Dimensions, and how to configure them
- Jérôme Vincendon (Unlicensed)
- Maarten Lapere
- Luuk Koetsier (Unlicensed)
Introduction
Dimensions are things that you can book, such as a room, a person or a product. Out of the box, GoMeddo provides dimensions for Resources, Staff, Groups and Contacts. The first 3 are custom objects, while the last one is the Salesforce standard Contact object. This article explains what you can do with dimensions, and how you can create your own.
By using dimensions, you can:
make sure that bookable items are Included in the GoMeddo conflict checking logic. More information about conflict detection: Conflict Checking
make sure that you only add available items to your reservations by using intelligent lookups (more on this below in the Define Dimension Field section)
create calendars for bookable items that will show their reservations. This means you can show a calendar on a contact record page for example, on which you show in turn that contact’s reservations. More information about calendars: Calendar Differences
Practical example
Imagine you have a fleet of cars and drivers. Your cars are stored in a custom Car object (Car__c), while your drivers are stored in the standard Contact object. You now want to track both your cars and drivers availability. As we mentioned earlier, GoMeddo provides a Contact dimension, so you're all set as far as your drivers go. But how do you track your cars? And how do you make sure it does not cost you double work to track which car is assigned to which driver at each moment in time?
Simple! You create a Cars Dimension in GoMeddo. That way, when you create a reservation from either the driver or the car calendar, and link the other to it as well, GoMeddo will draw that reservation on both calendar and keep both in sync at all times!
The easy option
GoMeddo also includes a Calendar Wizard, which allows you to select any custom or standard object and creates calendar records for that dimension. See the main article here: Calendar Wizard
Technical overview
Dimensions are a powerful way of letting GoMeddo know about records on any standard or custom object that are related to Reservations in, either through a lookup or via a junction object:
Through a lookup | The Reservation object has a lookup to the other object.
An example of this is the Resource object, to which Reservation has a lookup. |
|---|---|
Via a junction object | The Reservation object is linked to the other object through a third object, which has lookups to both Reservation and the other object. This Salesforce knowledge article explains what a junction object is. An example of this is the Contact object, which is linked to Reservation through the ReservationContact junction object. ReservationContact has a lookup to Reservation and to Contact. |
Dimensions & Dimension Fields
Now let's have a look at how you configure this
Define Dimensions
First, we start by telling GoMeddo about the object that holds the bookable items. We assume the object you want to use already exists. Else, start by creating a custom object.
Go to the GoMeddo app
Click on the Dimensions tab
Click New
Fill in the following fields
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimension Object Name | Text | Yes | The API name of an object to which reservations are related. Following the example, this would be Car__c |
Availability Lookup | Text | No | The API name of a lookup from the B25__Availability__c object to the dimension object. Filling out this field allows you to define availabilities for the records belonging to this dimension. If this field is left blank, GoMeddo assumes your dimension is always available. |
Sync Field | Text | No | Required for Google and Outlook synchronization. Please see the relevant articles here and here. |
The fields below are only necessary if you have Conflict Rules enabled and want to use Resource Grouping :
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimension Grouping SObject Name | Text | No | API name of the object containing the grouping data. |
Dimension Grouping Lookup One | Text | No | API name of a lookup on the grouping object to the dimension. |
Dimension Grouping Lookup Two | Text | No | API name of a lookup on the grouping object to the dimension. |
Dimension Grouping Active Checkbox | Text | No | (Optional) API name of a checkbox on the grouping object to indicate it is active. |
The fields below are only necessary if you do not have Conflict Rules enabled:
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Use Shared Conflict Checking | Checkbox | Yes | Should be enabled for most use cases. When disabled, fields and junctions within this dimension don’t conflict with each other. More info here. |
Double Booking Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines how strictly GoMeddo should treat detected double bookings in this dimension. Required unless ‘Use Shared Conflict Checking’ is disabled. More info here. |
Double Booking Matching Condition | Text | No | Should be blank for most use cases. Allows you to selectively apply double booking detection only to reservations matching this condition. More info here. |
Define Dimension Fields
Next, we configure a way to link bookable items to reservations
On the Reservation object, create a lookup to the object that holds the bookable items. In our example, this is a lookup to the Car__c object. (We won't go into too much detail on this one, as it's basic Salesforce admin knowledge)
Make sure the field is part of the correct field set you will be using
Go back to the Dimension you created in the previous section
Go to the Related tab
Click New in the Dimension Fields section
The only field you currently need to fill in is Dimension Field Name, in which you fill in the API Name of the field you created in step 1 of this section
Click Save
The following tables goes into more detail regarding the function of the other fields:
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimension | Lookup | Yes | The Dimension record that is the parent of this Dimension Field. |
Dimension Field Name | Text | Yes | The API name of a lookup field on Reservation. |
Enable Advanced Lookup Filtering | Checkbox | No | Enables the advanced lookup filter on the reservation form for this dimension field. The advanced lookup filter allows you to use autocomplete to search through valid related records. It will only show records in which the current reservation will be valid. So for example meeting rooms in closed buildings or staff that are unavailable because of holiday or sick leave will not be shown. Or if you have added a service to the reservation, it will only show records in which that service is actually available during the time of the reservation. A known limitation of the advanced lookup filter is that it doesn't support custom lookup filters. |
Auto Populate on Calendar | Picklist | Yes | Controls if this dimension field gets populated with the related record id when creating a new reservation on the calendar. Options:
|
Availability Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines the behavior when Reservations are saved outside of the available times for the related dimension record.
For more information, see this article about Conflict Checking, and this article about Availabilities |
Double Booking Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines the behavior when double bookings are detected for Reservations in this Dimension.
For more information, see this article about Conflict Checking. |
Dimension Allow Double Booking Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on the related dimension object. When Enforce Double Booking Check is enabled, but this field on the related record equals true, the double booking is allowed. |
Reservation Allow Double Booking Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on reservation. When Enforce Double Booking Check is enabled, but this field on the reservation equals true, the double booking is allowed. |
Capacity Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines the behavior when a Reservation's quantity exceeds the Dimension's capacity.
For more information, see this article about Conflict Checking. |
Dimension Capacity Field | Text | No2 | The API name of a number field3 on the related object, which holds the capacity of the related record. This capacity can't be exceeded if Enforce Capacity Check is enabled. |
Reservation Quantity Field | Text | No2 | The API name of a number field3 on the reservation, which holds the quantity of the reservation. This quantity is checked to not exceed the related record's capacity if Enforce Capacity Check is enabled. |
Reservation Skip Capacity Check Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on reservation. When Capacity Checking is set to 'Soft' or 'Hard', but this field on the related record equals true, the reservation will be saved normally. |
1: Can also be a cross-object reference or a checkbox formula on Reservation. However the latter will not be set yet when working from the Reservation Form UI.
2: Required when Enforce Capacity Check is enabled.
3: Can also be a number formula, and can also be a cross-object reference.
Create a calendar
Create calendar config
Create the actual calendar
Add a Calendar to a Lightning App Page
Done!
You are done as far as linking bookable items to your reservations in a 1-to-many fashion (via lookups) goes. If you proceed with the next section, you can build something similar for many-to-many relations (via junction objects).
Dimension Junctions
Dimensions Junctions are a way to let GoMeddo know which junctions between a Dimension and a Reservation are important. An example of this would be a Contact list, where you link multiple Contacts to a Reservation.
Using dimension junctions you can:
Make this list visible on the reservation form
Make the Reservation visible on the dimension calendar for each dimension record in the list
Make GoMeddo detect and prevent double bookings for these contacts
Define Dimension Junctions
Now let's see how we can configure a Dimension Junction
Create a junction object with two lookups (or Master-Details): one to Reservation and one to the object that holds the bookable items.That object is Car__c in our example. (We won't go into too much detail on this one, as it's basic Salesforce admin knowledge)
Go back to the Dimension you created in the previous section
Go to the Related tab
Click New in the Dimension Junction section
Fill in the fields from the following table:
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimension | Lookup | Yes | The Dimension record that is the parent of this Dimension Junction. |
Dimension Junction Name | Text | Yes | The API name of the junction object you just created |
Reservation Lookup API Name | Text | Yes | The API name of the lookup (or master-detail) to Reservation. Make sure the actual field on the Junction object has the 'Allow reparenting: Child records can be reparented to other parent records after they are created' / 'Reparentable Master Detail' checkbox set to TRUE |
Dimension Lookup API Name | Text | Yes | The API name of the lookup (or master-detail) to the Dimension object |
Create trigger hook
For every Dimension Junction you create, make sure you also create a Trigger for its object, which calls the following method: B25.DimensionJunctionTriggerHook.execute()
This makes GoMeddo check permissions on the object. Make sure to replace <Dimension_Junction_API_Name> with the actual API name of your object, and <Trigger_Name> with a name that makes sense to you.
trigger <Trigger_Name> on <Dimension_Junction_API_Name> (before insert, before update, before delete, after insert, after update, after delete, after undelete) {
B25.DimensionJunctionTriggerHook.execute();
}Please be aware that a test class should be create which allows you to test this trigger. You can create a simple test class that inserts a reservation, a related object record and the dimension junction record. Here is an example that you can tweak to facilitate your use case
@IsTest
private class Test_B25_Reservation {
@isTest private static void testDimensionJunctions() {
B25__Reservation__c reservation = new B25__Reservation__c();
reservation.B25__Start__c = DateTime.now();
reservation.B25__End__c = DateTime.now().addHours(1);
Database.insert(reservation);
<YOUROBJECT>__c yourobject = new <YOUROBJECT>__c(); //replace this with the name of your object
yourobject.Name ='a'; // if this is field is an auto number you dont need this.
Database.insert(yourobject);
Reservation_<YOUROBJECT>__c resYourobject = new Reservation_<YOUROBJECT>__c(); //replace Reservation_<YOUROBJECT>__c with the name of your dimension junction object
resYourobject.Reservation__c = reservation.Id;
resYourobject.<YOUROBJECT>__c = yourobject.Id; //replace this with the name of the lookup on the dimension junction
Database.insert(resYourobject);
System.assertEquals(1, [SELECT Id FROM B25__Reservation__c].size());
}
}Display your Dimension Junctions on the Reservation Form
Displaying Dimension Junctions on the Reservation Form
Done!
Good job! You should now be able to add multiple bookable items to your reservations from the reservation form on the calendar! The sections below provide some additional information.
Additional fields information
The table below goes into more detail about each field on the Dimension Junction record.
There is an edge case where you can get an error like this: SObject row was retrieved via SOQL without querying the requested field: B25__Reservation__c.<junctions>__r (where <junctions> is your relationship name).
This error happens when you have both a field and a junction under the same dimension, both with Availability Checking: None. A workaround for this error is to give either the field or the junction Availability Checking: Soft or Availability Checking: Hard.
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimension | Lookup | Yes | The Dimension record that is the parent of this Dimension Junction. |
Dimension Junction Name | Text | Yes | The API name of an object. This object should be a junction between reservation and the dimension. |
Reservation Lookup API Name | Text | Yes | The API name of a field on the object. This field should be a lookup (or master-detail) to Reservation. Make sure the actual field on the Junction object has the 'Allow reparenting: Child records can be reparented to other parent records after they are created' / 'Reparentable Master Detail' checkbox set to TRUE |
Dimension Lookup API Name | Text | Yes | The API name of a field on the object. This field should be a lookup (or master-detail) to the dimension. |
Availability Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines the behavior when Reservations are saved outside of the available times for the related dimension record.
For more information, see this article about Conflict Checking, and this article about Availabilities |
Double Booking Checking | Picklist | Yes | Defines the behavior when double bookings are detected for Reservations in this Dimension.
For more information, see this article about Conflict Checking. |
Dimension Allow Double Booking Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on the dimension. When Enforce Double Booking Check is enabled, but this field on the related record equals true, the double booking is allowed. |
Reservation Allow Double Booking Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on reservation. When Enforce Double Booking Check is enabled, but this field on the reservation equals true, the double booking is allowed. |
Junction Allow Double Booking Field | Text | No | The API name of a checkbox field1 on the object itself. When Enforce Double Booking Check is enabled, but this field equals true, the double booking is allowed. |
1: Can also be a cross-object reference or a checkbox formula on Reservation. However the latter will not be set yet when working from the Reservation Form UI.
General Performance Considerations
For performance reasons, it is good practice to only have the minimum number of Dimensions, especially ones that are configured for conflict checking.