In version 2024.4 of our products, we introduced a new feature in BI Designer: the Stimul AI Assistant, powered by a generative artificial intelligence model. Today, we will take an in-depth look at how it can be used to design reports and dashboards.

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Introduction

Stimul AI is an assistant integrated into both the desktop and cloud versions of Stimulsoft BI Designer. It can be used to analyze data storage connection strings, event scripts, expressions, and much more, all of which we will discuss in detail below.

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Checking connection strings in SQL data sources

The first use case for Stimul AI is connecting to SQL data sources. Here is how it works: when you create a new SQL data source, you can check the connection string directly in the New Connection window. Click the Test Connection button. If there are any errors in the connection string, you can click the Fix with Stimul AI button. The assistant will analyze the connection type and suggest the correct connection string.

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Generating, optimizing, clarifying, and testing queries to data sources

Next, when creating and editing queries for SQL data sources, you can use the AI assistant to check, optimize, or even generate new queries based on the data columns and parameters you have set up. All these commands you can find in the Query with Stimul AI menu within the Edit Data Source window.

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Event editors

When composing event scripts, the Stimul AI assistant can be used in the following ways:

• First, to check the code of event scripts for errors or improvements;
• Second, to convert event scripts between Blockly (a visual code editor) and code, and vice versa.

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User Function editors

Starting with the release of Stimulsoft Reports, Dashboards, and PDF Forms 2024.3, users have the ability to create custom functions in the data dictionary. These functions can be written using the Blockly visual programming tool or in one of the supported programming languages - JavaScript, C#, or VB.NET. In version 2024.4, the custom function editor also includes an AI-powered assistant that can verify the correctness of function execution and convert the function script to another report language, such as JavaScript, C#, or VB.NET.

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Verifying expressions

In various controls within the report designer - such as fields and editors where expressions can be specified - it allows you to check these expressions. The expression is analyzed for correctness, and if any issues are found with the calculation result, you can use Stimul AI to automatically correct the expression.

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Report globalization

Another use case for the new AI functionality is report globalization. In the Globalization Strings editor, when adding a new culture, you now have the option to translate report component values using Stimul AI. Open the Globalization String editor, click Add Culture, select the required culture, and enable the Translate using Stimul AI option. This will automatically localize the component values using AI, making it easier to adapt reports for different languages and regions.