Release Notes

AQL Expression is the next-gen upgrade to our current Business Calculation mechanism, designed to give you a more powerful and flexible way of querying data for various analytics purposes, including but not limited to:

• Cross-model Calculation - Perform calculations across multiple models without having to manually merge the data via SQL Model.
• Nested Aggregation - Create more complex calculations by nesting functions and aggregations within each other.
• Add Filtering in an AQL Expression - Filter your data at the query level rather than having to do it in a separate step.
• Support Date/Time Intelligence Functions - Analyze your data over time using powerful date/time intelligence functions.
• Subgroup Calculation - Perform calculations on subgroups of your data without having to create a separate query for each subgroup.

And so much more! To illustrate AQL’s capabilities, let’s go over these 02 examples: Sub-group Calculation, and Cross-model Calculation.

01. Cross-model Calculation​

Let’s say you are a Country Manager of an Ecommerce Company and you want to calculate the Revenue by Country.

The formula to calculate it is the sum of the product price (from the Product model) multiplied by the quantity (from the Order Items model).

They are from 2 different models so you can write an AQL expression like the video below

Sample syntax

sum(order_items.quantity) * 1.0 /
  eval(sum(order_items.quantity),exclude(users.age_group))

02. Sub-group Calculation​

With AQL Expression, you can perform Subgroup Calculations flexibly and easily without having to create SQL (or transform) Models.

Here's the sample syntax:

sum(order_items.quantity) * 1.0 / 
eval(sum(order_items.quantity), exclude(users.age_group))

Learn more here: [Upcoming] Our brand new Analytics Query Language, AQL!

Holistics is currently working on a significant improvement to our Modeling layer called Dynamic Models (feature request). This feature allows analysts to define reports that can take user inputs, and inject them directly into a model/report definition.

This feature is currently under development and is expected to be released in beta end of Q2 2023. Once released, it will only be available in Holistics 4.0.

How it works:

• A new concept is introduced, called “dynamic model” — a data model that can take in parameters and will only be resolved in real-time.
• Analysts can create reports from dynamic models
• When a dynamic model is used in a report, end users can input values that feed directly into the model’s parameters

One of our latest developments is Date Parameter which will be available in our upcoming beta release. To create a Date Param and use it in the SQL definition of a Query Model, you just need 02 steps:

1. Define the Date Param

param created_at_param {
  label: 'Created At Param'
  type: 'datetime'
}

2. Use the Date Param in your SQL definition

SELECT ...
FROM ...
WHERE {%filter(created_at_param) %} date_column {%end %}

That’s it. And it’ll look like this in action. (You can also watch the video version here).

Learn more here: Upcoming Launch: Dynamic Models (aka Query Parameters)

Imagine running a marathon in flip-flops. It can be done - but at what cost?

An efficient keyboard is like a pair of top-notch running shoes - it just makes the journey more bearable, especially when you're sprinting through heaps of data. This is why we’ll be introducing a new array of exciting features to help you keyboard-sprinting through data - instead of flip-flopping through it :)

We’ll be rolling out the following features:

• 🎨 Command Palette
• 🔄 Unified Command Palette & Search experience

If you have any feedback for us, feel free to share it here.

We have upgraded our Users APIs with much more power, such as delete, restore, resend invites, and more! Now it’s ready for you to take the workflow automation of User Management to a whole new level! 👆

Check it out at Users API Package | Holistics Docs.

This feature will help you change the timezone where your data is processed and displayed.

For example, if your business operates in Singapore, you will probably want every calculation to be handled in UTC+08:00.

For more information and detailed instructions, please refer to our public documentation: Timezone Settings | Holistics Docs

We value your feedback, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and suggestions with us.

The highly-requested Relationship Diagram for Holistics As-code (Holistics 4.0) is finally here.

Going forward, you have the option to work with your relationships in the Diagram view beside the usual List view.

(It's like choosing between a hearty medium-rare steak and a creamy and cheerful lemon cheesecake - having one is good, but having both is even better!)

Learn more here: Launch: Relationship Diagram for Holistics As-Code

Fresh out of the oven: API for Updating Data Source!! 🥳

More details here if this is something you're interested in you: Data Sources API Package | Holistics Docs.

We're glad to announce that we have recently achieved Select Tier partner status as part of the Snowflake Partner Network, solidifying our robust relationship with Snowflake and reaffirming Holistics’ commitment to data cloud’s best practices for product integration.

We hope that with this partnership, Holistics customers continue to derive greater value from data by enabling your entire organization to easily access, explore, and visualize data - enabled by Holistics’s self-service functionalities on top of Snowflake’s fast, flexible, and scalable data platform.

Read our full announcement here: Press Release: Holistics Achieved Select Tier Partner Status with Snowflake

With the latest search improvements, you're now able to experience:

• Improved Search Algorithms: Our revamped search algorithms are now more powerful - delivering results that are ranked and grouped by similarity to help you quickly find what you’re looking for.
• Simplified hotkey: With the simpler hotkey - Ctrl/Cmd + K, you can access the search feature from anywhere in Holistics.
• Informative descriptions: To help you choose the right dashboard or widget, we have included descriptions directly in the search results.
• Built-in filters: Easily narrow down your search results with our built-in filters, which allow you to select from a variety of categories such as Dashboard, Report/Widget, Folder, and Dataset.

If you have any feedback or suggestions for us, we're all ears!

The new My Account users allow Holistics users to manage personal information - making it easy for you to connect with other users on the platform.

You can spruce up your profile photo using Gravatar, and add your name, job title, and department, easily update your password to keep your account secure. If you need access to the Holistics API, you can also find your API key on this page.

Learn more here: User Profile