Modules

Modules are the analytical engines that transform raw health data into meaningful outputs. They run R scripts behind the scenes to calculate coverage rates, quality scores, trend analyses, and other metrics. As a user, you don’t need to write or understand code - you just need to know how to find and work with the results modules produce.

What modules produce

Each module processes your project’s data and generates results objects - structured datasets containing calculated values. A data quality module might produce completeness scores for each facility and month. A coverage module might calculate immunization rates by district and quarter. These results become the raw material for visualizations.

Results objects contain metrics - the specific values you can visualize. A single module might produce dozens of metrics across several results objects. For example, a data quality module could generate reporting rate, outlier score, and internal consistency metrics all at once. When you create a visualization, you select one of these metrics as your starting point.

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Modules tab showing two or three installed modules with their status indicators.

Module status

The Modules tab shows each installed module and its current state. A status badge next to each module name tells you what’s happening:

• Ready - Results are current; you can create visualizations immediately
• Running - The module is processing data; you’ll see progress text as it works
• Waiting - The module is queued, waiting for dependencies or data
• Error - Something went wrong; view logs for details (requires admin attention)

When modules re-run

Modules automatically re-run when their inputs change, ensuring visualizations always reflect the latest calculations. Triggers include data refreshes, configuration changes, and upstream module updates. You’ll see status indicators update in real-time as modules progress through the queue.

Viewing module outputs

While you typically interact with module results through visualizations, you can inspect raw outputs directly from the Modules tab. Click the menu button on any ready module to access Logs (R console output), Files (downloadable CSV results), or Script (the R code itself, if you have permission).

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Module expanded view showing logs and files options in the dropdown menu.

Metrics and visualizations

The connection between modules and visualizations runs through metrics. When you create a visualization, you first select a metric from a module’s results. The visualization then queries that metric according to your configuration choices.

Understanding this chain helps troubleshoot issues. If a visualization shows “no data,” check whether the underlying module is ready. If results look stale, check whether modules need to re-run. If you’re missing a metric you expected, verify that the relevant module is installed.

Some metrics come with presets - preconfigured visualization templates created by the module authors. Presets represent common ways to view that output and are a good starting point when you’re unfamiliar with a metric’s dimensions.

Module updates

Modules evolve over time as methodologies improve. The Modules tab shows when updates are available. Applying updates is an administrative task that typically triggers a re-run. If you see “Update available” badges and believe the updates matter for your work, contact your project administrator.