Business Insights can be used to create analytics on the data submitted in GoCanvas as well as to automatically update reference data and to upload dispatches. Learn more about Business Insights.

Please contact us to request having Business Insights turned on for your account. It is available on our Professional Plan.

NOTE: Business Insights is currently compatible with Windows (Vista and above) and Microsoft Excel 2007 or higher. 

The video below thoroughly explains how to use Business Insights. Otherwise scroll down to walk through some text and screenshot instructions.

Getting started

After you have successfully downloaded Business Insights, launch Microsoft Excel. You will find the Business Insights options under the DATA tab. Click on the Settings option on the right, and sign-in using your GoCanvas credentials.

Downloading your Submissions from GoCanvas

1. Click the Submission Download icon.
2. Select the application on your account with submissions you would like to download.
3. Choose a date range for the submissions to be downloaded.
4. Click Download.

Refreshing your Data

If you have completed additional submissions since the initial download, the data in Excel will need to be updated.

1. Click the Submission Download icon.
2. Select the application and new date range.
3. Check the Append Data option if you want the data to add to the end of your current file. If you want the data to replace the current information, leave this box unchecked.
   
   
   
   
4. Click Download.

Downloading Data Using the Submission Mapping Feature

Submission Mapping will allow you to download data from your application for any specific fields that you choose.

Creating Your Submission Map

Before downloading your submissions, you will need to create a map of the fields that you want to download. The field map will contain the field labels across each version of your application that you are pulling data from.

1. Create a new sheet in Excel. You can name this sheet Mapping for easy reference.
2. The first column of any field mapping must be labeled Version. Enter this into Column A, Row 1.
3. In Row 1, enter in any additional field labels from the current version of your application that you would like to be included in the submission download.
4. Once you've labeled your columns, enter the version(s) of the application to be included under the Version heading. For example, if you only want to download data from versions 4-6 of your application, enter 4, 5, and 6 in a separate line item under the Version heading. 
5. Enter the field labels for the corresponding version for each line item.
   
   
   
   

If you would like information about each submission (submitter name, date, time) to download, enter Submission Info as one of your mapping columns.

NOTE: If a field label was changed between versions, you will need to enter the label published for that specific version. You can find the field labels by going to your Submissions page on the GoCanvas website. If a field was not included in a previous version referenced in the field mapping, leave that cell blank. 

Read more about how to view and download your data on the GoCanvas website. 

GoCanvas Tip: If you have multiple versions of your application all with the same field labels, you can place an asterisk (*) in the Version column. The asterisk will apply the mapping to all submission versions not defined in other rows. 

For example, if versions 4-7 of your application have the same field labels, place an asterisk in the Version column after the line item for version 3. Enter the label names that apply to versions 4-7 in the remaining cells. For version 8, you would start a new line item with the updated label names (if changed from version 7). See screenshot below as an example:

Downloading Your Mapped Data

1. Click the Submission Download icon.
2. Select Download Submissions with Column Map Provided.
3. In the Map Sheet drop-down, select the sheet in Excel that you used to create the submission map.
4. Select your application and date range.
5. Click Download.
   
   

The data will download to or create a sheet in your Excel file with the same name as the application.

Creating a New Reference Data File

Using Business Insights to create reference data files is easy! This process replaces the need to manually upload reference data through the Manage Reference Data page on GoCanvas website.

Simply create your reference data in Microsoft Excel and click the Reference Data Upload button. Choose the sheet in your Excel file that contains the reference data and select Upload.

The file will upload with the same sheet name entered in Excel. If you need to change the sheet name in Excel, double click on the current sheet name and enter any revisions. Save the changes.

Updating Existing Reference Data

If you already have a reference data file created, you can use Business Insights to update the data in GoCanvas.

1. Open your existing reference data file.
   If you cannot find the file on your computer, you can download the file from GoCanvas. Click Reference Data & Images. Select the Download icon next to the file you want to download.
   You will want to note the reference data name in GoCanvas. The sheet name in Excel must match the name in GoCanvas. 
2. After editing or adding data as needed, click the Reference Data Upload button.
3. Choose the sheet in your file that contains the reference data.
4. Select Upload.

NOTE: If you change the column headers in your reference data file, it will not update this change in the reference data mapping in your application. You will need to launch the GoCanvas AppBuilder to modify the reference data mapping.

Append Data

The Append reference data feature allows you to update reference data that is separated by User Group.  This feature will only update existing reference data files. It will not create a new file.

1. Download the existing reference data file from GoCanvas (see above). You will want to note the reference data name in GoCanvas. The sheet name in Excel must match the name in GoCanvas.
2. After editing or adding data as needed, click the Reference Data Upload button.
   NOTE: The User Group must be defined in the first column of the file under a User Group column header.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose the sheet in your file that contains the updated reference data.
4. Check Append Data.
5. Select Upload.
   
   

Uploading Dispatches

1. Download the Sample Dispatch File for your application. You can find this by clicking Home then Workflow and Dispatch.
   
   
   
   If you already have an existing dispatch file, you will need to ensure that Description, User e-mail, and Scheduled At are the first three columns in the file. App Name is not necessary as you will select the application when uploading.
2. Fill out all relevant dispatch information. 
3. Click the Dispatch Upload icon.
4. In the first drop-down, select the sheet to dispatch from.
5. In the second drop-down, choose the application in your account to dispatch to.
6. Click Upload. 
   
   

NOTE: A Dispatch Status Column is generated in the last column of your data after you upload a dispatch file for the first time. This column contains information on delivery status such as the date and time. After uploading if you want to keep a master dispatch file, add new dispatches to the bottom of your dispatch sheet. If you want to delete old dispatch information from your file and only view new dispatch data, you will need to delete the Dispatch Status Column from the sheet before uploading.

In summary, Business Insights is a great tool for creating reports on the data that you have collected in GoCanvas, updating Reference Data, and automatically uploading dispatches to your users.

Still need help? Submit a ticket.