How to use the command 'aws quicksight' (with examples)

AWS QuickSight is an analytics service provided by Amazon that enables users to build visualizations and perform ad hoc analysis on their business data. With AWS QuickSight, users can easily create and share interactive dashboards, which offer valuable insights and make data-driven decision-making more efficient. This article will delve into different use cases of the ‘aws quicksight’ command, providing examples, motivations, detailed explanations of each component, and sample outputs.

Use case 1: List datasets

Code:

aws quicksight list-data-sets --aws-account-id aws_account_id

Motivation:

Listing datasets is a foundational task when managing data for analytics. Understanding the available datasets in your QuickSight environment is crucial for selecting the correct data for analysis and ensuring that your dashboards and reports are up-to-date.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight list-data-sets: This command initiates the request to list all datasets within an AWS account.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: This argument specifies the unique identifier of your AWS account. It is essential, as your datasets are tied to this ID, and without it, QuickSight would not know which account’s datasets to list.

Example output:

{
  "DataSetSummaries": [
    {
      "DataSetId": "data-set-id-1",
      "Arn": "arn:aws:quicksight:region:aws_account_id:dataset/data-set-id-1",
      "Name": "Sales Data",
      "CreatedTime": "2021-01-01T12:00:00Z"
    },
    {
      "DataSetId": "data-set-id-2",
      "Arn": "arn:aws:quicksight:region:aws_account_id:dataset/data-set-id-2",
      "Name": "Marketing Campaigns",
      "CreatedTime": "2021-02-15T08:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Use case 2: List users

Code:

aws quicksight list-users --aws-account-id aws_account_id --namespace default

Motivation:

Listing users is essential for administrating and managing access to QuickSight resources. Understanding who has access to your QuickSight environment can help ensure that user permissions align with organizational security policies and prevent unauthorized data access.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight list-users: This command retrieves the list of users associated with a specific QuickSight account.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: This specifies the AWS account ID under which the QuickSight users are managed.
• --namespace default: The namespace for the QuickSight users you wish to list; in most cases, ‘default’ is used unless you have custom namespaces configured.

Example output:

{
  "UserList": [
    {
      "Arn": "string",
      "UserName": "john.doe",
      "Email": "john.doe@example.com",
      "Role": "ADMIN",
      "Active": true
    },
    {
      "Arn": "string",
      "UserName": "jane.smith",
      "Email": "jane.smith@example.com",
      "Role": "AUTHOR",
      "Active": true
    }
  ]
}

Use case 3: List groups

Code:

aws quicksight list-groups --aws-account-id aws_account_id --namespace default

Motivation:

Groups in QuickSight allow for better management of user permissions and access control. By listing groups, administrators can gain insights into group configurations and ensure that users are clustered correctly for streamlined permission management.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight list-groups: This command triggers the listing of all groups in the specified QuickSight account.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: Represents the unique account identifier that contains the QuickSight groups.
• --namespace default: Specifies the namespace in which the groups are listed. Typically ‘default’ unless otherwise configured.

Example output:

{
  "GroupList": [
    {
      "Arn": "string",
      "GroupName": "FinanceTeam",
      "Description": "Users from the finance department"
    },
    {
      "Arn": "string",
      "GroupName": "EngineeringTeam",
      "Description": "Users from the engineering department"
    }
  ]
}

Use case 4: List dashboards

Code:

aws quicksight list-dashboards --aws-account-id aws_account_id

Motivation:

Viewing an overview of dashboards is vital for analysts and decision-makers who rely on QuickSight for data visualization. Listing dashboards helps identify available reports and visual insights that can be used in strategic planning and presentations.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight list-dashboards: This command is used to list all the dashboards created under a specific AWS account.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: Provides the necessary account identifier to access and list the dashboards.

Example output:

{
  "DashboardSummaryList": [
    {
      "DashboardId": "dashboard-id-1",
      "Name": "Annual Sales Overview",
      "CreatedTime": "2021-01-20T10:00:00Z"
    },
    {
      "DashboardId": "dashboard-id-2",
      "Name": "Customer Insights",
      "CreatedTime": "2021-03-15T14:30:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Use case 5: Display detailed information about a dataset

Code:

aws quicksight describe-data-set --aws-account-id aws_account_id --data-set-id data_set_id

Motivation:

Having detailed information about a dataset allows analysts to understand its content, structure, and metadata, which are critical for ensuring accuracy and relevance in data analysis and visualization efforts.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight describe-data-set: This command fetches comprehensive details about a specific dataset within QuickSight.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: Identifies the AWS account that the dataset belongs to.
• --data-set-id data_set_id: Specifies the particular dataset for which detailed information is being requested.

Example output:

{
  "DataSet": {
    "DataSetId": "data-set-id",
    "Arn": "string",
    "Name": "Sales Data for Q1",
    "CreatedTime": "2021-01-01T12:00:00Z",
    // Additional dataset details
  }
}

Use case 6: Display who has access to the dataset and their permissions

Code:

aws quicksight describe-data-set-permissions --aws-account-id aws_account_id --data-set-id data_set_id

Motivation:

Understanding data access permissions is essential for maintaining data security and compliance. Describing dataset permissions in QuickSight allows administrators to audit who can view or modify the datasets, ensuring alignment with organizational policies.

Explanation:

• aws quicksight describe-data-set-permissions: Initiates a request to retrieve details about permission levels associated with a specific dataset.
• --aws-account-id aws_account_id: Specifies the AWS account ID from which permissions are to be retrieved.
• --data-set-id data_set_id: Denotes the particular dataset whose permissions are being queried.

Example output:

{
  "Permissions": [
    {
      "Principal": "arn:aws:quicksight:us-east-1:aws_account_id:user/default/john.doe",
      "Actions": ["quicksight:UpdateDataSet", "quicksight:DescribeDataSet"]
    },
    {
      "Principal": "arn:aws:quicksight:us-east-1:aws_account_id:user/default/jane.smith",
      "Actions": ["quicksight:DescribeDataSet"]
    }
  ]
}

Conclusion:

By leveraging the ‘aws quicksight’ command, users can efficiently manage and monitor their QuickSight resources. Whether listing datasets, user access, groups, or examining dashboards and dataset permissions, each of these uses plays a crucial role in maintaining an effective and secure data analytics environment. These commands are indispensable tools for AWS administrators and developers aiming to maximize their use of AWS QuickSight.