Chapter 2: Developing Your First OOTB Analytics App in CRMA

What is a Tableau Customer Relationship Management (CRMA) analytics app? CRMA provides a variety of out-of-the-box (OOTB) analytics applications that get you started with data analytics for a variety of generic and industry-specific use cases, such as sales analytics or wealth management analytics. These apps provide prebuilt data flows and dashboards that can be configured to suit the use case and available data. OOTB apps are a great place to begin using and customizing CRMA analytics, and to get a feel for the CRMA user interface (UI), assets, and tools.

You have to walk before you can run. We are going to begin right at the start—setting up a trial CRMA organization (org), getting to know the CRMA environment, and learning basic asset definitions. We will then dive in and get our feet wet by creating and customizing our very first CRMA analytics app.

By the end of this chapter, you should have a detailed...

Technical requirements

You will need the following to successfully execute the instructions in this chapter:

• A laptop or desktop with internet access (a tablet or a phone is not sufficient)
• The latest version of the Google Chrome browser (Chrome is the preferred browser when working with CRMA)
• A working email address
• Link to CRMA dev org:

https://developer.salesforce.com/promotions/orgs/analytics-de

Getting hands-on with your own CRMA environment

Let's first walk through the initial process of setting up a dev playground for CRMA so that you can use it to work along with me as we move along with the process of installing CRMA.

In order for you to get hands-on with the CRMA platform, you first need a sandbox environment that is yours to edit as you see fit—one that is already enabled for CRMA and is populated with sample data. This playground environment is known as an Einstein Analytics-enabled Developer Edition org. So, let's set this up.

Setting up your dev org

To sign up for and set up your dev org, follow these next steps:

1. Sign up here for your own Einstein Analytics-enabled Developer Edition org: https://developer.salesforce.com/promotions/orgs/analytics-de. The sign-up screen should look like this:

Figure 2.1 – Sign-up screen for dev org

2. Go ahead and fill out the form, and then select Sign me up...

What is a CRMA analytics app?

Before we dive into the deployment and customization of a CRMA analytics app, we first need to understand what one exactly is. A CRMA application is essentially a container for four CRMA assets: dashboards, stories, lenses, and datasets. Here is a simple visual overview of a CRMA app:

Figure 2.9 – Overview of a CRMA app

Open up the existing app, My DTC Sales, and you will see the previously listed assets, as well as a Details tab that displays system information.

As you explore the My DTC Sales app, and as we prepare to build our very own app, there are some basics you first need to grasp. There are three things to note about CRMA analytics apps, outlined as follows:

• An app is secure. That is, it can be restricted to the creator or can be opened up to other users. App-level security is one form of CRMA security.
• An app can be shared. There are three ways to share the contents of an app with others for collaboration...

Installing and configuring a CRMA analytics app

Let's now go ahead and create our very first analytics app. We will follow the simple, intuitive OOTB process offered by CRMA, beginning with the Create button. The steps are listed as follows:

1. App creation
2. Basic app configuration
3. App exploration

Let's explore these steps in the following section.

App creation

Let's start by creating our app. To do so, follow these next instructions:

1. First, head up to the top right-hand corner of the page, click on Create, and select App, as illustrated in the following screenshot:

Figure 2.10 – How to begin the app creation process by using the Create button

You should now see a screen where you can select an app template. A template is a preconfigured, customizable app that is built for a particular use case.

2. Let's type sales in the search window and select the Sales Analytics app, as illustrated in...

Customizing a CRMA analytics app

By the end of this section, you should be able to edit the configuration of an app and thus customize it to a limited extent. These two steps are required for you to customize an app:

1. Change the app settings to custom settings.
2. Customize the detailed app settings.

Let's explore these steps in the following sections.

Changing the app settings to custom settings

Let's go into the app we created and edit the settings, as follows:

1. Click on Reconfigure app in the app, as per the following screenshot:

Figure 2.17 – Beginning the app reconfiguration process

2. Next, confirm that it's okay to overwrite existing settings and customizations by clicking the checkbox and hitting Continue. You will then see the Sales Analytics - Personalize screen again, so continue, and this time select custom settings when asked Choose how you would like to create Sales Analytics.

You...

Common questions answered

As you follow along in this chapter and build your own app, you may encounter some challenges or have questions; four of the most common ones that are faced or asked are outlined next.

Which licenses do I need to build and use CRMA?

CRMA requires either Einstein Analytics Growth (without Discovery) or Einstein Analytics Plus (with Discovery) licenses. Information regarding your user licenses and permission set licenses (PSLs) can be found in Setup, as depicted in the following screenshot:

Figure 2.20 – Locating user license information in Setup

Salesforce auto-assigns an Einstein Analytics Growth permission set license to the user to whom you assign any CRMA permissions in your org. A PSL can also be manually assigned to users. The process of creating and assigning a permission set is detailed in the following steps:

1. In the Setup menu, under Administration, click Users, then Permission Sets, and then click New...

Troubleshooting

In this section, we will quickly go over some problems that you might face when getting started with CRMA. These problems might sound simple, but they are a common occurrence for people who are getting familiar with the tool.

I can't find my CRMA app or assets

If you do not see your app on the CRMA Analytics Studio home page, click on the All Items option on the far left, under Browse, and you should see your app.

I can't get to the CRMA home page from the Salesforce home page

If you do not see Analytics Studio in the App Launcher in Salesforce, do the following:

1. Click on View All.
2. Search for Analytics.
3. Click on Analytics Studio.

You will then reach the CRMA home page.

Where is the link to reconfigure my CRMA app?

This link can easily be missed, as the font is very small. Look in the top left-hand corner of the browser page, underneath the CRMA logo, and you will see the app title. Below the title you will see Template...

Summary

Now that we have completed the journey of creating and personalizing an OOTB CRMA analytics app, you should have a good grasp of what an analytics app is and how it works. You should have learned that CRMA app templates provide prebuilt data flows and dashboards that can be configured to suit the use case as required, and you should now be comfortable building and personalizing an app. Also, you should have gained a hands-on feel for the CRMA UI, assets, and tools, and should be confident in navigating the Analytics Studio home page. Finally, you have the Troubleshooting section as a handy reference tool, should you get stuck.

Some key takeaways that you should have gained are: first, a CRMA app is a container of CRMA assets, in the form of datasets, lenses, stories, and dashboards. Next, a TRCM app can be secured. Thirdly, a CRMA app can be shared with others in a variety of ways. Then, a CRMA app can be templated and reproduced in another environment. Lastly, you can...

Questions

Now try answering the following questions to test your knowledge:

• What is a CRMA asset? Give one example.
• How can a CRMA app be shared?
• What is a CRMA lens?
• True or false: A CRMA app is restricted to standard, OOTB settings.
• What is the purpose of the Favorites link on the side menu of the CRMA home page?
• What do you do if OOTB CRMA apps don't meet your requirements, even after you have customized them?
• How do you turn on CRMA in a Salesforce environment?