A summary object aggregates data from a single source object, allowing you to roll up records by time period, category, or both. Rather than loading thousands of detail records into a process and summing them in the workbook, you load already-summarised data - improving performance and simplifying process logic.
Summary objects are read-only. They can be used in screens and as process inputs, but cannot be written to.
When to Use a Summary Object
Use a summary object when you frequently aggregate the same dataset, need grouped totals in reports, or find that process performance is being affected by large record volumes. A summary object moves the aggregation out of the spreadsheet and into the platform.
Do not use a summary object when you need to write aggregated results back, apply complex transformation logic, or work with data from multiple source objects. For those cases, use a process or a virtual object.
Key Characteristics
Summary objects are read-only
They can be used as process inputs
They cannot be used as process outputs
They must be based on a single standard object
They cannot be based on a virtual object or another summary object
They must be published before they can be used
Creating a Summary Object
Step 1 - Create the summary object record
Open the Configuration application.
Navigate to Objects \> Summary Object Configuration.
Click New.
Enter the number of summary objects to create and click Add.
Complete the following fields:
System Name - internal identifier, follow naming conventions
Business Name - displayed to users, make it meaningful
Description - explains the purpose of the summary
Base Object - the object containing the source data
Enter an Audit Comment and click Save and Refresh.
The Status field is read-only and shows whether the summary object is New, Unpublished, or Published.
Step 2 - Configure summary attributes
Each summary attribute maps to an attribute on the base object.
Select the summary object and in the lower panel click Edit.
Enter the number of summary attributes required and click Add.
For each attribute, define:
System Name - internal name
Business Name - user-facing label
Description - tooltip help text
Source Attribute - the corresponding attribute on the base object
Order Number - controls the column order in the resulting summary object
Summary Type - see below
Summary types
Each attribute must be assigned a summary type:
Category - used for attributes that define grouping categories, such as a reference to another entity. Records are grouped by the distinct values of category attributes.
Group By - used for a Date, DateTime, or Timestamp attribute. Only one attribute should be marked as Group By. Records are grouped by the selected time period: Day, Month, or Year.
Summariser - used for numeric attributes. Available aggregation methods are Sum, Average, Min, Max, Count, and Distinct.
Step 3 - Publish
Enter an Audit Comment and click Save and Refresh.
Click Publish.
Publishing validates the configuration and creates the underlying object. If you change the configuration later, you must re-publish for the changes to take effect. Do not edit the generated object directly via Objects \> Objects - always make changes through the Summary Object Configuration screen.
Data Security
If the base object uses data security, the summary object must contain a direct reference to the secured object. Indirect references are not supported.
Creating a Summary Object via Process
The platform includes a process that allows summary object configuration to be imported from a file, which is useful when setting up multiple summary objects at once.
Navigate to Processes \> Process Execution and locate ENERGYSYS Import Summary VO Config.
Click Run and provide an import file containing the
NEW_ES_SUM_OBJECT_CONFIGandNEW_ES_SUM_ATTRIBUTE_CONFnamed ranges.
After the process runs, the summary object must still be published manually via the Summary Object Configuration screen.