Independent IFS Cloud practice · Reporting and analysis
Lobbies and custom dashboards in IFS Cloud: what a lobby can show, who builds it, and where it fits
In my opinion a lobby is the IFS Cloud answer to the request for a dashboard. This article explains how a lobby page, its elements and its data sources fit together, what a lobby element can display, what permission set building one needs, what personalisation the guide describes, and how a lobby differs from a Quick Report or a Crystal report. The rollout section is my own practice.
Key takeaways
- A lobby page is built from three parts: the page, its lobby elements and the data sources behind them. In the 25R2 user guide a page holds one or more elements, each linked to a data source, with two documented exceptions.
- The 25R1 technical documentation describes the Lobbies page as a tool for developers and super users, and says creating or modifying a lobby needs an appropriate permission set. The 25R2 user guide also describes a Personalize function for personal elements.
- A personal element can contain text, a web link, a saved search or a Quick Report, according to the 25R2 user guide.
- In my view a lobby says where to look first, a Quick Report gives a list on demand, and a Crystal report produces a formatted document.
1.What is a lobby in IFS Cloud?
According to the IFS Cloud 25R2 user guide, lobby pages gather data from IFS Cloud and from external data sources into a snapshot of current operations. The guide says you can see what to focus on and where the exceptions are. The building blocks of a page are called lobby elements.
A page contains one or more elements, and each element is linked to a data source. Two exceptions are named: the Links List element may use several data sources, and Image/Text uses none. A click on some elements opens a page chosen by the administrator, inside or outside IFS Cloud.
The 25R1 technical documentation says the Lobbies page lists lobby pages as tiles, with a search and a client type filter. It calls the page a tool for developers and super users, and points end users to "My Lobbies" under My Administration. It places the Element Designer and Data Source Designer in the navigator under Solution Manager, Configuration, Lobby.
2.What can a lobby element show, and how is it built?
The 25R2 user guide names thirteen element types on its Lobby Element Types page and lists fourteen names on its Lobby Elements page, where Line Chart and Image appear and the first page omits them. The 24R2 Element Designer page gives the number of types as 15, so the count differs between pages and releases. The table below follows the thirteen types of the Lobby Element Types page, with only the behaviour that the documentation states.
| Element | Documented purpose |
|---|---|
| Counter | A count of specific events, actions or quantities in the system. |
| List | Selected columns of a data source in table form, with a click on a row opening a page if navigation is configured. The page notes two views. |
| Bar Chart, Pie Chart, Funnel Chart | The Pie Chart shows shares and percentages, and the Funnel Chart shows stages. Hovering shows the column name and value (Bar), the segment name and percentage (Pie), or the stage name and number of records (Funnel). |
| Matrix, Analog Gauge, State Gauge | Navigation is documented for these elements: a click opens a page when the administrator has configured navigation properties (the Analog Gauge has a navigation link). |
| Links List, Image/Text | The Links List may be associated with several data sources, and Image/Text relies on no data source. Navigation targets are pages defined by the administrator, inside or outside IFS Cloud. |
| Radar Chart | Named in the 25R2 element type list. The pages I read give no further description. |
| Power BI | A Power BI report, dashboard tile or visuals. The available functions depend on the configuration by the application developer. |
| Web Content | An IFS Cloud page or another web page shown inside the lobby, working like a separate browser window. |
The data comes from a data source, and the Data Source Designer documentation (24R2) names two types. A SQL data source is based on a database query. A projection data source is based on a projection, and query projections listed on the Queries page can be used next to existing system projections. The Preview runs the query, so you can confirm the expected data is returned before an element depends on it.
The 24R2 Element Designer page lists four sections that are shared by all element types: Element Layout (name, title, width, height, color style), Element Preview, Navigation and Information. The designer also offers Used In, which shows the pages where an element is used, Export and Import through an xml file, translations, and the Protect, Protected and Edit Anyway controls. I read their purpose as guarding against accidental edits, which the page summary I read does not state.
Page parameters are set up by an administrator at the data source level, according to the 25R2 user guide. They appear as input fields in the Page Parameter slide-out, and clicking OK refreshes the elements that depend on them.
3.How does a lobby differ from a Quick Report or a Crystal report?
The IFS documentation I read does not define "dashboard" as a product term and does not compare lobbies with reports, so the comparison below is my own reading. In this article a dashboard means a lobby page.
| Tool | Documented | My view of the job |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby | A snapshot of operations built from elements and data sources. | The first screen of a role: counts, short lists and charts. |
| Quick Report | Foundation1 guide: a lightweight ad hoc report, not designed for large data volumes or advanced analytics. Types include SQL Statement, Crystal Report and Query Builder. | The detail list behind a number. The user guide lets you add a generated Quick Report to a personal element. |
| Crystal report | Foundation1: a type that a Quick Report can have. Release availability is covered in a separate article. | A formatted document with a fixed layout. See Crystal Reports in IFS Cloud for its status. |
The Quick Report description comes from Foundation1 documentation, not a 25R2 or 26R1 page, so confirm it against your release.
4.What are the limits and pitfalls of lobbies?
- Permission sets - the 24R1 permission set page states that Lobby Pages can only be modified on permission sets with the Custom delivery type, which concerns which permission sets can have their lobby access edited and not who may build a lobby. Granting access to a page also grants access to its data sources and elements, and you deselect those you do not want to expose.
- Navigation is configuration - a click leads to a page when the administrator has configured navigation properties for that element.
- Personal elements have a defined content list - text, web link, saved search and Quick Report. The guide does not say that a personal element can use an arbitrary data source, so I would not promise that to users.
- Widgets - administrators can add Home Widgets to a lobby page, and users can change widget settings, which are saved to their profile.
- Guidelines - the technical documentation lists a Lobby Performance Guideline and a Lobby Navigation Guideline. I did not read them, so read them before building heavy queries.
A further pitfall is a number nobody owns. A counter of overdue items is decoration until a named person is expected to act on it, which is the argument of exception routing instead of reporting. A correct data source can still feed a misleading metric, as in the on-time delivery metric that lies.
5.How do you roll out a first lobby as a quick win?
The rollout below is my practice, not an IFS procedure. In my view it fits the quick-win band of strategic IFS Cloud customization, because a lobby is built in the designers described above. A SQL data source is a database query, so it needs someone who writes SQL.
- Start from the questions of one role. Ask a buyer, planner or warehouse lead which three questions they ask the system first, and build around those answers.
- Choose the element by the question. A counter gives a count, a list names the records, a chart shows the split.
- Build and preview the data source first. Test it in the Preview with a realistic filter. An example is a count of items below their reorder point, see reorder point planning.
- Configure navigation for each element so that every number leads to the page where someone acts.
- Grant access deliberately. Adjust the permission set, remembering that a page brings its data sources and elements with it.
- Let users personalise within the documented limits. Show them Add My Element for a saved search or Quick Report they already use.
- Review after a few weeks. Ask which elements were used and remove the rest. Where a number needs a reaction, move it out of the lobby, for example into IFS Cloud workflows, and weigh it against the cost of manual monitoring.
Primary sources: Using Lobby Page (25R2) and Lobby Element Types (25R2). I did not read a 26R1 lobby page, so check the release you run.
6.Frequently asked questions
What is a lobby in IFS Cloud?
A lobby is a page that gathers data from IFS Cloud and external data sources into an overview of current operations. It is built from lobby elements such as counters, lists and charts, and each element is linked to a data source, with two documented exceptions.
Who can build a lobby in IFS Cloud?
The 25R1 technical documentation describes the Lobbies page as a tool for developers and super users, and says that creating or modifying a lobby requires an appropriate permission set. The 24R1 permission set documentation says that granting access to a lobby page also grants access to its data sources and elements. The documentation I read does not name a role that may build a lobby beyond this.
Can users personalise a lobby page?
The 25R2 user guide describes a Personalize function with Add My Element, Edit / Delete My Elements and Show/Hide My Elements. A personal element can contain text, a web link, a saved search or a Quick Report. The guide does not state which roles or permission sets are required.
Is a lobby a replacement for a Quick Report or a Crystal report?
The documentation does not compare a lobby with a Quick Report or a Crystal report. In my view a lobby gives an overview and a starting point, a Quick Report gives an on-demand list, and a Crystal report gives a formatted document. The user guide lets you add a generated Quick Report to a personal lobby element, so the two can work together.
7.About the author
Dariusz Myśliwiec brings 18 years of hands-on work with IFS (Apps 7.5–10 and IFS Cloud). IFS Certified Associate Consultant. PRINCE2® 7. Based in Kraków, delivering remotely across Europe and globally as an independent practice, so you talk to the consultant who builds it.
Selected clients: Fugro · LGC · BVI Medical · Betafence (PRÆSIDIAD) · Barlinek · NGK Ceramics · Newag · Oleofarm.
IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB; this practice is not affiliated with IFS AB.
Decide what the first screen of each role should say
Tell me which three questions a planner, buyer or warehouse lead asks first. On a 30-minute fit call we can sketch a first lobby: elements, data sources, click-through and permission set.