Reports and visual dashboards are key when it comes to understanding information. The Dartfish tagging solutions can generate hundreds of events with dozens of keywords each. Presenting this data in a clear and structured way through graphs, visuals and metrics allow users to understand what is happening and let them take immediately the right decisions.
Dartfish has developped an API to link the tagging data in Live to external data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Qlik or Excel. Use advanced visualization tools from professional solutions to create dashboards
Dartfish Live Collaboration REST API
Visualization software - Power BI
Visualization software - Excel
Visualization software - Others (Qlik, Tableau, etc...)
Workflow tips and recommendations
Requirements
- myDartfish Pro S software running version 11.6.1030.0
- A local network for all devices with the dashboard software
Dartfish Live Collaboration REST API
Since its version 11.6.1030.0, Dartfish Software offers a read-only access point to access data generated within the DLC service. It allows to use the DLC as a data source to import data seamlessly in third-party applications. This guide will show how to create a link with a Power BI dashboard, but other third-party applications can be used.
To retrieve the DLC data source parameters, go ahead as follows:
- Launch Dartfish software with a Pro S license
- In the Live module, start a Live Collaboration session by clicking on Join > Create Session
- Once the session is created, in the Session Status window, open the Data Source tab.
- Select the network on which the reporting device is connected and copy the Data source end-point
- You may have several addresses listed. There will be one address per network your computer is connected to. To choose the right address, find which network connects your PC with the reporting device.
Hint: The DLC REST API offers 3 methods:
LiveCollaboration/EventData: returns all the events in the default session. The default session is the one created last.
LiveCollaboration/{sessionid}/EventData: returns all the events in the session with id = sessionid.
LiveCollaboration/Sessions: returns all sessions currently running, their respective id and their description.Visualization software - Power BI
Once you have retrieved the data source end-point in Dartfish software, it is time to start working on the visualization software. This section will show how to use Power BI. If you prefer to use Excel instead, go to the next section. You can use other reporting tools such as Qlick or Tableau as long as they are compatible with the REST API
- Launch PowerBI and start a new blank report
- In the Home ribbon, click on Get data > Blank query
- A new window opens up. This window uses the Power Query tool from Microsoft
- Click on Manage Parameters > New Parameter
- Choose the following settings, then press on OK
- Set Name to EndPoint
- Set Type to Text
- Set Suggested value to Any value
- Copy the Data source end-point from Dartfish software into Current Value
- Select Query1 and click on Advanced Editor
- Delete everything in the query, and copy the following code, then click on Done
- The values highlighted in yellow are the event keyword categories in Dartfish software. Remove the ones you don't need and replace them by categories that you have in your tagging panel
let
Source = Json.Document(Web.Contents(EndPoint, [Headers=[
Authorization=".",#"Content-Type"="application/json"],
RelativePath="/EventData"])),
StripTopElem = Source[Events],
Unifie = List.Transform(StripTopElem,
each Record.TransformFields(_,{
{"Name", Text.Trim},
{"Position", Int64.From},
{"Duration", Int64.From},
{"Detail", Text.Trim},
{"GameTime", Text.Trim},
{"Opponent", Text.Trim}
}, MissingField.UseNull)),
Pivotage = Table.FromRecords(Unifie,
{"Name",
"Position",
"Duration",
"Detail",
"GameTime",
"Opponent"
}),
#"Sorted" = Table.Sort(Pivotage,{{"Position", Order.Ascending}}) in
#"Sorted" - Click on Close & Apply. Power BI will now import the dataset from your current Dartfish live tagging session and use it to build graphs and visualization
Visualization software - Excel
Once you have retrieved the data source end-point in Dartfish software, it is time to start working on the visualization software. This section will show how to use Excel. If you prefer to use Power BI instead, go to the previous section. You can use other reporting tools such as Qlick or Tableau as long as they are compatible with the REST API
- Launch Excel and start a new blank workbook
- In the Data ribbon, click on Get data > Blank query
- A new window opens up. This window uses the Power Query tool from Microsoft
- Click on Manage Parameters > New Parameter
- Choose the following settings, then press on OK
- Set Name to EndPoint
- Set Type to Text
- Set Suggested value to Any value
- Copy the Data source end-point from Dartfish software into Current Value
- Select Query1 and click on Advanced Editor
- Delete everything in the query, and copy the following code, then click on Done
- The values highlighted in yellow are the event keyword categories in Dartfish software. Remove the ones you don't need and replace them by categories that you have in your tagging panel
let
Source = Json.Document(Web.Contents(EndPoint, [Headers=[
Authorization=".",#"Content-Type"="application/json"],
RelativePath="/EventData"])),
StripTopElem = Source[Events],
Unifie = List.Transform(StripTopElem,
each Record.TransformFields(_,{
{"Name", Text.Trim},
{"Position", Int64.From},
{"Duration", Int64.From},
{"Detail", Text.Trim},
{"GameTime", Text.Trim},
{"Opponent", Text.Trim}
}, MissingField.UseNull)),
Pivotage = Table.FromRecords(Unifie,
{"Name",
"Position",
"Duration",
"Detail",
"GameTime",
"Opponent"
}),
#"Sorted" = Table.Sort(Pivotage,{{"Position", Order.Ascending}}) in
#"Sorted" - Click on Close & Load.
Excel will now import the dataset from your current Dartfish live tagging session and use it to build graphs and visualization
Visualization software - Others (Qlik, Tableau, etc...)
We have seen how to import the Dartfish data in Excel and PowerBI to build the dashboard. You can use any other data visualization software as long as it can import data from a REST API. Read the documentation of your visualization software to learn how to do it
Workflow tips and recommendations
Data refresh
The dashboard can be refreshed at any point by clicking on Refresh. The dashboard will then reload with the latest data. Some tools offer automatic refresh capabilities at fixed intervals. Use those capabilities to improve the efficiency of the dashboards
Prepare ahead of the game
You may want to prepare your dashboard and visuals ahead of time. For that you will need data compatible with the tagging panel you use during your games. Here is a suggested workflow:
- In Dartfish Software, open the Live Replay module. Load a game that was tagged with a compatible tagging panel.
- In the Events pane, click Export and Share and select Export Events Data (CSV). Save the data under myData.csv.
- In Power BI desktop, create a new report.
- In the Home menu tab, click GetData and select Text/CSV. Select the file myData.csv on your disk. This will create a data source called myData which will link the data to your csv file.
- Build your visuals based on the data contained in the csv file.
- Once your visuals are ready, you can edit the myData query to connect to the DLC data source rather than to the csv file exported from Dartfish Software.
- To that purpose, select the myData query, right-click and select edit. Power Query will open.
- In Power Query, select the query and rename it as DLCLanQuery.
Now follow the instructions of section Visualization software
Create a template
Once you have built a document connected to the DLC with all the visuals that fits your analysis needs, save the document to use it as a template for your next game.
When preparing for a new game, make a copy of your template and use the new document for your new game analysis. You will only need to change the IP address in the value of the EndPoint parameter (if the IP address of the computer on which runs the DLC has changed).
Reuse your existing dartfish.tv Power BI dashboards
If you have already prepared a Power BI report to a collection to your dartfish.tv channel, you might want to re-use the work you or your team has put into it. After all, post-game visuals could make sense for an in-game analysis.
For that purpose, you will need to modify the data source so that it connects to the DLC REST API rather than to the dartfish.tv correspondent. To do so:
- Open your Power BI report
- Select the data source in the Data tab (right-hand side) and select Edit in the contextual menu
- Power Query will open to let you edit the query.
- Select Manage Parameters and remove all parameters and add a new parameter EndPoint as in section Visualization software. Close the Manage Parameters window.
- Select now the query and click Advanced Editor.
- Here you will want to preserve your data typing and transformations and only modify the data source connection i.e. the first section of the code. Replace
Source = Json.Document(Web.Contents(
"https://api.dartfish.tv",
[Headers=
[Authorization = "ChannelKey " & ChannelKey, #"Content-Type" = "application/json"],
RelativePath = "/api/v2/video/" & CollectionID & "/" & MatchID & "/EventData",
Content=Text.ToBinary("{""IncludeMatchKeywords"":false}")] )),
StripTopElem = Source[Events],- With:
Source = Json.Document(Web.Contents( EndPoint, [Headers=[ Authorization=".",#"Content-Type"="application/json"], RelativePath="/EventData"])), StripTopElem = Source[Events],
- Keep the rest of the query as it is
Share
Save your report on OneDrive and share it with your team so they can access it. It is important that you share it in View only mode, otherwise editing conflicts may occur. You will keep your workbook opened in Excel Desktop and refresh for new data as needed and your team will see the changes.