Black Box ICOMP User manual

iCompel Data Engine V3.1.2
V3.1.2 (30971)
Set up vibrant, real-time digital displays easily and affordably.
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This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy, and if not installed and usedproperly, that is, in strict
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause inter-ference to radio communication. It has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class A computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules,
which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case the user at his own
expense will be required to take whatever measures may be necessary to correct the interference.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the partyresponsible for compliance could void the user’s authorityto operate
the equipment.
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class Alimits for radio noise emis-sion from digital apparatus set out in the Radio
Interference Regulation of Industry Canada.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques
de la classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique publié par Industrie Canada.
Federal Communications Commission and Industry Canada Radio Frequency Interference
Statements
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iCompel Data Engine

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1. Todas las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser leídas antes de que el aparato eléctrico sea operado.
2. Las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser guardadas para referencia futura.
3. Todas las advertencias en el aparato eléctrico y en sus instrucciones de operación deben ser respetadas.
4. Todas las instrucciones de operación y uso deben ser seguidas.
5. El aparato eléctrico no deberá ser usado cerca del agua—por ejemplo, cerca de la tina de baño, lavabo, sótano mojado o cerca
de una alberca, etc..
6. El aparato eléctrico debe ser usado únicamente con carritos o pedestales que sean recomendados por el fabricante.
7. El aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como sea recomendado por el fabricante.
8. Servicio El usuario no debe intentar dar servicio al equipo eléctrico más allá a lo descrito en las instrucciones de operación.
Todo otro servicio deberá ser referido a personal de servicio calificado.
9. El aparato eléctrico debe ser situado de tal manera que su posición no interfiera su uso. La colocación del aparato eléctrico
sobre una cama, sofá, alfombra o superficie similar puede bloquea la ventilación, no se debe colocar en libreros o gabinetes que
impidan el flujo de aire por los orificios de ventilación.
10. El equipo eléctrico deber ser situado fuera del alcance de fuentes de calor como radiadores, registros de calor, estufas u otros
aparatos (incluyendo amplificadores) que producen calor.
11. El aparato eléctrico deberá ser connectado a una fuente de poder sólo del tipo descrito en el instructivo de operación, o como
se indique en el aparato.
12. Precaución debe ser tomada de tal manera que la tierra fisica y la polarización del equipo no sea eliminada.
13. Los cables de la fuente de poder deben ser guiados de tal manera que no sean pisados ni pellizcados por objetos colocados
sobre o contra ellos, poniendo particular atención a los contactos y receptáculos donde salen del aparato.
14. El equipo eléctrico debe ser limpiado únicamente de acuerdo a las recomendaciones del fabricante.
15. En caso de existir, una antena externa deberá ser localizada lejos de las lineas de energia.
16. El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo no sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo.
17. Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación.
18. Servicio por personal calificado deberá ser provisto cuando:
A: El cable de poder o el contacto ha sido dañado; u
B: Objectos han caído o líquido ha sido derramado dentro del aparato; o
C: El aparato ha sido expuesto a la lluvia; o
D: El aparato parece no operar normalmente o muestra un cambio en su desempeño; o
E: El aparato ha sido tirado o su cubierta ha sido dañada.
Instrucciones de Seguridad
(Normas Oficiales Mexicanas Electrical Safety Statement)
NOM Statement

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Trademarks Used in this Manual
Black Box and the Double Diamond logo are registered trademarks of BB Technologies, Inc.
Any other trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged to be the propertyof the trademark owners.
All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the written permission of the
publisher.
Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners. The
publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility
for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this document or from the use of
programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the author be liable for any loss of profit or
any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document.
Printed: June 2012

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Table of Contents
1. ......................................................................................................................................................8 iCompel Data Engine Overview
2. ......................................................................................................................................................10 Building a Connection
................................................................................................................................... 102.1 The Connection Editor Application
................................................................................................................................... 102.2 QuickStart
................................................................................................................................... 112.3 Connectors and Data Sources
................................................................................................................... 122.3.1 Microsoft Excel Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 12- Basic Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 14- Advanced Settings
................................................................................................................... 162.3.2 Microsoft Exchange Server Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 16- Basic Settings
................................................................................................................... 172.3.3 Google Calendar Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 17- Settings
................................................................................................................... 182.3.4 SQL Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 19- Advanced Settings
................................................................................................................... 192.3.5 XML Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 20- Settings
................................................................................................................... 212.3.6 Text Connector
....................................................................................................................................................................... 22- Basic Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 23- Format Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 25- Advanced Settings
................................................................................................................................... 262.4 Results
................................................................................................................... 272.4.1 XML Output Format
................................................................................................................... 282.4.2 Locating Media Items using the Media Item Finder
....................................................................................................................................................................... 29- Copying and Modifying Media Items
................................................................................................................... 302.4.3 Text Output Format
................................................................................................................... 322.4.4 Custom Output Formats using a Presentation Format File
................................................................................................................... 362.4.5 Specifying the Destination Players and Limiting Output Size
................................................................................................................... 372.4.6 Applying a Player DATA IN license
................................................................................................................................... 382.5 Specifying when to execute
................................................................................................................................... 382.6 Connection Properties
................................................................................................................................... 382.7 Testing a Connection
3. ......................................................................................................................................................40 Monitoring and Managing Connections
................................................................................................................................... 403.1 Creating a new Connection QuickStart
................................................................................................................................... 413.2 System Status
................................................................................................................................... 413.3 Monitoring Active Connections
................................................................................................................................... 423.4 Managing Connections
................................................................................................................... 423.4.1 Managing Active Connections
................................................................................................................... 433.4.2 Outstanding Actions
................................................................................................................... 443.4.3 View Status
................................................................................................................................... 453.5 Bulk Modify Connections
................................................................................................................................... 473.6 Connection Retry and Backoff Policies
................................................................................................................................... 473.7 Configuration
4. ......................................................................................................................................................50 Application Licensing

iCompel Data Engine - User Guide (V3.1.2) Application Licensing
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................................................................................................................................... 504.1 Reviewing and Adding a new License
5. ......................................................................................................................................................54 Deployment Considerations
................................................................................................................................... 545.1 Deploying to a Black Box Channel
................................................................................................................................... 545.2 File Organization for Channel or Layout Package Use
................................................................................................................................... 555.3 User Management
................................................................................................................................... 555.4 FTP and Proxy Details
6. ......................................................................................................................................................57 Using the SQL Connector
................................................................................................................................... 576.1 Creating an ODBC System Data Source Name
................................................................................................................................... 576.2 Using the SQL Connector on a 64bit Operating System
................................................................................................................................... 586.3 Connecting to a Black Box iDigitalManager
7. ......................................................................................................................................................62 Using the Excel Connector
................................................................................................................................... 627.1 Advanced Excel Settings
8. ......................................................................................................................................................66 Using the Microsoft Exchange Connector
................................................................................................................................... 668.1 Advanced Exchange Server Settings
9. ......................................................................................................................................................69 Using the Google Calendar Connector
................................................................................................................................... 699.1 Connecting to a Google Calendar
10. ......................................................................................................................................................71 Media Widgets
................................................................................................................................... 7110.1 Installing Sample Layouts and Widgets
................................................................................................................................... 7210.2 Charts and Tabular Widgets
................................................................................................................................... 7710.3 Calendar Widgets
................................................................................................................................... 7910.4 Widget Settings
................................................................................................................... 8010.4.1 Charts and Tabular Widget Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 81- Tabular Widget Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 82- Chart Widget Settings
................................................................................................................... 8410.4.2 Calendar Widget Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 84- Timeline Widget Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 85- Diary Widget Settings
....................................................................................................................................................................... 85- Room Summary Widget Settings
11. ......................................................................................................................................................88 Contact Black Box
Index 89

Part I
iCompel Data Engine
Overview

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iCompel Data Engine - User Guide (V3.1.2)
1. iCompel Data Engine Overview
The iCompel Data Engine, from Black Box Corporation, is a solution for capturing, collating and presenting data held
in external systems for graphical display on a Black Box Digital Signage System.
The iCompel Data Engine product comprises of three components:
A manager application (the Connection Manager) which allows the user to manage which queries will be run
automatically. The Connection Manager relies on the Connection Windows Service for unattended background
execution of queries.
An editor application (the Connection Editor) to create, modify, and test queries.
Specially created iCOMPEL media which is responsible for graphically displaying data.
This User Guide covers basic operation and configuration of these components.

Part II
Building a Connection

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iCompel Data Engine - User Guide (V3.1.2)
2. Building a Connection
A iCompel Data Engine (iDE) Connection specifies what data to read, where to write the results, and when to do so.
The iDE collects (queries) a data Source (for example, a database, or a Microsoft®Excel®file). The results of the
query are written to one or more Destination locations (typically a iCOMPEL). This process is repeated on a user
defined Schedule. These properties are all specified by a Connection.
Connections can be viewed, modified and tested using the Connection Editor, which is a Microsoft Windows
graphical user interface application.
The iCompel Data Engine Connection Editor application has the icon on the left. A link will be found
in the Black Box iCompel Data Engine group on the Microsoft®Windows®Start menu, and may also
be found on your Windows®desktop.
Connections are managed using the iDE Connection Manager application. To automatically execute the
Connection on the specified schedule, it must be added, and made Active within the Connection Manager. This
process is described in the Quick Start section.
Connections are executed automatically, without user input, by the iCompel Data Engine Windows®Service.
2.1 The Connection Editor Application
The iCompel Data Engine (iDE) Connection Editor is a Microsoft®Windows®application that allows the user to
create, view, update and test iDE Connections.
This section describes the operation of the iDE Connection Editor in more detail.
Please note that to automatically execute the Connection according to its schedule, it must be deployed to the
Connection Manager, as described in the QuickStart section of Monitoring and Managing Connections.
2.2 QuickStart
Please ensure the included media Widgets Layout Packages are installed on each Destination Player before
proceeding. The Layout Packages are available in the specified sample media folder - please see Installing Sample
Layouts and Widgets section for details. Please review the iCOMPEL Layout Package feature for more information.
If required, then each Destination Player must be licensed to display results. If player licensing is required, this will
be clearly indicated in the Destination page.
The following steps show how to configure a new Connection:
1. Start the iCompel Data Engine Connection Editor application.
A link will be found in the Black Box iCompel Data Engine entry on the Microsoft®Windows®Start menu,
and may also be found on your Windows desktop.
2. Select the Source tab, then the Data Source tab, select the source that you want to process data from.
Typically, this will be Microsoft®Excel®, Google®Calendar or Microsoft®Exchange®server.

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Building a Connection
3. The tab to the right of the Source tab will update to show configuration properties specific to the selected
data source. Click on this tab, and complete all mandatory sections. Mandatory sections will be flagged
with an error icon when incomplete ( )
4. Select the Destination tab, then the Media tab. Ensure the media entry is set to 'Create and copy an XML
file to one or more players'.
5. On the Location tab, click the Add button, and supply the iCOMPEL (iCOMPEL) hostname, and iCOMPEL
username and password. Click OK when complete.
6. Click the browse button ( ) next to the XML filename entry. In the Media Item Finder dialog, select
the media file to which result should be sent. Click the OK button.
7. Select the Test tab, and click the 'Test Query' button and confirm that no errors are shown.
Please refer to the Connection Manager QuickStart section for details on how to add and automatically execute
this Connection.
2.3 Connectors and Data Sources
The iCompel Data Engine (iDE) uses special code, called a Connector, to read and process data from many
different locations. A Connector specifies, in detail, how the iDE should read and process a specific type of data.
Please note that some Connectors may require additional licenses.
In the Connection Editor application, the Source pages allow the user to configure which Connector to use, and
configure various parameters for that Connector.
The Data Source page lists all Connectors available on this machine. If a Connector is not shown, then please refer
to the Licensing section to determine if a suitable license has been installed.
Click on an entry to select the Connector to use. The tab pages that follow allow various Connector properties to be
configured, and will be dependent upon the selected Connector.

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iCompel Data Engine - User Guide (V3.1.2)
2.3.1 Microsoft Excel Connector
The Microsoft Excel Connector is used to retrieve and process Microsoft®Excel®spreadsheet data.
The iCompel Data Engine (iDE) is able to read spreadsheets produced by the following Microsoft®Excel®versions:
Excel®97
Excel®2000
Excel®XP
Excel®2003
Excel®2007
Excel®2010
It is not possible to open password protected files with the iDE.
Please select the Microsoft®Excel®option from the Data Source page, and visit the Excel page to specify the
Microsoft®Excel®filename and other configuration properties.
Before using the Microsoft®Excel®Connector, please ensure the '2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity
Components' component is downloaded from Microsoft and installed. Please reboot the system to apply the
changes.
Note: This Connector may require an additional license to operate.
2.3.1.1 Basic Settings
The Excel Filename field specifies the Microsoft®Excel®file the iCompel Data Engine (iDE) should process. This
field must be specified.
Press the View button to open the specified Excel®filename.
The Cell Range setting defines which cells the iDE should collect. The Cell range setting is expressed in the same
format as within Microsoft®Excel®.
The Cell Range setting options are as follows:
(default) If this field is left empty then all cells in the first worksheet (only) of the specified file will be
processed.
To specify a range of cells in the first worksheet, enter the start and finish cell references separated by a
colon. For example, A1:D30. To specify a single cell, use the format cell:cell. For example, D1:D1.
To specify a range of cells in a named worksheet, then specify the worksheet name, followed by a dollar
symbol, and the cell range on the named worksheet. For example Year2009$A1:D30 would read cells A1 to
D30 from the worksheet Year2009.

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To specify all cells in a named worksheet, simply enter the worksheet name with a trailing dollar symbol,
e.g. Year2009$.
To select a named range, then enter the range name (only).
To select a range of cells from different worksheets, then enter the specify worksheet name and cell range
as above and surround with square brackets, separate each entry with a comma, and surround the entire
string with double quotes. For example: "[Year2009$A1:D30],[Year2008$A1:D30]" would process cells A1
to D30 from worksheet Year2009 and cells A1 to D30 from worksheet Year2008.

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2.3.1.2 Advanced Settings
The Advanced Settings dialog provides options for fine tuning how the iCompel Data Engine interacts with the
specified spreadsheet file.
Specifying how Dates and Numbers are processed
For some applications, it is necessary to provide hints to the iCompel Data Engine (iDE) about how dates and
numbers are represented in the spreadsheet. This is particularly important when the file contains values whose
interpretation is language specific. For example, the date 1/4/1972 could be interpreted as 1st of April (in the UK),
or the 4th of January (if in the US).
The Processing setting specifies the culture setting used when processing dates and numbers.
Note this setting does not control how date and number values are presented by the media - see the following
section for more information.

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If this option is enabled, then a summary of the current setting will be shown the Excel page.
Specifying how Dates and Numbers are written
To ensure the widest possible compatibility with media, by default, the iDE will write all numbers and dates in a
general, non-locale specific manner. However, in some instances, particularly when using the native iCOMPEL
features, it will be necessary to write data values using a specific locale representation.
The 'Write all data values using the following culture setting' controls this.
If this option is enabled, then a summary of the current setting will be shown the Excel page.
Copy Excel file before query
This option will copy the specified Microsoft®Excel®file prior to each query. Enabling this option allows the iDE to
access the file when it is open in Microsoft®Excel®. However, this may reduce query performance, particularly for
large spreadsheets.
By default, this option is enabled.
Specifying Advanced Query Settings
The Advanced Settings mode provides fine grained control over the data processed and written by the iDE. It will not
normally be necessary to modify these settings.
If Advanced Settings have been specified, then a summary of the current settings will be shown the Excel page.
Click the Advanced Settings button to view or modify the settings.
Check the Enable advanced query capability box to configure the advanced query settings.
The first row of data is header and contains field names checkbox specifies that the first row of the data
contains the column headings, and not data values. There are two common cases where this setting will need to be
changed:
If the file contains headings, and both the data and the headings are numeric (e.g. column heading is years
and the data is numbers), then the checkbox should be checked, to indicate the first row is headings.
If the file contains heading text which are dates, then the checkbox should be unchecked if the dates are not
correctly detected by the iDE.
The remaining fields are described in the Advanced Microsoft Excel Query Settings section.

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2.3.2 Microsoft Exchange Server Connector
The Exchange®Connector is used to retrieve and process calendar and email items stored in Microsoft®Exchange®
Server.
The iCompel Data Engine (iDE) is able to process items stored in the following versions of Exchange®Server:
Exchange®Server 2003
Exchange®Server 2007
Exchange®Server 2010
To use this Connector, please select the Microsoft®Exchange®option from the Data Source page, and visit the
Exchange page to specify the configuration properties.
Note: By default, the Enterprise Web Services query method is selected, which is compatible with Exchange®
Server 2007 Service Pack 1 and above. If earlier versions of Exchange®Server are in use, please use the WebDAV
query method instead. The query method in use is summarized at the bottom of the the Exchange page, and can
be altered on the Advanced Microsoft Exchange Server Settings page.
Note: This Connector may require an additional license to operate.
2.3.2.1 Basic Settings
This page is used to configure the Microsoft Exchange®Connector.
The Exchange®server property specifies the hostname (or IP address) for the Exchange®server you wish to
connect to. Please ensure the protocol entry is set to either HTTP or HTTPS as needed.
User Name and Password properties specify the credentials used to connect to the above Exchange Server, and in
general will refer to an ActiveDirectory®user. This user must also have an Exchange®Mailbox account, and the
Exchange®user must have been granted permission to view all resources listed in the Mailboxes section.

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The Mailboxes section lists all Exchange®Server Mailboxes for which calendar or email information will be retrieved.
Click the Add button to add a new Mailbox, select a Mailbox and press Remove to delete, or Modify to view or
change. The Exchange®Mailbox Display Name should be entered, exactly as shown in your Global Address List.
Note that within Exchange®Server, the Mailbox Display Name can be found in the General tab of the Exchange
Mailbox user properties dialog.
All the above information should be provided by your system administrator.
The Advanced Microsoft Exchange Server Settings page provides fine grained control over the settings used to query
the Exchange Server. It will not normally be necessary to modify these settings.
2.3.3 Google Calendar Connector
The Google®Calendar Connector is used to retrieve and display events from one or more Google®Calendars.
To use this Connector, please select the Google®Calendar option from the Data Source page, and visit the
Google Calendar page to specify the configuration properties.
Note: This Connector may require an additional license to operate.
2.3.3.1 Settings
This page is used to configure the Google®Calendar Connector.
Currently configured Google®Calendars are shown. To add a new Google®Calendar, click the Add button. To
modify or remove an existing Google®Calendar, select the entry, and press Modify or Remove buttons respectively.

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The Name property is used to uniquely identify the calendar entry within the iCompel Data Engine user interface.
The URL is the location of the Google®Calendar feed. This can be determined as described in the Connecting to a
Google Calendar section.
Both properties are mandatory.
2.3.4 SQL Connector
The SQL Connector is used to retrieve and process data from a database, for example, Oracle®or Microsoft®SQL
Server®.
The iDE uses Microsoft®Windows Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to access and query the database.
In order to use the SQL Connector the user must create one or more valid ODBC System Data Source Name (
System DSN) entries on the local PC. Further information on this topic can be found in the Microsoft®Windows®
help system.
Please select the SQL Connector option from the Data Source page, and visit the SQL Command page to specify
both the ODBC User DSN and SQL Query command to be executed. If user credentials are required to access the
database, then these can be specified on the Advanced Settings page.
Press the ODBC button to automatically start the Windows®ODBC Data Source Administrator application. Please
refer to this section if using the application on a 64bit operating system.
Note: This Connector may require an additional license to operate.

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Building a Connection
2.3.4.1 Advanced Settings
The Advanced SQL Settings page allows the username, password and additional ODBC Connection String
settings to be specified.
Specifying how Dates and Numbers are written
To ensure the widest possible compatibility with media, by default, the iDE will write all numbers and dates in a
general, non-locale specific manner. However, in some instances, particularly when using the native iCOMPEL
features, it will be necessary to write data values using a specific locale representation.
The 'Write all data values using the following culture setting' controls this.
If this option is enabled, then a summary of the current setting will be shown the SQL page.
Specifying Additional Connection Parameters
The username and password fields will be used to connect to the database specified in the ODBC DSN setting.
2.3.5 XML Connector
The XML Connector is used to retrieve and process XML data.
To use this Connector, please select the XML option from the Data Source page, and visit the XML Location and
XML Schema pages to specify the configuration properties.
Note: This Connector may require an additional license to operate.

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iCompel Data Engine - User Guide (V3.1.2)
2.3.5.1 Settings
The XML Connector is configured in two stages:
1. Enter the source location for the XML data using the XML Location page
2. Specify which elements and attributes to return data for using the XML Schema page.
XML Location Page
The XML Location page specifies where the XML will be retrieved from.
Schema Page
The Schema page defines which element and attributes should be retrieved. This setting allows the fields unused by
the media to be removed, which increases efficiency when displaying results from large XML files. If a node is
selected on the tree, then sample value panel (below) will update to show up to ten values retrieved from the source
for the selected item. If there are no values found, then '[No Values]' is displayed.
The Schema is refreshed by clicking the Refresh button.