Leadership Management Dashboard Open Source Design Document

Leadership Management Dashboard Version 4.1

(LMD 4.1)

System Design Specification

Prepared for

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture

By Barquin International

Last Updated March 30, 2011

LMD 4.1 System Design Specification

March 30, 2011

CONTENTS

1. Introduction ....................................................... 1 1.1. Background .................................................................................... 1 1.2. Document Purpose ........................................................................ 1 1.3. Assumptions and Constraints ........................................................ 1

2. Overview ........................................................... 2 2.1. Current Architecture....................................................................... 2 2.2. Architecture for Release 4.0 .......................................................... 3

2.2.1. Server Architecture Diagram ..................................................... 3 2.2.2. Server Communication Overview ............................................. 4 2.2.3. Database Schema Overview..................................................... 5 2.2.4. Function Summary .................................................................... 9 2.2.5. Access to LMD is via the NIFA Applications Portal ................ 10 2.2.6. LMD Component Data Flow Summary ................................... 11 2.2.4. LMD Component Data Flow Details ........................................ 12

3. Existing Functionality To Be Migrated ............. 16 3.1. Portfolios and NIFA Trends Tab Changes .................................. 16 3.2. Existing LMD Menu Structure ...................................................... 20 3.3. Menu Changes for LMD 4.0 ........................................................ 21

4. New Functionality ............................................ 28 4.1. LMD 4.0 Goals Tab...................................................................... 28 4.2. LMD 4.0 Portfolios Tab ................................................................ 31 4.3. LMD 4.0 Analyze Tab .................................................................. 36

4.3.1. The “Compare” Page .............................................................. 36 4.3.2. The “Filter” Page ..................................................................... 42 4.3.3. The “Rank” Page ..................................................................... 44

4.4. Drill to Detail Using the Project Count Measure .......................... 47 4.5. Saving and Accessing Saved Queries ........................................ 51 4.6. Sparkline Display and Drill to Detail ............................................ 55 4.7. Automatic Hierarchy Display in the Filter User Interface ............. 57 4.8. Version 4.1 Feature: Create Public Pages .................................. 62 4.9. Version 4.1 Feature: Aggregation Type....................................... 64 4.10. Version 4.1 Feature: Site Usage Tracking ................................. 65 4.11. Source Code Overview ................................................................ 66 4.12. JBoss Application Server Directory Structure ............................. 69


March 30, 2011

Revision History

Date Version Description Custodian/Organization

Feb. 22, 2010 0.6 New goals for Version 4.0 Owen Dall

May 18, 2010 0.7 New goals for Version 4.0 Haroon Jaffer

Aug 17, 2010 0.8 Changed Menus for 4.0 Owen Dall

Aug 30, 2010 0.9 Documented recent enhancements Owen Dall

Aug 31,2010 0.9 Added page save and search features Owen Dall

Sep 1, 2010 0.9 Added sparkline section Owen Dall

Sep 2, 2010 1.0 Data model overview Owen Dall

Sep 8, 2010 1.01

Revised architecture diagrams

Documented table changes

Revised server port communication diagram

Created new LMD component data flow diagram.

Added section on Hierarchy display

Owen Dall

January 14,2011 1.02 Added JBoss Application Server

Structure

Owen Dall

March 30,2011 1.1 Added New 4.1.features Owen Dall


March 30, 2011 Page 1

1. Introduction

This document outlines the system design specification for Version 4.1 of the REEIS Leadership Management Dashboard (LMD). This supersedes the 4.0 version.

1.1. Background

REEIS-LMD was initially developed based on the Oracle Portal Platform. In order to develop an Open Source Framework, NIFA will migrate the As-Is REEIS-LMD Framework away from the Proprietary Oracle development framework – onto the To-Be Open Source Framework.

1.2. Document Purpose

This System Design Specification Document defines the content and functionality that will migrated from the As-Is Framework to Version 4.0 as well as additional functionality not currently available in LMD. This Document also serves as a Communications Document to inform Stakeholders of the future look and feel of REEIS-LMD. Since there already exists a detailed design document for LMD 3.4, that will not be repeated here.

1.3. Assumptions and Constraints

This section presents all the known assumptions and constraints for the project.

Assumption #1 – The Open Source (To-Be Environment) will consist of the following Platform:

Red Hat Linux Operating System

Apache Web Server

JRuby

MySQL

InfoBright Plugin for MySQL

Mondrian

Rails

Hobo Assumption #2 – Only the content specified for Version 4.0 will be migrated to the Open Source environment. The remaining LMD features will continue to reside on the existing Oracle environment.



2. Overview

This section provides a brief description of the steps that are necessary to complete the transition from the current As-Is REEIS-LMD environment to the To-Be REEIS-LMD environment and major tasks involved in this transition. The transition will be implemented in Phases.

2.1. Current Architecture



2.2. Architecture for Release 4.0

2.2.1. Server Architecture Diagram

The following diagram outlines the proposed architecture to support LMD Version 4.0:



2.2.2. Server Communication Overview

Apache Proxy Server

http://portal.nifa.usda.gov Open to the web. Hides the App and DB servers from outside access.

JBoss App Server

prod-lmd-app.csrees.usda.gov Runs the application code. Hidden behind the firewall.

MySQL DB Server

prod-nifa.bd.csrees.usda.gov Runs the MySQL /InfoBright database server. Hidden behind the firewall.

AD Server NIFA Active Directory (authentication) server Used by the App server to authenticate NIFA users. Behind the firewall.

REEIS/LMD Oracle App Server

reeispw.nifa.usda.gov Hosts Oracle Portal, REEIS Web site, and provides authentication to REEIS LMD 3.4



2.2.3. Database Schema Overview

There are two types of tables used in the Open Source portion of LMD 4.0:

1. Star Schema. The InfoBright database engine (“BRIGHTHOUSE”) plug-in for MySQL (read only) that contain the measures and dimensions accessed via the Mondrian Dimensional eXpression (MDX) interface from Ruby. The following diagram shows the Project Financials Star Schema structure:

LMD_PROJECTS_FINANCIAL_FACTS Master fact table

LMD_PROJECTS Project Dimension

LMD_GRANTEES Grantee Dimension

LMD_FUNDING_SOURCES Funding Source Dimension

LMD_YEARS Year Dimension

LMD_KNOWLEDGE_AREAS Knowledge Area Dimension

LMD_SUBJECTS Subject Dimension – CRIS Subject of Investigation

LMD_SCIENCES Science Dimension – CRIS Field of Science



2. Support Tables. MySQL ISAM database engine (“MyISAM”) tables for the site infrastructure and saved pages (Ruby/Rails/Hobo):

site_configs Saves default pages for all tabs and other site configuration information.

annotations <Reserved for future use?

filter_pages Page repository for all user-defined filters

comparison_pages Page repository for all user-defined comparisons

rank_pages Page repository for all user-defined rankings

goal_summary_pages Page repository for all user-defined goal summaries

goal_trend_pages Page repository for all user-defined goal trends

portfolio_summary_pages Page repository for all user-defined portfolio summaries.

portfolio_trend_pages Page repository for all user-defined portfolio trends

users <default Hobo table>

schema_migrations <default Hobo/Rails table>





The following figure shows all tables with the database engine type for each and the latest record count for each table:



2.2.4. Function Summary

This table outlines, by function, the infrastructure components currently used and the replacements for LMD 4.0.

FUNCTION CURRENT LMD 4.0

Virtualization N/A VMware Enterprise

Operating System Windows 2003 Linux - Red Hat Enterprise 64bit

Application Server Oracle IAS 10G JBoss/Tomcat

Database Server Oracle 10G Enterprise MySQL

OLAP Server N/A InfoBright Community Edition

Authentication Oracle OID, LDAP CAS/LDAP

Content Management (CMS) Oracle Portal TBD

Portal/Page Flow Oracle Portal Ruby/Rails/Hobo

Site Search Concept Search Google Search Appliance

Dynamic Pages Oracle Portal Ruby/Rails/Hobo

Pixel-Perfect Reports Crystal Reports JasperSoft iReports

Cross-Tabular Reports Custom with PL/SQL Custom with Hobo/Rails/Ruby

Charts and Graphs Oracle Discoverer Fusion Charts/Flot/Other

Heat Maps N/A Google Web Toolkit with Overlays

ETL Data Junction/Oracle PL/SQL Talend ETL

Personalization (Settings) Barquin Engine Barquin Engine



2.2.5. Access to LMD is via the NIFA Applications Portal

Access to LMD will require authentication via the NIFA Applications Portal at http://portal.nifa.usda.gov. (Details about the design of the NIFA Applications Portal and the user authentication and authorization process are available in a separate document.)

Once a user logs in via the NIFA Applications Portal, and if authorized to use LMD, a link to access LMD will be displayed after login:

http://portal.nifa.usda.gov/



2.2.6. LMD Component Data Flow Summary



2.2.4. LMD Component Data Flow Details

Server Initialization

1. The JBoss application server starts up with the /etc/init.d/jboss initialization

script.

2. JBoss loads an instance of the LMD4 Rails application and sets it up to listen on /lmd4.

This instance serves multiple concurrent requests through use of multithreading.

3. The Rails application instance opens its ActiveRecord connection to the

InfoBright database (MySQL plug-in).

First Query after the Server Initialization

1. This is the first time results are shown after the server is up.

2. The Mondrian Domain Specific Language (MDSL) wrapper library loads the Mondrian

Java libraries into memory. (MDSL is written in Ruby.)

3. The MDSL library checks to see if it is connected to InfoBright.

4. Since this is the first try, InfoBright has not been connected.

5. MDSL builds a Mondrian ROLAP connection object (RolapConnection) that holds a

connection to the database, ready to execute MDX queries.

Request Cycle on the Filter Page (other pages are similar)

When the user selects a page tab:

1. The Request hits http://-- - - -/filter_pages/new.

2. The Apache HTTP server forwards the request to the JBoss applications server.

3. JBoss passes the request to the Rails application.

4. The Rails app renders a default Filter page.

When the user selects a filter on a page:

1. The Filter, sublevel and the chosen value are stored in a JavaScript array called

active_filters. 2. The selected value is removed from the dynamic dropdown box so it cannot be chosen

twice.



When the user clicks the delete icon next to a chosen filter to remove it:

1. The Filter, sublevel and value are removed from the active_filters JavaScript array.

2. The value is put back in the dynamic dropdown box.

When the user clicks the “Show Results” button:

1. The chosen dimensions, measures and the active_filters JavaScript array are bundled up

into a JSON object.

2. The JSON object is sent via AJAX to the application, which routes the request to the

FilterPagesController's view_only action.

3. The view_only action passes the parameters to the model, which sets up an unsaved

Filter Page instance (called filter_page.)

4. The view_only action then queries the filter_page object to get the results of the query.

5. The filter_page uses the parameters passed in from the UI to construct an MDX query

using the MDSL ruby library's convenient interface to the MDX language.

6. Once constructed, the MDX query string is given to the MDSL Schema class to execute.

7. The Schema class checks to see if the Mondrian Java libraries have been loaded and

loads them up if they have not been loaded.

8. Once loaded, the Schema class uses the Mondrian RolapConnection object to open a

connection to InfoBright.

9. The MDX query string - built in an earlier step – is then handed to this RolapConnection

object which executes the query.

10. The result is returned as an instance of the java class 'RolapResult'.

11. This result is parsed and wrapped into an instance of class MDSL::ParsedResult which

then provides a clean interface to the returned data.

12. Once the result is parsed into MDSL::ParsedResult, it is returned to the controller.

13. The controller plugs the result into a Rails partial [_hierarchy_table.html.erb] which

turns it into the result table.

14. It also passes the result into a different Rails partial [_fusionchart_single_series.rxml]



which formats the results for building the FusionChart.

15. The third part of the response is the original MDX query string that will be displayed

when the 'MDX' icon is clicked. This icon is located immediately above the displayed

table of results, next to the CSV export icon. (This information can be used for

debugging purposes.)

16. These three parts are converted into a JSON string and send as the response to the

browser:

a. Results Table

b. FusionChart XML

c. and the MDX query string

17. The browser receives the response and decodes the JSON string.

18. The table HTML is plugged into the page and displayed.

19. The XML is used to build a FusionChart and an associated FusionChartExporter is also

created.

20. The MDX query string is plugged into an invisible HTML <div> that gets transformed

into a modal box and shown when the MDX button is clicked.

When the user clicks the “Save This Page” button:

1. A JavaScript prompt asks the user to name the page before saving it.

2. The user-provided title, along with the same parameters passed on “Show Results” are

sent to the Rails controller.

3. The controller builds a filter_page object with the parameters and saves it to the

database.

4. The user is redirected to the saved page.

When the user clicks the “CSV” button:

1. The same process holds as for the “Show Results” button, but instead of returning a

JSON response, the results are sent to the browser formatted as CSV for download.

When the user clicks the “Save” button on a previously saved page:

1. The contents of the form and the active_filters are sent to the controller.

2. The controller updates the page's details with the form parameters.



3. The controller redirects the browser back to the same page with a message displayed that

informs the user of the successful update.

When the user clicks the “Save as New Page” button on a previously saved page:

1. A JavaScript prompt asks the user for a unique title for the new page.

2. The contents of the form, the active_filters and the provided title are sent to the

controller.

3. The controller builds a new filter_page and saves it with the passed parameters and

under the given title.

4. The browser is redirected to the freshly created page.



3. Existing Functionality To Be Migrated

In this section of the document we will outline the existing content and functionality that will be migrated to LMD 4.0. In the next section we will outline new functionality and content that does not currently exist. In the “As-Is” LMD.

3.1. Portfolios and NIFA Trends Tab Changes

CURRENT

LMD 4.0

Portfolios Tab

- Knowledge Area Page

- NIFA Funding Sources Page

- All Funding Sources Page

All with sections including the past 5 years of data, with row and column totals for the following Measures:

o Consolidated Dollars (“Funding”) o Scientist FTEs o Project count

Portfolios Tab

- Summary Page - Trends Page

o Expend/Collapse Option

o New Charts

All with sections including the past 5 years of data, with row and column totals for the following Measures:

o Consolidated Dollars o Scientist FTEs o Project Count

- New: o Expenditure Dollars o Award Dollars

NIFA Trends

- By Funding Mechanism

- Goals & Objectives

- Portfolio Trends - Goal Trends - Trends in the Filter Module - Trends in the Compare Module



Figure 1: "Portfolios" Tab Contents



Figure 2: "NIFA Trends" tab contents – Tab 1 of 2 – Funding Mechanism



Figure 3: "NIFA Trends" tab contents - Tab 2 of 2 - Goal



3.2. Existing LMD Menu Structure

Existing Menu Structure in LMD 3.4

The existing top-level menu structure for LMD 3.4 is as follows:

MENU ITEM DESCRIPTION

My Snapshots Yearly snapshots of data based on values selected in Settings.

My Projects Personalized project alerts, digests, and summaries.

NIFA Trends Trend graphs by NIFA formula funding categories and Goals and Objectives.

Portfolios Trends in spending, FTEs, and project counts organized by NIFA Portfolios and Knowledge Areas with Portfolios.

Agency Projects All projects in the system broken down by sponsoring agency, including NIFA, ARS, FS, ERS, or State Partners.

Workload Workload of NPLs by Unit and Section and type…

AREERA POW

Detailed snapshots regarding Plans and Annual Reports for selected Formula funds, with views from Strategic Goals perspective, Portfolio Perspective, Funding Perspective, Geographical perspective, Institution perspective. Also search outcomes by keyword, portfolio, goal, or Knowledge Area.

Settings Personalize views of Projects and Snapshots by the following dimensions: Program Area, Program, FDC, Knowledge Area, Subject of Investigation, Field of Science, and Location.

Definitions Web view of important terminology used in LMD

Contact Us Page to send a comment or request

Logout Log out of LMD



3.3. Menu Changes for LMD 4.0

Proposed Top Level Menu Structure for LMD 4.0

For LMD 4.0 we will remove 1) “NIFA Trends” and 2) “My Snapshots” as a separate items, as each content area will house its own “Trends” and “Summaries” tab.

ITEM LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Activities Oracle Portal All Post award activity tracking (e.g. Projects) such as “My Projects”, “Agency Projects”

My Snapshots Oracle Portal Knowledge Area, Subject of Investigation, Field of Science

State Snapshots Oracle Portal State views by Funding Mechanism, Organization, and Top 10 KAs and SOIs.

Awards Oracle Portals Award information by FDC (and rollups) and Program (and rollups), with drill-down to individual projects.

AREERA POW Oracle Portal AREERA Plans and Annual Reports for selected Formula Grants.

Workload Oracle Portal Workload of NPLs by Unit and Section and type…

Goals Hobo/Rails Summaries and Trends in spending, FTEs, and project counts organized by NIFA Goals, Objectives, and Knowledge Areas with Portfolios.

Portfolios Hobo/Rails Trends in spending, FTEs, and project counts organized by NIFA Portfolios and Knowledge Areas with Portfolios.

Analyze Hobo/Rails Advanced comparison and filtering options for all data

Definitions Hobo/Rails Web view of important terminology used in LMD

Contact Us Oracle Portal Page to send a comment or request



Separate Images/Hyperlinks above the main menu for these options:

Settings Oracle Portal

Back to Portal Both

Logout Both

The following screen shot shows the equivalent menu structure in the Open Source portion of LMD:



The complete menu hierarchy for LMD 4.0 is documented in the following table

Menu Level 1 Menu Level 2 Menu Level 3 New Open Source Activities My Projects Alerts

Digest

Summary Multistate Agency Projects Alerts Digest Summary Multistate My Snapshots Knowledge Area Subject Field of Science State Snapshots Funding Mechanism Hierarchy Organization Hierarchy Top 10 Knowledge Areas Top 10 Subjects Awards Program Area Programs FDCs AREERA POW National Summary Strategic Goal Perspective Geographic Perspective Portfolio Perspective Knowledge Area Perspective Funding Source Perspective Institution Perspective Outcomes Search by Goal Outcomes Search by Portfolio Outcomes Search by

Knowledge Area

Workload Goals Summary

Trends

Portfolios Summary

Trends

Analyze Filter

Compare

Rank

Definitions

Contact Us

Separate Buttons/links for “Settings’, “Back to Portal”, and “Logout”. ”Settings” results in the display of the following eight tabs:

Settings NPL Proxy

Program Area

Program

FDC

Knowledge Area

Subject

Field of Science

Location (State)



Activities:

My Snapshots:

State Snapshots:

Awards:



AREERA POW (menus as links):

Workload (no sub-menus):



Goals:

Portfolios:

Analyze:

Definitions:



Contact Us:

Settings:

“Logout” results in the display of the NIFA Applications Portal logout screen:



4. New Functionality

4.1. LMD 4.0 Goals Tab

The Goals tab has two tabs, one for a snapshot “Summary” and the other for “Trends.”

Note: In this section we will focus on the Trends tab functionality, which also applies to Portfolios. In the Portfolios section we will document the “Summary” function, which is also available for Goals.

The LMD 4.0 "Goals Trends" Page – Part 1 of 2



Note: The “Export” command exports data which is expanded to the lowest level, i.e. Goals -> Objectives -> Knowledge Areas. Clicking the “Show Results” button resets the report to show data at the highest level

Figure 4: LMD 4.0 "Goals Trends" Page – Part 2 of 2

Note: “Click to export chart as JPEG” is a two step process. Step 1: Click the button to export cart as JPEG (once capturing is complete Save will button will become available just beneath Export button.

Step 2: Click Save to save the file with .jpg extension to your local file system.



Figure 5: The user can switch from Column to Line views



4.2. LMD 4.0 Portfolios Tab

The Portfolios tab infrastructure (Summary and Trends) is identical to that of the Goals Tab, but uses a different rollup Hierarchy. In this section we will focus on the Summary tab.

Figure 6: LMD 4.0 "Portfolio Summary" Page – Part 1 of 4

Note: the “Delete page” option will only be available to LMD Application Administrators.



Figure 7: "Portfolio Summary" Page - Part 2 of 4





Figure 8: Portfolio Summary Page - Part 3 of 4

Figure 9: “Portfolio Summary” Page – Part 4 of 4





4.3. LMD 4.0 Analyze Tab

The Analyze tab is completely new in LMD 4.0. There are three sub-tabs within Analyze:

Compare

Filter

Rank

4.3.1. The “Compare” Page

The Compare Page is designed to provide the ability to compare any two items on any dimension available.

Years. By default the years available within the data mart are displayed next to the “Years” prompt. The user can select a start and end year to include in the comparison:



Measure Type. The user selects one measure from the list available as the metric for comparison. Currently the measures available are:

Compare. The user chooses a dimension for the comparison. All of the available dimensions and rollups of dimensions are available:



Filter. Any number of optional filters can be used for the comparison. The same list of dimensions is available for filtering:



Results. Clicking on the “Show Results” button will execute the query and return a table, sparklines, and calculations for “Absolute” and “Percentage” difference calculations.

The default graphic is a 3-D Column (bar) chart representation of the two items in the comparison, as well as the absolute difference between them. The user can select and rotate this chart as needed for viewing details.



The 3-D Chart can be rotating using the mouse see the inner bars:

Selecting “Lines” from the dropdown list labeled “Visualize information as “ brings up an alternative display:



As always with LMD charts, the user can export a chart as a JPEG graphic (.jpg) file that can easily be imported into any Word, PowerPoint, or Excel document.



4.3.2. The “Filter” Page

The Filter page provides the user the ability to filter/focus on a subset of data in the data mart by choosing:

1. Measure Type 2. Dimension for Rows 3. A Dimension for Columns 4. Filters

As always, “Show Results” executes the query and displays a table of results and a chart below the definition portion of the page:





4.3.3. The “Rank” Page

The “Rank” page is designed to provide a quick method of comparing items in any dimension by the measure of choice. There are only three options for this page:

1. Measure Type 2. Dimension for Rows 3. Filters

For example, ranking states by how many Award Dollars were received by the sponsoring agency NIFA would be specified as follows:



The results:



And a chart for visualizing the ranking:



4.4. Drill to Detail Using the Project Count Measure

Drill to Detail When the user picks “Project Count” as the measure of interest in any of the Goals, Portfolios, or Analyze pages, values in the resulting cells of any page become hot links to drill to a project listing page:

The Project List page is then displayed:



Clicking on an “Accession Number” will show the related Project Detail page:

Project List Options

There are three options available to the user on this page:

1. Columns 2. Export 3. Rows per Page



Columns Selecting this option will bring up a checkbox list of all available columns to display:

Select the desired fields to display and click on the “Choose” button:

Export This option provides the ability to export all of the information currently active in the Project List to a comma separated value (CSV) format that can be loaded into Excel or another software package for analysis. Rows per Page Allows the user to set the preference for how many rows of data should be set per page.



The first row of any export will contain the column names including in the export:



4.5. Saving and Accessing Saved Queries

A recent addition to the functionality of LMD 4.0 is the ability to create and name new pages using user-defined comparisons, filters or rankings. In version 4.0, all saved pages will be available to all LMD users. (It is planned to allow saving private pages in version 4.1).

In the example below, states will be ranked by the Award Dollars received from NIA for the Food Safety Portfolio. Since there is no filter by year, all years of data (2002-2008) included in the data mart will be used in the calculations:

The results:



Clicking on “Save This Page” will bring up a window for entering a title, description, and keywords for this page to be saved:

After the “Save” button is clicked, the page is refreshed to look as follows:



Search Saved Pages. To access previously saved pages, click on the “Search saved pages” button:

In this case you can see that there have been three saved “Rank” pages

As the repository of saved pages grows, the search box becomes useful:

It uses a real-time type-ahead matching feature that does not require a “submit” action.





4.6. Sparkline Display and Drill to Detail

From Wikipedia:

“The term sparkline was proposed by Edward Tufte for "small, high resolution graphics embedded in a context of words, numbers, images". Tufte describes sparklines as "data-intense, design-simple, word-sized graphics"

Whereas the typical charts designed to show as much data as possible, and is set off from the flow of text (as in the box below), sparklines are intended to be succinct, memorable, and located where they are discussed.”

In LMD, the sparklines are placed at the end of the row of numbers, to make it easier to see trends at a glance:

Looking at the sparklines in the chart above, we can see immediately which portfolios have had an increase in project counts over time.

For example, Portfolio 4, “Education” has increased from 201 to 633 from 2002-2008.

Clicking on that sparkline will drill to a new table and chart that includes only that row of data:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Tufte



This page has a more accurate line chart graph which can be switched to a bar chart view:



4.7. Automatic Hierarchy Display in the Filter User Interface

The LMD 4.0 user-interface is designed to automatically use the data model declaration of dimension hierarchies (rollups) anywhere the user is prompted to provide a value for a dimension.

For example, the Knowledge Area dimension is represented in the table LMD_KNOWLEDGE_AREAS:

+

Knowledge Area has three rollups (hierarchies) that are used within NIFA, but currently we are only using 2 and 3. The first is the three level hierarchy that rolls up to TOPIC:



The second is the two-level rollup to PORTFOLIO:

The following Ruby code defines the Portfolio hierarchy:

The third is the three-level rollup to GOAL



And the relationships in the Knowledge Area model:

The definition above provides the following capability:

Choose “Knowledge Area” from the Filter list:



LMD next prompts you to select from the list of rollup levels available:

Then provides the list of values for the rollup level:





4.8. Version 4.1 Feature: Create Public Pages

This option allows the creator of a page (saved query) to flag to be shared. This means that the

URL generated for the page + the ending “/public” can be posted anywhere on the internet for

access.

For example, a standard LMD page view appears as follows:

Next the public view accessible via the following URL:

http://test-portal.nifa.usda.gov/lmd4/portfolios/summaries/11-public-page-test-portfolios-summary-for-2009/public

http://test-portal.nifa.usda.gov/lmd4/portfolios/summaries/11-public-page-test-portfolios-summary-for-2009/public



Functionality Summary

The “Share with public” link allows the creator of a saved page to publish a human-

friendly link that can be viewed anywhere.

This option can be turned off and on by the creator or the LMD Application

Administrator.

This public URL renders a page w/o the current top-level menu options, but keeps the

USDA and REEIS logos and links.

The “Create New Page”, “Show Results”, “Save”, and “Save as New Page” buttons are

removed as they are no longer relevant.

The user can still drill-to the project listing and project detail pages



4.9. Version 4.1 Feature: Aggregation Type

A user can now choose either “Sum” or “Mean” as the aggregation type for each page. This

allows comparisons and rankings not possible before. For example, ranking states by the mean

(average) reported expenditures for formula grants for 2009:



4.10. Version 4.1 Feature: Site Usage Tracking

A MySQL table called “usage_records” has been added that will track usage of each page and

action within a page. The following information is being collected:

Request URL (Full human-friendly URL used to access the page)

Page ID (the page ID in MySQL)

Page Type (Analyze, Filter, Rank, etc.)

Action Name (If internal, “Show Results”, “Create New Page”, etc.

User ID (for registered users)

Type of Controller (Public or Internal)

Referrer (URL of site that has the link posted, if any)

Default Page (Is the page hit a default page?)

Client IP (IP Address of the client browser



4.11. Source Code Overview

All of the source code for LMD 4.1 is contained within the LMD folder as outlined below. This code is hosted at github.com (branch=”nifa-master”):

Also downloaded daily on the NIFA code repository at:

J:\applications\code_repository\dailiy_git_downloads\{date}\lmd

For example;

J:\applications\code_repository\dailiy_git_downloads\2010-09-10\lmd

And looks like the following:



The LMD application folder structure follows the normal Rails/Hobo structure for models, controllers, and views, but also contains a new folder for the Mondrian Domain Specific Language (MDSL) created to easily define data marts and hierarchy levels and integrate with the Mondrian Dimensional eXpression language (MDX) that is used to communicate with many high-performance column store database engines like InfoBright.





4.12. JBoss Application Server Directory Structure

/home/jboss

The LMD4 application and supporting software are installed under this directory and it’s subdirectories:

/certs Self-signed SSL certificate and SSL trust-store

/jruby JRuby installation

/lib/ruby This directory is copied over from dev to test (then from test to the rest) when required Ruby gem upgrades and installations have occurred.

/java Java JDK installed here

/tomcat Home directory for the Tomcat Application Server

/webapps LMD Proxy Server (separate CAS proxy for single process application configuration)

/conf Configuration files for the Tomcat Application Server

/railsapps A directory for staging application source code before deployment

/lmd-dashboards/LMD Ruby on Rails code for the LMD4 app is first copied to this directory before being bundled into a .war file for deployment to the JBoss Application Server

/lmd_proxy_server Source code for the LMD Proxy Server is staged here before deployment to the Tomcat Application Server

/jboss Home directory for the JBoss Application Server

/server/default Lmd4.war is copied to this directory during deployment to JBoss AS

/conf JBoss Application Server configuration files

/deploy/jbossweb.sar More JBoss Application Server configuration files reside here

Technology

Leadership Management Dashboard Open Source Design Document