Can we get a "refresh schema for all tables" button? Reason: Our tables are usually "Select * From AnalyticsSchema.ViewName". We control which fields to return by editing the view, not the Sisense ...
Hi Lonaav2122
I usually create views in my database that return what I need in Sisense, then in Sisense just select from those, instead of selecting from tables or writing queries in Sisense. Those views select columns explicitly, not *. You might like to also throw in cast-as-datatype statements so the datatype doesn't change unexpectedly.
That way, the columns returned change only when you do it deliberately, so when you refresh schema you already know whether columns are changing. If the underlying tables change, then your views return an error. You have to go point them at the new column names.
Using views also means you can re-use the same views in other data models, analytics tools, queries and views, and you can manage it all in SQL instead of in the data model. That does have the downside that if you want to change a view you have to find and test every data model that depends on it, but for us the upsides outweigh the downsides, and we use conventions, documentation, and automation to help.
It's best if you can query a database that doesn't keep changing columns. But that might not be practical. Are you querying views built for other reports that other people change when they modify their report? I've sometimes started a data model that way, but then copied their query into a new view for my report.