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Canvas (Reports) - BETA DLE Datasets Tool

DLE Datasets is custom tool which allows University of Wisconsin System (except for UW Madison) Canvas administrators to run preselected reports in the Instructional instance of Canvas. Although the DLE Datasets tool is deployed to the production instance of Canvas, the tool itself is still a beta, so feature development and performance improvement are ongoing.

Administrators who notice issues should use the "Report Issue or Ask a Question" form on the main page of the tool to send the issue or question to the DLE Team.

Canvas administrators can use the DLE Datasets tool by doing the following:

1) Log in to Canvas.

2) Go to Admin then choose an account.

Navigate to a specific subaccount on the Digital Learning Environment's Instructional instance. The DLE Datasets tool takes its context from the subaccount you're in when you launch the tool. For example, if an administrator launches the tool from the top of the UW La Crosse Instructional subaccount, it will run reports across that entire subaccount and all of the subaccounts underneath it. If that administrator then drills down to a department's subaccount and launches the DLE Datasets tool again, it will run reports against the smaller pool of data for that department's subaccount (and the subaccounts underneath it, if there are any).

3) In the Admin Navigation on the left, choose DLE Datasets (BETA)

4) In the DLE Datasets (BETA) tool, go to Select Dataset From List and select a report from the dropdown. 

DLE Datasets tool with the Reports dropdown menu highlighted

The choices are:

The DLE Team has not completed documentation describing each of these reports. We recommend that administrators experiment with the reports to get a feeling for the data they can offer.

5) The dataset you select may present a dropdown menu or text entry box for additional parameters such as dates, termID, or keywords to search. Enter the desired values. For example, in "Search Term," you could type: "Libguides."

DLE Datasets tool with ParameterName: Searchterm and the text entry box highlighted.

6) Select an output format to run the report.

DLE Datasets screen with four output formats selected: preview, JSON, CSV, and XLSX.

Four output formats are available:

Preview: The output will load in a table in the DLE Datasets interface, displaying up to 100 values at a time. Best for small datasets or testing that a query will produce results.

JSON: A structured text-based format which loads quickly, but isn't formatted for easy human reading. Best for importing into another piece of software for formatting.

CSV: Comma separated values. You can use this to open the report as a spreadsheet in Excel.

XLSX: Excel format. You can use this to open the report as a spreadsheet in Excel.

7) For JSON, CSV, or XLSX formats, the "Export Link/Download" window will pop up. You will have the option to Copy a temporary link to your report (links expire after 10-20 minutes or 10 uses) or Download the report to your local machine. 

DLE Datasets "Export Link/Download" popup with the page-shaped "Copy" icon and the arrow-shaped "Download" icon highlighted.

For many use cases, you will want to export the report to your spreadsheet or database software of choice (ex: Microsoft Excel) and use that software's features to sort, filter, and analyze the data. 

As mentioned above, if you notice issues or have questions, please use the "Report Issue or Ask a Question" form on the main page of the tool to send the issue or question to the DLE Team.



KeywordsDLE, report, data, data set, dataset, query, warehouse, statistics, searchDoc ID109714
OwnerThomas A.GroupUWSA DLE
Created2021-03-17 10:22:17Updated2023-08-03 16:31:13
SitesUW Platteville, UW System Administration DLE
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