Reference article : https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-workspaces-finance-operations/

Design KPIs

KPIs can be created in the developer environment and then embedded into workspaces to provide users with key measurable values that allow them to see how business is performing. The below image shows an example of a KPI tile in a workspace.

KPIs should have clear objectives that are periodically reviewed to ensure that the objectives are being met. KPIs can be created by using aggregate data contained in aggregate measurements, which is a model that contains a collection of measures and their corresponding dimensions. The measures that are used are aggregate numbers, such as total sales. Aggregate measurements can be set to measure the sum, minimum, maximum, count, distinct count, or average by using the Default aggregate property.

By default, the Default aggregate property uses the count measure. You can deploy the aggregate measurement two different ways by using the Usage property. InMemoryRealTime uses Column store indexes of the SQL Server database to get real-time data. StagedEntityStore uses the Entity store that uses near real-time Power BI reporting. This option allows you to deploy the measure to the Entity store and have the data refreshed periodically.

Dimensions are slicers that can be used to analyze data. From these aggregate measurements and dimensions, you can create an aggregate data entity. You can use the aggregate data to define a KPI by using X++. After the KPI has been defined, users can customize it at run time.

Create aggregate measurements

To create aggregate measurements, follow these steps:

1. In the Solution explorer, right-click your project and select Add New > New item.
2. Select Analytics > Aggregate Measurement.
3. Open Application Explorer.
4. Go to Artifacts > Data Model > Views and select the view to create measurements.
5. Drag the View into the Aggregate measure.
6. Drag and drop the View fields in the Measure group for the Aggregate measure.
7. Each measure has a default Aggregate property that you can set:
   • Count
   • Sum
   • AverageOfChildren
   • DistinctCount
   • Max
   • Min
8. Save all.

Create aggregate dimensions

To create aggregate dimensions, follow these steps:

1. In the Solution explorer, right-click your project and select Add New > New Item.
2. Select Analytics > Aggregate Dimension.
3. Open Application Explorer.
4. Go to Artifacts > Data model > Views and select the view to pull measurements.
5. Drag the selected item onto the root of the aggregate dimensions.
6. Drag the fields from the view into Aggregate dimension > Attributes.
7. Save all.

Create model dimension references

To create model dimension references, follow these steps:

1. Drag and drop the aggregate dimension into the aggregate measurement’s Dimension node.
2. Create a new relation on the aggregate measurement dimension node.
3. Set the Dimension Attribute property of the relation to Model.
4. Save all.

Deploy aggregate measurements

To deploy aggregate measurements, follow these steps:

1. Select the aggregate measurement.
2. Set the Usage property:
   • InMemoryRealTime
   • StagedEntityStore
3. Right-click the aggregate measurement and select Add Column Store Indices.

Create the aggregate data entity

To create the aggregate data entity, follow these steps:

1. In the Solution explorer, right-click your project and select Add new > New item.
2. Select Analytics > Aggregate Data Entity.
3. Select Add.
4. Drag and drop the aggregate measure to the data source of the aggregate data entity.
5. In the data source, drag and drop the measures into the Aggregate data entity fields node.
6. In the data source, drag and drop the dimensions into the Aggregate data entity fields node.
7. Save and build the solution.

Create a KPI

To create a KPI, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the project and select Add > New Item.
2. Select Analytics > Key Performance Indicator.
3. Select Add.
4. Set the Measurement property to select the measurement for the KPI.
5. Select the Value node of the KPI.
6. Set the measurement group on the Measure group property.
7. Set the measure on the Measure property.
8. Select the Goal node of the KPI.
9. Set the Goal Type property.
10. Set the measurement group on the Measure group property.
11. Set the measure on the Measure property.
12. Select Save.

Add the KPI to a workspace

To add the KPI to a workspace, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the project and select Add > New item.
2. Select User Interface > Tile.
3. Select Add.
4. Drag and drop the KPI from Solution explorer onto the tile in the Tile designer.
5. Save.
6. Create an extension of an existing workspace form or create a new workspace form.
7. In the Designer, add a Tile button.
8. Set the Tile property drop-down option to the KPI tile that you created.
9. Save all and build the solution.
10. Workspace will show the new KPI that was created. Select the KPI tile to view details.

Create drill-through workspace elements

Drill-through elements might be necessary in a workspace to help you view additional data within the page. For instance, you might have a view on your workspace to see the total number of sales, but by selecting a link in the data, you can access a more detailed view of each sale.

Tiles are buttons added to a workspace that allow the user to view data. Tiles can display a record count of data, and they can also provide drill-through access to view more record details. You can create tiles and add them to a workspace through X++ development. To create a new tile for a workspace, you first need to create a query to pull the information and a menu item that uses that query. Then, you must create a tile that uses the menu item. On the Workspace form, you can add a Tile button to the workspace that points at the tile.

Add a tile button to your workspace in the user interface

To add a Tile button to your workspace in the user interface, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the dashboard below the header image and select Personalize.
2. Select the +Add a workspace button. A new workspace will be created, titled My Workspace 1.
3. Right-click My Workspace 1 and enter a new name for your workspace. 
4. Open the navigation pane and go to Modules > Accounts Receivable > Customers > All customers.
5. On the Action Pane, select the Options tab.
6. In the Personalize button group, select Add to workspace.
7. In the Workspace drop-down menu, select your workspace. 
8. In the Presentation drop-down menu, select Tile.
9. Select Configure.
10. In the Add as list pane, keep all defaults and select OK.
11. Select the Finance and Operations button to return to the dashboard.
12. Select your workspace. The tile now shows the properties that you configured.

Add a tile button to an existing workspace in the developer environment

To add a Tile button to an existing workspace, follow these steps:

1. Create a new project in Visual Studio and make sure that the model that your project is in references “Fleet Management.” Verify that the model that your project is in references “Fleet Management” by following these steps:
   1. Select the Dynamics 365 menu.
   2. Select Model management > Update model parameters.
   3. Select the model that you are using in the Model name drop-down list.
   4. Select Next.
   5. Ensure that the Fleet Management model is selected in the References models screen.
2. With the new project open in the Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select Add > New item.
3. In the Add new item window, select User Interface on the left pane.
4. Select Tile on the middle pane.
5. Name the new tile MyTile.
6. Select Add.
7. In the Properties window for the new MyTile object, select Wide in the Size field.
8. Select My Tile in the Label field.
9. Select Display in the Menu item type field.
10. Select FMSetup in the Menu item name field.
11. Select Save.
12. By linking this tile to the FMSetup menu display item, when the tile is selected in the application, it will open the Fleet Management Setup page.
13. Now, you will extend the Reservation management workspace and add the tile to the Summary section.
14. In Application Explorer, find the FMClerkWorkspace page.
15. Right-click FMClerkWorkspace and select Create extension.
16. A new form is added to your project called FMClerkWorkspace.Extension.
17. Right-click FMClerkWorkspace.Extension, select Rename, and rename the object to FMClerkWorkspace.myExtension.
18. Double-click FMClerkWorkspace.myExtension to open it in the element designer.
19. On the design pane of the form designer, open FormTabControl1 > Workspace > PanoramaBody > SummaryTileSection.
20. Right-click SummaryTileSection and select New > Tile button.
21. A new control will be added to the form called TileButtonControl1.
22. Select TileButtonControl1 and go to the properties window.
23. Select MyTile in the Name field.
24. Select MyTile in the Tile field.
25. Select My Tile in the Tile text field.
26. Save and build the project.
27. To view the new tile, open Finance and Operations apps, and go to the Reservation management workspace. The tile should display in the Summary section.

Create custom reusable report functions by using RDL

Report Definition Language (RDL) is an XML representation of an SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) report definition. A report definition contains data retrieval and layout information for a report. You can add your own custom functions for controlling report item values, styles, and formatting by accessing code assemblies within report definition files.

RDL can be used to define charts, graphs, calculations, text, images, and other report objects. RDLs can be created by using the Microsoft .Net Framework classes. Specifically, the XmlTextWriter class can write an RDL. You can also extend existing RDLs to add items with custom properties. The reports that are created by using RDL can be exported as a .rdl file, which contains the report data, calculations, and report layout. All SSRS reports generate a .rdl file.

Implement built-in KPIs, charts, and other reporting components

Workspaces can contain main elements, such as those discussed in this module. Workspaces can also include built-in KPIs, charts, and other components that make the user interface experience more efficient and useful. In Finance and Operations apps, users can create a workspace and add existing elements to a workspace from the user interface.

When adding an element to a workspace from the user interface, you can select the presentation of the data. The presentation types are Tile, List, and Link. The Tile option has additional configuration where you can enter the tile name and display the record count. Before creating the tile, you can filter the form to view only the records that you want to see on the tile. The List option allows you to name the tab and select the list style. You can also select the columns that you want to display. The Link option will create a hyperlink to the workspace so you can quickly access other form.

 In the developer environment, developers can create KPI tiles that display calculated measures. To create a KPI in the developer workspace, you can create and modify KPIs by using aggregate data that is contained in aggregate measures. A key benefit of developing KPIs is that after a KPI is defined, users can customize it at run time. To develop and create a KPI in the developer environment you should follow these high-level steps:

1. Create the KPI object.
2. Define KPI range, goals, and/or tends.
3. Create a tile for the KPI to display on.
4. Add the KPI to the tile.

You can also embed Power BI reports into your workspace. To do this, you will need to populate the local Entity Store database with the appropriate aggregate measurement. You can set up a batch job to periodically update the aggregate measurement. You will then need to connect Power BI to the Entity Store database and choose which tables and views to report on. From there, you can create reports, charts, and dashboards, and then publish the report and pin it to the workspace.

Exercise – Create a workspace and add a tile, list, link, and Power BI element

Watch this video to see how to build a custom workspace.https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4MvtU?postJsllMsg=true

Scenario

As a customer relations manager, you want to create a workspace to quickly view certain information. You want to see the total number of customers and be able to drill through to see more details on customers. You also want to see a list of all the leads that you can filter. You only need to see the date that the lead was opened, the lead ID, status of the lead, the subject of the lead, and comments made on the lead. A chart of the sales of customer groups would be useful, as would having a way to quickly go from the workspace to the quotations page.

Before you begin

To complete this exercise, you will need access to an environment that has a standard sample of data in Finance and Operations apps, and is connected to Power BI.

Create a new workspace

1. Open the user interface.
2. On the Home screen, right-click in the workspace area.
3. Select the Personalize: TilePageContainer option.
4. Select the Add a Workspace option.
5. Right-click the My Workspace 1 tile.
6. Select the Personalize: My Workspace 1 option.
7. In the Text field, enter CRM.

Add a tile to your workspace

1. Open Sales and marketing > Customers > All customers.
2. Select the Options tab on the Action Pane.
3. In the Personalize section, select Add to workspace.
4. In the drop-down form, select CRM in the Workspace field.
5. Select the Tile option in the Presentation field.
6. Select the Configure button.
7. On the Add as tile form, enter Customers in the Name on tile field.
8. Select Yes on the Show count on the tile field and then select OK.

Add a list to your workspace

1. Open Sales and marketing > Relationships > Leads > All leads.
2. Select the Options tab on the Action Pane.
3. In the Personalize section, select Add to workspace.
4. In the drop-down form, select CRM in the Workspace field.
5. Select List in the Presentation field.
6. Select the Configure button.
7. On the Add as list form, enter Leads in the Name for tab field.
8. In the List style field, select the Tabular (up to 8 columns) option.
9. Select the check box for the following columns:
   • Date opened
   • Lead ID
   • Status
   • Subject
   • Name
   • Comments
10. Select OK.

Add a link to your workspace

1. Open Sales and marketing > Relationships > Opportunities > All opportunities.
2. Select the Options tab on the Action Pane.
3. In the Personalize section, select Add to workspace.
4. In the drop-down form, select CRM in the Workspace field.
5. Select Link in the Presentation field.
6. Select the Configure button.
7. On the Add as link form, enter Opportunities in the Name field.
8. On the Group name field, enter Favorites.
9. Select the OK button.
10. Close the page.

Embed a Power BI report

1. To embed a Power BI report, open your CRM workspace.
2. On the Action Pane, select the Options tab.
3. Select Personalize this page.
4. A personalization menu will appear. Select the Add a field button.
5. Select an open area on the workspace form.
6. A Workspace options sidebar will appear. Set the Allow Power BI Control option to Yes and then select OK.
7. In the workspace, the Power BI tile will be available. In the Power BI tile, select Get started.
8. When prompted on the Authorize Power BI side pane, select Click here to provide authorization to Power BI.
9. When you are connected, you will have a list of available Power BI reports. Select the Sales tab.
10. Select the Sales by Customer Group chart.
11. Select OK to embed the Power BI reports to your workspace.