Zendesk Explore - Sections Hierarchy Report

Hey @agis -

Kind of - although I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but it might be a start.

Brandon

Hi Brandon

Thank you for your reply.

I'm referring to Zendesk Guide.

Our Knowledge based articles are under a certain taxonomy that has 2-3 levels.

I'd like to download this structure in a table like the following:

Category | Section L1 | Section L2 | Section L3 | Article title

Thanks

Agis

Hey Agis - 

Understood! In Explore (under the Guide Dataset), you can pull layer the subcategories on top of each other.  This should produce a table with nested article titles.  This comment has it visualized: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/5901649770266/comments/5915778118810

Hope this helps!

Brandon

Hi Brandon...

Please forgive my ignorance (new user here :-)) but I could not find what you're talking about. I looked at the link you attached but could not find a way to pull layer the subcategories on top of each other. 

Would it be possible to give a bit more details?

Thanks

Agis

Hey @agis - No worries - believe it or not I started just the way you did - by asking questions!  

Step 1: Head on over to Explore (the blue Triangle in your product picker drop down menu) and create a new report by first clicking on the line graph icon (3rd down on the left) and then selecting New Report.  For this report, we'll be using the Guide >> Guide Knowledge Base data set.  Then click 'Start Report.'  PS - For this exercise, we will be using the classic builder (not the Beta Builder)

Step 2: 

Select the metric of D_COUNT(Published Articles) and the Attributes (rows) of Section Titles.  Make sure you also remove the default filter from the top row, otherwise you'll only get articles that were engaged with in the last 30 days). In this instance, I don't have sub-sections, but you should be able to stack them as I've done with the category & title.  You can also add the article title if that's helpful to you as well.

Hope this helps!

Brandon

Thank you for the time you took to explain in more detail Brandon.

I was able to create this report. I'm still not getting the results I need because there is no subsection dimension to add as a row for my nested sections.

The Article section title only pick up the Section that the article belongs to. What we need, is the entire hierarchy like: 

Home > Account Management > API keys > Troubleshooting.

The current report is only giving me the Troubleshooting which is the article's parent section.

Thanks

Agis

Hey @agis - 

After further testing, I'm sorry to report that I'm also seeing what you're seeing.

Since the standard attributes in Zendesk Explore focus on the immediate parent section of an article, there isn't a straight forward reporting path from the home category down through the nested sections.

To address this, a custom attribute can be used... but it's a bit complicated.

Use Zendesk API to Retrieve Hierarchy Data: First, you'll need to extract the full hierarchy information from your Zendesk Guide. This can be done by using the Zendesk API, specifically endpoints that return category, section, and article details. You would iterate through these endpoints to build a mapping of each article to its full path.

Create a Data Structure for Hierarchy Mapping: As you gather data, create a structured format (like a JSON object or a database table) that maps each article ID to its full hierarchical path.

Implement a Custom Attribute in Explore: Once you have this mapping, the next step is to create a custom attribute in Zendesk Explore. This attribute would use a formula to match the article ID from the report with the corresponding full path from your external data structure.

Automate Data Updates: Since your Guide content might change (new articles, sections, or changes in the hierarchy), consider automating the process of updating your hierarchy mapping regularly.

Integration Challenges: The main challenge here is integrating this external data with Zendesk Explore. This might require some manual processes or developing an automated system that can feed this data into Explore regularly.

Consider Zendesk API Limitations: Be mindful of Zendesk API rate limits and best practices to avoid any disruption to your Zendesk service.

This approach requires a mix of technical skills, including API usage, data manipulation, and understanding of custom attributes in Zendesk Explore. If you're not comfortable with these, you might need to collaborate with a Premier Zendesk Partner like 729Solutions.com who has these technical skills.

Remember, while this solution can provide the hierarchical data you need, it does add complexity to your reporting process. Always weigh the benefits of having this detailed information against the effort required to maintain this custom solution.

Cheers,

Brandon

Thanks Brandon. I'll stick with a more manual process as this is not a top priority ask.

Thank you for your support.

Agis