the version 2019.1, when launching report designers for the .NET Framework and WPF, the start page of the designer will be displayed. This page contains a list of reports recently opened, commands for opening a report from local and cloud storage as well as a wizard to create reports and indicator panels. If necessary, you can change the mode of the start page of the designer in the settings, which can be accessed by selecting the Options item from the File menu. In the settings of the designer, you can set the mode of the start page, empty report or empty dashboard.



Formatting dates and times in reports
In 2019.1, the algorithm for analyzing date and time in the report data was completely redesigned. Now, if the date or time format is applied to the text component, the report engine will automatically analyze the data, highlight the date and time, and display it in the report. Also, the values will be automatically analyzed and transferred to the date and time, if the data column indicates the data type datetime or timespan. You can change the format mask in the Format dialog.






Publishing Dashboards
Starting with release 2019.1, we added a wizard for publishing dashboards. This functionality is available from to the report designer. Now the process of integrating dashboards into applications to various platforms is greatly simplified and accelerated. To call the publish wizard, you should create or open the dashboard, click the Publish button in the report designer, or select a similar command in the File menu of the report designer.



Formatting items on dashboards
It became possible to format the values of the elements of the dashboard. For the Table element, you can change the formatting for each column. Select the data column in the Table element editor and define the format using the Text format tool. For the Indicator and Progress elements, select the item on the indicator panel and specify the format using the Text Format tool. In the charts of dashboards, the formatting of the axes can be changed using the properties – Argument Format and Value Format.



New styles
In the release of 2019.1, we redesigned the styles and made them universal. Now the same style can be used both for report components and for elements of the dashboard. We also added settings options in these styles, as well as new styles for the Indicator and Progress elements.



Color schemes for series
In the release 2019.1.1, we added several presets of color schemes for series of Charts and Progresses. Choose a color scheme, and the values of the series of charts will have a certain shade. To change the color scheme of the series, select the chart and on the property panel, click the Browse button on the Series Colors property. In the drop-down list, select the color scheme or select the Edit Colors command to open the color editor and create a color scheme.



New Color Collection editor
We completely redesigned the color collection editor for such styles as Map, Chart, and Progress. Now the process of creating a list of color styles is simplified. The new color collection editor contains the command to add a new color to the collection, the command to remove the selected color from the collection, the commands to move colors in the collection list.



Design of the dashboard elements
Now you can customize the appearance for each element of the indicator panel. We added properties with which you can change the fill color and the color values of the elements. Also, in the table item, you can specify your font, customize the size and color for the selected column. Depending on the type of element, the number of properties to customize the design may vary.



Customization of the chart design
In the release of 2019.1, you can customize the design of the area, axes, legends, signatures. All the settings for the chart design are located in the Chart property group – Chart Additional on the property panel. To do this, select the Chart element and change the property values.



View settings
Now you can define the parameters for viewing dashboards, for example, disable the toolbar or some buttons in the viewer. To do this, select the template area in the report designer and click the Browse button of the Preview Settings property. Go to the Dashboard tab and check the controls that you want to enable in the viewer.



Settings to place items
In addition to the settings for the preview of the dashboard, you can also disable or enable the options of the elements on the indicator panel. To do this, select the element in the report designer, in the drop-down list of the Layout property check the box next to the option that you want to enable for the current item.



The Open button in dashboard preview
Starting with the release 2019.1, when previewing the dashboards, you can now open the report file. This file can contain both a report and dashboard.



New Gauge editor
In the 2019.1 release, we significantly simplified and optimized the editor of the Gauge component in the HTML5 designer. You should select the type of a gauge in the editor and also specify the range of values of that gauge. You can enable the old Gauge editor in the report settings.

We are pleased to announce the release of the new version Stimulsoft Reports 2018.3 which is now available for download. We have prepared a number of changes that you will be able to immediately use in your projects. The most important changes are the brand new products Dashboards.WIN and Dashboards.WEB, the Data Transformation tool etc.

The new product Dashboards.WIN
In the release of 2018.3, we are glad to announce the release of the first version of a full-featured tool for transforming, analyzing, grouping, filtering, sorting and displaying data for the .NET Framework. For data processing and their display, you may use various types of charts, embedded and online maps, indicators, progress, table, joined tables, gauges. Also, the elements of design and additional information text, images, various shapes can be placed on the dashboard. The data processing elements can be relative in the dashboard or they can be separate groups of relative elements. Integration of the dashboards elements into the user application is quite easy and can be done in a few steps.



The new product Dashboards.WEB
Also, in the version 2018.3, we added the powerful, flexible and easily customizable data analysis tool for ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, .NET Core platforms. The server side performs all the necessary actions for transforming, analyzing, grouping, filtering, sorting data, using .NET 4.0 or higher. The client side receives the finished result from the server and represents it in the form of interactive HTML5 elements on the viewer page. The dashboards are created in the HTML5 report designer, and they are displayed in the HTML5 viewer. When editing dashboards, HTML5 designer requests only the necessary information on the server side, which allows you to optimize editing of dashboards and speed up the work with its elements.



The new Data Transformation tool
Starting with release 2018.3, you can use the Data Transformation tool to create a virtual data table. Using this tool, you can combine data tables from various sources, group, filter, sort, aggregate these data, change their type, replace values in the columns of the new table, specify the range of rows in the new table. The converted data table can be used in reports and dashboards. To call the data transformation editor, in the data dictionary, select the New Data Transformation command from the context menu or the New Item menu.



The updated New Relation editor
Now, when creating a relation between data sources in the dictionary, the updated link editor will be used. In this editor, the main and subordinate data sources are selected, as well as the data columns which will be used for the connection between these sources are specified. The new Active Relation parameter is added to the New Relation editor. This parameter is used to define the relationship that will be used when creating a new data transformation and dashboards. Besides, the editor of relations has built-in checks, and in case of non-compliance with the restrictions on building a relationship, a message will be displayed to the user. Multiple columns are selected using the Ctrl key.



Updated Map component
In the 2018.3 release, we have completely redesigned the Map component. The geographic map items and their attributes, as well as the editor of the Map component, have been optimized. Besides, we added a new type of map – Online. Now you can display any objects by coordinates, using the online Bing map. Put the Map component on the report page, go to the Online tab in the editor and specify the data columns with the coordinates of the objects.



Updated Gauge editor
In the release of 2018.3, we significantly simplified and optimized the editor of the Gauge component. In the editor, you can select the type of a gauge, circle, semicircle, column, and also define the range of values. You can switch to the old Gauge editor in the report settings.



Line spacing
Now, when working with text components, you can set the line spacing. You can do this using control commands in the menu on the Ribbon panel by selecting a predefined value, or you can set any interval value using the Line spacing property that you may find on the Property Panel.



Saving and opening a report page
Now in JS Designer you can save and open a report template page. The commands for saving and opening the report template page are located in the context menu of the page header in the report designer.



Excel formulas in Reports.JS
Now when exporting reports to Excel, you can use Excel formulas to calculate the values of text components. To do this, select the text component in the report designer and specify the Excel formula in the Excel Value property of this component. When building a report, for each text component, some copies of this component are created equal to the number of values in the source. When exporting the report to Excel, for each copy, the value will be calculated using the specified formula.



Maps in .NET Core
Now, when designing reports in .NET Core, you can use the Maps component. Using this component, you can display a value for a specific geographic element or specify a geographic object by coordinates using the online Bing map.



Custom fonts for Java and .NET Core
In release 2018.3, we added the ability to use custom fonts in the report. To do this, drag the font file (TTF, OTF) to the report Data Dictionary. Custom fonts will be added to the font collection that can be applied to the text components of the report.