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Custom Logging, FAQ, Troubleshooting, Business Reports, Log Views, Self-Service Custom Logging, business reports, self-service, Log Views, Search Fields, analytics, Web API, Excel, Power BI Can business users create their own reports without developer help? Learn about Log Views, Search Fields, and Web API for self-service analytics.

Self-Service Business Reports

Can business users create their own reports without developer help?

Yes—Log Views with Search Field Expressions enable business users to self-service search, filter, and export data without writing SQL or requiring developer assistance. Power users can build dashboards using Web API integration with Excel and Power BI.

How Self-Service Works

1. Configure Message Types & Search Fields (One-Time, By Developers)

Developers define data model:

  • Message Types - "PurchaseOrder#1.0", "Invoice#2.0", "Shipment#1.0"
  • Search Field Expressions - Extract Order Numbers, Customer IDs, Invoice amounts, Status codes from message bodies
  • Log Views - Create role-based views: "Finance Team View", "Operations View", "Customer Support View"

After configuration, business users operate independently.

2. Business Users Search & Filter (No Developer Needed)

Business user workflow in Nodinite Web Client:

  1. Select Log View - "Finance Team View" (shows only Invoice and Payment messages)
  2. Enter search criteria - Customer ID: "ACME", Date range: Last 30 days, Invoice amount: >$10,000
  3. Click Search - Results appear in seconds
  4. Export to Excel - Click export button, download CSV with all matching invoices

Zero SQL, zero developer involvement.

Real-World Example: Manufacturing Company

Before Custom Logging:

  • Business analyst asks: "How many purchase orders processed last week?"
  • Developer: Writes SQL query joining 3 tables across webMethods Oracle DB, IBM Sterling DB2, custom SQL Server
  • Wait time: 8 hours for developer availability + SQL writing + QA
  • Result: Excel export via email

After Custom Logging with Self-Service:

  • Business analyst: Logs into Nodinite, selects "Procurement View", filters: Message Type = "PurchaseOrder#1.0", Date = Last 7 days
  • Wait time: 30 seconds
  • Result: 1,247 purchase orders displayed, exports to Excel, creates pivot table, shares with management

Developer interruptions: 80% reduction.

Self-Service Capabilities

Search by Business Data

Search Field Expressions make business identifiers searchable:

  • Order Numbers: "Show me Order PO-12345"
  • Customer IDs: "Show all orders for customer ACME last month"
  • Invoice Amounts: "Show invoices >$10K processed yesterday"
  • Status Codes: "Show failed transactions last week"
  • Product SKUs: "Show orders containing product SKU-9876"

No SQL knowledge required—point-and-click filtering.

Filter by Message Type

Log Views filter by message format:

  • "Finance View" - Shows only Invoice#2.0, Payment#1.0, Refund#1.0
  • "Operations View" - Shows only PurchaseOrder#1.0, Shipment#1.0, Inventory#1.0
  • "Support View" - Shows only CustomerRequest#1.0, ErrorLog#1.0

Role-based access: Finance team doesn't see technical integration logs, Operations doesn't see financial data.

Export to Excel

One-click CSV export:

  1. Search/filter - Find matching records
  2. Click Export - Download CSV with all columns
  3. Open in Excel - Pivot tables, charts, formulas

Business users create their own reports in Excel—no developer SQL export scripts.

Advanced: Power BI Integration

Power users build dashboards using Web API:

Power BI Desktop → Get Data → Web:

https://nodinite.company.com/api/v1/logs?messageType=PurchaseOrder#1.0&startDate=2025-10-01

Result: Power BI pulls log data, creates visualizations—orders per day (line chart), top 10 customers (bar chart), success vs failure rate (pie chart).

Related Topics:
Log Views Overview
Search Field Expressions
Web API for Integration

See all FAQs: Troubleshooting Overview

Next Step

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