How to: Create Editors for PerformancePoint Services Filters

In PerformancePoint Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, custom editors enable users to set properties on custom objects by providing editing controls and functionality to retrieve and update custom objects in the repository. For more information about editor requirements and functionality, see Editors for Custom PerformancePoint Services Objects.

Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

Filter editors must also initialize a filter's BeginPoints property, which defines the filter beginpoint that contains parameter values for scorecard and report consumers.

The procedures and examples in this topic are based on the SampleFilterEditor class from the custom objects sample. The editor is a thin Web application that enables users to modify the filter's name and description and to select the underlying data source. The complete code for the class is provided in the "Example" section in this topic.

Note

We recommend that you use the sample editor as a template. The sample shows how to call objects in the PerformancePoint Services API, provides helper objects that simplify calls for repository operations (such as creating and updating objects), and demonstrates best practices for PerformancePoint Services development.

You create a filter editor by performing two basic procedures, as follows:

  • Creating and configuring the editor class

  • Defining the editing functionality

To create a custom editor, start by creating the editor class.

To create and configure the editor class

  1. Install PerformancePoint Services, or copy the DLLs that your extension uses (listed in step 3) to your computer. For more information, see PerformancePoint Services DLLs Used in Development Scenarios.

  2. In Visual Studio, create a C# class library. If you have already created a class library for your extension, add a new C# class.

  3. Add the following PerformancePoint Services and SharePoint Server 2010 DLLs as assembly references to the project:

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.Client.dll

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerCommon.dll

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerRendering.dll

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.Store.dll (used by helper classes)

    • Microsoft.SharePoint.dll (used by helper classes)

    The sample editor also contains assembly references to System.Web.dll and System.Web.Services.dll. Depending on your extension's functionality, other project references may be required.

  4. Add the following classes from the sample to the project. The editor uses these helper classes to interact with the PerformancePoint Services repository:

    • DataSourceConsumerHelper.cs

    • ExtensionRepositoryHelper.cs

    • FilterRepositoryHelper.cs

    • IDataSourceConsumer.cs

  5. In your editor class, add using directives for the following PerformancePoint Services namespaces:

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerCommon

    • Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerRendering

    Depending on your extension's functionality, other using directives may be required.

  6. Inherit from the base class that supports your editor implementation. Because the sample filter editor is a Web application, it inherits from the Page class. Other implementations can derive from base classes such as the UserControl class or WebPart class.

After you create and configure the editor class, you must define your editor’s functionality.

To define the editing functionality

  1. Define controls that expose the properties that you want users to view or modify. The sample filter editor first declares variables for the Web server controls that are defined in the user interface component, which is an ASPX page. The sample editor also defines a button control that enables users to submit changes. Then, the editor calls the CreateChildControls() method to make the controls available on the page.

    Note

    The editor defines programming logic separately from the user interface. Instructions for creating the user interface component of the editor are beyond the scope of this documentation.

  2. Set the AllowUnsafeUpdates property to true. This enables the filter editor to write data to the repository without using form POST operations.

    The sample filter editor performs steps 2 through 6 in the Page_Load method. Page_Load is also used to initialize and validate variables and controls, populate controls, and save state information for the custom filter and helper objects.

  3. Retrieve the parameters from the query string and set them as values for local variables, as shown in the following code example.

    // The URL of the site collection that contains the PerformancePoint Services repository.
    string server = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.SiteCollectionUrl];
    
    // The location of the filter in the repository.
    string itemLocation = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.ItemLocation];
    
    // The operation to perform: OpenItem or CreateItem.
    string action = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.LaunchOperation];
    
    ' The URL of the site collection that contains the PerformancePoint Services repository.
    Dim server As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.SiteCollectionUrl)
    
    ' The location of the filter in the repository.
    Dim itemLocation As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.ItemLocation)
    
    ' The operation to perform: OpenItem or CreateItem.
    Dim action As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.LaunchOperation)
    

    For information about query string parameters, see Editors for Custom PerformancePoint Services Objects.

  4. Retrieve the FilterRepositoryHelper object, which is used to make calls to the repository, as shown in the following code example.

    filterRepositoryHelper = new FilterRepositoryHelper();
    
    filterRepositoryHelper = New FilterRepositoryHelper()
    
  5. Set the filter location based on the query string parameter, as shown in the following code example.

    RepositoryLocation repositoryFilterLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(itemLocation);
    
    Dim repositoryFilterLocation As RepositoryLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(itemLocation)
    
  6. Retrieve the operation to perform (OpenItem or CreateItem) from the query string, and then retrieve or create the custom filter, as shown in the following code example.

    if (ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
    {
    
                    // Use the repository-helper object to retrieve the filter.
                    filter = filterRepositoryHelper.Get(repositoryFilterLocation);
                    if (filter == null)
                    {
                        displayError("Could not retrieve the filter for editing.");
                        return;
                    }
     }
    else if (ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
    {
                    filter = new Filter
                    {
                        RendererClassName = typeof(MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName,
                        SubTypeId = "SampleFilter"
                    };
    }
    
    If ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
    
    ' Use the repository-helper object to retrieve the filter.
          filter = filterRepositoryHelper.Get(repositoryFilterLocation)
          If filter Is Nothing Then
               displayError("Could not retrieve the filter for editing.")
               Return
          End If
    
    ElseIf ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
          filter = New Filter With {.RendererClassName = GetType(MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName, .SubTypeId = "SampleFilter"}
    End If
    
    • To retrieve the custom filter, use the FilterRepositoryHelper.Get method.

    • To create the custom filter, use the Filter() constructor and define the filter's Name, RendererClassName, and SubTypeId properties. SubTypeId is the unique identifier for the filter, and it must match the subType attribute that you specify for your custom filter in the PerformancePoint Services web.config file. RendererClassName is the fully qualified name of the class that defines the renderer Web server control. If it is not defined in the editor, this value defaults to the renderer class specified in the web.config file.

    Note

    By default, users can create custom objects from PerformancePoint Dashboard Designer only. To enable users to create a custom object outside of Dashboard Designer, you must add a menu item that sends a CreateItem request to your editor from the content type in the repository. For more information, see Editors for Custom PerformancePoint Services Objects.

  7. Retrieve the filter's underlying data source from the repository. The sample filter editor uses the FilterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper property to call the DataSourceConsumerHelper.GetDataSource method, which is used to retrieve the data source by its location in the repository. This is shown in the following code example.

    if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl))
        {
            RepositoryLocation repositoryDatasourceLocation =
            RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl);
            datasource =
            filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation);
        }
    
    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl) Then
          Dim repositoryDatasourceLocation As RepositoryLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl)
          datasource = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation)
    End If
    
  8. To enable users to select a data source for the filter, populate the selection control with PerformancePoint Services data sources. The PopulateDataSourceDropDown method in the sample filter editor calls the DataSourceConsumerHelper.GetDataSourcesBySourceNames method to retrieve the data sources. This is shown in the following code example.

    // The parameter contains the default server-relative URL to the PerformancePoint Data Connections Library.
    // Edit this value if you are not using the default path. A leading forward slash may not be needed.
    ICollection dataSourceCollection =
    
    filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSourcesBySourceNames
        ("/BICenter/Data%20Connections%20for%20PerformancePoint/",
             new[] { "WSTabularDataSource", DataSourceNames.ExcelWorkbook });
    
    ' The parameter contains the default server-relative URL to the PerformancePoint Data Connections Library.
    ' Edit this value if you are not using the default path. A leading forward slash may not be needed.
    Dim dataSourceCollection As ICollection = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSourcesBySourceNames ("("/BICenter/Data%20Connections%20for%20PerformancePoint/", { "WSTabularDataSource", DataSourceNames.ExcelWorkbook })
    

    The sample filter editor retrieves only two types of data source, but you can modify this method to support other data source types or to prompt the user for the type of data source to retrieve. To reference a native data source of a particular type, use the SourceName property, which returns a field from the DataSourceNames class. To reference a custom data source, use the SubTypeId property of the data source, which is the same value as the subType attribute that is registered in the PerformancePoint Services web.config file for the data source extension.

    If you modify this method, you must make the corresponding change in the GetDisplayDataInternal method in the sample filter's data provider.

  9. Define the filter beginpoint, which is represented by the BeginPoints property. This defines the source of the filter values and is required to enable the filter to send data to scorecards and reports.

    1. Create a ParameterDefinition object. BeginPoints returns a ParameterDefinitionCollection object that contains only one ParameterDefinition object.

    2. To specify the filter's data provider, set the ParameterProviderId property to the unique identifier of the data provider. This value must match the value that is returned by the data provider's GetId() method.

    3. To specify the source of the key identifiers for the filter values, set the KeyColumn property to the column in the display data table that contains the key identifiers. The sample filter editor defines this property as the "Symbol" column.

    4. To specify the source of the display values for the filter control, set the DisplayColumn property to the column in the display data table that contains the display values. The sample filter editor defines this property as the "Symbol" column.

    Note

    The display data table is returned by the DisplayValues property, and it is initialized when the filter data provider calls the GetDisplayDataInternal method. If the data table contains other columns, you can define other column mappings to provide additional functionality.

    if (0 == filter.BeginPoints.Count)
    {
        ParameterDefinition paramDef = new ParameterDefinition();
    
        // Reference the data provider.
        paramDef.ParameterProviderId = "SampleFilterDataProvider";
        paramDef.DefaultPostFormula = string.Empty;
    
        // Specify the column that contains the key identifiers and the column
        // that contains the display values. The sample uses the same column
        // for both purposes.
        // These values must match the structure of the data table that is
        // returned by the ParameterDefinition.DisplayValues property.
    
        paramDef.KeyColumn = "Symbol";
        paramDef.DisplayColumn = "Symbol";
    
        // You can use this property to store custom information for this filter.
        paramDef.CustomDefinition = string.Empty;
    
        filter.BeginPoints.Add(paramDef);
    }
    
    If 0 = filter.BeginPoints.Count Then
            Dim paramDef As New ParameterDefinition()
    
            ' Reference the data provider.
          paramDef.ParameterProviderId = "SampleFilterDataProvider"
          paramDef.DefaultPostFormula = String.Empty
    
            ' Specify the column that contains the key identifiers and the column
            ' that contains the display values. The sample uses the same column
            ' for both purposes.
            ' These values must match the structure of the data table that is
            ' returned by the ParameterDefinition.DisplayValues property.
    
          paramDef.KeyColumn = "Symbol"
          paramDef.DisplayColumn = "Symbol"
    
            ' You can use this property to store custom information for this filter.
          paramDef.CustomDefinition = String.Empty
    
          filter.BeginPoints.Add(paramDef)
    End If
    

    The sample editor defines its beginpoint in the VerifyFilter method. It also uses VerifyFilter to verify that required properties are set and to define the selection mode, which is an optional property.

  10. Initialize the filter by running the filter's query and retrieving data from the data source. The buttonOK_Click method in the sample filter editor calls the FilterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData method to initialize the filter.

    Note

    The editor must call FilterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData at least once before updating the filter object.

  11. Update the filter with user-defined changes. The buttonOK_Click method in the sample filter editor calls the FilterRepositoryHelper.Update method to update the filter's Name, Description, and DataSourceLocation properties in the repository. In addition, buttonOK_Click is used to validate the contents of the controls and retrieve state information for the custom filter and the helper object.

    Note

    Users can set a custom object's Name, Description, and Owner (Person Responsible) properties and delete custom objects directly from Dashboard Designer and the PerformancePoint Services repository.

    Next step: After you create a filter editor (including its user interface, if required) and a data provider, deploy the extension as described in How to: Manually Register PerformancePoint Services Extensions. For instructions about how to install and configure the sample filter extension, see the "Installing the Sample Report, Filter, and Data Source Objects" section in PerformancePoint Services Code Sample: Custom Report, Filter, and Tabular Data Source Objects.

Example

The following code example creates, retrieves, and updates custom filters in the repository and provides the programming logic for the controls that are defined in an ASPX page.

Note

Before you can compile this code example, you must configure your development environment as described in To create and configure the editor class.

using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Data;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards; 
using Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerCommon;
using Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerRendering;

namespace Microsoft.PerformancePoint.SDK.Samples.SampleFilter
{

    // Represents the class that defines the sample filter editor.
    public class SampleFilterEditor : Page
    {

        // Declare private variables for the ASP.NET controls defined in the user interface.
        // The sample's user interface is an ASPX page that defines the controls in HTML.
        private TextBox textboxName;
        private TextBox textboxDescription;
        private Label labelErrorMessage;
        private DropDownList dropdownlistDataSource;
        private Button buttonOK;
        private ListBox listboxStocks;

        // Make the controls available to this class.
        protected override void CreateChildControls()
        {
            base.CreateChildControls();

            if (null == textboxName) 
                textboxName = FindControl("textboxName") as TextBox;
            if (null == textboxDescription) 
                textboxDescription = FindControl("textboxDescription") as TextBox;
            if (null == dropdownlistDataSource) 
                dropdownlistDataSource = FindControl("dropdownlistDataSource") as DropDownList;
            if (null == labelErrorMessage)
                labelErrorMessage = FindControl("labelErrorMessage") as Label;
            if (null==buttonOK)
                buttonOK = FindControl("buttonOK") as Button;
            if (null==listboxStocks)
                listboxStocks = FindControl("listboxStocks") as ListBox;
        }

        // Handles the Load event of the Page control.
        // Methods that use a control variable should call the Control.EnsureChildControls
        // method before accessing the variable for the first time.
        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

            // Required to enable custom report and filter editors to
            // write data to the repository.
            ServerUtils.AllowUnsafeUpdates = true;

            // Initialize controls the first time the page loads only.
            if (!IsPostBack)
            {
                EnsureChildControls();
                FilterRepositoryHelper filterRepositoryHelper = null;
                try
                {

                    // Get information from the query string parameters.
                    string server = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.SiteCollectionUrl];
                    string itemLocation = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.ItemLocation];
                    string action = Request.QueryString[ClickOnceLaunchKeys.LaunchOperation];

                    // Validate the query string parameters.
                    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(server) ||
                        string.IsNullOrEmpty(itemLocation) ||
                        string.IsNullOrEmpty(action))
                    {
                        displayError("Invalid URL.");
                        return;
                    }

                    // Retrieve the repository-helper object.
                    filterRepositoryHelper =
                        new FilterRepositoryHelper();

                    // Set the filter location.
                    RepositoryLocation repositoryFilterLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(itemLocation);

                    Filter filter;
                    DataSource datasource = null;

                    // Retrieve or create the filter object, depending on the operation
                    // passed in the query string (OpenItem or CreateItem).
                    if (ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                    {

                        // Retrieve the filter object by using the repository-helper object.
                        filter = filterRepositoryHelper.Get(repositoryFilterLocation);
                        if (filter == null)
                        {
                            displayError("Could not retrieve the filter for editing.");
                            return;
                        }

                    }
                    else if (ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                    {

                        // Create a filter.
                        // CreateItem requests can be sent from a SharePoint list, but
                        // you must create a custom menu item to send the request.
                        // Dashboard Designer can send edit requests only.
                        filter = new Filter
                            {

                                // Specify the class that defines the renderer
                                // Web server control. The sample filter uses a native
                                // PerformancePoint Services renderer.
                                // Defaults to the value specified in the web.config file
                                RendererClassName = typeof(MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName,

                                // Specify the unique identifier for the filter.
                                // The SubTypeId property must match the
                                // subType attribute in the web.config file.
                                SubTypeId = "SampleFilter"
                            };
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        displayError("Invalid Action.");
                        return;
                    }

                    VerifyFilter(filter);

                    // Retrieve filter's underlying data source.
                    if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl))
                    {
                        RepositoryLocation repositoryDatasourceLocation =
                            RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl);
                        datasource =

                            // Gets a PerformancePoint Services data source by using the
                            // DataSourceHelper property to call the
                            // DataSourceConsumerHelper.GetDataSource method. 
                            filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation);
                    }

                    // Save the original filter and helper objects across page postbacks.
                    ViewState["action"] = action;
                    ViewState["filter"] = filter;
                    ViewState["filterrepositoryhelper"] = filterRepositoryHelper;
                    ViewState["itemlocation"] = itemLocation;

                    // Populate the child controls.
                    textboxName.Text = filter.Name.ToString();
                    textboxDescription.Text = filter.Description.ToString();

                    // Populate the dropdownlistDataSource control with data sources of specific
                    // types from the PerformancePoint Services repository.
                    // This method looks up the passed data source in the data sources
                    // that are registered in the web.config file. 
                    // Although the sample retrieves data sources of two specific types,
                    // you can modify it to prompt the user for a data source type.
                    PopulateDataSourceDropDown(datasource);

                    // Call the SelectedIndexChanged event directly to populate the 
                    // listbox control with preview data.
                    dropdownlistDataSource_SelectedIndexChanged(null, null);
                }
                catch (Exception ex)
                {
                    displayError("An error has occurred. Please contact your administrator for more information.");
                    if (filterRepositoryHelper != null)
                    {
                        // Add the exception detail to the server event log.
                        filterRepositoryHelper.HandleException(ex);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        // Handles the SelectedIndexChanged event of the dropdownlistDataSource control.
        protected void dropdownlistDataSource_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            EnsureChildControls();

            // Check if a valid data source is selected.
            if (null != dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem &&
                !string.IsNullOrEmpty(dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem.Text))
            {
                // Retrieve the data source object.
                FilterRepositoryHelper filterRepositoryHelper =
                    (FilterRepositoryHelper)ViewState["filterrepositoryhelper"];
                string selectedDataSourceItemUrl = dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem.Value;

                RepositoryLocation repositoryDatasourceLocation =
                    RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(selectedDataSourceItemUrl);
                DataSource datasource = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation);
                ViewState["datasource"] = datasource;

                // Populate the listboxStocks control with the preview data for the selected
                // data source.
                PopulateListBoxData(datasource);
            }
            else
            {
                ClearStocksListBox();
            }
        }

        // Clears the listboxStocks control.
        // The sample filter works with a Web service that provides stock information.
        private void ClearStocksListBox()
        {
            listboxStocks.DataSource = null;
            listboxStocks.DataBind();
            listboxStocks.Items.Clear();
        }

        // Handles the Click event of the buttonOK control.
        protected void buttonOK_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            EnsureChildControls();

            // Verify that the controls contain values.
            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(textboxName.Text))
            {
                labelErrorMessage.Text = "A filter name is required.";
                return;
            }
            if (dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedIndex == 0)
            {
                labelErrorMessage.Text = "A data source is required.";
                return;
            }

            // Clear any pre-existing error message.
            labelErrorMessage.Text = string.Empty;

            // Retrieve the filter, data source, and helper objects from view state.
            string action = (string)ViewState["action"];
            string itemLocation = (string) ViewState["itemlocation"];
            Filter filter = (Filter)ViewState["filter"];
            DataSource datasource = (DataSource)ViewState["datasource"];
            FilterRepositoryHelper filterRepositoryHelper = (FilterRepositoryHelper)ViewState["filterrepositoryhelper"];

            // Update the filter object with form changes.
            filter.Name.Text = textboxName.Text;
            filter.Description.Text = textboxDescription.Text;
            filter.DataSourceLocation = datasource.Location;
            foreach (ParameterDefinition parameterDefinition in filter.BeginPoints)
            {
                parameterDefinition.DisplayName = filter.Name.Text;
            }

            // Initialize the filter. This method runs the filter's query and retrieves preview data.
            filterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData(ref filter);

            // Save the filter object to the PerformancePoint Services repository.
            try
            {
                filter.Validate();

                if (ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action,StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                {
                    Filter newFilter = filterRepositoryHelper.Create(
                        string.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.Location.ItemUrl) ? itemLocation : filter.Location.ItemUrl, filter);
                    ViewState["filter"] = newFilter;
                    ViewState["action"] = ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem;
                }
                else
                {
                    filterRepositoryHelper.Update(filter);
                }
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                displayError("An error has occurred. Please contact your administrator for more information.");
                if (filterRepositoryHelper != null)
                {

                    // Add the exception detail to the server event log.
                    filterRepositoryHelper.HandleException(ex);
                }
            }
        }

        // Displays the error string in the labelErrorMessage label.
        void displayError(string msg)
        {
            EnsureChildControls();
            
            labelErrorMessage.Text = msg;

            // Disable the OK button because the page is in an error state.
            buttonOK.Enabled = false;
            return;
        }

        // Verifies that the properties for the filter object are set.
        static void VerifyFilter(Filter filter)
        {

            if (null != filter)
            {

                // Verify that all required properties are set.
                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.SubTypeId)) 
                {

                    // This value must match the subType attribute specified
                    // in the web.config file.
                    filter.SubTypeId = "SampleFilter";
                }

                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.RendererClassName)) 
                {
                    filter.RendererClassName = typeof (MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName; 
                }

                // Define the BeginPoints property so the filter can send a parameter value to
                // scorecards and reports.
                // The value must be from the KeyColumn of the display
                // DataTable object, which is defined in the data provider. The data table is
                // returned by the FilterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData method.
                // A filter has one beginpoint only, and it is represented by a
                // ParameterDefinition object. The ParameterDefinition object defines how
                // the filter accesses the data.
                if (0 == filter.BeginPoints.Count)
                {
                    ParameterDefinition paramDef = new ParameterDefinition
                                                       {
                                                           // This value must match the value returned 
                                                           // by the data provider's GetId method.
                                                           ParameterProviderId = "SampleFilterDataProvider",

                                                           // Reference the data provider.
                                                           DefaultPostFormula = string.Empty,

                                                           // Specify the column that contains
                                                           // the key identifiers and the column
                                                           // that contains the display values.
                                                           // The sample uses the same column
                                                           // for both purposes.
                                                           // These values must match the structure
                                                           // of the data table that is returned
                                                           // by the ParameterDefinition.DisplayValues property.
                                                           KeyColumn = "Symbol",
                                                           DisplayColumn = "Symbol",

                                                           // You can use this property to store
                                                           // extra information for this filter.
                                                           CustomDefinition = string.Empty
                                                       };
                    filter.BeginPoints.Add(paramDef);
                }

                // Set optional properties. The renderer can return multiple values. 
                filter.SelectionMode = FilterSelectionMode.MultiSelect;
            }
        }

        // Populates the dropdownlistDataSource control.
        void PopulateDataSourceDropDown(DataSource filterDataSource)
        {
            EnsureChildControls();
            
            FilterRepositoryHelper filterRepositoryHelper =
                (FilterRepositoryHelper)ViewState["filterrepositoryhelper"];

            // Retrieve data sources from the repository by using the DataSourceHelper
            // property to call the DataSourceConsumerHelper object.
            // If you modify the types of data source to retrieve, you must make the corresponding
            // change in the filter's data provider.
            // The parameter contains the default server-relative URL to the PerformancePoint Data Connections Library.
            // Edit this value if you are not using the default path. A leading forward slash may not be needed.
            ICollection dataSourceCollection = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSourcesBySourceNames("/BICenter/Data%20Connections%20for%20PerformancePoint/",
                new[] { "WSTabularDataSource", DataSourceNames.ExcelWorkbook });
            if (null == dataSourceCollection)
            {
                displayError("No available data sources were found.");
                return;
            }

            // Create a list of name/value pairs for the dropdownlistDataSource control.
            var dataSources = new List<KeyValuePair<string, string>>();
            int selectedIndex = 0;
            int i = 1;
            dataSources.Add(new KeyValuePair<string, string>(string.Empty, string.Empty));

            foreach (DataSource ds in dataSourceCollection)
            {
                dataSources.Add(new KeyValuePair<string, string>(ds.Name.Text, ds.Location.ItemUrl));

                // Check if the entry is the originally selected data source.
                if ((filterDataSource != null) &&
                    (string.Compare(ds.Name.Text, filterDataSource.Name.Text) == 0))
                {
                    selectedIndex = i;
                }
                ++i;
            }

            dropdownlistDataSource.DataSource = dataSources;
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataTextField = "Key";
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataValueField = "Value";
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataBind();
            dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedIndex = selectedIndex;
        }


        // Populate the list box data.
        void PopulateListBoxData(DataSource datasource)
        {
            EnsureChildControls();
            
            ClearStocksListBox();
            
            FilterRepositoryHelper filterRepositoryHelper =
                (FilterRepositoryHelper)ViewState["filterrepositoryhelper"];

            // Retrieve the first 100 rows of the preview data from the data source
            DataSet dataSet = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSet(100, datasource);

            if (null != dataSet && null != dataSet.Tables[0])
            {
                listboxStocks.DataTextField = "Symbol";
                listboxStocks.DataValueField = "Value";
                listboxStocks.DataSource = dataSet.Tables[0];
                listboxStocks.DataBind();
            }
        }
    }
}
'INSTANT VB NOTE: This code snippet uses implicit typing. You will need to set 'Option Infer On' in the VB file or set 'Option Infer' at the project level:

Imports System
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Web.UI
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls
Imports Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards
Imports Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerCommon
Imports Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards.ServerRendering

Namespace Microsoft.PerformancePoint.SDK.Samples.SampleFilter

    ' Represents the class that defines the sample filter editor.
    Public Class SampleFilterEditor
        Inherits Page

        ' Declare private variables for the ASP.NET controls defined in the user interface.
        ' The sample's user interface is an ASPX page that defines the controls in HTML.
        Private textboxName As TextBox
        Private textboxDescription As TextBox
        Private labelErrorMessage As Label
        Private dropdownlistDataSource As DropDownList
        Private buttonOK As Button
        Private listboxStocks As ListBox

        ' Make the controls available to this class.
        Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()
            MyBase.CreateChildControls()

            If Nothing Is textboxName Then
                textboxName = TryCast(FindControl("textboxName"), TextBox)
            End If
            If Nothing Is textboxDescription Then
                textboxDescription = TryCast(FindControl("textboxDescription"), TextBox)
            End If
            If Nothing Is dropdownlistDataSource Then
                dropdownlistDataSource = TryCast(FindControl("dropdownlistDataSource"), DropDownList)
            End If
            If Nothing Is labelErrorMessage Then
                labelErrorMessage = TryCast(FindControl("labelErrorMessage"), Label)
            End If
            If Nothing Is buttonOK Then
                buttonOK = TryCast(FindControl("buttonOK"), Button)
            End If
            If Nothing Is listboxStocks Then
                listboxStocks = TryCast(FindControl("listboxStocks"), ListBox)
            End If
        End Sub

        ' Handles the Load event of the Page control.
        ' Methods that use a control variable should call the Control.EnsureChildControls
        ' method before accessing the variable for the first time.
        Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)

            ' Required to enable custom report and filter editors to
            ' write data to the repository.
            ServerUtils.AllowUnsafeUpdates = True

            ' Initialize controls the first time the page loads only.
            If Not IsPostBack Then
                EnsureChildControls()
                Dim filterRepositoryHelper As FilterRepositoryHelper = Nothing
                Try

                    ' Get information from the query string parameters.
                    Dim server As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.SiteCollectionUrl)
                    Dim itemLocation As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.ItemLocation)
                    Dim action As String = Request.QueryString(ClickOnceLaunchKeys.LaunchOperation)

                    ' Validate the query string parameters.
                    If String.IsNullOrEmpty(server) OrElse String.IsNullOrEmpty(itemLocation) OrElse String.IsNullOrEmpty(action) Then
                        displayError("Invalid URL.")
                        Return
                    End If

                    ' Retrieve the repository-helper object.
                    filterRepositoryHelper = New FilterRepositoryHelper()

                    ' Set the filter location.
                    Dim repositoryFilterLocation As RepositoryLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(itemLocation)

                    Dim filter As Filter
                    Dim datasource As DataSource = Nothing

                    ' Retrieve or create the filter object, depending on the operation
                    ' passed in the query string (OpenItem or CreateItem).
                    If ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then

                        ' Retrieve the filter object by using the repository-helper object.
                        filter = filterRepositoryHelper.Get(repositoryFilterLocation)
                        If filter Is Nothing Then
                            displayError("Could not retrieve the filter for editing.")
                            Return
                        End If

                    ElseIf ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then

                        ' Create a filter.
                        ' CreateItem requests can be sent from a SharePoint list, but
                        ' you must create a custom menu item to send the request.
                        ' Dashboard Designer can send edit requests only.
                        filter = New Filter With {.RendererClassName = GetType(MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName, .SubTypeId = "SampleFilter"}
                        ' Specify the class that defines the renderer
                        ' Web server control. The sample filter uses a native
                        ' PerformancePoint Services renderer.
                        ' Defaults to the value specified in the web.config file
                        ' Specify the unique identifier for the filter.
                        ' The SubTypeId property must match the
                        ' subType attribute in the web.config file.
                    Else
                        displayError("Invalid Action.")
                        Return
                    End If

                    VerifyFilter(filter)

                    ' Retrieve filter's underlying data source.
                    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl) Then
                        Dim repositoryDatasourceLocation As RepositoryLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(filter.DataSourceLocation.ItemUrl)
                        ' Gets a PerformancePoint Services data source by using the
                        ' DataSourceHelper property to call the
                        ' DataSourceConsumerHelper.GetDataSource method. 
                        datasource = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation)
                    End If

                    ' Save the original filter and helper objects across page postbacks.
                    ViewState("action") = action
                    ViewState("filter") = filter
                    ViewState("filterrepositoryhelper") = filterRepositoryHelper
                    ViewState("itemlocation") = itemLocation

                    ' Populate the child controls.
                    textboxName.Text = filter.Name.ToString()
                    textboxDescription.Text = filter.Description.ToString()

                    ' Populate the dropdownlistDataSource control with data sources of specific
                    ' types from the PerformancePoint Services repository.
                    ' This method looks up the passed data source in the data sources
                    ' that are registered in the web.config file. 
                    ' Although the sample retrieves data sources of two specific types,
                    ' you can modify it to prompt the user for a data source type.
                    PopulateDataSourceDropDown(datasource)

                    ' Call the SelectedIndexChanged event directly to populate the 
                    ' listbox control with preview data.
                    dropdownlistDataSource_SelectedIndexChanged(Nothing, Nothing)
                Catch ex As Exception
                    displayError("An error has occurred. Please contact your administrator for more information.")
                    If filterRepositoryHelper IsNot Nothing Then
                        ' Add the exception detail to the server event log.
                        filterRepositoryHelper.HandleException(ex)
                    End If
                End Try
            End If
        End Sub

        ' Handles the SelectedIndexChanged event of the dropdownlistDataSource control.
        Protected Sub dropdownlistDataSource_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
            EnsureChildControls()

            ' Check if a valid data source is selected.
            If Nothing IsNot dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem AndAlso (Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem.Text)) Then
                ' Retrieve the data source object.
                Dim filterRepositoryHelper As FilterRepositoryHelper = CType(ViewState("filterrepositoryhelper"), FilterRepositoryHelper)
                Dim selectedDataSourceItemUrl As String = dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedItem.Value

                Dim repositoryDatasourceLocation As RepositoryLocation = RepositoryLocation.CreateFromUriString(selectedDataSourceItemUrl)
                Dim datasource As DataSource = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSource(repositoryDatasourceLocation)
                ViewState("datasource") = datasource

                ' Populate the listboxStocks control with the preview data for the selected
                ' data source.
                PopulateListBoxData(datasource)
            Else
                ClearStocksListBox()
            End If
        End Sub

        ' Clears the listboxStocks control.
        ' The sample filter works with a Web service that provides stock information.
        Private Sub ClearStocksListBox()
            listboxStocks.DataSource = Nothing
            listboxStocks.DataBind()
            listboxStocks.Items.Clear()
        End Sub

        ' Handles the Click event of the buttonOK control.
        Protected Sub buttonOK_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
            EnsureChildControls()

            ' Verify that the controls contain values.
            If String.IsNullOrEmpty(textboxName.Text) Then
                labelErrorMessage.Text = "A filter name is required."
                Return
            End If
            If dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedIndex = 0 Then
                labelErrorMessage.Text = "A data source is required."
                Return
            End If

            ' Clear any pre-existing error message.
            labelErrorMessage.Text = String.Empty

            ' Retrieve the filter, data source, and helper objects from view state.
            Dim action As String = CStr(ViewState("action"))
            Dim itemLocation As String = CStr(ViewState("itemlocation"))
            Dim filter As Filter = CType(ViewState("filter"), Filter)
            Dim datasource As DataSource = CType(ViewState("datasource"), DataSource)
            Dim filterRepositoryHelper As FilterRepositoryHelper = CType(ViewState("filterrepositoryhelper"), FilterRepositoryHelper)

            ' Update the filter object with form changes.
            filter.Name.Text = textboxName.Text
            filter.Description.Text = textboxDescription.Text
            filter.DataSourceLocation = datasource.Location
            For Each parameterDefinition As ParameterDefinition In filter.BeginPoints
                parameterDefinition.DisplayName = filter.Name.Text
            Next parameterDefinition

            ' Initialize the filter. This method runs the filter's query and retrieves preview data.
            filterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData(filter)

            ' Save the filter object to the PerformancePoint Services repository.
            Try
                filter.Validate()

                If ClickOnceLaunchValues.CreateItem.Equals(action, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
                    Dim newFilter As Filter = filterRepositoryHelper.Create(If(String.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.Location.ItemUrl), itemLocation, filter.Location.ItemUrl), filter)
                    ViewState("filter") = newFilter
                    ViewState("action") = ClickOnceLaunchValues.OpenItem
                Else
                    filterRepositoryHelper.Update(filter)
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                displayError("An error has occurred. Please contact your administrator for more information.")
                If filterRepositoryHelper IsNot Nothing Then

                    ' Add the exception detail to the server event log.
                    filterRepositoryHelper.HandleException(ex)
                End If
            End Try
        End Sub

        ' Displays the error string in the labelErrorMessage label.
        Private Sub displayError(ByVal msg As String)
            EnsureChildControls()

            labelErrorMessage.Text = msg

            ' Disable the OK button because the page is in an error state.
            buttonOK.Enabled = False
            Return
        End Sub

        ' Verifies that the properties for the filter object are set.
        Private Shared Sub VerifyFilter(ByVal filter As Filter)

            If Nothing IsNot filter Then

                ' Verify that all required properties are set.
                If String.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.SubTypeId) Then

                    ' This value must match the subType attribute specified
                    ' in the web.config file.
                    filter.SubTypeId = "SampleFilter"
                End If

                If String.IsNullOrEmpty(filter.RendererClassName) Then
                    filter.RendererClassName = GetType(MultiSelectTreeViewControl).AssemblyQualifiedName
                End If

                ' Define the BeginPoints property so the filter can send a parameter value to
                ' scorecards and reports.
                ' The value must be from the KeyColumn of the display
                ' DataTable object, which is defined in the data provider. The data table is
                ' returned by the FilterRepositoryHelper.GetParameterDisplayData method.
                ' A filter has one beginpoint only, and it is represented by a
                ' ParameterDefinition object. The ParameterDefinition object defines how
                ' the filter accesses the data.
                If 0 = filter.BeginPoints.Count Then
                    Dim paramDef As ParameterDefinition = New ParameterDefinition With {.ParameterProviderId = "SampleFilterDataProvider", .DefaultPostFormula = String.Empty, .KeyColumn = "Symbol", .DisplayColumn = "Symbol", .CustomDefinition = String.Empty}
                    ' This value must match the value returned 
                    ' by the data provider's GetId method.
                    ' Reference the data provider.
                    ' Specify the column that contains
                    ' the key identifiers and the column
                    ' that contains the display values.
                    ' The sample uses the same column
                    ' for both purposes.
                    ' These values must match the structure
                    ' of the data table that is returned
                    ' by the ParameterDefinition.DisplayValues property.
                    ' You can use this property to store
                    ' extra information for this filter.
                    filter.BeginPoints.Add(paramDef)
                End If

                ' Set optional properties. The renderer can return multiple values. 
                filter.SelectionMode = FilterSelectionMode.MultiSelect
            End If
        End Sub

        ' Populates the dropdownlistDataSource control.
        Private Sub PopulateDataSourceDropDown(ByVal filterDataSource As DataSource)
            EnsureChildControls()

            Dim filterRepositoryHelper As FilterRepositoryHelper = CType(ViewState("filterrepositoryhelper"), FilterRepositoryHelper)

            ' Retrieve data sources from the repository by using the DataSourceHelper
            ' property to call the DataSourceConsumerHelper object.
            ' If you modify the types of data source to retrieve, you must make the corresponding
            ' change in the filter's data provider.
            ' The parameter contains the default server-relative URL to the PerformancePoint Data Connections Library.
            ' Edit this value if you are not using the default path. A leading forward slash may not be needed.
            Dim dataSourceCollection As ICollection = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSourcesBySourceNames("/BICenter/Data%20Connections%20for%20PerformancePoint/", {"WSTabularDataSource", DataSourceNames.ExcelWorkbook})
            If Nothing Is dataSourceCollection Then
                displayError("No available data sources were found.")
                Return
            End If

            ' Create a list of name/value pairs for the dropdownlistDataSource control.
            Dim dataSources = New List(Of KeyValuePair(Of String, String))()
            Dim selectedIndex As Integer = 0
            Dim i As Integer = 1
            dataSources.Add(New KeyValuePair(Of String, String)(String.Empty, String.Empty))

            For Each ds As DataSource In dataSourceCollection
                dataSources.Add(New KeyValuePair(Of String, String)(ds.Name.Text, ds.Location.ItemUrl))

                ' Check if the entry is the originally selected data source.
                If (filterDataSource IsNot Nothing) AndAlso (String.Compare(ds.Name.Text, filterDataSource.Name.Text) = 0) Then
                    selectedIndex = i
                End If
                i += 1
            Next ds

            dropdownlistDataSource.DataSource = dataSources
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataTextField = "Key"
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataValueField = "Value"
            dropdownlistDataSource.DataBind()
            dropdownlistDataSource.SelectedIndex = selectedIndex
        End Sub


        ' Populate the list box data.
        Private Sub PopulateListBoxData(ByVal datasource As DataSource)
            EnsureChildControls()

            ClearStocksListBox()

            Dim filterRepositoryHelper As FilterRepositoryHelper = CType(ViewState("filterrepositoryhelper"), FilterRepositoryHelper)

            ' Retrieve the first 100 rows of the preview data from the data source
            Dim dataSet As DataSet = filterRepositoryHelper.DataSourceHelper.GetDataSet(100, datasource)

            If Nothing IsNot dataSet AndAlso Nothing IsNot dataSet.Tables(0) Then
                listboxStocks.DataTextField = "Symbol"
                listboxStocks.DataValueField = "Value"
                listboxStocks.DataSource = dataSet.Tables(0)
                listboxStocks.DataBind()
            End If
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Compiling the Code

Before you can compile this code example, you must configure your development environment as described in To create and configure the editor class.

Security

You must sign your DLL with a strong name. In addition, ensure that all assemblies referenced by your DLL have strong names. For information about how to sign an assembly with a strong name and how to create a public/private key pair, see How to: Create a Public/Private Key Pair.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create Data Providers for PerformancePoint Services Filters

Concepts

Editors for Custom PerformancePoint Services Objects

PerformancePoint Services Filters

Other Resources

Create Custom Objects for PerformancePoint Services

Code Samples for PerformancePoint Services in SharePoint Server 2010