(v7) Get Started with Composer v7

Get Started with Composerv7

The following steps guide you through the process of installing and configuring the Composer platform and provides an overview of developing embeddable content. In addition, read Composer Personas for a descriptions of the different job skills that contribute to the successful implementation and use of Composer.

Some of the setup work described below requires use of the Composer API. API documentation is provided with your Composer installation at this link: https://<composer-URL>/composer/swagger-ui.html.

1. Product Installation

1. Verify you have a server available that meets the sizing requirements of Composer. See Server Size Guidelines and System Requirements and Installation Prerequisites.This video demonstrates the use of common commands to show your server's CPU, memory, and disk space availability: https://vimeo.com/548076115

2. Install Composer using the supplied bootstrap script. See Installation Steps. Optionally, install the product and its metadata store manually (see Install Composer Manually). The following two videos can help you.

   • The first video downloads the bootstrap installation script and runs it: https://vimeo.com/548076448

   • The second video demonstrates the rest of the installation after the bootstrap installation script has completed: https://vimeo.com/548076528

3. Optionally, configure Composer servers in a distributed environment (either a load balanced environment or a high availability environment). See Configure a Composer Distributed Environment.

4. License the product, if a new license is required. See Request and Apply a New License Key.

2. Product Security and Authorization

1. Integrate with your security software (LDAP, SAML, Kerberos, or X.509). See Supported Authentication Tools.

2. Set up Composer accounts, user definitions, and groups, with appropriate privileges. See Authorize Composer Access.

3. Define custom attributes, as needed, for each user. Custom attributes provide a way for administrators to create variables in user definitions. These variables can be interpolated in other fields elsewhere in the product. See Specify Custom User Attributes.

3. Data Store Connector and Connection Configuration

1. Log in as a supervisor and set up the Composer connectors needed to support the data stores your organization uses and that you will want to use for Composer data source configurations. See Manage Connectors and Connector Servers.

2. Log in as an administrator and define the connection strings necessary for the Composer connectors to access your data stores. See Manage Data Store Connections.

4. Product Configuration

1. Activate logging. (regular -- Fluentd optional) See Activity Logging, Manage Activity Logs, and Set Up Unified Logging Using Fluentd.

2. Optionally, create custom charts needed by your organization. Manage Custom Charts.

3. Optionally, create admin-defined functions needed for your environment. Admin-Defined Functions.

4. Optionally, configure a different theme for the Composer UI. See Manage UI Themes.

5. Optionally, customize the Composer UI for your organization. See Customize the Composer User Interface.

5. Data Authoring

1. Identify the data you need to use from your data stores to perform the data analytics you want.

2. Define data source configurations that collect the data you need. Data source configurations use the data store connections previously defined. See Manage Data Source Configurations.

3. Optionally, configure row and column security for your data sources. See Restrict Access to Data Using Row Security and Restrict Access to Fields Using Column Security.

4. Optionally, configure permissions for each data source. See About Data Source Permissions.

6. Dashboard and Visual Creation

1. Configure the dashboards and visuals needed to analyze your data. See Manage Dashboards and Manage Visuals.

2. Optionally, configure permissions for each dashboard. See About Dashboard Permissions.

3. Optionally, specify how each visual can be interacted with when embedded. See Control How Users Interact With a Visual.

4. Optionally, share dashboards with other Composer users in your account. See Share a Dashboard with Users Inside Your Account.

5. Optionally, export a dashboard. See Export a Dashboard.

6. Optionally, schedule a dashboard report. See About Scheduled Dashboard Reports.

7. Dashboard Embedding

1. Set up Trusted Access and register your application as a client. See Trusted Access.

2. Embed Composer dashboards in your applications. See Embed Composer Components Into Your Application.

3. Optionally, enable embedded dashboard access from other sites using cross-origin sharing (CORS). See Enable Composer Component Access From Other Sites Using Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).

The following additional topics may also be helpful.

• Access Composer
• Log Into the Composer UI
• Switch Accounts
• Home Page
• About Dialog