How to :: troubleshoot the toucan way

Do you have a configuration problem or a data problem?

There are three main reasons why you might not see what you're expecting:

1. The data query used does not return the correct rows.

2. The configuration options are not set correctly.

3. You are not looking at the correct state of the application.

What do you mean by "looking at the right state of the application"?

Here are the actions you should check:

• Are you looking at the correct environment (staging vs production)? When working on the app, you should always be in the staging environment.

• Have you clicked on "Publish" to see the changes you made in staging?

• If you created a new connector and a new dataset from it, have you relaunched a data populate?

The Chrome Dev Tools will be extensively used to debug the app, so we recommend you read the documentation on how to use it.

How to track a configuration problem ?¶

Identifying a configuration problem can be challenging. To address this, you can utilize the Chrome Developer Tools to inspect the application logs or examine the filters, dashboard, and configuration returned by the backend.

To begin, open the Chrome Dev Tools by right-clicking and selecting "Inspect".

Here are some common configuration problems:

1. Generic problems:

• Have you specified an id or parent_id for your slide?

• Is the indentation correct? Use js2coffee and an online JSON editor to ensure your blocks are properly aligned.

• Have you maintained the correct case when setting the columns in the label, value, groups, etc. entries? For example, Value != value.

• Is your chartType valid?

2. Precision, units, and sentiment:

• If you are encountering issues with precision, units, or sentiment, refer back to the documentation. It's possible that you haven't correctly set the column name in your configuration.

• Precision should be defined in the data block, while sentiment and units should be in the chartOptions.

• For precision, consult this documentation to ensure you are using the correct syntax.

3. Crossfilter:

• If you are configuring double charts (crossfilter), have you specified id: 0 and id: 1 for the charts?

• If you are using crossfilter, have you included the datasets:[1] entry?

• If you are crossfiltering on a date, are you treating the date consistently across both charts? For example, both charts should either have or not have a date: {selector:'', format: ''} block in the data query.

4. Handling time:

• If you want to configure a line chart, bar line chart, or stack bar chart that includes a date, ensure that you have included date: {selector:'',format:''} in your data block.

Click on the Console tab to view all the logs captured by the application. The application may provide warnings if an option is not set correctly, if a request fails, or if something appears broken.

How to track a data problem?

Tracking a data problem is relatively easy. You can use the Chrome Developer Tools to inspect the data returned by the backend.

Here are some common data configuration issues to consider:

• Ensure that the domain used in your query matches the one specified in the etl_config or one that you can verify in the "available domains".

• If you are using the Aggregation Framework, make sure to treat the data query as an array, like query: [], rather than a normal object. Also, remember to add commas to delimit your steps.

• If you are using multiple queries, don't forget to include the multiple_queries:true option.

Inspect the data

In the Network Pane of the Chrome Dev Tools, locate the data requests.

You can examine each request and analyze the dependencies and usage of your data. This will help you determine if the obtained data matches your expectations.

If your request is highlighted in red with a 500 error code, it could mean one of the following:

• Your aggregation framework query is incorrect.

• Your postprocess block is incorrect.

Slides Specific Problems

I don't see my slide

• Does this slide have an existing parent_id and a unique id?

No Data Available

You are experiencing a data problem. The backend is not returning any data. Refer to "How to track a data problem."

If you're using a Google Spreadsheet data provider:

1. Shipping variables

• Is the optional google_spreadsheet connector enabled?

2. Regarding the spreadsheet:

• Is the spreadsheet shared with: [e-mail]?

• Does the sheet have the correct languages/internationalization settings? If your browser is in French, select "région suisse" and set number columns to "123 > nombre."

• Is the decimal separator a period . and not a comma ,?

• Are your dates in the correct format like "25/12/2015"?

Data Request Limit

To avoid performance issues, we have implemented a safeguard limit on the number of cells (lines x columns) that can be requested. At Toucan, we advise against displaying a large number of data entries at once as it can hinder the readability of your data story.

Reducing your request size

The recommended solution to resolve this issue is to filter out unnecessary columns or rows from your data. This is our suggested approach. It is possible that you are working with large datasets that you can reduce in size before displaying them in your story. If this is the case, the error is temporary and should not prevent you from saving your work.