Arena
The Metric functionality in Arena is a very powerful tool for viewing changes in data over time (yes, I know, the UI could still use some improvements). Essentially it allows you to create any number of metrics by specifying a SQL statement that just returns one numeric value. Arena will then run that statement how [...]
In the past I’ve blogged about how to generate dynamic HTML content based on the query string using the “HTML From Stored Procedure” module. With the latest release of Arena (v 2008.1) the “Advanced HTML Text” module also has some smarts built into it to render content specific to the query string. We took advantage [...]
Something that has helped us make considerable performance improvements in Arena is the use of Common Table Expressions. Common Table Expressions are especially useful when we need a list of hierarchal data. For example below are two stored procedures that were previously used to get a list of tag members in a hierarchal list [...]
I’ve gotten a few questions about how Arena determines the appropriate portal to load when someone requests an Arena site. Here’s the steps that Arena goes through to determine which portal should be loaded… The first thing it checks is if a “portal” query string parameter was specified. If so, it loads the portal with [...]
I recently needed to delete all the Arena images from the util_blob table in a copy of our production database. Doing a DELETE would take too long since it’s a logged transaction and we have Gigs of stored image data. Using TRUNCATE is what I wanted to do since it’s not a logged transaction and [...]
If you’ve attempted to create Geographic Areas in Arena, you know it’s a difficult process. Fortunately there’s an easier way. Using Microsoft MapPoint, you can draw freeform shapes on a map, and then use a new utility to import those shapes into Arena as areas. Below is a video that shows how to do this. [...]
If you’ve configured Arena to email you every exception that occurs in Arena, you may get tired of seeing the exceptions that occur when a search bot crawls your site. I certainly do. Fortunately, you can configure Arena so that it ignores exceptions based on the value of the HTTP_USER_AGENT http header. When an exception [...]
Jon suggested I create a quick video that demonstrates how easy it is to create, register, and use a custom module in Arena. Caleb Tucker did a similar presentation at last month’s Developer Roundtable, but if you missed that, then here’s a video that walks you through the process and shows some of the Arena [...]
Here’s an example of using the “HTML From Stored Procedure” module to display our “Next Step” information at the top of the person detail page. As you can imagine, the HTML displayed varies depending on the person you look at. This is possible because when Arena renders an “HTML From Stored Procedure” or a “Report [...]
If you’ve used the “Report Grid From Query” module that Arena provides, you know that it can be a powerful and simple way to display custom data within Arena (If you’re a member of the Arena community, you can read how to use this module in the Reporting forum). Unfortunately, with this module, you’re limited [...]
