This article covers a general framework on how to break down problems or issues with unknown causes or solutions and troubleshoot them. Before you go down this approach you should confirm that there is no specific troubleshooting checklist for the particular issue you've encountered. For all other troubleshooting issues, some general steps can be followed to help you through:
1. Gather the details about the issue
2. Find what is causing the issue
3. Figure out a workaround or a solution
Please note this requires the Data Stories module or a Displayr license.
How to use these steps
Start with these steps when you're unsure what's causing the issue you've encountered in Displayr, or are having trouble sorting out where to start in understanding an issue. Each of these larger steps builds on information from the previous one.
1. Gather the details about the issue
You will use these details and information to help in the troubleshooting steps below.
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- What messages or errors do you see?
- What is the expected outcome and what's happening instead?
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What documentation and help information is available about the tool(s) or issue? You can search the Displayr Help Center, Displayr wiki, Displayr blog/website, and click on the Help icon
in the object inspector of a particular item to find resources.
2. Find what is causing the issue
What aspects of the issue do you have control over (i.e. structure of the table, order of rules, user permissions, etc.) that you can tweak and test to flag as the root cause of the problem? Once you figure out what is causing the issue, then you can go to step 3.
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Confirm your current inputs and process match the documentation (if there is any available).
- Confirm the expected outcome matches what is described in the documentation.
- Ensure inputs and settings are set up properly based on documentation.
- Check that all the appropriate steps (if available) were followed.
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Test aspects you have control over to see what triggers the issue.
- If there are obvious settings or aspects to test, try changing/confirming those one at a time to see if one fixes the issue or triggers the issue.
- If nothing is found from the step above, re-create the issue from scratch from the beginning in the most simple state. For example, if a visualization is producing an error, add a new one from the menu and use the same input(s).
- Slowly recreate the steps one at a time until the actual result doesn't match what you expect. For example, does the visualization produce an error only after you apply a filter?
- If re-creating from scratch still results in the problem, repeat steps 2b and 2c but use simpler data. (you can try a similar type of data from our Colas.sav data set).
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Use what you've learned and confirmed to identify what causes the trigger to create the issue.
- What inputs affect the trigger?
- What is unique about your inputs vs documentation and help articles?
- What is different about the example you re-created vs the simpler example?
- Loop back to Step 2, starting with one of the potential causes, and repeat testing to confirm what cause is making the trigger mess up.
3. Figure out a workaround or a solution
If the steps above don't lead to an obvious solution, use what you've learned to work toward a solution.
- Is there a specific troubleshooting guide you can use to remedy the cause of the issue?
- How do aspects of the cause affect the issue and how much of these can you change?
- Is the thing that caused the issue required or can you work without it?
- If it's not required, is there another way to produce what you need without the thing?
- If it is required, are there other ways to create the thing you need (i.e. hiding rows in a table within a Calculation vs hiding rows in a table using a Rule) to see if that resolves the issue?
- Can you get what you ultimately need using a different process?
- Can you get something close but adequate to what you ultimately need with a different process?
4. Contact Support
If you've worked through these steps and haven't found a solution to the issue or need help in making the solution, please contact our support team at support@displayr.com or by clicking on Help > Contact support from within your specific document in Displayr. Please provide the details of what you learned in the steps above.