Installing the Analytics Engine for Shinydocs Review
The Analytics Engine comprises two components:
The Indexer
The Visualizer
The Visualizer leverages an index pattern to determine the results to display in visualizations and dashboards. Visualizations are widgets that explore or explain items in the index using charts or graphs. Dashboards, imported into the Visualizer, are used to group multiple visualizations to present a specific explanatory or exploratory theme to stakeholders.
What You Will Need
File | Description |
---|---|
shinydocs-indexer-visualizer-[DATE].zip | The Analytics Engine installer |
Running the Analytics Engine installer
Two Windows services (the shinydocs-indexer and the shinydocs-visualizer) are set up during the installation of the Analytics Engine.
Right-click on the shinydocs-indexer-visualizer-[DATE].zip file and Unblock
Apply
Extract the contents to where you want to install the Visualizer
Run a command prompt window as Administrator
Change the directory to the location of the extracted zip file
Enter
install.bat
and runFollow the prompts
Configuring the Indexer
Updating the heap space in jvm.options
Navigate to the directory where the Indexer is installed (for example, C:\ShinyDocs\indexer\config)
Open the jvm.options file with a text editor
Scroll down and locate the
-Xms
(initial heap space) and-Xmx
(maximum heap space) options on lines 22 and 23Determine the new value by dividing your server’s RAM allocation by two and then subtracting 4 GB (to leave enough room for the OS)
For example, if the server has 64GB of RAM, change the values to 28
-Xms28g
-Xmx28g
Save the changes
Updating the elasticsearch.yml file
Navigate to the directory where the Indexer is installed (for example, C:\ShinyDocs\indexer\config)
Open the elasticsearch.yml file with a text editor
Update
cluster.name
(line 17)
Note: This name will need to be the same on every node in the cluster.Remove the hashtag character
#
from the beginning of the lineReplace
my-application
with a name for your cluster (e.g.acme-analytics
)
Update
node.name
( line 23)Remove the hashtag character
#
from the beginning of the lineReplace
node-1
with a unique name for this machine. This will be the name reported on the Monitoring page of Kibana. Using the server's name is a good choice!
Update
bootstrap.memory_lock
(line 43)Remove the hashtag character
#
from the beginning of the lineKeep the value
true
Update
network.host
(line 55)Remove the hashtag character
#
from the beginning of the lineThe easiest value to set
network.host
to is0.0.0.0
meaning that it will bind on all network interfaces on the machine. For more details see network.host | Elasticsearch Guide [6.8] | Elastic network.host | Elasticsearch Guide [6.8] | ElasticIf this line is not modified, the index and the Visualizer will not be accessible outside of the local machine
If you are configuring a cluster of servers, please see our guide Cluster Setup for Analytics Engine (Shinydocs Indexer)
Save the changes
Run Services.msc
Locate and restart the shinydocs-indexer service
Configuring the Visualizer
Updating the kibana.yml file
To reach the visualizer from a different machine, you will need to edit the kibana.yml file.
Navigate to the directory where the Visualizer is installed (for example, C:\ShinyDocs\visualizer\config)
Open the kibana.yml file with a text editor
Line 7 -
server.host
Remove the hashtag character # at the beginning of the line
Set the
server.host
to0.0.0.0
Save the changes
Run Services.msc
Locate and restart the shinydocs-visualizer service
The Analytics Engine setup is complete! You can start using dashboards in the Visualizer to explore and explain trends with your organization’s data. Learn how to Set Up Dashboards in the Visualizer.