Follow this path to install VDM, connect to your data, and build your first working View. A View is a saved definition of the data you want to retrieve. Once it returns the correct results, you can add a formatted report, a visualization, or scheduled delivery.
Choose your starting point
- New to VDM: start with installation and registration below.
- Already installed and registered: go to Connect to your data.
- Already have a working View: go to Choose what to do next.
1. Install and register VDM
- Check VDM System Requirements and Supported Platforms.
- Follow Installing VDM and Required Components. The guide covers new installations, updates, and returning to an earlier version.
- Install the required Microsoft components using the VDM .NET 10 Runtime Installation Guide if they are missing.
- Complete first-launch OPTIONS setup. For a clean installation, select No when asked to import an OPTIONS file, then follow the prompt to create a new one. Import only if you already have an appropriate OPTIONS file.
- Follow Registering and Activating VDM using the registration details supplied for your company.
Ready to continue: VDM opens and your license information is available in Settings.
2. Connect to your data
Create a connection profile for your database or supported data source. Have the connection details and access credentials provided by your administrator available. Install and configure a database driver if your connection requires one.
Follow How to Create a Database Connection Profile in VDM.
Ready to continue: the connection succeeds and the expected tables or data source are available.
3. Build and verify your first View
- Use the Tables and Fields panel to choose the table and fields for a small, familiar set of data.
- If the View uses multiple tables, link the tables using the appropriate relationships.
- Add filters to limit the results. Add parameters when the reader needs to choose values at run time.
- Run the View. Compare the results with a known example and check that joins or filters have not introduced duplicate or missing records.
- Save the View with a descriptive name so you can reopen and reuse it.
Ready to continue: the saved View runs successfully and returns the expected data.
4. Choose what to do next
These are optional paths. Choose the one that matches the result you need.
| Your goal | Next guide |
|---|---|
| Create a formatted report for printing, export, or distribution | Creating a Finished Report in VDM |
| Present the results as charts or a dashboard | Creating a Visualization |
| Use Bridgit to help build a report | Bridgit AI Overview and Usage Guide and Building a Report with Ask Bridgit |
| Use Bridgit with report layouts or dashboards | Creating Finished Reports with Bridgit or Creating Visualize Dashboards with Bridgit |
Automate a report when it is ready
Verify the View and any report output before scheduling delivery.
- Configure the Scheduler for your environment.
- Create a Job and test its output and delivery settings.
- Schedule the Job.
- Review Scheduler logs to confirm that scheduled runs complete as expected.
Need help?
Contact BridgeWorks Support with the step you are working on, your VDM version, and any error message.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.