We're going to keep a running list of the Q&As that come up in the course so we can all learn together.
Check back weekly for possible updates or follow this page or Education Services for update notifications. Use the list below to search for specific questions. You can also ask your own question here.
Snapshot – is there anything that replaces snapshot capability other than being able to test in a workspace before checking in my changes? What if I had a snapshot to capture my project at a moment in time? Anything?
Yes! This is one of the intended uses for branches. In addition, you can now (as of 12.2.1) create a branch from any prior checkin in order to go back to a particular moment in time. That is, no need to keep a snapshot hanging around anymore, because you can call up an earlier view of the project on-demand
Is Data link any different?
If you are using Datalink 4, there is no difference. And to answer one more common question, DL4 still works even if someone has the target dataset checked out.
Is there a way to edit an already uploaded table?
Yes, just check it out, edit, check back in.
Will we ever see the list of columns in a table in the project explorer pane when clicking the turn down arrow like we do on the master data set?
The column list should be available on all datasets.
Row count in old data view appears to be gone. Is there any way to see that information without clicking on each table?
No. We are entering a Request for Enhancement for this.
Can we still nest formulas within an if statements?
Sure, but be careful with it. Due to the way Studio evaluates functions, there is no performance gain from doing this, and it will sometimes actually make things slower.
Are there any new functions that would be the equivalent of “select case” - that don’t exist in 11?
This is usually the same as multiple or nested “IF” statements. We would be curious to hear if there is a live use case that cannot be accomplished with “IF”. TableMatch works almost identically to a SELECT or CASE function. The only catch is that you have to put the bulk of your formula into another dataset. Still, it does clean up the formula logic considerably. Thanks for sharing!TableMatch function
Right click table contents … show duplicates – is it really missing?!
“Show unique values” and “show duplicate values” have been replaced by “show values”. This one dialog shows you a list of all unique values by default, along with a count of occurrences of each. Filter the count to >1 to see just the duplicates.
Is inference is completely gone?
Inference is almost completely gone. It is still used to generate the suggested relationships when you click the light bulb icon on the “data relationship” pane of an allocation.
What will happen to existing snapshots when they upgrade from R11 to R12?
They become standalone projects.
What happens if you try to promote and either you or someone else has something checked out?
Promoting takes place in the Staging environment so Development Activities, like checked out documents, does not impact it.
The only caveat is that when a document is checked in, it is checked into Stage and is calculated at that time. All calculations must be completed before it will let you promote the project to Production.
What file types can be loaded into R12?
csv, tsv, xls, xlsx
What if you have people who just load data? Since they used to load in "Stage" while devs were working in Dev.... but in R12, if they were loading data, then "devs" wouldn't be able to work with those files because they would be checked out to the person uploading the data.
There are ways around that. The important thing to note is to coordinate their efforts because if one person changed the structure of a dataset, then another person tried to load data in the old format later, it would break.
Some alternatives if they have to do this:
- Ask the dev to check in the one dataset so the new data can be loaded
- Use datalink to load the data, since it is not blocked by a dataset being checked out\
- There are some other options not recommended for regular process but in urgent cases that can be discussed individually with your CSMs/conversion teams.
Is there a place to add info about formulas and the business reasoning for them?
-At this time (April 2017), notes are not available. This is expected to be added in the future.
-The notes in your existing R11 projects will still be associated with your data in R12 but will not be visible until later when notes are made visible.
Can you change the permissions for check-in?
No, but you can use the Lock button to prevent all checkins (until you Unlock).
Can we still paste data to create a table?
Not directly. Instead you can paste your data into Excel or a text file and bring your data in that way. (I'll add a bit more detail on options for bringing it in later today - unless someone adds in a comment before I get back!)
Can I control access to the Dev, Stage or Prod environments in R12?
Yes, this can be controlled in the Role assigned to the user. For more information about managing users and roles in R12 check out this page:.
What’s to keep someone from checking in their changes before their changes have been
We are working on improvements in this area of the product. I expect the "rollback" feature to be available very soon, and will allow you to revert your project to an earlier state as of any prior checking.
Is there an option to still trace costs through the model?
R12 has a nice multi-trace feature that you can use on any out of the box or custom built "model report". If your existing model reports do not contain the objects you want to trace between (or if those objects are not separated/tiered to your liking), you can edit the model report using the tier editor (under the View button drop-down). Then go back to regular view, and select an object, column, and value to start the trace.Create a model report
We will keep adding to the list at the bottom so you can always reference by number and check the end for new info.
HUGE THANKS!! to @John Adipietro for most if not all of the answers you'll find here.
Related Links: Studio R12 for R11 Experts - Quick Reference Guide