Create a Group

Groups can be created manually, dynamically, or by loading from an external group generation tool. After you create a group, you can update, delete, or share the group using the Group Management application.  

Manual Group

You can create groups in the Group Management application or from a detailed list generated by drilling down on a dashboard metric.

To create a group in the Group Management application:

1. From the main menu, choose Utility Apps, then Manage Groups.
2. Click Add New Group.
3. Enter a group Name.
4. Choose a group Type.
5. If the group is to be included in filter options, mark the group Active. By default, new groups are marked as active.
6. Specify if the group is Public or Private.
7. If desired, enter an Effective Start Date and Effective End Date. 
   • By default, the group has an effective date range of one calendar year, starting on the day it was created.
   • The group status changes from active to inactive on the effective end date and the group is no longer available as a filter option. You can reactivate the group at any time in the Group Management application.
8. If needed, enter a Description of the group.
9. On the Manual tab in the Member Source section:
   
   1. Choose Single Add Mode to select individual members; type the member name in the Search members field to select the record.
   2. Choose Multiple Add Mode to enter a list of record IDs, one per line.
10. If needed, click the Status icon on selected records to remove the member from the group.
11. Click Save.

To create a group from a detailed list:

1. Drill down on a dashboard metric.
2. Select the checkbox on each desired record or use the Select All option.
3. Choose Actions, Add to Group.
4. To add to an existing group, select the group from the drop-down and click Save.
5. To create a new group, click Create New Group.
   1. Enter a group Name.
   2. Click Save.
6. From the main menu, choose Utility Apps, then Manage Groups.
7. Locate the new group and click the Edit (pencil) icon.
8. Update group settings as needed.
9. Click Save.

Dynamic From Rules

You can build dynamic groups using a predefined SQL query that returns a list of records that make up a group. For example, you may write a query to create a group of students with less than 90% attendance.

There are two maintenance types used to build a dynamic group:

1. Dynamic groups always rebuild the group membership to contain the records returned from the query, updating the membership after the nightly data processing completes. Members that no longer satisfy the query criteria are dropped from the group. Using the student attendance example, a dynamically contained group includes students that currently have less than 90% attendance, updating nightly.
2. Persistent groups run the populating query once. No further updates will be made to the group membership.

Dynamic groups are not processed through the dashboard. These groups are built during the nightly processing of the data warehouse due to the potential impact on performance for large groups. Dynamic group queries are attempted to populate immediately after creation, but may take some time to complete depending on the performance of the query used to define the group.

Aside from the Maintenance Type, dynamic groups are set up the same way:

1. From the main menu, choose Utility Apps, then Manage Groups.
2. Click Add New Group.
3. Enter a group Name.
4. Choose a group Type.
5. If the group is to be included in filter options, mark the group Active.
6. Specify if the group is Public or Private.
7. If desired, enter an Effective Start Date and Effective End Date. 
   • By default, the group has an effective date range of one calendar year, starting on the day it was created.
   • The group status changes from active to inactive on the effective end date and the group is no longer available as a filter option. You can reactivate the group at any time in the Group Management application.
8. If needed, enter a Description of the group.
9. Click the Dynamic from Rules tab in the Member Source section.
10. Choose the Maintenance Type.
    1. Persistent runs the query once.
    2. Dynamic runs the query daily.
11. Enter the validated SQL statement in the Query field.
12. Click Save.

External Source

You can load groups from external systems that build groupings. These types of groups are loaded through the typical data warehouse ETL processes.

1. From the main menu, choose Utility Apps, then Manage Groups.
2. Click Add New Group.
3. Enter a group Name.
4. Choose a group Type.
5. If the group is to be included in filter options, mark the group Active.
6. Specify if the group is Public or Private.
7. If desired, enter an Effective Start Date and Effective End Date.
   • By default, the group has an effective date range of one calendar year, starting on the day it was created.
   • The group status changes from active to inactive on the effective end date and the group is no longer available as a filter option. You can reactivate the group at any time in the Group Management application.
8. If needed, enter a Description of the group.
9. Click the External Source tab in the Member Source section.
10. Select members attached to an external source.
11. Click Save.