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Sending Dynamic Data to PopChart Server | PopChart Server User Guide 4.0.5 |
Chapter 6
The most important part of a graph is the data inside of it. Although you can always enter your data manually into each appearance file with PopChart Builder, one of PopChart Server's most useful features is its ability to import live, dynamic data into PopChart images.
Your appearance file can be used as a template for graphs that contain live data. The live data will replace the sample data from your appearance file. PopChart Server can even automatically rescale, resize, and reposition objects in your appearance file for you if your live data set is significantly different than the data in your appearance file (refer to "Dynamically Resizing the Appearance File" in Chapter 1 of the PopChart Builder User Guide).
Since your data can be (and often is) stored in a wide variety of formats, we've designed PopChart Server 4.0.5 to accept data in as many different forms as possible. Before you get started using dynamic data though, it is important that you understand how PopChart Server will interpret the data that you send it. Thus, the first part of this chapter discusses how PopChart Server uses your data.
The last part of this chapter describes four different strategies for sending your data to PopChart Server. Each of these strategies has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, importing your data from a file or from a database may be easier to set up initially, while you may find PopChart XML more powerful (in terms of interactivity and customization) in the long run.
Note: Using PopChart XML or PopChart Script does not mean that you can't graph data from your database. Most people, in fact, use a web application to make SQL queries to their database, process the results, and output the data in a format compatible with PopChart XML or PopChart Script.
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