Release Notes Feature Enhancements

Data Flow
With a non-indexed report, Seagate Info has to look at every record in order to locate values that meet
specified criteria. For instance, when a user requests a particular subset of the saved data, or when a
user requests the report but only has rights to access certain records, Seagate Info filters the saved
data by checking each record for the appropriate values. When you index the saved data by one or
more fields, however, Seagate Info is made aware of which records contain particular values.
Consequently, when a user accesses a particular subset of the saved data from the indexed field,
Seagate Info can locate and format the appropriate records much more efficiently.
Saved Data Indexes work entirely in the background. Users do not need to be aware of the fact that
the report’s saved data is indexed. The report’s grouping, sorting, or formatting does not change when
Saved Data Indexes are in use. The indexes merely allow Seagate Info to locate particular records
quickly, without passing through the saved data in its entirety.
Selecting Fields to Index
The following guidelines serve to help users identify the situations in which it is best to index saved
data and what to avoid when indexing:
• Index fields that are referred to by row restriction formulas.
When users access a report instance, the Info View’s row restriction formulas filter the
instance’s saved data and return only those records that the user is permitted to see. If you
have indexed the restricted fields, Seagate Info can locate the appropriate data quickly.
• Index fields that are used in Open Info Server Plug-Ins.
As with row restriction formulas, Info Server Plug-Ins filter saved data in order to display only
those records that the user is permitted to see. This process is faster when you have indexed
the fields that are filtered by the Plug-In.
• Index fields that users frequently add to their record selection formulas.
Often, many users view the same report every day and use the viewer’s Select Expert to
customize record selections based on the same field. In such cases, you should index the
report’s saved data by that frequently accessed field. (Ideally, the report should also be
grouped on that field.)
• Index fields that are referred to by the report’s record selection formula.
• Do not index all of the fields in the report.
Doing so can result in increased processing times. It is best to index only on the fields that meet
the criteria specified above. If all of the fields meet these criteria, then users should prioritize the
fields and index only some of them.
• Do not index fields that contain only unique values.
For instance, do not index a field such as “Last Year’s Sales,” whose values are likely to be
distinct from one another. If you do so, a separate index is created for each and every value in
the field.
To Index Saved Data
To define indexes for the saved data in a report:
1. Open your report in the Info Designer.
2. On the Report menu, click Saved Data Indexes.
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