What's Cooking in Business Central: Delivering Analysis Views in AL Extensions

Overview

The video shows how to create and configure an analysis view in the web client, then use Share and Export definition to get it as a JSON file. A developer then adds the view to a page extension in AL using the definition_file property that points to that JSON file. The demo uses the sales order list.

After the extension is deployed, the view appears for users with a lock icon showing it comes from an extension. These views are read-only, but users can duplicate them to get editable copies, hide them from a menu, and manage hidden views in personalization mode. The video also shows page customizations with analysis views assigned to profiles or profile extensions, and view descriptions that explain how to use each tab.

Key points

Analysis tabs built in the web client can be exported with Share and Export definition, which gives a JSON file.
In AL, a page extension adds the analysis view through a definition_file property pointing to the JSON file.
Caption and tooltip properties in AL override the view’s name and description, and visibility can be set from AL code.
The export-to-extension capability and the definition property are announced for the next release.
Analysis views from extensions show a lock icon and are read-only: they cannot be filtered, sorted or grouped.
Users can duplicate a read-only view to get an editable copy with full filtering and pivoting.
Views can be hidden from a menu option, and shown or hidden again in personalization mode.

Features

Feature	Status	At	Evidence
Analysis Views Export to AL Extensions	announced, demoed	0:05	“For today, I’m going to show you a new feature that is coming up with the next release.” (0:05)
Analysis View Descriptions	status not stated, demoed	1:26
Analysis View Definition Property in AL	announced, demoed	2:52	“this new syntax that is also coming up with this release uh for analysis views.” (2:52)
Analysis View Customization via Page Customization	status not stated, demoed	3:40
Analysis View Lock Icon for Extension Origins	status not stated, demoed	4:57
Analysis View Duplication	status not stated, demoed	5:25
Analysis View Hide and Personalization	status not stated, demoed	5:48

AL objects mentioned

As heard in the captions. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.

page 9305 “Sales Order List” at 0:48

Quotes

0:05 “I’m going to show you a new feature that is coming up with the next release.”
0:20 “you will now be able to export those analysis tabs that you have defined from web client and deliver them with your own AL”
0:33 “This makes it easier to persist these analysis tabs and also share them with other users and other environments.”
1:36 “This is also something that we have added with this release.”
2:15 “I can go into share and export definition. And here I will just get my analysis tab in the shape of a JSON file.”
3:07 “The only difference here is that I have the definition file property.”
3:25 “I can also set properties for the caption or the tooltip, which will override the name and the description.”
4:57 “it contains a um a lock icon, which will indicate that it comes from the extension, and also indicate that this analysis view is”
6:13 “I can always go into personalization mode, like we do with other controls, such as views.”

Disclaimers in the video

0:05 coming-later: new feature that is coming up with the next release

Presenters (as heard): Unknown Presenter.