Deliver Instance Custom Fields

Note: This article is intended for database administrators. Ensure the following tasks are completed by someone with the appropriate database administration privileges.

Deliver instance tables represent the culmination of all extraction, transformation, and loading that occurs before tables are added to the Deliver instance. Custom fields provide a way to present content that is not normally available from a Prepare instance field.

Add a custom field

1. Right-click a table in the Deliver instance and click Add Custom Field to open the custom field editor.

   

2. In the Name box, enter a name for the field.
3. In the Description box, enter a description for the custom field. This may be displayed in front-end tools.
   Note:

   Description applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

4. In the Data type list, select the data type for the custom field.
   Note:

   Data type applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

5. In the Data format list, select the data format for the custom field. For some data types, only one format is available. Click Customize to adjust the format, for example to set the number of decimal places for a decimal number.
   Note:

   Data format applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

6. In the Category list, select the category for the custom field.
   Note:

   Category applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

7. In the Summarize by list, select the type of aggregation to use with the custom field in front-end applications such as Power BI.
   Note:

   Summarize by applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

8. In the Sort by list, select the field whose values will be used to sort the custom field.
   Note:

   Sort by applies to SSAS Tabular and Power BI Premium endpoints only.

9. In the Script box, enter the script that generates the value for the custom field. Because script syntax differs between endpoint types, a separate script can be added for each endpoint type. Click an endpoint type in the Endpoints list to switch between endpoint types. Any endpoint type without a specific script uses the Default script. Drag fields from the Available parameters list into the Script pane to use them as parameters. Click Show translation to preview the script that will be deployed to the endpoint.

Example: merging two fields using a custom field

The following example demonstrates how to merge two fields into a single custom field in the Customer table, configured for different endpoint types.

Qlik Sense endpoint

• Data type: Text
• Data format: Text
• Category: Uncategorized (no suitable category for this field)
• Summarize by and Sort by are not available for Qlik and Tableau endpoints.
• The two fields are dragged into the Script pane from the Available parameters area.
• The ampersand (&) character is used to concatenate the fields, as recommended for Qlik endpoints.

Tabular endpoint

• The Sort by field is configured because Tabular endpoints support sorting. The No_ field is used for sorting.
• The script uses the CONCATENATE function to merge the two fields.

Tableau endpoint

• The Tableau endpoint uses plus signs (+) instead of ampersands (&) to concatenate fields.

Default endpoint

• Only the field name is added to the Default script, ensuring a fallback value is applied for any endpoint type that does not have a specific script.