Get Started with Composer

The following steps guide you through the process of installing and configuring the Composer platform and provides an overview of developing embeddable content. In addition, read Composer Personas for a descriptions of the different job skills that contribute to the successful implementation and use of Composer.

Some of the setup work described below requires use of the Composer API. API documentation is provided with your Composer installation at this link: https://<composer-URL>/composer/swagger-ui.html.

  1. Verify you have a server available that meets the sizing requirements of Composer. See Size Guidelines and System Requirements and Installation Prerequisites.

  2. Install the software using the supplied bootstrap script. See Installation Steps. Optionally, install the product and its metadata store manually (see Install Composer Manually).

  3. Optionally, configure Composer servers in a distributed environment (either a load balanced environment or a high availability environment). See Configure a Composer Distributed Environment.

  4. License the product. See Request a New License Key.

  1. Integrate with your security software (LDAP, SAML, OAuth, Kerberos, or X 509). See Supported Authentication Tools.

  2. Set up Composer accounts, user definitions, and groups, with appropriate privileges. See Authorize Composer Access.

  3. Define custom attributes, as needed, for each user. Custom attributes provide a way for administrators to create variables in user definitions. These variables can be interpolated in other fields elsewhere in the product. See Specify Custom User Attributes.

  1. Log in as a supervisor and set up the Composer connectors needed to support the data stores your organization uses and that you will want to use for Composer data source configurations. See Manage Connectors and Connector Servers.

  2. Log in as an administrator and define the connection strings necessary for the Composer connectors to access your data stores. See Manage Data Store Connections.

  1. Activate logging. (regular -- Fluentd optional) See Activity Logging, Manage Activity Logs, and Set Up Unified Logging Using Fluentd.

  2. Optionally, create custom charts needed by your organization. Manage Custom Charts.

  3. Optionally, create admin-defined functions needed for your environment. Admin-Defined Functions.

  4. Optionally, configure a different theme for the Composer UI. See Manage UI Themes.

  5. Optionally, customize the Composer UI for your organization. See Customize the Composer User Interface.

  1. Identify the data you need to use from your data stores to perform the data analytics you want.

  2. Define data source configurations that collect the data you need. Data source configurations use the data store connections previously defined. See Manage Data Source Configurations.

  3. Optionally, configure row and column security for your data sources. See Restrict Access to Data Using Row Security and Restrict Access to Fields Using Column Security.

  4. Optionally, configure permissions for each data source. See About Data Source Authorization.

  1. Configure the dashboards and visuals needed to analyze your data. See Manage Dashboards and Manage Visuals

  2. Optionally, configure permissions for each dashboard. See About Dashboard Authorization.

  3. Optionally, specify how each visual can be interacted with when embedded. See Control How Users Interact With a Visual.

  4. Optionally, share dashboards with other Composer users in your account. See Share a Dashboard with Users Inside Your Account.

  5. Optionally, export a dashboard. See Export a Dashboard.

  6. Optionally, schedule a dashboard report. See About Scheduled Dashboard Reports.

  1. Set up Trusted Access and register your application as a client. See Trusted Access.

  2. Embed Composer dashboards in your applications. See Embed Composer Dashboards Into Your Application.

  3. Optionally, enable embedded dashboard access from other sites using cross-origin sharing (CORS). See Enable Embedded Dashboard Access From Other Sites Using Cross-Origin Sharing (CORS).

The following additional topics may also be helpful.