About
The Developer addon for Dash allows you to extend the reporting capabilities of your Moodle instance by creating custom-made data sources. By leveraging SQL-based configurations, you can access specific information from the Moodle database that may not be available in standard data sources.
Note: The interface is designed to make data source creation accessible, though an understanding of SQL and Moodle database tables helps you unlock the full potential of this feature.
Managing your data sources
You can manage all custom data sources by navigating to Site administration > Plugins > Local plugins > Dash Addons > Manage data sources.
The following actions are available:
Create custom data source – Start building a new data source from scratch.
Edit – Modify the tables, fields, or conditions of an existing data source.
Delete – Remove a data source that is no longer needed.
Available settings
When you create or edit a custom data source, the configuration is divided into four main sections. Use these settings to define your data and how it is presented:
Define the foundational identity of your data source by assigning a name, a unique ID number, and selecting the primary database table.
Expand your data source by establishing relationships between the main table and additional Moodle tables to include more diverse datasets.
Select and transform specific data points for display, such as converting Unix timestamps into readable dates or creating functional links.
Apply filters and logic to your data source to ensure that only the most relevant records are retrieved and displayed in your Dash blocks.
Use cases
The following examples demonstrate how to configure custom data sources for specific reporting needs:
Showcases how to retrieve and display course ID numbers from the Moodle course table.
Demonstrates how to join the course and category tables to display the name of the category each course belongs to.
Illustrates how to use condition setup to identify and list students who have not accessed the site within a specific timeframe.