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Orgvue Introduction

Items​

To ensure you are able to successfully access the data via the Orgvue API is important to understand how data is structured and used in Orgvue

At the lowest level an Item is a single row of data that is uniquely identifiable.

Within Orgvue this is normally a single position record but may also be a single employee or role

The item may have a number of properties (columns) containing data related to the item. Common properties would include name, department, location, and grade

Nodes​

Once loaded into Orgvue the item becomes a Node which has the same properties as the Item plus properties which Orgvue automatically calculates relating to the item and the hierarchy in which the node exists along with any user defined calculated properties. Examples of Orgvue calculated properties include Depth (what level in the hierarchy is the node) and Outgoing Count (how many nodes report to this node)

Datasets and Tenants​

Nodes are saved in Datasets within an Orgvue Tenant

An Orgvue Tenant is a separated partition on the Orgvue server keeping your data private and secure under unique encryption keys

A Tenant may contain a number of Datasets of different types e.g., roles, people, or positions each with a unique ID

Two Datasets of different types can be linked by a third Links dataset e.g., people linked to positions or roles linked to competencies

Data from a Dataset is visualized and analyzed within Slides in a Pack. There is no functionality currently within the Orgvue API to access Slides or Packs

Drafts​

Items may be edited directly within a Dataset in Orgvue to effect immediate changes, but there exists functionality to model potential changes via a Draft without editing the underlying items

A Draft will list all Items with a potential change from the baseline version in the Dataset along with the new value for the Item

Drafts are currently limited to a single layer of changes to a Dataset, so the Layer setting within the API key will automatically be set to default

Future functionality may allow multiple changes to be layered over a Draft

Common Terms​

These are some common Orgvue-specific terms that you will encounter when working with this API. A more extensive list can be found in the glossary of our workspace user guide.

  • An item is a single unique row of raw data. Items do not contain any Orgvue calculations that are computed when opening your dataset within Orgvue
  • A dataset is a file that contains data In a series of rows (known as nodes) and columns (known as properties) that can be opened and analyzed in Orgvue.
  • A node is a row of data in an Orgvue dataset, containing calculations as well as potentially internal properties.
  • A draft is a record of proposed changes made to a dataset which can be saved, reused and imported into a dataset. See drafts for more information.
  • Gizmo is a scripting language used in Orgvue to write expressions.
  • An expression is a formula written in Gizmo which returns a result. See expressions for more information.
  • A links dataset is a dataset used to join two other datasets together by their node relationship. See links or for more information.
  • A pack is a collection of slides (reports) which are grouped into a single document in Orgvue. See packs for more information.
  • A property is a column of data in Orgvue.
  • Tags are keywords added to a dataset or property to facilitate search.
  • Views are a secure way of sharing specific properties and nodes with other users. See views for more information.

There are other terms not specific to Orgvue you will encounter when working with this API:

  • ISO 8601 is an international standard for representing dates and times in string format. Where possible, dates and times in the Orgvue API are represented in this standard.
  • HATEOAS is in broad terms a way to describe http requests and provide next action links. The Orgvue API on a number of occasions produces HATEOAS links (under $._links) in response payloads, for the customer's ease of integration.