Link Datasets in a Workbook

To link datasets in a workbook, you’ll need to connect at least two datasets and set up at least one set of common keys between them. Common keys are fields that contain the same data in each dataset and use the same data type. For example, the sales rep field in both the sales (invoiced) and transaction record types has sales rep names as text, so you can use these as common keys for your link.

When you create a link, common keys are automatically set for fields with matching names and data types. If you want to set your own common keys, you can use any fields from either dataset if they’re the same data type. Either date, text, numeric, or polymorphic. If the fields you want to use don’t have the same data type, you can use a custom formula field (like TO_NCHAR) to cast their values. For more information, see Common Keys.

To avoid errors, when you pick a field from the first dataset, any fields with a different data type in the second dataset won’t be available. Also, after you’ve created a link, you can’t unlink the datasets if they’re used anywhere in the workbook. Linked datasets can also only be shared as part of the workbook they're in. You can't share them separately.

Important:

If two fields in a dataset have the same ID but different join paths, you might run into issues when using them as common keys. To avoid errors, try deleting one of the fields before creating the link.

To link datasets in a workbook:

  1. In the Dataset Panel of a workbook, click Connect Dataset.

  2. Select a dataset from the list or click New Dataset if you want to define a new one. For more information see Defining a Dataset.

  3. After you have at least two datasets connected to the workbook, click the Dataset Menu icon next to a dataset in the Dataset Panel and select Create Dataset Link.

  4. On the Dataset Linking page, double click or drag and drop the fields you want to define as common keys to the Common Keys area of the page.

    Important:

    Any fields you plan on using as dimensions in your pivot table or chart need to be defined as common keys for your results to render properly. For more information, see Common Keys.

  5. Click Link Datasets.

After you link your datasets, you can use them to build a pivot table or chart in a workbook. For more information, see Create Visualizations Based on Linked Datasets.

You can also build calculated measures using fields from either of the linked datasets. For more information, see Calculated Measures.

Related Topics

General Notices