How to create an Experience Builder application with Business Analyst widget in Workflow mode.
The Business Analyst widget in ArcGIS Experience Builder is out of beta with the February 2023 release of ArcGIS Online. Learn more about the release here.
The Business Analyst widget allows you to view demographic, Tapestry, market potential, and business information about a specific location using ready-to-use interactive infographics. You can also create custom infographic templates in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App (Advanced) or ArcGIS Community Analyst. Your custom templates will be available for use in Business Analyst (BA) widget when creating an Experience Builder (ExB) application.
As the app creator, you are in full control of the end user experience that fits your specific business needs. This article will guide you through some of the common workflows.
Creating an Experience Builder app with a Business Analyst widget (Workflow mode)
1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Online.
2. Click the Content tab, click Create app, and select Experience Builder. Or, simply open Experience Builder from the app launcher.
3. Click + Create new. Here you can select any template with the layout that works best for your application. Hover over the Pocket template and click Create.
4. Start by adding a title on the top left corner. For this example, I have titled my app 'Demographic Profile Report'. Toggle off the Lock layout on top to start modifying the application.
5. Drag the Business Analyst widget to the canvas and drop it on the right side pane.
6. Notice the BA widget defaults to the Workflow mode. The Workflow mode is a new functionality that provides the end user with step-by-step panels for defining location or geography and then running an infographic.
The Preset mode allows you to embed an infographic by predefining the default location or geography boundary, and buffer type and units for point location. You can learn about creating an application in preset mode in: How to create an Experience Builder application with Business Analyst widget in Preset mode
7. Notice the widget shows 3 steps (Search, Buffers, and Infographic) which you can customize as needed. Click the help (?) link to learn more.
8. Now let's configure the BA widget for a specific project by exploring the available options. Make sure the BA widget is selected on the canvas to see the settings panel to the right.
9. Click the drop down menu for Select map widget and select Map. This option allows you to link the BA widget to a map. This action also adds a new search bar to the map.
10. Notice that there are two search bars on top of each other now as the Pocket template we used here had it's own. Select the search bar on the top and delete it.
11. Click on the BA widget on the canvas to select it again and we will continue the configuration. Use the options under Location settings to select a country/region and also to Customize search experience.
12. Click Customize buffers and set your desired buffer types (rings, drive time, or walk time) and default values. You can also disable the User-configurable buffers toggle and preset the values for end user. Notice the Buffer step will be hidden from the widget on the canvas.
13. Click on Customize infographics to define the set of infographic templates available for use. You can also disable the Allow infographic choice toggle and select a single infographic if you want your users run the same single infographic in the application. Notice the Infographic step will be hidden from the widget on the canvas.
The Esri Infographics list contains ready-to-use templates available to all ArcGIS users. The My Infographics list contains custom templates you created in ArcGIS Business Analyst (Advanced) or ArcGIS Community Analyst Web Apps. The Shared Infographics list contains templates in your organization shared by other members.
14. Expand the Infographic settings for additional options to control the appearance and layout of the infographic when running it.
15. The GeoEnrichment option is optional and only needed if you plan to share this application with your ArcGIS Organization members who don't have the privileges required to use the BA widget. Learn more here.
16. You can click the Live view button on the top to interact and test your Experience Builder app.
17. If everything looks good, click Save and then click Publish to publish your application.
18. Click the Preview button and your application will open in a new tab.
Using Experience Builder app with Business Analyst widget
1. To share the application with your organization members, click on Change share settings > Share. You can then simply share the application link with other ArcGIS users.
Note: Users must be signed in with an ArcGIS account to view and use the Business Analyst widget you shared. The widget does not support public sharing currently.
2. Open the Experience Builder application and follow the step-by-step instructions to run infographic. The search bar in the BA widget allows you to search for a location or a geography boundary.
3. In addition, you can use the search bar in the Map widget to find a specific location or click anywhere on the map to define a location if the Run on map click option is enabled under Infographic settings.
4. The controls on top of the infographic allow you to toggle between selected buffers or compare them side-by-side.
5. Additional controls are available on the header based on your selection under Infographic settings.
Note: To show or hide the header controls, use the Header toggle button in Infographic settings.
Advanced options when your map contains polygon, geography, or point layers
If your map contains feature layers and you want to run infographics by selecting the features on the map, follow these instructions to configure the application:
1. Click Select map and click Add new data. Select a web map that contains polygon, geography, or point layers.
2. Then select the added web map as shown in the image below and it will load on your Map widget.
3. Click on the Action tab for the Map widget > Add a trigger > Record selection change > Business Analyst > Select feature. Your configuration will look like this.
4. Save and publish the application. Open your application and click on any feature on map. Notice the selected feature will populate in the BA widget. Click Next and run any infographic with the selection.
Get started with sample Experience Builder templates with BA Widget
You can find various ready-to-use Experience Builder templates configured with the BA widget when creating a new application.
1. Click + Create new and select the ArcGIS Online tab. Enter 'business analyst' in the search bar to filter.
2. Click on the Preview icon to open the sample templates.
3. Click on the Create button to customize and use it as starter template.
Additional Resources