Views

When you first create a table, a default view called All Data will be created for you under Manage Data. Cinchy builders can create different views for users to manage their data in Cinchy where Views can be filtered and/or sorted according to the requirements.

To switch between views, select the view from the left navigation toolbar under Manage Data (Image 1).

Filters

Users can filter data in a view for one or more columns. Filters persist when users navigate from one view to another. The number of filter criteria is identified against the filter icon (Image 2).

Column display

Users can add, remove or rearrange the columns in a view based on how they need the data represented in the View (Image 3).

Add a column to a view:

1. Click Display Columns in the top toolbar

2. From the ‘Add a Column’ drop down, locate and select the appropriate column.

3. Ensure you click ‘Apply’ to save.

Remove a column from a view:

1. Click Display Columns in the top toolbar

2. Click the “X” to the right of the column name to remove.

3. Ensure you click ‘Apply’ to save.

Rearrange the columns in a view:

1. Click Display Columns in the top toolbar

2. Drag the column to the appropriate location in the list of visible columns.

3. Ensure you click ‘Apply’ to save.

Sorting

Users can sort data in a view for one or more columns. Sorting can be done by clicking on a column to sort in ascending or descending order (Image 4).

Sorting can also be done by clicking on the Sorting button and selecting the column(s) to be sorted and the order in which the sorting should occur (Image 5).

Scrolling

Scrolling “Top” & “Bottom” allows you to jump from the top to the bottom of a view without scrolling (Image 6).

Row height

Row height can be either Collapsed or Expanded using the Row Height drop-down (Image 7).

You can manually resize a row (or multiple rows if you select more of them). You can also double click on the default row number on the left to auto expand the row height.

Freeze or unfreeze rows or columns

Cinchy allows you to freeze and unfreeze a row/columns.

1. Select the row/column for freezing/unfreezing

2. Right-click on the row and select Freeze/Unfreeze Row/Column from the menu (Image 8).

Homepage

Once you log in to Cinchy, you'll be on the Homepage (Image 1). From here, you can navigate to a variety of tables, queries, and applets you have access to.

You can return to this page at any time by clicking the Cinchy logo in the top left corner.

Searching

‌All objects you have access to in your Marketplace (including bookmarks) are searchable and can be filtered by typing the partial or full name of the object you are searching for in the search bar (Image 2).

You can also search by object type by clicking on either Tables, Queries, or Experiences in the toolbar.

Bookmarks

‌You can bookmark your most often used objects and rearrange them to your liking within your bookmarks.

To bookmark an object, select the star. The star will be yellow when bookmarked, and grey when not (Image 3).

The object will pop into your “Bookmark” section. To rearrange your bookmark, drag and drop the object into the desired order.

Network Map

You "Network Map" shows a visualization of all tables in Cinchy you have access to and how they're all connected (Image 4).

Each of the coloured circles represents an object in Cinchy. The lines between them show the links between them.

You are able to search and open tables from this view using the search bar on the left (Image 5).

You can see what the network looked like in the past by clicking and dragging the pink circle along the timeline at the bottom.

Network Map extra parameters

Cinchy v5.2 added the ability to include new parameters on the URL path for your network visualizer to focus your node view. You can now add Target Node, Depth Level, and Max Depth Level parameters.

Example: <base url>/apps/datanetworkvisualizer?targetNode=&maxDepth=&depthLevel=

• Target Node: Using the Target Node parameter defines which of your nodes will be the central node from which all connections branch from.

  • Target Node uses the TableID number, which you can find in the URL of any table.

  • Example: <base url>/apps/datanetworkvisualizer?targetNode=8 will show TableID 8 as the central node

• Max Depths: This parameter defines how many levels of network hierarchy you want to display.

  • Example: <base url>/apps/datanetworkvisualizer?maxDepth=2 will only show you two levels of connections.

• Depth Level: Depth Level is a UI parameter that will highlight/focus on a certain depth of connections.

  • Example: <base url>/apps/datanetworkvisualizer?DepthLevel=1 will highlight all first level network connections, while the rest will appear muted.

The below example visualizer uses the following URL (Image 6): <base url>/apps/datanetworkvisualizer?targetNode=8&maxDepth=2&depthLevel=1

• It shows Table ID 8 ("Groups") as the central node.

• It only displays the Max Depth of 2 connections from the central node.

• It highlights the nodes that have a Depth Level of 1 from the central node.

Logo

You can upload a custom logo to appear on your platform login screen and homepage. You will need to have admin access to do so.

Examples without a logo uploaded (Images 7&8)

Examples with a logo uploaded (Images 9&10)

Upload a logo

1. Navigate to <base url>/admin/index

2. Scroll to the bottom of the admin panel and navigate to the “Upload Logo” button.

3. Upload your logo.

Remove a Logo

1. Once uploaded, your logo is stored in the System Properties table_._

2. Navigate to the table and find the row with Name: Logo (Image 12)

1. Delete the Logo row to remove the logo.

Your Cinchy Profile has three (3) components that can be changed from user preferences:

• ​My Photo​

• ​My Profile​

• ​My Password​

My Photo

To add a photo to your profile, complete the following (Image 1):

1. From My Network, click the avatar icon

2. Select My Profile

3. From the settings page click on the my photo image

4. Locate and upload your photo

My Profile

From the settings page in the My Profile section you are able to update the language, region, and time zone (Image 2).

My Password

If you don't see the password option in My Profile, you must be logging on to Cinchy using Single Sign-On and won't need to update your password within Cinchy.​

To change your password, complete the following:

1. In the Old Password field, enter in your existing password

2. In the New Password field, enter a new password

3. In the Confirm New Password field, re-enter in your new password

Data version management

Cinchy natively and automatically manages data versioning in the platform through the ‘always-on’ version tracking, collaboration logging, and recycle bin features (data restore).

Cinchy maintains a version history of all changes to every data element stored in Cinchy. You can query the version history in Cinchy to speed up analysis, and can also be viewed through the , which tracks changes made by users, systems, or external applications (Image 1). When required, you can easily revert data to previous states using the or the Revert button.

Schema version management

Your schema/data model version can also be managed when you are using multiple environments. For example, if you have a DEV environment and make a change to a table design (ex: changing a column name), you can export and deploy your data model to a PROD environment and Cinchy will intelligently consolidate and merge the schema changes to adhere to the latest version.

This functionality is achieved through the use and synchronization of GUIDs. Each data element in Cinchy (table, column, etc.) will have a matching GUID, which stays consistent even across multiple environments. That means that changes made in your source environment will automatically and accurately be applied once promoted to your higher environment.

You can find the GUID for your object by navigating to the applicable System Table. Ex: Column GUIDs can be found in the Columns table (Image 4).

Create data packages

While you are able to manually export/import data models across environments, you may want to package up multiple objects (tables, queries, reference data, etc.) and push that all together between environments. This method still adheres to schema version control and management.

Create queries

and Users have the capability to create ad-hoc queries, however only Cinchy Users can create saved queries. For more information on how to create queries, see

Execute queries

Cinchy Users can execute pre-built queries based on their access.

You can find a list of saved queries on your network by navigating to the Saved Queries table (Image 1). You can then search the Cinchy homepage for the saved query to execute it.

Generate pivot tables

Once you have executed the query, click the Grid drop down list and select Pivot. Here is where you can take your standard table view and slice and dice your data (Image 2).

Generate charts

From within your pivot view, open the drop down list with the value “table” and select the type of chart you want to use to display the data (Image 3).

Build shared visualizations

Once you have a desired visualization, that visualization can be made available for others as an applet in Cinchy. Grab the Pivot URL and send it to your Cinchy builder to create your mini applet that can be shared and leveraged!

To copy the Pivot URL to build have a visualization created, complete the following:

1. From within the Pivot, locate the blue Pivot URL

2. Click Pivot URL button

3. Click the Copy button

4. Send the copied URL to your Cinchy builder to create your applet that can be shared and leveraged!

Overview

You now have the option to use personal access tokens (PATs) in Cinchy, which are alternatives to using passwords for authentication. Like Cinchy Bearer Tokens, you can use a Cinchy PAT to call the Cinchy API as your current user, meaning your associated access controls will be honoured as well. Cinchy PATs, however, have an expiration date of up to 1 year. A single user can have up to 5 PATs active at one time. See Authentication for details on using a PAT in lieu of a Bearer token.

Create a PAT

1. From the Cinchy homepage, navigate to your User Settings > Tokens. Any tokens that you make will appear here. You will also be able to see any expired tokens.

1. Click Generate New Token.

1. Input the following information about your PAT and click Generate:

2. Token Name

3. Description

4. Expiration

1. Once generated, make sure to copy down the PAT somewhere secure. You won't be able to view the PAT again once you navigate away from this screen.

Deletes a PAT

1. From the Cinchy homepage, navigate to your User Settings > Tokens. Any tokens that you make will appear here.

2. Click the “Delete” button next to the applicable PAT.

Use a PAT in an API

Cinchy PATs can be used in much the same way that Bearer tokens are used for in API authentication. For example, in the Authorization header with the value: Bearer <token>.

You may also wish to review the information on using PATs in Excel or PowerBI.

Enter comments

Anyone who can view or edit a cell can comment on it. Any data that's read-only doesn't allow comments to be entered.

To add a comment:

1. Locate the desired cell

2. Right-click and select comment (Image 1).

3. Enter the comment in the comment window

4. Click "Comment" to finish

Edit comments

Comments can be modified only by only the individual(s) that have created the comment(s).To edit a comment, complete the following:

1. Hover over the comment

2. Click the pencil icon (Image 2).

3. Make the appropriate edit

4. Click the Submit button to save the change

Delete comments

Comments can be deleted only by the individual(s) who has created the comment(s).To delete a comment, complete the following:

1. Hover over the comment

2. Click the garbage bin icon (Image 3).

Archive comments

• A User can archive his own comment regardless of approve permissions

• A User with the Approve All permission can archive any cell comments.

• A User with the Approve Select Cell permission can archive comments on that specific cell

To archive all comments in a cell:

1. Hover over the comment

2. Click the Archive All button (Image 4).

System Table comments

Comments are stored in the [Cinchy].[Comments] table.

End-Users

The “End-Users” of the Cinchy platform are those that apply the functionalities created by the “Cinchy Builders” to their business objectives. This can be employees, customers, partners, or systems. Cinchy has two types of end-users: direct and indirect.

• Direct Users log into Cinchy via the data browser

• Indirect Users (also commonly referred to as "external users") view/edit data via a third-party application/page that connects to Cinchy via API

What can end-users do?

Cinchy End-Users are able to:

• Create and save personal queries. Unlike traditional saved queries made by builders, personal saved queries can't be shared and aren't auto exposed as APIs.

• Use Tables, Saved Queries, and Experiences created by “Builders"

• Track version history for the full lifecycle of data

• Bookmark and manage data

• Access data through application experiences

• An end-user can be part of the Administrators group

View and manage data through a single UI

Cinchy’s data collaboration platform features a Universal Data Browser that allows users to view, change, analyze, and otherwise interact with all data on the network. The Data Browser even enables non-technical business users to manage and update data, build models, and set controls, all through an easy and intuitive UI.

Only see the accessible data

Data on the network is protected by cellular-level access controls, data-driven entitlements, and superior data governance. This means that users can only view, edit, or manipulate data that has been granted access to from the data owner (Image 1).

Track version history for full data lifecycle

All data is automatically version-controlled and can be reverted to previous states with the proper permissions. On all data tables, you can see changes made by users, systems, or external applications through Data Synchronization or by using a Collaboration Log (Image 2).

Access saved queries on the data network

Users can access and run saved queries that are available to them through the Data Marketplace. All queries respect Universal Access Controls meaning you will only see the data that you have access to (Image 3).

Bookmark and manage data in a secure marketplace

Users can also access all accessible tables, queries, and applets through the Cinchy Marketplace. Here you can also order tiles and bookmark favourites (Image 4).

Access data through rich application experiences

Users can also experience their data through custom application experiences that are created by Builders on the platform. All application experiences also respect Universal Access Controls meaning you will only be able to see the data you have been granted access.

Here is an example Experience (Image 5):

You can view the admin panel of your Cinchy instance by using the /admin/index endpoint. This is only reachable if you are logged in as a user with admin access. The admin panel includes the following sections:

Cinchy Healthcheck

The Cinchy Healthcheck shows information about your system such as current version, IP Address, the system time, and your database status (Image 1).

Cinchy log files

This section shows a list of viewable log files from your system, as well as their size, creation time, and last modified time (Image 2).

Upload a logo

Review the Data Browser page for information on uploading a logo.

Overview

This page details some best practices for version history in Cinchy. These recommendations are important because they can help:

• Minimize your database bloat/size.

• Make it easier to parse through version history when there aren't hundreds of redundant records.

Best practices

• When doing any type of update statement, it's best to include an opposite “where” clause to avoid creating unnecessary history for unchanged values.

  • For example, if your update was set name to Marc, you would include a where name doesn't already equal Marc. Doing so prevents a redundant update in your version history.

UPDATE
	[Contacts].[Employees] 
SET [Name] = Marc
WHERE [Name] != Marc

• When writing an update statement, run it more than once. If it results in an update each time, return to your query and troubleshoot.

  • This is relevant anywhere the statement can be run repeatedly, such as in APIs or Post Sync Scripts.

• In data syncs, ensure that your data types are matched properly.

  • For example, if the source is text and the target is data, even if the values are the same, it will update and create unnecessary version history.

• When performing a data sync, run it more than once. If it creates an update each time, return to your configuration and troubleshoot.

Data entry

Users are only able to enter data into Cinchy based on their access. Users can also copy and paste data from external sources.

Insert/Delete data rows

Users are only able to insert or delete rows based on their access. If you have the ability to insert and/or delete a row of data it will be visible when right-clicking on a row of data (Image 1).

Import data

Importing data allows you to add new rows of data into a table. If you want to perform a sync, refer to the CLI. Importing data acts as a smart copy-and-paste of new data into an existing table.

Importing the first row of your CSV as a header row will match the headers to the column names within your table. Columns that can't be matched are ignored, as well as any columns you don't have edit permissions for.

Users can import data from a CSV file to an existing table in Cinchy. Importing data into a Cinchy table only adds records to the table. This data import type doesn't update or append existing records.

To import data into a table, complete the following:

1. From within the table, click the Import button on the top toolbar of the table (Image 2).

1. Click Choose File to locate and import your file.

2. Validate the imported columns and click next (Image 3).

1. Click the Import button

2. Click the OK button on the Import confirmation window

Import errors

If there are import errors, click the download button next to Rejected Rows on the Import Succeeded with Errors window (Image 4).

You will get a file back with all the rejected rows, as well as the 2 columns added called ‘Cinchy Import Errors' and 'Cinchy Import Original Row Number’.

Cinchy original row number

This provides a reference to the row number in the original file you imported in case you need to check it.

You can simply fix any errors in your error log followed by importing the error log since successful rows are omitted.

Export data

You can export your data from a table view in CSV or TSV format. This export starts at the first record. Cinchy doesn't currently support pagination, so the maximum export is 250,000 records. To export a table of more than 250,000 records, you can use CLI to export your entire table at once.

To export data from a table, complete the following:

1. From within the table, click the Export button in the table toolbar

2. Select the Export file type (CSV or TSV) (Image 5).

3. Open your file in Excel, or any other CSV software, to view.

5. Approve/Reject Data

Cinchy can have data change approvals for when data is added or removed from a table view. A change approval process can be put into place for the addition or removal of specific data. If you have been identified as an "Approval" of data you will have the ability to:

• Approve a cell of data

• Approve a row of data

• Reject a row of data

To approve or reject a cell/row of data, complete the following:

1. Right-click on the desired row/cell

2. Select Approve row/cell or Reject row/cell

Collaboration log

The Collaboration log is accessible from every table within Cinchy (including metadata). It shows the version history of ALL changes that have been made to an individual row of data.

To access the Cinchy Collaboration Log:

1. Open the desired table

2. Locate the desired row > Right Click > View Collaboration Log (Image 6).

Once the Collaboration Log is open you have the ability to view ALL changes with a version history for the row selected within the table.

Users have the ability to revert to a prior version of the record. To do so, click the Revert button for the desired version (Image 7).

Data erasure and compression policies

By default, Cinchy doesn't delete any data or metadata from within the Data Fabric.

Click here for more information on Data Erasure & Compression Policies in Cinchy

Audit for data synchronization

Audit Logging of data loaded into Cinchy via Data Synchronization such as batch or real-time using the Cinchy CLI, or through data changes by any Saved Queries exposed as APIs to external clients, is recorded the same way as if a user entered the data into Cinchy. All data synced into Cinchy will have corresponding line items in the Collaboration Log similarly to how it's handled when data is entered / modified in Cinchy by a User.

Collaboration log performance considerations

The Collaboration Log data is also stored within Cinchy as data, allowing the logs to be available for use through a query or for any downstream consumers. The logs have no separate performance considerations needed, as it relies on the Cinchy platform’s performance measures.

Recycle bin

All data records that have been deleted are put into Cinchy’s Recycle Bin. Data that resides in the Recycle Bin can be restored if required.

To restore data from the recycle bin:

1. From the left-hand navigation, click Recycle Bin (Image 8)

1. Locate the row for restoring

2. Right-click and select Restore Row.

The restored row will now be visible in your table.