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Report Services Document Creation Guide:

Creating Boardroom Quality Documents

Version: 9.2.1m
Document Number: 09520921m

Seventeenth Edition, version 9.2.1m


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CONTENTS
Document description.............................................................. xix About this book ............................................................................ xxi Additional formats .................................................................. xxi How to find business scenarios and examples ...................... xxi Whats new in this guide ....................................................... xxii Prerequisites ......................................................................... xxv Who should use this guide.................................................... xxv Resources.................................................................................. xxvi Documentation..................................................................... xxvi Education ........................................................................... xxxiv Consulting ........................................................................... xxxv International support ........................................................... xxxv Technical Support .............................................................. xxxvi Feedback ...................................................................................... xli 1. Designing and Creating Documents Introduction.................................................................................. 1 Before you begin............................................................................ 2 Document views in Desktop..................................................... 2 Printing a document ................................................................. 4 Viewing a document as it will display in MicroStrategy Web (Flash View and HTML View) .................................................. 6 Display modes in MicroStrategy Web ...................................... 9 Designing and creating documents: An overview........................ 10 About Visual Insight: Analyses .............................................. 13 Best practices for designing effective documents........................ 15 Best practices: Designing documents for Excel..................... 19 Best practices: Designing documents for Kindle and Nook ... 21
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Report Services Document Creation Guide

Creating documents..................................................................... 22 Accessing data in a document: The dataset report................ 22 Creating a document using the Document Editor .................. 24 Creating a document using the Document Wizard ................ 25 Creating a document using another document as a template ................................................................................. 27 Creating a document from a report ........................................ 31 Understanding and working with document sections................... 34 Resizing document sections .................................................. 36 Hiding and displaying document sections.............................. 36 Displaying document sections horizontally ............................ 38 Document sections overview ................................................. 38 Inserting additional sections in documents ............................ 45 Adding text and data to a document ............................................ 51 Adding static text to a document............................................ 52 Adding data fields to a document .......................................... 53 Combining different types of text fields in a document .......... 57 Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes ........................................................................................... 59 Auto text codes for document information ............................. 60 Auto text codes for dataset report information ....................... 63 Configuring auto text codes ................................................... 65 Working with metrics in documents ............................................. 95 Adding metrics from a dataset report to a document ............. 96 Creating metrics in documents .............................................. 97 Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents........ 104 Metric calculation in documents........................................... 110 Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers .................................................................................. 121 Displaying formatted HTML in an HTML container .............. 122 Displaying a website using a URL (iFrame)......................... 125 Adding shapes and lines to a document.................................... 128 Inserting images in a document................................................. 130 Using dynamic images......................................................... 133 Arranging controls on a document............................................. 136 2. Formatting Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 147 Useful formatting suggestions ................................................... 149 Methods for formatting a control ................................................ 150 Copying and pasting formatting ........................................... 151

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Using a transparent or opaque backstyle .................................. 152 Applying a 3D effect................................................................... 155 Applying a drop shadow ............................................................ 157 Using gradient colors ................................................................. 159 Three-way or mirror gradients: Flash only ........................... 160 Applying gradient colors ...................................................... 161 Creating a pop-up tooltip ........................................................... 162 Hiding a control.......................................................................... 164 Formatting text fields ................................................................. 166 Clipping text or displaying scroll bars in text fields............... 168 Formatting numbers............................................................. 169 Displaying text vertically....................................................... 171 Formatting text position in a text field .................................. 173 Formatting HTML containers ..................................................... 173 Formatting shapes ..................................................................... 177 Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode... 178 Formatting images ..................................................................... 180 Formatting sections ................................................................... 180 Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document ......... 181 Formatting the background color of document sections ...... 186 Displaying sections horizontally ........................................... 186 Changing the size of a section............................................. 188 Repeating information horizontally....................................... 194 Keeping the contents of a section together ......................... 195 Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults.... 196 Applying default formatting to a control or document section ................................................................................. 199 Formatting conditional data in documents ................................. 200 Derived metrics, summary metrics, and attributes in conditional formatting........................................................... 205 Conditional formatting on selector totals.............................. 207 Showing and hiding conditional formatting .......................... 208 Formatting the border or background of a document or layout.. 213 Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles)................................................................................ 215 Creating an Autostyle .......................................................... 216 Applying an Autostyle to a document .................................. 216 Adding watermarks to documents ............................................. 217 Project watermarks vs. document watermarks .................... 219

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Creating the project watermark............................................ 221 Hiding a project watermark for a specific document ............ 223 Creating document watermarks ........................................... 224 Disabling document watermarks.......................................... 226 Disabling all watermarks ...................................................... 226 Formatting a document for printing............................................ 227 Adding page breaks and numbering pages ......................... 229 Modifying page setup options .............................................. 231 Controlling horizontal overflow............................................. 235 Font embedding in PDFs ..................................................... 237 Changing graph resolution in PDFs ..................................... 239 Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs ............................... 240 Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs .................. 243 Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web ......................... 248 Formatting a document for export.............................................. 250 Selecting available export formats ....................................... 252 Specifying default export options ......................................... 253 Displaying images in Excel .................................................. 256 Allowing Excel to automatically change row height ............. 257 3. Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document Introduction.............................................................................. 259 Grouping records in a document ............................................... 260 Example of grouped records in a document ........................ 261 Changing the grouping order in a document........................ 262 Deleting a grouping field in a document............................... 264 Showing totals for a group ................................................... 264 Displaying a group horizontally ............................................ 273 Hiding Group Header and Group Footer sections ............... 279 Adding a page break for a group ......................................... 280 Resetting page numbers for each group.............................. 281 Repeating a Group Header section on another page .......... 282 Keeping the data in a group together on a page ................. 283 Specifying that groups are exported to separate Excel worksheets........................................................................... 283 Using page-by on a document................................................... 286 Disabling page-by ................................................................ 289 Sorting records in a document................................................... 290 4. Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs viii Introduction.............................................................................. 295 Adding a Grid/Graph to a document .......................................... 298

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Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously..... 302 Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder ........................................ 303 Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut ............................................................................. 306 Changing datasets in Grid/Graphs....................................... 309 Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph............................................ 310 Adding objects to a Grid/Graph ........................................... 312 Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid.................................................. 313 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options ................................................................................. 313 Viewing as a graph .................................................................... 314 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options ................................................................................. 315 Viewing as a grid and a graph ................................................... 315 Specifying the layout for a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and a graph................................................................ 316 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid and a graph: Formatting options ............................................................... 319 Formatting Grid/Graphs ............................................................. 319 Useful formatting suggestions.............................................. 322 Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors ............................................ 324 Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs ................................................ 326 Allowing the background of the Grid/Graph to show through a transparent title bar.............................................. 328 Quick switch for Grid/Graphs..................................................... 329 Quick switch in MicroStrategy Web ..................................... 329 Quick switch in Desktop....................................................... 330 Enabling quick switch .......................................................... 330 Using view filters on Grid/Graphs .............................................. 331 Multiple qualifications in view filters ..................................... 334 Metrics in rows and columns................................................ 334 View filters example ............................................................. 336 Multiple view filters example ................................................ 338 Example of metrics in rows and columns............................. 341 Linking to the dataset reports of Grid/Graphs............................ 345 Linking from Grid/Graphs to reports and other documents........ 347 Drilling in Grid/Graphs ............................................................... 348 Enabling drilling on Grid/Graphs .......................................... 349 Enabling interactive Grid/Graphs for MicroStrategy Web .......... 358 Sorting and pivoting in Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and
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Express Mode ...................................................................... 358 Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode.................................................. 360 5. Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards

Introduction.............................................................................. 365 About dashboards...................................................................... 366 What is a dashboard? .......................................................... 366 Adding interactivity to dashboards ....................................... 368 Organizing interactivity features on a dashboard................. 373 Design ideas and examples....................................................... 376 Designing a simulated portal environment........................... 379 Designing the right dashboard................................................... 379 Best practices for dashboarding ................................................ 381 Choosing datasets for a dashboard ..................................... 382 Layering information in a dashboard.................................... 383 Planning the dashboards outline and structure................... 384 Placing the data and visualizations onto a dashboard......... 386 Positioning and formatting the dashboard objects ............... 387 Enhancing dashboard performance..................................... 388 Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template.............. 389 Designing a dashboard with the Blank Document template ............................................................................... 391 Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks............ 392 Defining the parts of a panel stack ...................................... 395 Inserting and defining panels ............................................... 398 Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web .............. 408 Formatting panels and panel stacks .................................... 410 Providing interactivity to users: selectors................................... 418 Defining a selector ............................................................... 423 Methods to create a selector ............................................... 426 Creating selectors that filter metric values ........................... 432 Applying selections as filters or slices.................................. 435 Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type .............................................................. 441 Automatically maintaining targets for selectors.................... 443 Allowing users to select multiple items ................................ 453 Disabling simultaneous display of all items in a selector ..... 455 Renaming the All option of a selector .................................. 457

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Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists....................................................................... 458 Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state) ...................................................................... 463 Showing totals for selectors ................................................. 471 Displaying title bars in selectors........................................... 473 Formatting selectors ............................................................ 476 Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs ............................................................................... 486 Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors ............................................ 490 Enabling transition animations in Flash ..................................... 492 Exporting dashboards to Flash for stand-alone use .................. 493 Uncluttering the dashboard: Full screen mode .......................... 494 6. Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets

Introduction.............................................................................. 497 Understanding and working with widgets .................................. 500 Defining a Bubble Grid widget ............................................. 507 Defining a Cylinder widget ................................................... 510 Defining a Data Cloud widget .............................................. 512 Defining a Funnel widget ..................................................... 514 Defining a Gauge widget ..................................................... 518 Defining a Graph Matrix widget............................................ 520 Defining a Heat Map widget................................................. 525 Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget....................... 531 Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget..................... 538 Defining a Thermometer widget........................................... 542 Defining a Time Series Slider widget ................................... 545 Defining a Waterfall widget .................................................. 548 Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget............................... 552 Defining a Media widget ...................................................... 555 Defining a Microcharts widget.............................................. 565 Defining an RSS Reader widget .......................................... 588 Creating widgets ........................................................................ 597 Determining how a widget is displayed................................ 601 Displaying a message behind a widget................................ 607 Formatting widgets in Desktop .................................................. 609 Changing the number format of the metric values ............... 610 Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer ... 611

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Formatting the text on a graph............................................. 612 Formatting the color of the bar risers ................................... 614 Formatting the legend .......................................................... 616 Formatting widgets at the document level ........................... 619 Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector ...................................................................................... 621 Using a Bubble Grid widget as a selector ............................ 622 Using a Data Cloud widget as a selector ............................. 623 Using a Graph Matrix widget as a selector .......................... 623 Using a Heat Map widget as a selector ............................... 625 Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector ..... 626 Using an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector ... 628 Using a Microcharts widget as a selector ............................ 630 Using a Time Series Slider widget as a selector.................. 630 Using a Waterfall widget as a selector................................. 634 Using a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector ............. 634 Defining the widget used as a selector ................................ 635 Creating a Fish Eye Selector ..................................................... 638 Replacing the selector items of a Fish Eye Selector with images ................................................................................. 642 Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a widget ............................ 643 Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a selector.......................... 646 Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode .................... 649 Creating a Date Selection widget .............................................. 650 Creating a Date Selection widget as a widget ..................... 653 Creating a Date Selection widget as a selector ................... 655 Formatting Date Selection widgets for Flash Mode ............. 658 Linking in widgets ...................................................................... 659 Specifying how prompts are answered in the target ............ 660 Creating links in widgets ...................................................... 661 7. Linking from Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 667 About links ................................................................................. 667 Prerequisites for working with links...................................... 671 Linking in a document: Examples .............................................. 671 Linking a document to a web page ...................................... 672 Linking from a text field ........................................................ 673 Linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph............................. 675 Linking from an attribute in a widget .................................... 675 Linking from a document to multiple targets ........................ 676 Linking to a web page................................................................ 677 xii

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Creating a link to a web page .............................................. 680 Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling)................... 681 Components of a link ........................................................... 683 Specifying how prompts are answered in the target ............ 684 Creating links to documents and reports ............................. 702 Defining hyperlinks in documents .............................................. 706 How links, drilling, and selectors work together......................... 709 Emailing, exporting, and subscribing to documents and reports........................................................................................ 711 8. Advanced Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 713 Creating multi-layout documents ............................................... 714 Properties for each layout .................................................... 717 Properties for the document ................................................ 719 Creating layouts ................................................................... 721 Renaming, moving, deleting, and switching between layouts ................................................................................. 726 Exporting multi-layout documents........................................ 727 Using datasets in documents..................................................... 730 Working with multiple dataset reports .................................. 731 Defining a dataset as primary or secondary ........................ 733 Joining multiple datasets: Examples.................................... 738 Adding a dataset report to a document................................ 746 Removing a dataset report from a document....................... 746 Editing a dataset report used in a document ....................... 747 Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document ............................................................................. 748 Using Intelligent Cubes as datasets..................................... 749 Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset ................................................................................. 749 Displaying grouping elements that contain null values ........ 750 Removing sections that do not have metric data ................. 752 Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources ...................................................................................... 754 Creating a transaction-enabled document ........................... 755 Input object controls that support transactions .................... 763 Using prompts in documents ..................................................... 766 Prompt order in documents.................................................. 767 Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch ....................................................................... 769

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Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch on Grid/Graphs........................................ 772 Caching documents ................................................................... 775 Caching and page-by, selectors, and widgets ..................... 776 Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects........ 778 How the document reconciliation process works ................. 779 Copying documents between projects ................................. 780 9. Documents for Mobile Devices Introduction.............................................................................. 785 Best practices for designing documents for mobile devices ...... 786 Planning the document ........................................................ 787 Adding interactivity to a document ....................................... 788 Enhancing readability .......................................................... 789 Enhancing performance....................................................... 790 Designing documents for an Android device ....................... 790 Widgets for mobile devices........................................................ 792 Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget................................................................... 795 Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization ......................................................................... 797 Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad ............... 799 Displaying data in rows and columns on a mobile device: Interactive Grid widget ......................................................... 799 Displaying geographical data on a mobile device: Map widget .................................................................................. 801 Formatting RSS Reader widgets for the iPhone .................. 810 Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad ............................. 812 Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget .................................................................................. 814 Opening mobile applications in documents ............................... 815 Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device..................................................................... 818 Using links to navigate between pages in a document displayed on a mobile device............................................... 819 Formatting documents for display on mobile devices................ 820 Docking a selector on iPad documents................................ 822 Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents ........................................................................... 823 Defining Information Windows for an iPad document .......... 824 Formatting layouts for display on mobile devices ................ 826 Formatting documents for display on iPhones..................... 827 Document templates for iPhone and iPad ........................... 828 xiv
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Displaying documents when the mobile device is rotated: Mobile Views.............................................................................. 830 A. Document Interfaces in MicroStrategy Introduction.............................................................................. 835 Document Editor layout ............................................................. 835 Controls toolbar ................................................................... 837 Toolbar icons ....................................................................... 837 Layout tabs .......................................................................... 840 Grouping panel .................................................................... 841 Layout area .......................................................................... 841 Datasets pane...................................................................... 842 Property List......................................................................... 843 Notes ................................................................................... 845 Introduction.............................................................................. 847 Create a sample invoice document ........................................... 847 Creating the report to use as the dataset ............................ 851 Creating the new document and selecting the dataset ........ 852 Grouping the document by customer................................... 853 Adding the logo image to the document .............................. 854 Resizing the image .............................................................. 855 Adding static text to the document....................................... 855 Formatting, aligning, and sizing the text field....................... 856 Adding a rectangle to the document .................................... 856 Switching to PDF View......................................................... 857 Adding an attribute to the Customer Header section ........... 858 Combining text fields ........................................................... 860 Adding and formatting additional text fields in the Customer Header section .................................................... 861 Adding a line to the Customer Header section .................... 863 Creating the column headers in the Detail Header section ................................................................................. 864 Ordering the controls ........................................................... 865 Creating the item detail in the Detail section........................ 867 Formatting a text field as currency....................................... 868 Adding summary information to the Detail Footer section ... 869 Adding totals to a document ................................................ 871 Saving the document ........................................................... 873 Creating the final PDF ......................................................... 873

B. Document Tutorial

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C. Dashboard Tutorial

Introduction.............................................................................. 875 The completed dashboard ......................................................... 876 Panel 1: Daily Order Count .................................................. 876 Panel 2: Inventory Analysis ................................................. 877 Panel 3: Employee Performance ......................................... 878 High-level steps ......................................................................... 880 Creating the Daily Order Count panel........................................ 882 Creating the Daily Order Count report to be used as a dataset ................................................................................. 882 Creating the new dashboard and selecting the dataset....... 882 Adding a panel stack and panels to the dashboard ............. 883 Adding a selector to the dashboard ..................................... 886 Creating a Time Series Slider widget................................... 886 Adding a Gauge widget ....................................................... 888 Creating a selector for the Gauge widget ............................ 890 Specifying Flash Mode as the default display mode............ 891 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 892 Viewing the Daily Order Count panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web .............................................................. 892 Creating the Inventory Analysis panel ....................................... 895 Creating the Inventory Analysis report to be used as a dataset ................................................................................. 895 Adding a dataset to the dashboard ...................................... 895 Switching panels in Design View ......................................... 896 Renaming and formatting a panel........................................ 896 Creating a Heat Map widget ................................................ 897 Creating a selector for the Heat Map widget........................ 900 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 901 Viewing the Inventory Analysis panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web .............................................................. 901 Creating the Employee Performance panel............................... 905 Creating a custom group ..................................................... 905 Creating the Employee Performance report to be used as a dataset ......................................................................... 908 Adding a dataset to the dashboard ...................................... 909 Switching panels in Design View ......................................... 909 Renaming and formatting a panel........................................ 910 Creating a Bubble Graph widget.......................................... 911 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 912 Viewing the Employee Performance panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web........................................................... 913 Enabling drilling and time series animation.......................... 913

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D. Troubleshooting Documents

Introduction.............................................................................. 919 Troubleshooting during document creation ............................... 919 Troubleshooting Grid/Graphs............................................... 919 Troubleshooting selectors.................................................... 921 Miscellaneous document creation troubleshooting .............. 922 Troubleshooting during document execution............................. 923 Troubleshooting common Flash Mode issues ..................... 925

E. Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions

Introduction.............................................................................. 929 Internal functions ................................................................. 930 Null/Zero functions ............................................................... 930 Financial functions ............................................................... 930 Math functions ..................................................................... 932 Statistical functions .............................................................. 933

F. Creating Links Manually


To email, export, and subscribe to documents and reports

Introduction.............................................................................. 935 Comparison of Link Editor and manually creating link URLs..... 936 Creating link URLs manually ..................................................... 937 Base URL syntax ................................................................. 938 Event parameter .................................................................. 939 Object ID parameter ............................................................ 940 Object type parameter ......................................................... 940 Prompt information parameters ........................................... 941 Creating links manually........................................................ 944 Examples of link URLs created manually .................................. 945 Link to a non-prompted report ............................................. 947 Link to a prompted report using the message ID ................. 950 Link to a prompted report using a list of attribute elements .............................................................................. 953 Link to a prompted report using prompt XML....................... 955 Glossary ................................................................................... 959 Index ......................................................................................... 967

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PREFACE
Document description
This guide is the primary resource for you to use to learn about designing and creating MicroStrategy Report Services documents using Desktop. It builds on the basic concepts about documents presented in the Report Services Document Analysis Guide. Chapters include: Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents includes procedures to create documents and many of the objects that make up documents, such as text fields and images. A list of best practices to create and design documents is also included. Chapter 2, Formatting Documents describes how to format the document and its objects. Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document explains how to group and sort documents. Grouping defines the documents hierarchy and therefore its sort order. Page-by interactively displays groups on separate pages in PDF View. Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs describes Grid/Graphs, which display reports in a document. The chapter provides instructions to create and format Grid/Graphs. Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards introduces dashboards, which are a type of document that summarizes key business indicators by presenting them in visually intuitive, easy-to-read, interactive documents. Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets describes widgets, which are a key part of dashboards. Widgets are

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Flash-based displays of report results, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. Chapter 7, Linking from Documents explains how to connect a document with a report, a web page, or another document, passing parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. Use links as a tool to present investigative workflows, such as navigating from data at one level to different levels of aggregation. Chapter 8, Advanced Documents provides information about advanced concepts such as multi-layout documents, how multiple datasets are joined, document caches, and portable documents. Chapter 9, Documents for Mobile Devices provides an overview of features specific to documents created for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, which include widgets and links that interact with mobile device applications such as email or text messaging. Appendix A, Document Interfaces in MicroStrategy helps you to become familiar with the Document Editor interface. The Document Editor allows you to create, customize, and save documents to use across the MicroStrategy platform. Appendix B, Document Tutorial walks you through the process of creating a sample invoice document. Appendix C, Dashboard Tutorial walks you through the process of creating a dashboard that incorporates widgets in a panel stack, using data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial. Appendix D, Troubleshooting Documents provides explanations of some of the most common issues you may encounter when creating Report Services Documents, in a question and answer format. Appendix E, Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions lists the advanced functions that are supported for calculated expressions in documents. Appendix F, Creating Links Manually provides instructions for creating link URLs manually, that is, by using the object ID and link syntax.

can also You conceptsdesign and create documents using MicroStrategy Web. The are the same, but the procedures differ slightly. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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About this book


This book is divided into chapters that begin with a brief overview of the chapters content. The following sections provide the location of additional examples, list prerequisites for using this book, and describe the user roles the information in this book was designed for. formerly called HTML Documents in the MicroStrategy platform,place MicroStrategy documents, are HTML shells into which you can reports and other graphics, and control the formatting and appearance with style sheets. In this guide, the term document means a Report Services document.

Additional formats
This book is also available as an electronic publication in the Apple iBookstore, and can be read on an iPhone or iPad with the iBooks app installed. To download this book, search for the books title in the iBookstore search bar, or scan the QR code below using your device's camera.

How to find business scenarios and examples


Within this guide, many of the concepts discussed are accompanied by business scenarios or other descriptive examples. For examples of basic documents and dashboards, see the Report Services Document Analysis Guide. For examples of reporting functionality, see the MicroStrategy Tutorial, which is MicroStrategys sample warehouse, metadata, and project. Information about the MicroStrategy Tutorial can be found in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. Detailed examples of advanced

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reporting functionality can be found in the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. Other examples in this book use the Analytics Modules, which include a set of precreated sample reports and documents, each from a different business area. Sample reports and documents present data for analysis in such business areas as financial reporting, human resources, and customer analysis.

Whats new in this guide


MicroStrategy 9.2.1m
Where applicable, the instructions for features have been updated to indicate whether they are supported on Android-based devices. For information on designing documents for mobile devices, including those based on Android, see Chapter 9, Documents for Mobile Devices. The following widgets have been added for display on mobile devices:

Data Cloud widget, which displays a list of attribute elements displayed in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements (see Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512) Date Selection widget, which displays as a interactive event calendar on the iPad (see Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget, page 795) Graph Matrix widget, which displays data using a variety of graph styles, such as the line graph, bubble graph, or grid (see Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization, page 797) Heat Map widget, which allows users to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at one time (see Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad, page 799) Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create an Image Viewer widget) Microcharts widget, which allows users to quickly visualize the trend of a metric at a glance without having to know many additional details (see Defining a Microcharts widget, page 565)

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Multimedia widget, which displays a list of available files, such as text files, PDF files, and images, that users can download and view (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Multimedia widget) Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Photo Uploader widget) Timeline widget, which allows users to track changes in the status of multiple business assets, as well as important events affecting each asset (see Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad, page 812) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget, page 814)

MicroStrategy 9.2.1
MicroStrategy Transaction Services lets you embed write-back functionality into documents and dashboards for the purposes of decision-making or initiating a transaction. See Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources, page 754.

MicroStrategy 9.2
You can replace the dataset of a document, and any Grid/Graphs that use the dataset are updated to use the new dataset. You can also replace all the dataset reports in a document with a single dataset report. (See the MicroStrategy Desktop Help for instructions; see Accessing data in a document: The dataset report, page 22 for background information on datasets.) You can drill on a Grid/Graph in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The drill options are defined by the default drill path of the selected attribute. In Editable Mode, Express Mode, and Interactive Mode, you can drill on multiple objects. (See Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.) A selector can target another selector, to filter the target. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Year and Quarter, and two selectors. One selector allows the user to choose a year (the Year selector), while the other selector allows the user to choose a quarter (the Quarter selector). The Year selector targets the Quarter selector, filtering the

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Quarter selector to display only the quarters in the year chosen in the Year selector. Both selectors target the Grid/Graph, to display data for the selected year and quarter. (See Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.) A selector can filter on a metric's values, ranks, or percent ranks. The selector can be either a slider, which the user moves to select the minimum and maximum values to display, or a qualification, which the user completes to filter the metric's values. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Region and the Revenue Metric. A metric condition slider selector displays the range of revenue values, and a user can move the slider to select the minimum and maximum revenue to display. A metric condition qualification selector can allow a user to display only the revenue values greater than $5,000,000 or only the top-ranking five regions in term of revenue. (See Creating selectors that filter metric values, page 432.) An element selector or a metric condition slider selector can include or exclude the selected data. (An element selector displays different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations; a metric condition slider displays a slider to filter metric values or rank.) If the selector contains a title bar, then the user can change between including or excluding the selections. (See Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type, page 441.) A selector can display a title bar, which can help to identify the selector or provide instructions about using the selector. (See Displaying title bars in selectors, page 473.) The title bar of a panel stack can display Next and Previous arrows to allow users to change panels in MicroStrategy Web and in Flash View in Desktop, without using a separate selector. (See Panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 402.) You can determine how to display the contents of a panel stack when the contents are larger than the panel stack itself. Use the Content overflow setting to either clip the contents, which displays only data that can fit within the size of the panel stack, or you can provide a scroll bar, to allow a user to view all of the data. (See the MicroStrategy Desktop Help for instructions to define this property.) Information Windows let users view additional information about an attribute element by hovering the cursor over the element in a grid or graph. The Information Window pops up over the element, displaying an additional visualization, based on the element. (See Defining Information Windows for an iPad document, page 824.)

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Prerequisites
Before working with this manual, you should be familiar with the information in the Report Services Document Analysis Guide, MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide, and MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. To work with Report Services documents, you must have purchased a license for Report Services and installed it on your machine. You must also have the proper privileges assigned to your user login. These privileges are described below: Execute document, to execute documents in Desktop a document in Desktop, To executethree-tier (server) mode. you must connect to the project in Use document editor, to create and edit documents using the Document Editor in Desktop Web execute document, to browse and execute documents in MicroStrategy Web Web document design, to create and edit documents in Web Web manage document datasets, to add and remove datasets from a document in Web

Report Services, contact If you do not have more information. your MicroStrategy sales representative for

Who should use this guide


This guide is designed for all users who need to design and create documents. Document design is the process of building documents that are used widely by other users on the business intelligence platform and throughout the enterprise. To design documents you use the Document Editor in either MicroStrategy Desktop or Web. The Document Editor also allows you to create document objects (called controls) such as text fields, auto text codes, Grid/Graphs, HTML containers, images, and so on. You can also create a special type of document called dashboards, which are visually intuitive displays of data that summarize key business indicators for a quick status

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check. Dashboards usually provide interactive features that let users change how they view the dashboards data. The interaction is provided by these types of controls: panels, selectors, and widgets. In general, the role of document designer is made available only to a group of advanced users who can design documents. The Desktop Designer and Web Professional user roles in MicroStrategy include the set of privileges required to create documents and controls, for each respective product. For an introduction to documents, you should review the Report Services Document Analysis Guide, which provides a basic understanding of how to manipulate the data in a document to analyze business information.

Resources
Documentation
MicroStrategy provides both manuals and online help; these two information sources provide different types of information, as described below: Manuals: In general, MicroStrategy manuals provide:

Introductory information and concepts Examples and images Checklists and high-level procedures to get started

The steps to access the manuals are described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii. Most of these manuals are also available printed in a bound, soft cover format. To purchase printed manuals, contact your MicroStrategy account executive or email documentationfeedback@microstrategy.com. Help: In general, MicroStrategy help provides:

Detailed steps to perform procedures Descriptions of each option on every software screen

languages other than English Due to translation time, manualsorinmore releases behind. You can may contain information that is one see the version number on the title page of each manual. For the most up-to-date translations, refer to the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base.
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MicroStrategy overview and evaluation


Introduction to MicroStrategy: Evaluation Guide Instructions for installing, configuring, and using the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition of the software. This guide also includes a detailed, step-by-step evaluation process of MicroStrategy features, where you perform reporting with the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its sample business data. MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Quick Start Guide Overview of the installation and evaluation process, and additional resources. Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux Guide: In a Windows or Linux Environment with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual Appliance Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux, in a Microsoft Windows or Linux environment, with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual Appliance. This guide provides all details to download, activate, and evaluate MicroStrategy software running in a Linux environment. MicroStrategy Reporting Suite: Quick Start Guide Evaluate MicroStrategy as a departmental solution. Provides detailed information to download, install, configure, and use the MicroStrategy Reporting Suite. MicroStrategy Mobile Suite: Quick Start Guide Evaluate MicroStrategy Mobile as a departmental solution. Provides detailed information to download, install, configure, and use the MicroStrategy Mobile Suite.

Manuals for query, reporting, and analysis


MicroStrategy Installation and Configuration Guide Information to install and configure MicroStrategy products on Windows, UNIX, Linux, and HP platforms, as well as basic maintenance guidelines. MicroStrategy Upgrade Guide Instructions to upgrade existing MicroStrategy products.

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MicroStrategy Project Design Guide Information to create and modify MicroStrategy projects, and understand facts, attributes, hierarchies, transformations, advanced schemas, and project optimization.

MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide Instructions to get started with MicroStrategy Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, and how to analyze data in a report. Includes the basics for creating reports, metrics, filters, and prompts.

MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide: Enhancing Your Business Intelligence Application Instructions for advanced topics in the MicroStrategy system, building on information in the Basic Reporting Guide. Topics include reports, Freeform SQL reports, Query Builder reports, filters, metrics, Data Mining Services, custom groups, consolidations, and prompts.

MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide: Analyzing Data with Report Services Documents Instructions for a business analyst to execute and analyze a document in MicroStrategy Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, building on basic concepts about projects and reports presented in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

MicroStrategy Report Services Document Creation Guide: Creating Boardroom Quality Documents Instructions to design and create Report Services documents, building on information in the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide.

MicroStrategy OLAP Services Guide Information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, which is an extension of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. OLAP Services features include Intelligent Cubes, derived metrics, derived elements, dynamic aggregation, view filters, and dynamic sourcing.

MicroStrategy Office User Guide Instructions for using MicroStrategy Office to work with MicroStrategy reports and documents in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook, to analyze, format, and distribute business data.

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MicroStrategy Mobile Analysis Guide: Analyzing Data with MicroStrategy Mobile Information and instructions for using MicroStrategy Mobile to view and analyze data, and perform other business tasks with MicroStrategy reports and documents on a mobile device.

MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide: A Platform for Mobile Intelligence Information and instructions to install and configure MicroStrategy Mobile, as well as instructions for a designer working in MicroStrategy Desktop or MicroStrategy Web to create effective reports and documents for use with MicroStrategy Mobile.

MicroStrategy System Administration Guide: Tuning, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting your MicroStrategy Business Intelligence System Concepts and high-level steps to implement, deploy, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot a MicroStrategy business intelligence system.

MicroStrategy Supplemental Reference for System Administration: VLDB Properties, Internationalization, User Privileges, and other Supplemental Information for Administrators Information and instructions for MicroStrategy administrative tasks such as configuring VLDB properties and defining data and metadata internationalization, and reference material for other administrative tasks.

MicroStrategy Functions Reference Function syntax and formula components; instructions to use functions in metrics, filters, attribute forms; examples of functions in business scenarios.

MicroStrategy MDX Cube Reporting Guide Information to integrate MicroStrategy with MDX cube sources. You can integrate data from MDX cube sources into your MicroStrategy projects and applications.

Manuals for Analytics Modules


Analytics Modules Installation and Porting Guide Customer Analysis Module Reference Sales Force Analysis Module Reference
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Financial Reporting Analysis Module Reference Sales and Distribution Analysis Module Reference Human Resources Analysis Module Reference

Manuals for Narrowcast Services products


MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Getting Started Guide Instructions to work with the tutorial to learn Narrowcast Server interfaces and features. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Installation and Configuration Guide Information to install and configure Narrowcast Server. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Application Designer Guide Fundamentals of designing Narrowcast Server applications. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server System Administrator Guide Concepts and high-level steps to implement, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot Narrowcast Server. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Instructions to upgrade an existing Narrowcast Server.

Software Development Kits


MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL) Information to understand the MicroStrategy SDK, including details about architecture, object models, customization scenarios, code samples, and so on. MicroStrategy Web SDK SDK available the MicroStrategy The Websold asispart of theinMicroStrategy SDK.Developer Library, which is Narrowcast Server SDK Guide Instructions to customize Narrowcast Server functionality, integrate Narrowcast Server with other systems, and embed Narrowcast Server functionality within other applications. Documents the Narrowcast

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Server Delivery Engine and Subscription Portal APIs, and the Narrowcast Server SPI.

Documentation for MicroStrategy Portlets


Enterprise Portal Integration Help Information to help you implement and deploy MicroStrategy BI within your enterprise portal, including instructions for installing and configuring out-of-the-box MicroStrategy Portlets for several major enterprise portal servers. This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii.

Documentation for MicroStrategy GIS Connectors


GIS Integration Help Information to help you integrate MicroStrategy with Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), including specific examples for integrating with various third-party mapping services. This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii.

Help
Each MicroStrategy product includes an integrated help system to complement the various interfaces of the product as well as the tasks that can be accomplished using the product. Some of the MicroStrategy help systems require a web browser to be viewed. For supported web browsers, see the MicroStrategy Readme. MicroStrategy provides several ways to access help: Help button: Use the Help button or ? (question mark) icon on most software windows to see help for that window.

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Help menu: From the Help menu or link at the top of any screen, select MicroStrategy Help to see the table of contents, the Search field, and the index for the help system. F1 key: Press F1 to see context-sensitive help that describes each option in the software window you are currently viewing. Web For MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategythe F1Administrator, and MicroStrategy Mobile Server, pressing key opens the context-sensitive help for the web browser you are using to access these MicroStrategy interfaces. Use the Help menu or ? (question mark) icon to access help for these MicroStrategy interfaces.

Accessing manuals and other documentation sources


The manuals are available from your MicroStrategy disk or the machine where MicroStrategy was installed. to view these manuals. you do not Adobe Acrobat Reader is requiredyour computer, you canIfdownload it have Acrobat Reader installed on from http://get.adobe.com/reader/. The best place for all users to begin is with the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. To access the installed manuals and other documentation sources, see the following procedures: To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on Windows, page xxxii To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX and Linux, page xxxiii

To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on Windows

1 From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs (or All Programs), MicroStrategy, then Product Manuals. A page opens in your browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other documentation sources. 2 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source.

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3 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click OK. left side of Acrobat If bookmarks are not visible on the Bookmarksanand Page.(PDF) step manual, from the View menu click This varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX and Linux

1 Within your UNIX or Linux machine, navigate to the directory where you installed MicroStrategy. The default location is /opt/MicroStrategy, or $HOME/MicroStrategy/install if you do not have write access to /opt/MicroStrategy. 2 From the MicroStrategy installation directory, open the Documentation folder. 3 Open the Product_Manuals.htm file in a web browser. A page opens in your browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other documentation sources. 4 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source. 5 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click OK. left side of Acrobat If bookmarks are not visible on the Bookmarksanand Page.(PDF) step manual, from the View menu click This varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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Documentation standards
MicroStrategy online help and PDF manuals (available both online and in printed format) use standards to help you identify certain types of content. The following table lists these standards. standards may depending on Theselanguages have differ that supersedethe language of this manual; some rules the table below.
Type bold Indicates Button names, check boxes, options, lists, and menus that are the focus of actions or part of a list of such GUI elements and their definitions Example: Click Select Warehouse. italic New terms defined within the text and in the glossary Names of other product manuals and documentation resources When part of a command syntax, indicates variable information to be replaced by the user Example: The aggregation level is the level of calculation for the metric. Example: Type copy c:\filename d:\foldername\filename Calculations Code samples Registry keys Path and file names URLs Messages displayed in the screen Text to be entered by the user

Courier font

Example: Sum(revenue)/number of months. Example: Type cmdmgr -f scriptfile.scp and press Enter. + A keyboard command that calls for the use of more than one key (for example, SHIFT+F1). A note icon indicates helpful information for specific situations. A warning icon alerts you to important information such as potential security risks; these should be read before continuing.


Education

MicroStrategy Education Services provides a comprehensive curriculum and highly skilled education consultants. Many customers and partners from over 800 different organizations have benefited from MicroStrategy instruction.

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Courses that can help you prepare for using this manual or that address some of the information in this manual include: MicroStrategy Report Services: Document Essentials MicroStrategy Report Services: Dynamic Dashboards

For the most up-to-date and detailed description of education offerings and course curricula, visit http://www.microstrategy.com/Education.

Consulting
MicroStrategy Consulting Services provides proven methods for delivering leading-edge technology solutions. Offerings include complex security architecture designs, performance and tuning, project and testing strategies and recommendations, strategic planning, and more. For a detailed description of consulting offerings, visit http://www.microstrategy.com/Services.

International support
MicroStrategy supports several locales. Support for a locale typically includes native database and operating system support, support for date formats, numeric formats, currency symbols, and availability of translated interfaces and certain documentation. MicroStrategy is certified in homogeneous configurations (where all the components lie in the same locale) in the following languagesEnglish (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, and Swedish. A translated user interface is available in each of the above languages. For information on specific languages supported by individual MicroStrategy system components, see the MicroStrategy readme. MicroStrategy also provides limited support for heterogeneous configurations (where some of the components may lie in different locales). Please contact MicroStrategy Technical Support for more details.

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Technical Support
If you have questions about a specific MicroStrategy product, you should: 1 Consult the product guides, Help, and readme files. Locations to access each are described above. 2 Consult the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base online at https://resource.microstrategy.com/support.

A technical administrator in your organization may be able to help you resolve your issues immediately.
3 If the resources listed in the steps above do not provide a solution, contact MicroStrategy Technical Support directly. To ensure the most productive relationship with MicroStrategy Technical Support, review the Policies and Procedures document in your language, posted at http://www.microstrategy.com/Support/Policies. Refer to the terms of your purchase agreement to determine the type of support available to you. MicroStrategy Technical Support can be contacted by your companys Support Liaison. A Support Liaison is a person whom your company has designated as a point-of-contact with MicroStrategys support personnel. All customer inquiries and case communications must come through these named individuals. Your company may designate two employees to serve as their Support Liaisons, and can request to change their Support Liaisons two times per year with prior written notice to MicroStrategy Technical Support. It is recommended that you designate Support Liaisons who have MicroStrategy Administrator privileges. This can eliminate security conflicts and improve case resolution time. When troubleshooting and researching issues, MicroStrategy Technical Support personnel may make recommendations that require administrative privileges within MicroStrategy, or that assume that the designated Support Liaison has a security level that permits them to fully manipulate the MicroStrategy projects and has access to potentially sensitive project data such as security filter definitions.

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Ensure issues are resolved quickly


Before logging a case with MicroStrategy Technical Support, the Support Liaison may follow the steps below to ensure that issues are resolved quickly: 1 Verify that the issue is with MicroStrategy software and not a third party software. 2 Verify that the system is using a currently supported version of MicroStrategy software by checking the Product Support Expiration Schedule at http://www.microstrategy.com/Support/Expiration.asp. 3 Attempt to reproduce the issue and determine whether it occurs consistently. 4 Minimize the complexity of the system or project object definition to isolate the cause. 5 Determine whether the issue occurs on a local machine or on multiple machines in the customer environment. 6 Discuss the issue with other users by posting a question about the issue on the MicroStrategy Customer Forum at https://resource.microstrategy.com/forum/. The following table shows where, when, and how to contact MicroStrategy Technical Support. If your Support Liaison is unable to reach MicroStrategy Technical Support by phone during the hours of operation, they can leave a voicemail message, send email or fax, or log a case using the Online Support

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Interface. The individual Technical Support Centers are closed on certain public holidays.
North America Email: support@microstrategy.com Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Fax: (703) 8428709 Phone: (703) 8488700 Hours: 9:00 A.M.7:00 P.M. Eastern Time, MondayFriday except holidays Email: eurosupp@microstrategy.com Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Fax: +44 (0) 208 711 2525 The European Technical Support Centre is closed on national public holidays in each country. Phone: Belgium: + 32 2792 0436 France: +33 17 099 4737 Germany: +49 22 16501 0609 Ireland: +353 1436 0916 Italy: +39 023626 9668 Poland: +48 22 459 52 52 Scandinavia & Finland: +46 8505 20421 Spain: +34 91788 9852 The Netherlands: +31 20 794 8425 UK: +44 (0) 208 080 2182 International distributors: +44 (0) 208 080 2183 Hours: United Kingdom: 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. GMT, Monday-Friday except holidays EMEA (except UK): 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. CET, Monday-Friday except holidays Email: apsupport@microstrategy.com Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Phone: Australia: +61 2 9333 6499 Korea: +82 2 560 6565 Fax: +82 2 560 6555 Japan: +81 3 3511 6720 Fax: +81 3 3511 6740 Singapore: +65 6303 8969 Fax: +65 6303 8999 Asia Pacific (except Australia, Japan, Korea, and Singapore): +86 571 8526 8067 Fax: +86 571 8848 0977 Hours: Japan and Korea: 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. JST (Tokyo), Monday-Friday except holidays Asia Pacific (except Japan and Korea): 7 A.M.-6 P.M. (Singapore) Monday-Friday except holidays Email: latamsupport@microstrategy.com Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Phone: LATAM (except Brazil and Argentina): +54 11 5222 9360 Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 Argentina: 0 800 444 MSTR Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 Brazil: +55 11 3054 1010 Fax: +55 11 3044 4088 Hours: Latin America (except Brazil): 9:00 A.M.7:00 P.M. (Buenos Aires), Monday-Friday except holidays Brazil: 9 A.M. - 6 P.M. (So Paulo), MondayFriday except holidays

EMEA: Europe The Middle East Africa

Asia Pacific

Latin America

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Support Liaisons should contact the Technical Support Center from which they obtained their MicroStrategy software licenses or the Technical Support Center to which they have been designated.

Required information when calling


When contacting MicroStrategy Technical Support, please provide the following information: Personal information:

Name (first and last) Company and customer site (if different from company) Contact information (phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses)

Case details:

Configuration information, including MicroStrategy software product(s) and versions Full description of the case including symptoms, error messages(s), and steps taken to troubleshoot the case thus far

Business/system impact

If this is the Support Liaisons first call, they should also be prepared to provide the following: Street address Phone number Fax number Email address

To help the Technical Support representative resolve the problem promptly and effectively, be prepared to provide the following additional information: Case number: Please keep a record of the number assigned to each case logged with MicroStrategy Technical Support, and be ready to provide it when inquiring about an existing case Software version and product registration numbers of the MicroStrategy software products you are using

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Case description:

What causes the condition to occur? Does the condition occur sporadically or each time a certain action is performed? Does the condition occur on all machines or just on one? When did the condition first occur? What events took place immediately prior to the first occurrence of the condition (for example, a major database load, a database move, or a software upgrade)? If there was an error message, what was its exact wording? What steps have you taken to isolate and resolve the issue? What were the results?

System configuration (the information needed depends on the nature of the problem; not all items listed below may be necessary):

Computer hardware specifications (processor speed, RAM, disk space, and so on) Network protocol used ODBC driver manufacturer and version Database gateway software version (For MicroStrategy Web-related problems) browser manufacturer and version (For MicroStrategy Web-related problems) Web server manufacturer and version

If the issue requires additional investigation or testing, the Support Liaison and the MicroStrategy Technical Support representative should agree on certain action items to be performed. The Support Liaison should perform any agreed-upon actions before contacting MicroStrategy Technical Support again regarding the issue. If the Technical Support representative is responsible for an action item, the Support Liaison may call MicroStrategy Technical Support at any time to inquire about the status of the issue.

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Feedback
Please send any comments or suggestions about user documentation for MicroStrategy products to: documentationfeedback@microstrategy.com Send suggestions for product enhancements to: support@microstrategy.com When you provide feedback to us, please include the name and version of the products you are currently using. Your feedback is important to us as we prepare for future releases.

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1.

DESIGNING AND CREATING DOCUMENTS

Introduction
A MicroStrategy Report Services document contains objects representing data coming from one or more MicroStrategy reports, as well as images and shapes. Documents can appear in almost as many ways as you can imagine and are generally formatted to suit your business needs, in a single display of presentation quality. This chapter describes the ways in which you can design and create a MicroStrategy Report Services document. If you are new to designing documents, see Best practices for designing effective documents, page 15 before you begin a new document. As document designers create documents, they specify the data that appears and control the layout, formatting, grouping, and subtotaling of data. In addition, they can insert pictures and draw borders in the document. All of these capabilities provide for documents that are suitable for presentation to management for printing boardroom quality material. They are used to create the highest-quality, Pixel Perfect documents such as scorecards and

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Report Services Document Creation Guide

dashboards, managed metrics documents, production and operational documents, and more.

Note the following:


While you can connect an older Desktop client to a newer Intelligence Server (such as an 8.1.x Desktop client and a 9.x Intelligence Server), none of the newer 9.x functionality for Report Services documents is supported. If some fonts are not available on an Intelligence Server installed on the UNIX operating system, copy True Type fonts into the Intelligence Server installation directory. Copy these fonts, which have a .ttc or .ttf extension, to INTELLIGENCE_SERVER_ INSTALL_PATH\PDFGeneratorFiles. The default installation path for the Intelligence Server in UNIX is home\ MicroStrategy\PDFGeneratorFiles. For the change to take effect, you must restart Intelligence Server.

Before you begin


Before you begin creating a document, you should understand how end users will use documents for data analysis. For instructions and examples of manipulating data in documents, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide. This section reviews basic concepts, such as executing and printing documents, covered in the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide. If you need to brush up on the basics of documents, this section is designed to help you.

Document views in Desktop


In Desktop, you can open a document in the following views: PDF View (the default view), which displays the document as it will look when printed (for example, with page breaks). Use PDF View to:

View the document as a PDF (especially helpful to see how your changes affect the final display of the document) Interactively display groups on separate pages (using page-by)

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Designing and Creating Documents

Navigate through large quantities of data that have been grouped into separate pages of the document View associated websites by clicking hyperlinks Print the document Save the final PDF (by exporting it) Export the PDF to Excel, PDF, Flash, or HTML

Flash View, which displays a preview of the document as it will look in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In Flash View, you can interact with the document by using selectors, performing some manipulations such as pivoting and sorting, and viewing and interacting with widgets. HTML View, which displays a preview of the document as it will look in other MicroStrategy Web modes. Design View, which displays the structure of the document, or the placeholders for the document objects, without the actual results. It allows you to create and edit the document and the various objects that make up the document. Use Design View for the procedures described in this manual.

Opening a document

If a document has embedded Transaction Services, the document does not open. Instead, a message is displayed, indicating that
transaction-enabled documents are not supported in Desktop.
To open a document in Design View

1 From a project in MicroStrategy Desktop, navigate to the folder containing the document. 2 Right-click the document name or icon, and select Edit. The Document Editor opens.

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To open a document in PDF View

1 From a project in MicroStrategy Desktop, navigate to the folder containing the document. viewing performance, open Acrobat Reader To enhance PDFthe document. before opening 2 Double-click the document name or icon. The document opens in PDF View, in Acrobat Reader.

Printing a document
Before you print the document, you should configure various settings that control how the document is displayed and printed. Examples of these settings are pagination, page margins, and graph resolution. This ensures that the end result (the printed document) appears as you want it to. For instructions, see Formatting a document for printing, page 227.
To print a document

1 In PDF View, click the Print icon on the Acrobat Reader toolbar. The Print dialog box opens. 2 You can change print settings, such as the printer to be used and the page range to print, as needed. Click OK.

Opening a PDF in a separate window: Exporting a document as a PDF


You can export a document as a PDF file that opens in a separate window outside MicroStrategy. This is useful to you as a document designer, since you can then return to the Document Editor, switch to Design View, and edit the document while keeping a copy of the PDF open to refer to.

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Designing and Creating Documents

To open a PDF in a separate window

1 In Desktop, double-click the document name or icon. The document opens in PDF View, in Acrobat Reader. 2 Click the Export to PDF icon in the toolbar. The Export to PDF dialog box opens.

Note the following:


If the Export to PDF icon is unavailable, PDF exporting has not been made available for this document. If the Export to PDF dialog box is not displayed, you do not need to complete the remaining steps of this procedure. The PDF opens immediately.

3 If your document contains multiple layouts (see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714 for a description of layouts), you can choose to export the entire document or only the current layout. For an explanation of how layouts are exported, including examples, see Exporting multi-layout documents, page 727. To export the entire document, select All layouts. To export the current layout only, select Current layout.

4 If your document is grouped (see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document for a description of groups and pages), you can choose to export the entire document or only the selected group element to PDF. Page-by allows you to view the PDF by a selected group element. For examples of a paged document, and instructions on how to disable page-by, see Using page-by on a document, page 286. To export the entire document, select the Expand page-by check box. To export only the selected group element, clear the Expand page-by check box.

5 Click OK. The PDF opens in another instance of the Acrobat Reader.

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Viewing a document as it will display in MicroStrategy Web (Flash View and HTML View)
Flash View and HTML View in Desktop display the document as it will look in MicroStrategy Web.

Prerequisites to use Flash View and HTML View


Before you can switch to Flash View or HTML View, you must enable Flash View or HTML View. See Enabling MicroStrategy Web preview for a document, page 6 for directions. Finally, if your document contains any of the following, you must embed fonts: Anti-alias support Vertical text Graph labels rotated 45, 90, or 180

For more information and instructions, see Embedding fonts for Flash Mode, page 249.

Enabling MicroStrategy Web preview for a document


Before you can switch to Flash View or HTML View to preview how a document will look in MicroStrategy Web, you must enable Flash View or HTML View.
To enable Flash View and HTML View

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Document. 4 To enable Flash View, select the Flash check box in the Available display modes list.

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5 To enable HTML View, select at least one of the following check boxes in the Available display modes list: Express Interactive Editable

6 Click OK to return to the document.

Switching to HTML View or Flash View


Flash View and HTML View in Desktop display the document as it will look in MicroStrategy Web. Before switching to either of these views, ensure that you have completed the prerequisites described in Prerequisites to use Flash View and HTML View, page 6.
To view a document in HTML View or Flash View

1 In Desktop, double-click the document name or icon. The document opens in PDF View, in Acrobat Reader. 2 To preview the document for Flash mode, click Flash View on the toolbar. 3 To preview the document for other MicroStrategy Web modes, click HTML View on the toolbar. If Flash or HTML View is not available on the enabled.ViewEnabling MicroStrategy Web previewtoolbar, it must be See for a document, page 6 for instructions.

Opening a document in a separate browser window: Exporting a document to HTML


You can open the current document in a separate browser window outside of MicroStrategy. This allows you to preview what the document will look like in MicroStrategy Web. Opening a document in a separate browser window is useful for a document designer. It allows him to return to the Document Editor, switch to Design

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View, and edit the document while referring to a copy of the document as it looks in a browser.
To open a document in a separate browser window

1 In Desktop, double-click the document name or icon. The document opens in PDF View, in Acrobat Reader. 2 Click the Export to HTML icon in the toolbar. The Export to HTML dialog box opens.

Note the following:


If the Export to HTML icon is unavailable, HTML exporting has not been made available for this document.

If the Export to HTML dialog box is not displayed, you do not need to complete the remaining steps of this procedure. A copy of the document opens in a browser.

3 If your document contains multiple layouts (see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714 for a description of layouts), you can choose to export the entire document or only the current layout. For an explanation of how layouts are exported, including examples, see Exporting multi-layout documents, page 727. To export the entire document, select All layouts. To export the current layout only, select Current layout.

4 If your document contains page-by fields (see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document for a description of groups and pages), you can choose to export the entire document or only the selected group element to HTML. Page-by allows you to view the document by a selected group element. For examples of a paged document, and instructions on how to disable page-by, see Using page-by on a document, page 286. To export the entire document, clear the Expand page-by check box. To export only the selected group element, select the Expand page-by check box.

5 Click OK. A copy of the document opens in a browser.

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Designing and Creating Documents

Display modes in MicroStrategy Web


In MicroStrategy Web, you can view and work with a document in the following display modes: Express Mode, which allows document analysts to view the document and interact with it. Interactions include using selectors to change panels or Grid/Graph reports, sorting grid reports, and linking to reports and other documents.

of Express Mode. Internet Explorer 7 is required for6the interactivitycannot interact If you are using Internet Explorer or earlier, you with the document. You can instead view the results only, as you might in a static PDF file. Flash Mode, which allows document analysts to access and interact with features provided by Flash, such as widgets. Interactive Mode, which allows document analysts to view the document and interact with it. It provides more interactivity than Express Mode, including formatting Grid/Graphs and creating metrics. Editable Mode, which displays the actual results of the document, while still allowing you to edit the document. All of the tasks that you can perform in Design Mode can also be performed in Editable Mode. This allows you to make changes and immediately see how they affect the look and feel of the document. Design Mode, which displays the structure of the document, or the placeholders for the document objects, without the actual results. It allows you to create and edit the document and the various objects that make up the document. You can work more quickly in Design Mode than in Editable Mode since you do not have to wait for the results of your document to load in Design Mode.

For instructions to open a document in MicroStrategy Web, and more details on the various modes, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. the document Beforewhich modes itcan be viewed in MicroStrategy Web, you must select can be displayed in. For instructions, see Selecting the display modes available for MicroStrategy Web, page 249.

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Designing and creating documents: An overview


First, you open a blank document and select a report to use as the documents dataset. The dataset report of a document contains the MicroStrategy objects that can be displayed in the document. These objects include attributes, custom groups, consolidations, and metrics. You can select more than one dataset report to include on the document. You must define one dataset as the grouping and sorting dataset; you can group and sort only by the objects on this dataset. For detailed instructions to create a document, see Creating documents, page 22. joined, see Using For details on how the data from multiple datasets ison how grouping datasets in documents, page 730. For information and sorting works, including examples and instructions, see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document. For basic information, such as instructions to create reports and report objects, on MicroStrategy reports in general, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. After you create a document, you add controls to the document. Controls are the objects that display the data, images, and shapes in a document; they are the objects shown in the documents Layout area as you design the document. A control can be a: Text field, which displays text such as:

Data (attributes, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics) from the documents dataset reports. See Adding text and data to a document, page 51, for examples and instructions. Static text for labels. See Adding text and data to a document, page 51, for examples and instructions. Information about the document (such as page numbers) and the dataset reports (such as report names and filter information). See Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59, for examples and instructions. Metrics created within the document, which use the metrics on the dataset reports to obtain data not directly available from the datasets. These include derived metrics, calculated expressions, and summary metrics. For instance, a calculated expression combines metrics from different dataset reports. For more examples, and instructions to create them, see Working with metrics in documents, page 95.

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HTML container, which displays real-time information from the web. For instructions to create HTML containers, and examples of how they can be used, see Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121. Line or Rectangle. For instructions to create lines and rectangles, and examples of how they can be used, see Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128. Image. For instructions to create images, including guidelines to ensure that the images are available as needed, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. Grid/Graph, which displays data in the same way that a MicroStrategy report does. For instructions to create Grid/Graphs and examples of how they can be used, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs.

Other types of controls, such as selectors and widgets, provide interactivity and visually intuitive graphic images. These controls are most commonly used on dashboards, which are a specific type of document. However, their use is not limited to dashboards; you can use them on any type of document. These types of controls include: Panel stack, which is a holder for a collection of panels, or layers of data, in a document. A user can navigate or flip through the panels in a panel stack; only one panel is displayed at a time. The document sample below shows a Grid/Graph, Employee Info By Region, on a panel in a panel stack.

Selector, which allows users to interact with the document, by flipping through the panels in a panel stack or by displaying different attributes or metrics in a Grid/Graph.

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The selector in the document sample above is the list of Grid/Graphs at the left. When a user clicks Category Sales Report, that Grid/Graph on another panel in the panel stack is displayed, as shown below.

Widget, which displays the results of a dataset report in Flash in MicroStrategy Web, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do.

controls, as For more details and examples of dashboards and these 5, Designing well as procedures to define these controls, see Chapter Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Each of these different kinds of controls is referred to as a control type. Dragging and dropping a dataset object onto the Layout area of the Document Editor creates a control. If the dragged object is a dataset report, a Grid/Graph is created; otherwise, a text field containing the dataset object is added to the Layout area. When the document is displayed as a PDF, the Grid/Graph is displayed like a MicroStrategy report; the text field displays the elements or values of the dataset object. Where a control is placed in the Layout area (which document section, that is) determines not only the location of the values but also whether it is repeated and at what level it is calculated. For example, some document sections, such as the Page Header or Page Footer, are appropriate for displaying page numbers because those sections are automatically repeated throughout the document. A metric placed in different document sections is calculated differently. In the Detail section, the metric is calculated at the level of the attribute element, while the same metric placed in the Group Header section is calculated at the level of the group. This is described in more detail, including examples, in Metric calculation in documents, page 110.

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Designing and Creating Documents

For a more in-depth description of the various document sections, including explanations of where they appear when the document is generated and the type of information they typically contain, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34. After you add controls, you can move and arrange them to determine how they appear when the document is viewed as a PDF. For instructions and examples of the various ways in which you can move and arrange controls, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136. You can format the document as a whole, and also the separate controls that are included in the document. For information on the formatting available in documents, including instructions and examples, see Chapter 2, Formatting Documents.

About Visual Insight: Analyses


Visual Insight allows you to create customized, interactive analyses that you can use to explore your business data. You create and interact with analyses in MicroStrategy Web. In Desktop, you can view analyses, with a limited range of interactivity. Analyses are similar to documents, and in Desktop can be displayed in Flash View, HTML View, or PDF View, as well as Design View. In Flash View, you can interact with an analysis in the following ways: View the data as a grid, graph, or widget (these views are created in Web, and you can select which to display) Interact with widgets Sort the data Move attributes and metrics around the template, quickly swapping objects between the rows and columns of the analysis Select which page of data to display

In HTML View and PDF View, the analysis is displayed as a static document. You can update and modify the document in Design View. You can therefore use an analysis as a starting point for a document, to add data and a structure to the document. Switch to the Document Editor to add formatting and fine-tune the document. analysis in Desktop Saving theback to an analysis. converts it to a document; it cannot be converted
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Analyses in MicroStrategy Web


In MicroStrategy Web, you can interact with an analysis in the following ways: View the data as a grid, graph, or widget:

Add the data to a graphical representation, such as a bar graph or pie chart Display the data in an interactive widget, such as a Geo Map, Graph Matrix, or Heat Map

Filter the data, by the elements of an attribute or the value of a metric Group the data, by selecting the attributes to page by, and then selecting which element to display Sort data Drill into the data Move attributes and metrics around the template, quickly swapping objects between the rows and columns of the analysis Add data from existing reports, documents, and Intelligent Cubes

In MicroStrategy Web, you can quickly and efficiently create a meaningful display, since you do not need to switch to Design View to change the data that is displayed in the analysis. You can quickly create an analysis from an existing source: a report, document, or Intelligent Cube. Once you select the data from the source, the data is automatically added to an interactive grid. You can immediately begin sorting, pivoting, and filtering data. For information on working with analyses in MicroStrategy Web, including instructions and examples, see the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help. For information on creating analyses in MicroStrategy Web, including instructions and examples, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Best practices for designing effective documents


Before you begin creating a document, review the best practices listed below. These suggestions will help you design an effective, attractive, and practical document. The best practices are grouped into the following sections: Gather information about your user audience, page 15 Gather information about your data source, page 16 Gather information about your MicroStrategy project, page 17 Locate or create time-savers, page 17 Design the document effectively, page 18 Best practices: Designing documents for Excel, page 19 if you are designing a document that may be exported to Excel Best practices: Designing documents for Kindle and Nook, page 21 if you are designing a document that may be exported to a Nook or Kindle Best practices for dashboarding, page 381 if you are designing a dashboard and using effects and widgets

Gather information about your user audience


Ask yourself who the audience is for the document you plan to create. Questions you should have answers to include: What is the main topic area the document needs to address? In other words, at a general level, what do users need to know? What level of detail do users need? For example, sometimes executive level users only want to see a few key metrics of certain data. Other analysts may need to see very detailed financial numbers or inventory counts. What types of documents do users expect? Higher level executives sometimes have expectations about how data is displayed in a document, so it can be helpful to ask what types of documents they are used to receiving, and whether it is important to try to adhere to that data display style.
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Who is your universe of users made up of?

If your universe of users is extremely diverse, consider making documents as flexible as possible for each user who executes them, by adding prompts. A prompt asks users questions about the results they want to see on a document, and then submits the appropriate query to the data source. For an introduction to prompts, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. Your universe of users may include different security requirements. For example, you may need a single document for a group of users, but that group includes both external and internal users, and you want to restrict some data from external view. You must confirm that appropriate security is in place for a documents underlying objects, and that security filters are in place to control row-level access to data. Object-level security is performed using ACLs, or access control lists. Security filters and ACLs are generally implemented by your system administrator, but one or both may be under the control of your project designer. See the MicroStrategy System Administration Guide for details on security filters, ACLs, and other security features.

Gather information about your data source


If you need an introduction to or refresher on data sources, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. Make sure the data your organization stores can support the information your users want to analyze in a reporting environment. Questions you should ask include: Does your organization gather the data that users want to see documents on? Is your data organized in such a way that it can be used? Is the data reliable, and is it clean? One way to check on the reliability of your data is to create some simple grid reports designed to validate whether your data reflects your understanding of reality. For example, if you have a good sense of how many customers own two or three of your organizations products, create a report that shows basic data on the count of customers who purchased those specific products over the past few years. If the numbers you see in the report do not come close to what you expected to see, it is worthwhile to spend some time with your database administrator to address the reliability of the data stored in your data source.

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Gather information about your MicroStrategy project


Many of the objects within a project are generally created by the projects designer when the project is first created. Since you use these objects to design datasets for documents, it can be useful to understand your projects design, and specifically how the projects objects reflect the actual data in your organizations data source. In this way, you can choose objects to use in datasets with full knowledge of the data source tables that data is coming from when the document is executed. For details on general project design and data modeling, see the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide. Questions you should ask about your project include: Do objects exist in the MicroStrategy metadata which match what users want to see on documents? If not, you (or a user with the appropriate privileges) can create them. MicroStrategy provides flexibility in combining information from your data source into specific objects which reflect the concepts that make sense to your users. Consolidations and custom groups are just two examples of ways you can present data to your users in a way that does not directly reflect your data sources storage structure. For an introduction to consolidations and custom groups, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. What VLDB (Very Large Database) properties have been set? These settings affect how the SQL is written when a document sends a SQL query to your data source. VLDB properties are usually determined by an administrator, but some may also be defined by a projects designer. All VLDB properties are described in detail in the MicroStrategy Supplemental Reference for System Administration. What project configuration settings have been set that will affect reports or documents? Ask your project designer about any configuration settings made for the project as a whole, because most reports and report objects revert to the projects settings when no object-specific or report-specific settings override them.

Locate or create time-savers


Before you create a document, search through MicroStrategy to see whether a similar document already exists that can serve the same purpose as the document you intend to create. This can save you time and help you avoid unnecessary duplication in your MicroStrategy metadata.
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Report Services Document Creation Guide

Design the document effectively


Before you create the finished document, use Microsoft Excel, Paint, PowerPoint, or another tool to create a mock-up of the document you intend to design. Send the mock-up to your user community to gather their feedback on its usefulness. This can save you valuable time creating a complex, finished document that may have to be redone. Hide unused document sections (by collapsing the section on the template) so that the document is easier to work with. See Hiding and displaying document sections, page 36. Use the grouping feature and/or incremental fetch to minimize the amount of data passed between the web server and the web browser, for documents designed to be viewed in MicroStrategy Web. See Grouping records in a document, page 260 and Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch, page 769. Determine how to load panels in panel stacks when the document is viewed in MicroStrategy Web. All the panels can be pre-loaded, or only the first panel. See Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web, page 408.

When panels are pre-loaded, they display immediately when the user selects a different panel. However, if the user is unlikely to access all the panels in a panel stack, or if you want to optimize the initial load time of the document, you can specify that the panels load only when a user changes to a different panel. Note that this on-demand panel loading only occurs when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web with DHTML enabled.

Determine whether the dataset(s) will return a large amount of data. If so, consider adding grouping to the document, by choosing which attributes you want to group the pages by. See Grouping records in a document, page 260. Make the following decisions as you are planning the design of your document, not after you are finished:

Determine the logic for page breaks. See Adding page breaks and numbering pages, page 229. Decide what export options you will enable for users of this document. See Formatting a document for export, page 250.

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Designing and Creating Documents

Decide whether you need landscape or vertical orientation to best display the data you want to include. See Formatting a document for printing, page 227. If the document will be viewed in PDF, be sure to include bookmarks. See Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240.

Do not include so many graphical objects that the data becomes unimportant. Make sure the data is the main focus of the document. The overall goal is to achieve a clean look. Plan your design so that all related data can be seen on a single screen or page, and that it can be interpreted from the top left to the bottom right. Save your document frequently as you design and make formatting changes to it.

For additional best practices when designing a dashboard and when using effects and widgets, see Best practices for dashboarding, page 381.

Best practices: Designing documents for Excel


The following best practices will help ensure that your document is displayed correctly when it is exported to Microsoft Excel. When you export to Excel, the resulting spreadsheet looks like a PDF of the document. For example, objects have the same position and size in Excel that they do in a PDF. For directions to export a document to Excel, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help. When designing a document that might be exported to Excel, do the following to ensure that the document is displayed correctly in Microsoft Excel: Know how different object types are exported and displayed in Excel, as shown in the following table:
Object Type Text field Grid/Graph: Displayed as a grid Displayed as a graph Displayed as both a grid and a graph Line Excel Export Result Data in spreadsheet cells Data in spreadsheet cells Excel chart object A combination of the above Not exported

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Object Type Rectangle Image

Excel Export Result Not exported Linked image

Choose Excel-compatible colors for all objects, including panels, shapes, and Grid/Graphs. Use the set of 40 colors that appear in the Color dialog box in the Document Editor. Excel supports these 40 colors in addition to many more. Other colors are matched by Microsoft Excel as closely as possible. Avoid using gradient colors, since they are not exported to Excel. Use graph styles that are supported by Microsoft Excel. For example, if you include a Gauge graph in the document, it is not displayed in Excel. If you include a Combination graph, the exported version in Excel may not be displayed exactly like the original graph in MicroStrategy Web. For a list of graph types that appear differently in Excel than in MicroStrategy, see Displaying images in Excel, page 256. Avoid overlapping objects. When exported, the document may not be displayed correctly. For example, an object in the background of the document may be displayed in the foreground of the Excel spreadsheet. Provide extra space around objects because they may increase in size when the document is exported to Excel. Use text field borders to create lines and rectangles. Standard MicroStrategy line and rectangle controls may not be displayed correctly in Excel. You can also use a panel stack to create a colored background; for instructions to create panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392. Avoid inserting line breaks within text fields. Line breaks (inserted by typing CTRL+ENTER) are not rendered in Excel. Do not enable word-wrapping in a column header on a Grid/Graph in MicroStrategy. If you do so, the headers are not displayed correctly in Excel or PDF. Enable word-wrapping in Excel after you export the document.

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Best practices: Designing documents for Kindle and Nook


You can export a document to a PDF, then transfer the PDF to a Kindle or Nook for viewing. A Kindle user can go to a specific page in the PDF, search for text phrases, and switch between landscape to portrait view (on the Kindle DX). A Nook user can use bookmarks to jump to a specific section of the PDF, go to the last read page, change the text font size, rotate PDF pages, and search for text phrases. For directions to export a document to PDF, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help. When designing a document that might be viewed on a Kindle or Nook, do the following to ensure that the document is displayed correctly: If the document contains multiple layouts, set the default export option to export all layouts. This ensures that the Kindle or Nook user can view all the data. For information about multiple layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714; for information about setting default export options, see Specifying default export options, page 253. If your document contains page-by fields, set the default export option to export all pages. This ensures that the Kindle or Nook user can view all the data. For information about page-by, see Using page-by on a document, page 286; for information about setting default export options, see Specifying default export options, page 253. If the document will be viewed on a Nook, include bookmarks so that a user can quickly access a specific section of the document. Bookmarks are displayed in the PDF in a tree format, creating a table of contents as a navigation aid. Bookmarks are created only when a document is grouped or contains multiple layouts. For instructions to create bookmarks, see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240. Embed fonts in the PDF, so that bullets, thresholds, and any other objects that require special fonts are displayed correctly. A Nook user can change the text font only if the fonts are embedded. For instructions, see Font embedding in PDFs, page 237. Both the Kindle and the Nook have a gray-scale display, so be sure that the contrast in graphs and other images are high enough so that a user can easily distinguish between different areas. The Kindle resizes the PDF to the size of the Kindle screen, so ensure that text and graphics are sized large enough to be clearly viewable on the Kindle.

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Report Services Document Creation Guide

Creating documents
You can create a document in one of several ways, depending on your needs: On your own from start to finish using the Document Editor, which allows you to select the information to be included and the formatting of the document (see Creating a document using the Document Editor, page 24). You can add one or more dataset reports to the document. With the help of the Document Wizard, which provides steps to create the document (see Creating a document using the Document Wizard, page 25). Using another document as a template, which allows you to pattern the new document after an existing one (see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27). The same dataset, controls, formatting, and layout as the template are used in the new document. However, you can add to or modify the new document after it is created. From a report. The report is added as a Grid/Graph (an object that acts like a standard MicroStrategy report) in the Detail Header of the new document (see Creating a document from a report, page 31). You can also select multiple reports at the same time to create a multi-layout document (see Creating a document from a report, page 31 for instructions and Creating multi-layout documents, page 714 for background information on layouts).

A dashboard is a special type of document. A dashboard is commonly only one page long, is intended to be viewed online, and usually provides interactive features that let analysts change how they view the dashboards data. For information on creating dashboards, the objects that can be used to create dashboards, and dashboard examples, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards.

Accessing data in a document: The dataset report


A dataset is a MicroStrategy report that is used on a document and all of the reports elementsattributes, custom groups, consolidations, and metrics. Datasets provide the data that appears in documents. Datasets define which information the Intelligence Server should retrieve from the data warehouse or cache. This information can include attributes, custom groups, consolidations, and metrics.

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These dataset objects are all of the objects from the dataset report, regardless of whether they are displayed on the report. That is, if a metric, for example, is in the Report Objects but not displayed on the grid, that metric is listed as a dataset object. For background information about these subset reports, including the different methods to add them to a document, see Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset, page 749. When you create a new document, you can select the report or Intelligent Cube to use as the dataset. Once the document is created, you can: Add another dataset to the document Replace an existing dataset with another dataset Replace all the datasets in the document with a single dataset Remove a dataset from the document

For instructions, see the Desktop Help.

Multiple datasets
You can create a document with multiple dataset reports, and you can add more dataset reports after you create a document. One dataset must be defined as the grouping and sorting dataset; you can group and sort only by the objects on this dataset. For details on how multiple datasets join together in a document, see Using datasets in documents, page 730. For instructions to change the grouping and sorting dataset, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748.

Intelligent Cubes as datasets


An Intelligent Cube is a multi-dimensional cube (sets of data) that allow you to use OLAP Services features on reports, as well as share sets of data among multiple reports and documents. You can use an Intelligent Cube as a dataset, allowing you to use one Intelligent Cube for many different documents, while reducing access to the data warehouse. For background information on using Intelligent Cubes as datasets, including how to add a Grid/Graph with an Intelligent Cube as a dataset, see Using Intelligent Cubes as datasets, page 749.

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Creating a document using the Document Editor


You can create a document using the Document Editor, which allows you to select the information to be included on the document and the formatting of the document. Documents use datasets as sources for the objects placed on the documents.
To create a document using the Document Editor

1 From the File menu, select New, then Document. The New Document dialog box opens. object If the Select a report dialog box opens, below. templates are disabled for documents. Skip to step 3 2 Select the Blank Document icon and click OK. The Select a report dialog box opens. you to start with a A document template allowsnew document. Thepredefined structure when you create a Blank Document template helps you create a traditional document with multiple sections, but you can select a different template. For background information on document templates and using them to create a document, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27. 3 Navigate through the report folders and select the MicroStrategy report or reports to use as datasets. To select multiple reports, hold the SHIFT or CTRL key while selecting the reports. added to If you select multiple reports, allinthe selected reports aredefined as the document. The first dataset alphabetical order is the grouping and sorting dataset. You can sort and group the document using fields from the grouping and sorting dataset only. For instructions to change the grouping and sorting dataset, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748. For background information on using multiple datasets in documents, see Working with multiple dataset reports, page 731. 4 Click OK. The Document Editor opens. The datasets that you chose are displayed in the Datasets pane. For descriptions of the editors major sections and toolbars, see Appendix A, Document Interfaces in MicroStrategy.
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5 Select the data for the document. Add data fields, auto text codes, text labels, images, and other controls. For instructions, see: Adding text and data to a document, page 51 Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59 Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121 Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128 Inserting images in a document, page 130 Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298

6 Arrange the controls as you like. For instructions, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136. 7 Format the various controls and sections, as well as the document as a whole. For descriptions of the various formatting options, and instructions to apply them, see Chapter 2, Formatting Documents. 8 Group and sort the data. For instructions and background information, see Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document, page 259. 9 Add totals, if desired. For instructions, see Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents, page 104. 10 Save the document by selecting Save from the File menu. 11 You can now execute and view the document. To do this, from the View menu, select PDF. For a list of actions that you can perform in PDF View, and instructions to print the document, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help.

Creating a document using the Document Wizard


You can create a document using the Document Wizard, which guides you through selecting the information to be included on the document and the formatting of the document. Documents use datasets as sources for the objects placed on the documents. To create a document using the Document Wizard, you need to open the wizard from MicroStrategy Desktop.
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To create a document using the Document Wizard

1 Select New Document from the File menu. The New Document dialog box opens. a report dialog are If the Select documents. Youbox opens, object templatesyou can use disabled for must enable them before the Document Wizard. For instructions, see the Desktop Help. 2 Select Document Wizard and click OK. The wizard opens with a Welcome page that lists the steps to create a document. 3 Perform the tasks that follow, clicking Next after completing each task. a Select the documents data source type: allows you to select the MicroStrategy report used as a dataset and to specify a title that displays at the top of the document. b Select fields for the document: lets you determine which objects from the dataset will be on the document. c Select how the document is grouped: allows you to group the data in the document and determine the hierarchical structure of the document. When a grouped document is displayed in PDF View, you can use page-by to interactively display groups on separate pages. For more detailed information on grouping and paging a document, including examples, see Grouping records in a document, page 260 and Using page-by on a document, page 286.

d Specify group sorting: allows you to sort the groups on the document. For more detailed information on sorting a document, including examples, see Sorting records in a document, page 290. e Select a template for the documents layout: allows you choose from several predefined document layouts, which provide formatting and layout information. For more detailed information about document templates, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.

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Select the documents formatting Autostyle: allows you to choose an Autostyle to apply to the new document. An autostyle is a collection of formatting properties saved for various control types. For more detailed information about Autostyles, see Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215.

about any the see For detailed explanationsthe Desktoppage inpresswizard,clickthe Desktop Help. To access Help, F1 or Help in the wizard. 4 Click Finish to create the document and open it in the Document Editor. 5 Save the document by selecting Save from the File menu. 6 If you wish, view the document by clicking PDF View on the toolbar. The Adobe Acrobat Reader opens, displaying the actual data in the format you created.

Creating a document using another document as a template


You can save a document as a template and pattern new documents based on it. Any new document made using this template will contain the same underlying datasets, fields, formatting, and layout as the template document. After the new document is created, you can customize the new document as you want. A document template allows you to start with a predefined structure when you create a new document. A document becomes a template when it is saved in the Object Templates/Documents folder. It is then available as a choice in the New Document dialog box when you create a new document. Templates folder is a hidden folder. To see it, The Object objects displayed. Follow the procedure below: you must have hidden 1 In Desktop, from the Tools menu, choose Desktop Preferences. The Desktop Preferences dialog box opens. 2 Expand the Desktop folder, and click Browsing. 3 At the bottom of the dialog box on the right, select Display Hidden Objects. 4 Click OK. You should now see the Object Templates folder in your project list.

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MicroStrategy provides predefined document templates, including the Blank Document template and the Blank Dashboard template. Use the Blank Document template to create a traditional document, with multiple sections. The Blank Dashboard template displays only one section, the Detail Header, allowing you to easily design a dashboard using the whole screen. For a detailed description of the Blank Dashboard template, including default properties and an example of a document created with it, see Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template, page 389; for background information about dashboards in general, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Other predefined dashboard templates provide other common structures for dashboards, such as four evenly-spaced panel stacks to place contents in, one panel stack on the left side of the dashboard and two smaller ones on the right, or a text field across the top of the dashboard for a title bar with a panel stack below it. You can create new document templates from scratch; for instructions, see To create a new template for documents, page 28. You can also import and export documents between projects to use as document templates; for instructions, see To export a document template, page 29, and To import a document template, page 29. You can also use portable documents to reuse documents across projects. Unlike a document template imported and exported between projects, a portable document can contain dependencies on schema or application objects, such as a dataset report. After importing a portable document into a project, you reconcile the document to the new project. For more details on portable documents and the reconciliation process, including reasons to use them and instructions, see Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects, page 778.

Do not confuse document templates and Autostyles. Autostyles contain formatting information only, while document templates
contain datasets, controls, and layout as well. Layout templates, available only in the Document Wizard, affect only the position and placement of controls on the document.
To create a new template for documents

If you want a document to be available as a template so that you can format your other documents based on it, save it or copy it to the following folder: Project name\Object Templates\Documents

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The document will then be available as a template for selection in the New Document dialog box when you create a new document. Object Templates TheTools menu, selectfolder is hidden by default. To display it, from the Desktop Preferences. On the Desktop tab, click Browsing Options. Select the Display Hidden Objects check box and click OK.
To export a document template

A document can be exported from one project and then imported into another project to use as a template to create a new document. The document cannot have any dependencies on schema or application objects, such as a dataset report. 1 In Desktop, select the document to export. 2 From the Tools menu, select Export Document Template. The Browse for Folder dialog box opens. 3 Navigate to the folder to save the file in, then click OK. The document, named document_name.rst, is saved in the selected folder.
To import a document template

After you export a document from one project, you can import it into another project to use it as a template to create new documents. 1 From the Tools menu in Desktop, select Import Document Template. The Open dialog box opens. 2 Navigate to and select the file to import as a document template. 3 Click Open. The document template is saved in the Object Templates\Documents folder in Desktop.

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To create a document using a document template

1 Within MicroStrategy Desktop, from the File menu, point to New, then choose Document. The New Document dialog box opens. a report dialog are If the Select documents. Youbox opens, object templatesyou can use disabled for must enable them before the Document Wizard. For instructions, see the Desktop Help. 2 Select the template and click OK. templates to To view additionalThe most basiccreate a dashboard, click the Dashboards tab. template here is the Blank Dashboard template, which displays only one section, the Detail Header. This allows you to easily design a dashboard using the whole screen. Other predefined dashboard templates provide a structure for dashboards, such as four evenly-spaced panel stacks to place contents in, one panel stack on the left side of the dashboard and two smaller ones on the right, or a text field across the top of the dashboard for a title bar with a panel stack below it. For information on creating dashboards, the objects that can be used to create dashboards, and dashboard examples, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. 3 The new document opens in the Document Editor. You can now customize the document to include the following: Add data, shapes, images, and so on (called controls) to the document. See the following for instructions:

Adding text and data to a document, page 51 Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59 Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121 Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128 Inserting images in a document, page 130 Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298

Move, size, and align the controls that you added. For instructions, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136.

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Change the formatting of the document. You can format the various controls and sections, as well as the document as a whole. For descriptions of the various formatting options, and instructions to apply them, see Chapter 2, Formatting Documents. Change the sorting or grouping order. For descriptions of these options, and instructions to apply them, see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document.

4 Save the document by selecting Save from the File menu. 5 You can now execute and view the document. To do this, from the View menu, select PDF.

Creating a document from a report


You can quickly and easily create a document from an existing report. The report is added as a Grid/Graph (an object that acts like a standard MicroStrategy report) in the Detail Header section of a document. The Grid/Graph reflects the definition of the report as closely as possible, as described below: The Grid/Graph uses the same definition as the report, including all embedded objects and derived metrics. The current view of the report is used as the definition of the Grid/Graph in the document. For example, an attribute that is in the Report Objects pane but not on the report grid is not included in the Grid/Graph, although it is included as a dataset object. The View mode of the Grid/Graph is the same as the report-viewing mode for the report. That is, a graph report creates a Grid/Graph that displays as a graph, and a grid report creates a Grid/Graph that displays as a grid. All report formatting is duplicated in the Grid/Graph. If the report has a view filter, it is applied to the Grid/Graph.

about For background information filters,Grid/Graphs,4,including view modes, formatting, and view see Chapter Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs.

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Any prompt answers that are stored in the report are copied to the document. information on prompts in including For backgroundcreate them, see the Buildingreports,Objects and instructions to Query Queries, for Designers chapter of the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

If page-by is applied to the report:

The page-by fields are added as grouping fields on the document. A Group Header and Group Footer for each page-by field are added to the document.

For information on how grouping and sorting works,aincluding examples and instructions, see Grouping records in document,
page 260, and Using page-by on a document, page 286. For background information on page-by in reports, see the Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers chapter of the Basic Reporting Guide.
To create a document from a report

the report already exists. For instructions This procedure assumes Building Query Objects and Queries, for on creating reports, see the Designers chapter of the Basic Reporting Guide. 1 Do one of the following: To create a document from a saved report in Desktop, right-click the report to convert, and then select Create document. The new document opens in Design View in the Document Editor, with the report displayed as a Grid/Graph in the Detail Header. To create a multi-layout document from multiple saved reports, select the reports in Desktop, right-click the reports, and select Create document. The new document opens in Design View in the Document Editor, with a separate layout for each report. Each report is displayed as a Grid/Graph in its own layout. For background information on layouts, such as lists of the properties that apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, and examples of multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

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To create a document from a report that is being edited, select Create document from the File menu. If you have made changes to the data definition, such as modifying the report filter or adding new objects to the report, you are prompted to save the report. You should select Yes, because the changes may be lost otherwise. The new document opens in Design View in the Document Editor, with the report displayed as a Grid/Graph in the Detail Header. The current view of the report is used as the definition of the Grid/Graph.

To create a document from a report that is being viewed, select Create document from the File menu. If you have made changes to the data definition, such as modifying the report filter or adding new objects to the report, you are prompted to save the report. You should select Yes, because the changes may be lost otherwise. The new document opens in PDF View in the Document Editor, with the report displayed as a Grid/Graph. The current view of the report is used as the definition of the Grid/Graph. To edit the document, click the Design View icon on the toolbar.

To create a document from a report in MicroStrategy Web, execute the report. Select Convert to Document from the Tools menu. The new document opens in Express Mode, with the report displayed as a Grid/Graph. To edit the document, click the Design Mode icon on the toolbar.

2 Format or edit the Grid/Graph. For instructions to edit and format Grid/Graphs, as well as background information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. 3 Format and edit the rest of the document. A few suggestions are listed below: Select additional data for the document. Add data fields, auto text codes, text labels, images, and other controls. See the following for instructions:

Adding text and data to a document, page 51 Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59 Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121 Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128

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Inserting images in a document, page 130 Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298

Move, size, and align the controls that you added. For instructions, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136. Change the formatting of the document. You can format the various controls and sections, as well as the document as a whole. For descriptions of the various formatting options, and instructions to apply them, see Chapter 2, Formatting Documents. Group and sort the data. For instructions, see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document. Add totals, if desired. For instructions, see Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents, page 104.

4 Save the document by selecting Save from the File menu. 5 You can execute and view the document. To do this, from the View menu, select PDF.

Understanding and working with document sections


The Layout area of the Document Editor displays all the documents sections, as shown in the diagram below:

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If the document is grouped, a Group Header section is displayed between the Document Header and the Detail Header, and a Group Footer section between the Detail Footer and the Document Footer. If the document contains multiple layouts: The Page Header and the Page Footer are shared, by default, although you can change that. The Document Header and the Document Footer are replaced by the Layout Header and the Layout Footer.

For instructions to create a multi-layout document, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. By default, when you create a new document using the Blank Document template, the Detail Header, Detail section, and Detail Footer are expanded. The other sections are collapsed. If you create a new document using the Blank Dashboard template, only the Details Header is displayed. This allows you to easily design a dashboard using the whole screen. To expand or collapse a document section, click the plus sign or minus sign next to it (as highlighted in the diagram below). In the image above, each section is expanded.

a in it Collapsingaresection does not affect its sizeisor whetheracontrols simply appear or hidden when the document viewed as PDF. It conserves space within the editor as you design the document. All the document sections are described in Document sections overview, page 38, with an explanation of where they appear when the document is generated, and the type of information they typically contain. You can insert additional sections within these predefined document sections. This allows you to customize a section without affecting another section. For examples and instructions, see Inserting additional sections in documents, page 45.

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Resizing document sections


To resize a document section, drag its lower boundary to make it larger or smaller. By default, sections expand to fit the controls that they contain but they do not shrink if the controls are smaller than the size of the section. For more detailed instructions, including how to use the section size properties in combination, see Changing the size of a section, page 188.

Hiding and displaying document sections


By default, all document sections are displayed to all users, in all views in Desktop and in all modes in MicroStrategy Web. However, if a section is empty (that is, it does not contain any controls), that section is not displayed to users. If a document was created based on a template, that template also affects which sections are displayed. For example, the Blank Dashboard template displays only one section, the Detail Header, allowing you to easily design a dashboard using the whole screen. You can hide or display sections of a document for several purposes: You can collapse document sections as you edit or design a document, making the design process easier by maximizing the amount of space available to work in. For instructions, see Collapsing or expanding document sections as you design, page 37 below. You can determine whether end users open a document with certain sections hidden or displayed. For example, a Page Footer section contains page numbers, which makes sense in a printed document but not in one displayed in MicroStrategy Web. In this case, you can hide the Page Footer in all MicroStrategy Web modes but display it in PDF View. (The section is still displayed in Design View in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web.) For instructions, plus additional scenarios, see Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document, page 181.

If the document contains multiple layouts, you can hide and display different sections for different layouts. Each layout is independent of the others in this regard. For background information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

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Collapsing or expanding document sections as you design


In Design View, you can collapse a document section by clicking the minus sign next to it. This conserves space while you are editing the document. For example, you are working in the Detail section, so you collapse all the other sections to maximize the amount of space in the Layout area for the Detail section. You can expand a section later, by clicking the plus sign next to it, if you want to edit the section. and expanding section does not change whether it is Collapsingdisplayed in the afinished document. For information on hidden or hiding and displaying sections in the finished document, see Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document, page 181. If you use the Blank Document template, the sections listed below are expanded by default when you create the document. All other sections are collapsed, but you can expand them when you need to work in them. Detail Header Detail Detail Footer

You can also create your own template that has the sections that you commonly work with expanded by default. For instructions to create a document using a template and to create a template, as well as general information about templates, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.

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Displaying document sections horizontally


The Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer sections can be rendered horizontally, that is, across the page instead of vertically. Only these sections are expanded in the following image.

For an expanded example, reasons to use horizontal display, and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186. horizontally render the Group Header and Group Youacan alsoFor an example and instructions, see Displaying aFooter group for group. horizontally, page 273.

Document sections overview


The following document sample shows all the document sections in Design View. Notice that this document is grouped by Region, so a Region Header and a Region Footer are displayed. The document contains only one layout, so a single Document Header and Document Footer are displayed.

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The first page of the executed document is shown below.

The only document section not displayed on the first page is the Document Footer, which appears at the end of the document. The following sample shows the last page of the document, with the Document Footer.

The Page Footer was moved up on the page to conserve space.


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If the document contained multiple layouts, the Document Header and Document Footer are replaced by the Layout Header and Layout Footer, as shown in the multi-layout document below, displayed in Design View:

For a description of multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.
Each document section is explained in more detail below.

Page Header

The Page Header section and the controls within it print at the top of every page in the document. Any data fields placed in the Page Header are calculated once for the entire document, and then repeated on every page. You can use the Page Header for the types of controls that will not change from page to page, such as a logo, the document title, execution time, and so on. For information about these auto text fields, see Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59.

Page Header in a multi-layout document


If a document contains multiple layouts, the Page Header sections are shared for all layouts. You can change this setting so that each layout has a separate Page Header. For an example and instructions, see Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout, page 725.

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Document Header

This section prints once at the beginning of the document immediately below the Page Header section. Any data fields placed in the Document Header are calculated using all of the data in the document. The Document Header can be used for grand totals and document information, such as the name and execution time.

Document Header in a multi-layout document


If a document contains multiple layouts, the Document Header is replaced by the Layout Header, described below.

Layout Header
The Layout Header only appears in multi-layout documents. This section prints once at the beginning of the layout, immediately below the Page Header section. Any data fields placed in the Layout Header are calculated using all of the data in the layout. For example, a metric in the Layout Header displays as a grand total. Each layout of a multi-layout document contains a Layout Header and a Layout Footer, so a document can contain several Layout Header sections and several Layout Footer sections. only one layout A document with Layout Headers.has a Document Header, described above, instead of

Group Headers

this type of section is displayed as In Design View,replaced by the name of the group,GroupasHeader, where Group is such Region. If the document is grouped, the Group Headers follow the Document Header. If the document contains multiple layouts, the Group Headers are displayed after the Layout Header. The Group Headers can be used to

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display information about the group, such as the group element (such as Northeast or Southwest) and group totals. For each field in the Grouping panel at the top of the editor, there is a corresponding header and footer surrounding the Detail sections. For example, if you have Region and Year in the Grouping panel, the layout area of the document has a pair of Region Header/Footer sections and a pair of Year Header/Footer sections as shown in the following example.

farthest to the left in For the attribute that isfollows the Document the Grouping panel, its corresponding header Header or Layout Header section. The rightmost attribute Group Header immediately precedes the Detail Header. All other headers for attributes in the Grouping panel fall in between. You can also display groups horizontally (across the page) instead of vertically. The Group Header, Group Footer, Detail Header, Detail Footer, and the Detail sections will all be displayed horizontally. For an example and instructions, see Displaying a group horizontally, page 273.

Detail Header

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This section immediately precedes the Detail section of the document. If the document is not grouped, the Detail Header follows the Document Header, otherwise it follows the Group Headers. Layout Header If the document contains multiple layouts, theHeader follows either replaces the Document Header, so the Detail the Layout Header or the Group Headers. The Detail Header is commonly used to display column headers, above their corresponding data fields in the Detail section. To have the column headers repeat on each page, select the section and then in the Property List panel, set Repeat on Each Page to True. You can also print the Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer sections horizontally across the page, instead of vertically. For an example, reasons to use horizontal display, and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186.

Detail

This section often contains the main content of the document. One row prints for each row of data in the documents dataset. Typically, this is where you place most of the attributes and metrics. The Detail section provides the most detailed or granular information. You do not always need to use the Detail section of a document. You can place controls in the Group Header, for example, to aggregate data to a higher level. You can also print the Detail section horizontally, across the page, instead of vertically. For an example, reasons to use horizontal display, and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186.

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Detail Footer

Controls in this section print immediately following the Detail section. This is typically a good place for totals. In this document, totals are placed in the Region Group Footer, so there was no need to duplicate them here. You can also display the Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer sections horizontally across the page, instead of vertically. For an example, reasons to use horizontal display, and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186.

Group Footers

this type of section is displayed as In Design View,replaced by the name of the group,GroupasFooter, where Group is such Region. Group Footers are used to display totals at the group level. The order of the Group Footer sections varies depending on the fields in the Grouping panel, as described in Group Headers, page 41. You can display groups horizontally across the page, instead of vertically. The Group Header, Group Footer, Detail Header, Detail Footer, and the Detail sections will all be displayed horizontally. For an example and instructions, see Displaying a group horizontally, page 273.

Layout Footer
The Layout Footer only appears in multi-layout documents. This section prints only once, at the end of the layout. It can be used to display closing notes, a conclusion, or a summary. Each layout of a multi-layout document contains a Layout Header and a Layout Footer. Therefore, a document can contain several Layout Headers and several Layout Footers, unlike other document sections. layout A document with aonly one Footer.has a Document Footer, described below, instead of Layout

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Document Footer

The Document Footer prints only once at the end of the document. It can be used to display information such as closing notes, a conclusion, or a summary.

Document Footer in a multi-layout document


If a document contains multiple layouts, the Document Footer is replaced by the Layout Footer, described above.

Page Footer

The Page Footer prints at the bottom of every page in the document. You may want to insert the page number or the date/time in this section.

Page Footers in a multi-layout document


If a document contains multiple layouts, the Page Footers are shared for all layouts. You can change this setting so that each layout has a separate Page Footer. For an example and instructions, see Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout, page 725.

Inserting additional sections in documents


You can add other sections to the predefined document sections. This allows you to customize a section without affecting another section. For example, you may want one section that repeats before the Detail section and after any Group Headers, and a second section that does not repeat. You can add an additional section within the Detail Header, which divides the Detail Header

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into two sections, and set the properties for each section. As shown in the following figure, the Detail Header of the document has two sections in it.

The first Detail Header section contains an explanation of how the metrics are calculated. It does not repeat on every page in the document because the explanation is needed only once. The second Detail Header section contains

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column headers and repeats on each page in the document. The PDF View of the document is shown in the following image.

Tutorial The example above was created in the MicroStrategydataset. project using the Inventory and Unit Sales - TVs report as a The formatting of the new section is copied from the section in which it is added.

Inserting sections in horizontally displayed sections


If a section is displayed horizontally, it is printed horizontally across the page. For example, the Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer in the

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following document sample, shown in Design View, are displayed horizontally.

In PDF View, the Detail section is displayed next to the Detail Header, beneath the Region Header, as shown in the document sample below. The remaining employees in the Detail section, and the Detail Footer that follows, are not shown in the sample, for space reasons.

You can add a section to a horizontally displayed section, as with vertically displayed sections. The only difference is that you insert the section to the left or right of the original section, rather than above or below it. The new section is displayed horizontally as well. For instance, a section has been added to the previous document, to the right of the Detail Header. The new section is shown below, in Design View.

example, reasons to use horizontal display, For an expandedDisplaying sections horizontally, page 186. and instructions, see

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Controlling vertical positioning of sections


Another reason for inserting additional sections is relative vertical positioning. If you have one Grid/Graph placed above another in a section, the Grid/Graphs can overlap when the PDF is generated. For example, a document contains two datasets: Cost, Price, and Profit per Unit, and Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter. A Grid/Graph is created from each dataset. In Design View, it appears as if the Grid/Graphs are positioned well, as shown below:

However, when you switch to PDF View, the Grid/Graphs overlap because of the amount of information they contain, as shown below:

To resolve this problem, insert a new section into the Detail Header, by selecting the Detail Header and choosing Insert Section Below from the Insert menu. This creates two Detail Headers, named Detail Header 1 and Detail Header 2. Move the Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter Grid/Graph into the new section. Select Detail Header 1, and set the Can

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grow property to True. Now when you generate the PDF, the Grid/Graphs are separated as shown in the following image.

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Adding text and data to a document


All of the text (such as employee names, numbers, the words Employee and Revenue, page numbers, and so on) in the following document are displayed in text fields:

A text field is the type of document control that displays data and text. Text fields can display metrics, attributes, consolidations, and custom groups from a dataset. They can also display page numbers or descriptive labels, such as the words Employee and Region in the sample above. The different types of text fields include: Static text: This text does not change and is commonly used for labels or descriptions. Examples in the sample document are the words Employee and Revenue. For directions to add static text, see Adding static text to a document, page 52.

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Dynamic text: This text is automatically populated by the document or dataset. Dynamic text is always included within braces { }. There are two types of dynamic text:

Data field: This is automatically populated from a dataset with data that originated in the data warehouse (or an Intelligence Server cache), such as the employee names and revenue amounts in the document sample above. A data field is only a reference to an object on a report. The object can be a metric, attribute, consolidation, or custom group. For an example and instructions, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53. Auto text code: This is automatically populated by the document or dataset. It consists of the documents or datasets properties rather than data from the data warehouse. For example, auto text codes can display the documents name and page numbers, and the dataset reports name and filter information. In the document sample on page 51, auto text codes display the page numbers. For the full list of available codes, as well as instructions to create auto text codes, see Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59.

A combination of any or all of the types: You can use a combination of different types of text fields in a single text field. For example, the text Central Region in the sample document on page 51 contains the dataset object Region, followed by the static text Region. For an example and instructions, see Combining different types of text fields in a document, page 57.

Adding static text to a document


Static text does not change and it serves as a label. When you view the document, static text displays just as it is typed and formatted in the text field when the document is in Design View. Any text in a text field prints as it exists in the field unless it is within braces { } and the document recognizes it as an auto text code or as data from a dataset.
To add static text

1 Open a document in Design View. 2 Expand the section where you want to add the text by clicking the plus sign next to the section name.

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3 From the Insert menu, select Text. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the section of the Layout area where you want to place the text field. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the text field. 5 Type the static text. Press ENTER when you have finished. field is default style The textdefaults.automatically formatted in a defaults, see using the control For information on control Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196. 6 You can change the formatting of the text field. See Formatting text fields, page 166 for instructions. 7 You can resize the text field. See Sizing controls, page 142 for instructions. 8 To allow users to click the text field and open a Web page, define it as a hyperlink. For instructions, see Defining hyperlinks in documents, page 706.

Adding data fields to a document


A data field is a text field that contains a reference to an object (metric, attribute, consolidation, or custom group) on a report. This reference is the object name inside braces { }. The braces indicate that the text fields are data fields, not static text. In Design View, data fields for the Employee attribute and the Revenue metric look like the following:

When the document is executed, all data fields are automatically populated from a dataset with data that originated in the data warehouse (or an Intelligence Server cache).

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When the data fields shown above are displayed in PDF View, the attribute elements and revenue values are displayed, as shown below:

referenced a data removed dataset If the objectdata field willbybecome field istext when from theis created. report, the static the PDF You can add data fields in any of the following ways: Drag and drop a dataset object onto any section of the Layout area. A text field containing a reference to the dataset object is added to the document. Insert a blank text field in any section of the Layout area, then type the reference to the dataset object in the text field. Create a metric within the document, which creates a text field containing a reference to the metric.

a The value of a metric, whether it is created in the document or is in dataset object, is calculated differently depending on its location the document, as described in Metric calculation in documents, page 110. The following sections describe the first two methods in more detail. For instructions to create metrics using the other methods, see Creating metrics in documents, page 97.

Dragging and dropping a dataset object


The easiest way to add data to a document is to create a document using the Document Wizard. The data fields that you select in the Select Fields for the Document page are displayed in the Layout area of the document, after the wizard is complete. You can add additional data to a document using the Document Editor, no matter how you have created the document. Select one or more objects in the Datasets pane and drag and drop them onto a section of the Layout area. This creates a text field containing a specially formatted string, which refers to the object on the dataset. The string is the name of the object within braces

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{ }. When the document is executed, the string is replaced by the data it represents.

Note the following:

If an object name contains special characters, the text field is automatically placed within square brackets [ ] when you drop it in the Layout area. This ensures that data fields are resolved correctly when the PDF is displayed in a language other than English. A special character is any character other than a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, #, _, and . (period). When you add a metric to the document, the dataset name is added to the string if the metric exists in multiple datasets.

For example, to add the Revenue metric to the Detail section, drag it from the Datasets pane to the Detail section. The result is that the revenue data from the Sales by Region dataset report displays in the document, as shown below.

drag a metric to a document automatically If you or aggregates it at header section, thelevel, as described in totals the corresponding Metric calculation in documents, page 110. You can drag attributes to the Detail section to give more meaning to the revenue data. For example, if you drag Year, Category, and Subcategory to the Detail section, near the Revenue metric that you added before, it looks like this:

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When you view the document as a PDF, the result looks like this:

For information about formatting text fields, see Formatting text fields, page 166. If you want a user to be able to click a piece of text and go to a Web page, you can define it as a link. For details, see Linking to a web page, page 677.

Displaying different attribute forms


Attributes can have multiple attribute forms, and by default the form that is displayed on the dataset report is displayed on the document. However, you can set which attribute form displays in the document. Many attributes have both an ID and description. In the document sample below, Item is displayed in two attribute forms: ID, which is listed in the SKU column, and Description.

To display a particular attribute form, expand the attribute in the Datasets pane. Drag and drop the desired attribute form into the Layout area. The

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format of the data field is attribute@attribute_form. See the following image, which generated the document sample above.

This example is taken from the Inventory by Subcategory document in the MicroStrategy Tutorial.

Inserting a blank text field and typing an object name


Insert a blank text field and type the objects name within braces, such as {Revenue} or {Region}. The name must match either the name of an object in a dataset or its alias. If either name contains spaces or special characters, you must type it in square brackets [ ] within the braces, as in {[Last Year Revenue]}.

A special character is any character other than a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, #, _, and . (period).


To display a particular attribute form, as described in Dragging and dropping a dataset object, page 54 above, add @attribute_form after the object name, within the braces, where attribute_form is the name of the attribute form to be displayed. If you specify an attribute form that does not exist for an attribute, the data field cannot be resolved and the code is displayed as static text in the PDF. If the same metric name is used in multiple datasets, use the syntax {[dataset name]:[metric name]}. Although you do not have to use square brackets unless the names contain spaces or special characters, the brackets can help set off the names. This syntax works only for metrics; you cannot use it for attributes or any other object type.

Combining different types of text fields in a document


You can combine any number of static text entries, data fields, and auto text codes in a single text field. The document renders any auto text codes and data fields according to the dataset and document details and combines it with the static text in the field.

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For example, if you type Date/time: in a text field, then insert the Date and Time auto text code into the same field, the final text field looks like Date/time: {&DATETIME}, in Design View. In PDF View, the result is displayed as: Date/time: 11/15/2003 07:15:00 PM When different types of text fields are combined in one text field, the entire text field has the same formatting and properties. For example, if you want to make the label Date/time: bold but keep the actual date and time in plain text, you should place them in separate text fields and format them differently.
To combine different types of text fields

1 Open the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Expand the section where you want to add the text by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 Add a text field, following these directions: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. b Click in the section of the Layout area where you want to place the text field. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the text field. 4 Combine any of the following methods to enter information into the text field. Each piece of information is added at the position of the text cursor. For example, if you type the word Region, followed by a space, then drag and drop the Region attribute, the text field looks like Region {Region}. To add static text, type it in the text field. To add a data field, drag and drop a dataset object into the text field. To add an auto text code, point to Auto Text on the Insert menu and select the code. To create a new line in the text field, press CTRL+ENTER.

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5 When you have finished making all the text entries in the text field, press ENTER or click anywhere outside the text field. 6 You can change the formatting of the text field. See Formatting text fields, page 166 for instructions.

Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes


Document information includes page numbers, the document name and description, the prompts used in the document, and so on. Dataset report information includes the dataset report name and description, the prompts on the specific dataset report, information about the report filter used on the dataset report, and so on. To display this information, use auto text codes. When you add an auto text code to a document, the auto text code is placed within a text field, similar to a metric or an attribute. The auto text code, which is essentially a variable, is replaced by the appropriate information when the document is displayed. This section explains the auto text codes that you can use to display these types of variables, with examples of each. They are grouped by auto text codes available for a document and for a dataset.
To add an auto text code to a document

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 Expand the document section where you want the auto text code by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 To add an auto text code to a document, do one of the following: From the Insert menu, select Auto Text, then select the code to insert. The text field that contains the auto text code is added at the top left corner of the selected section, although you can move the text field to any position.

To add auto text code to text field (select itanand press F2) and an existing text field, edit theYou may then add the auto text code. need to resize the text field to view the auto text code.
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Insert a blank text field and type the code within braces.

fields, if objects name spaces or As with dataenclose it ansquare bracketscontainsthe braces.special characters, in within Refer to the following sections for lists of the available auto text codes: Auto text codes for document information, page 60 Auto text codes for dataset report information, page 63

4 After you add an auto text code, you can configure how it is displayed. For example, if you add an auto text code to display the filter information for a dataset report, you can select whether to include view filter information or to display attribute names. For report details, you can choose whether to include information on prompts, filters, or both. For examples and instructions, see Configuring auto text codes, page 65.

For instructions on formatting the text field that contains the auto text code (such as the font name or background color), see Formatting
text fields, page 166. When you view the document as a PDF, the auto text code is replaced with the information from the document or dataset.

Auto text codes for document information


The following table lists the auto text codes that display information about the document.
Description Page number Total number of pages Date & Time Code {&PAGE} {&NPAGES} Sample Output 1 12 Comments The current page number The total number of pages in the document or in the groups section before page numbering restarts

{&DATETIME}

11/15/2003 7:10:55 PM Current date and time, of the client computer, when the PDF was generated You can format this auto text code like any other date and time text field. In the Property List, click ... (the browse button) next to the Number formatting setting. You can use this property to show just the date or the time.

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Description Current user Document name Document description Document inbox title

Code {&USER} {&DOCUMENT} {&DESCRIPTION} {&TITLE}

Sample Output Jane User Regional Sales Summary Revenue and profit by region Regional Sales Summary for Tuesday

Comments The full name, not Desktop login, of the user who generates the PDF The name of the document as stored in the project Short description of the document The name of the document instance If you send a document to the History List, you can rename that instance of the document. This auto text code displays that name, rather than the document name stored in the project. Notes added to the document. For background information on notes, see Notes, page 845. The name of the project in which the document is stored User's answers to each prompt in the document, identified by number If n is greater than the number of prompts in the document, the code cannot be replaced with pertinent information. Therefore the code itself is displayed in the PDF. Details for all the prompts in the document You can define how this auto text code is displayed (for example, if the prompt name is shown). For details, see Configuring the prompt details auto text code, page 75.

Document notes

{&NOTES}

User1: 8/15/2010 10:10:10 AM: Reviewed and approved MicroStrategy Tutorial South (for example, if prompt1 is for the attribute Region)

Project name Prompts

{&PROJECT} {&PROMPT1&} {&PROMPT2&} : {&PROMPTn&}

Prompt details

{&PROMPTDETAILS} Prompt 1: Region prompt Northwest, Southwest Prompt 2: Year Year (ID)= 2007

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Description MicroStrategy Web Server

Code {&WEBSERVER}

Sample Output http://localhost:8080 /MicroStrategy/servlet/ mstrWeb 11/15/2003 7:11:15

Comments Path to the Web Server being used, if the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, otherwise the value in project configuration The date and time the document was executed. You can format this auto text code like any other date and time text field. In the Property List, click ... (the browse button) next to the Number formatting setting. You can use this property to show just the date or the time.

Document execution time

{&EXECUTIONTIME}

To differentiate between Date and Time and Document execution time, do the following: 1 Run a document and send it to the History List. 2 Each time you retrieve the document from the History List, the PDF is regenerated. The Date and Time change each time, but the Document execution time does not change.

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Auto text codes for dataset report information


The following table lists the auto text codes that display information about a dataset.
Description Dataset report description Code {&REPORTNAME: DESCRIPTION} Sample Output Revenue, profit, & cost by employee & region Comments The short description of the specified dataset report. If the report does not have a description, the text field remains blank. The complete report details, including report description, prompt details, filter details, and template details of the specified dataset report. You can configure how this auto text code is displayed (for example, if the report description is shown). For details, see Configuring the report details auto text code, page 67.

Dataset report details

{&REPORTNAME: REPORTDETAILS}

Report Description: Revenue, profit, & cost by region & employee Report Filter: (2007) Filter for Year = 2007 Year = 2007 Report Limits: Revenue > 2000000 Template: Region Employee Metrics: Revenue Revenue {~+} Cost Sum(Cost){~+} Profit Sum(Profit){~+}

Dataset report filter and limit details

If the filter in the dataset's Filter editor is defined as: A=1 - or AND {&FILTERDETAILS} B=2 OR C=3 {&REPORTNAME: FILTERDETAILS} it prints as: A=1 and (B=2 or C=3) For example, Region=South and (Year=2002 or Year=2003)

The report filter and report limit used in the dataset report. An example is {&[Sales Forecast]: FILTERDETAILS} for the Sales Forecast report. If the dataset report has a report filter and a report limit, the system prints an or between them. If there is no filter, Empty Filter is printed. If there is no limit, Empty Limit is printed. By default, only the report filter and report limit are displayed, but other filters, such as view filters and security filters, can be displayed as well. For details, see Configuring the filter details auto text code, page 81.

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Description Dataset report prompt details

Code {&REPORTNAME: PROMPTDETAILS}

Sample Output Prompt 1: Region prompt Northwest, Southwest Prompt 2: Year Year (ID)= 2007

Comments The prompt information for all prompts in the specified dataset report. You can configure how this auto text code is displayed (for example, if the prompt name is shown). For details, see Configuring the prompt details auto text code, page 75. The report filter used in the specified dataset report. The report limit used in the specified dataset report. The complete template details, including attribute details and metric details. You can configure how this auto text code is displayed (for example, if the template name is shown). For details, see Configuring the template details auto text code, page 70. The date and time the dataset report was executed. An example is {&[Sales Forecast]: EXECUTIONTIME} for the Sales Forecast report. Note: You can specify an Intelligent Cube as the dataset report.

Dataset report filter details Dataset report limit details Dataset report template details

{&REPORTNAME: REPORTFILTER DETAILS} {&REPORTNAME: REPORTLIMIT DETAILS}

Report Filter: Year = 2007 Report Limits: Revenue > 2000000

{&REPORTNAME: Template: TEMPLATEDETAILS} Region Employee Metrics: Revenue Revenue {~+} Cost Sum(Cost){~+} Profit Sum(Profit){~+} {&REPORTNAME: EXECUTIONTIME} 11/15/2003 7:10:55 PM

Dataset report execution time

part of the code, If you do not specify the reports REPORTNAME assorting dataset is the information from the document's grouping and printed. For a document that contains multiple datasets, one dataset must be defined as the grouping and sorting dataset; you can group and sort only by the objects on this dataset.

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Configuring auto text codes


You can configure the content of any of the following auto text codes: Filter details, which display the report filter and report limit by default, although other types of filters can be displayed. Prompt details, which display the prompt information for all prompts in the report. Report details, which display the complete report details, including report description, prompt details, filter details, and template details. Template details, which display the complete template details, including attribute details and metric details.

You can configure different options for different types of auto text codes. For example, you can select whether to include view filter information or the attribute name in a report filter details auto text code. For report details, you can choose whether to include information on prompts or filters. For a complete list of options, see: Configuring the display of object name delimiters for auto text codes, page 66 Configuring the report details auto text code, page 67 Configuring the template details auto text code, page 70 Configuring the prompt details auto text code, page 75 Configuring the filter details auto text code, page 81

For instructions on formatting the text field that contains the auto text code (such as the font name or background color), see Formatting
text fields, page 166.

Levels of auto text code configuration


You can configure: The auto text codes in a specific text field in a document, from the Properties dialog box (the text field level) All the auto text codes in a specific document, from the Document Properties dialog box (the document level)

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The Report Details in the Report Editor, from the Report Details Formatting option (the report level) All the auto text codes in a project, using the Project Configuration Editor (the project level)

The list above also shows the order of precedence. The configuration of a particular text field in a document overrides the configuration at the document level, which overrides the configuration in the related dataset report, which overrides the project configuration. For example, if a property is set one way for a document and another for the report, the document setting takes precedence.

Configuring the display of object name delimiters for auto text codes
One setting, Use delimiters around metadata object names, is used in all the auto text codes. Metadata objects include attributes and metrics. Delimiters are the characters around these objects which set them off from other text. In the executed document, braces {} are used as delimiters. You can select whether to: Display delimiters for all metadata objects Omit delimiters for all metadata objects Automatically display delimiters only for those objects that contain a special character

Special characters are characters other than a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, #, _, and . (period).


For example, the following filter details auto text code displays delimiters:

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65.

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Configuring the report details auto text code


The report details auto text code can be used to display the complete report details, including report description, prompt details, filter details, and template details of the specified dataset report. You can choose whether to include or omit the following: Report Description (the short description of the report) Prompt Details (the prompts on the report) Filter Details (the report filter, view filter (for view reports based on Cubes only), and report limits) Template Details (the objects on the report and the metric definitions)

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65. The following document sample shows the report details, as well as a portion of the Grid/Graph, as displayed in PDF View. Notice that the report

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description, report filter, report limits, and template information are displayed.

Based on the information provided by the auto text code in the sample above, you may decide that the template information is not valuable to you, but that you do need to know how the dataset report is filtered, to know how the metrics are calculated, and which employees are included on the Grid/Graph. In addition, the report description is not very informational in

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this case. The image below shows the same document, but the Report Details auto text code has been configured to display only the information you need.

The following procedure re-creates the sample shown above, using a dataset report of your choice.
To configure a report details auto text code

1 Create a new document, selecting a report to use as the dataset. 2 Add a Grid/Graph in the Detail Header section. For instructions, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. 3 Click in the Document Header section of the Layout area. 4 On the Insert menu, point to Auto Text, and then select Report Details. A text field containing a report details auto text code is created in the Document Header section. 5 Right-click the text field and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 6 On the General tab, click Format in the Report Details Properties area. The Report Details Properties dialog box opens. 7 Click the General tab. 8 From the Report Description drop-down list, select No to omit it. 9 From the Prompt Details drop-down list, select No to omit it.

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10 From the Filter Details drop-down list, select Yes to include it. 11 From the Template Details drop-down list, select No to omit it. 12 Click OK to close the Report Details Properties dialog box. 13 Click OK to return to the document. When you view the document as a PDF, the code is replaced with the information, as shown in the document samples above.

Configuring the template details auto text code


The template of a report contains: The group of objects (attribute, metrics, custom groups, and so on) that defines the columns of data to be included in the report The layout and format of these objects

The template details auto text code displays the complete template details, including attribute details and metric details, unless the template details have been configured differently at the report or project level. For a list of the different levels and their order of precedence, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65. You can: Determine whether the template name of the dataset report is displayed. You can also select how to identify an embedded template. See Displaying the base template name, page 71 for a more detailed description and examples. Determine whether the short description of the template is included. If the template is embedded or does not have a description, the template description line is not displayed. Determine whether dataset objects other than metrics (such as attributes and consolidations) are listed. Determine whether the metrics on the dataset report are listed. If metrics are displayed, select whether or not to display each of the following:

Conditional metrics only

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Metric formulas Metric dimensionality Metric conditionality Metric transformation

If you choose to inherit whether metrics are displayed, these settings are also inherited.
For the procedure to configure the template details auto text code for a document, see To configure the template details auto text code, page 72.

Displaying the base template name


Some reports are created using a stand-alone template; this is referred to as a base template. If a base template was used to create the dataset report of a document, you can select whether or not to display the name of that template. If you choose to display the template name, you can also select whether or not to identify an embedded template as a local template. An embedded template is one that is part of the dataset report, as opposed to a template saved as a stand-alone object. For example, create a template containing the Region attribute and the Revenue metric. Save it as Regional Revenue Template. Create a report with the Regional Revenue Template and a filter for 2007. Save the report as Template + Filter. When prompted, choose to retain the shortcut to the template, so that the template is not embedded in the report. Create a second report containing the Regional Revenue Template and a filter for 2007. Save it as Embedded Template + Filter. This time, when prompted, create a local copy of the template. The template is now embedded in the report. If you change the Regional Revenue Template, the Template + Filter report changes accordingly but the Embedded Template + Filter report does not. Create a document using both the Template + Filter report and the Embedded Template + Filter report as datasets. (There is no reason to create a document with essentially the same datasets, except to demonstrate these settings.) Create a template details auto text code for the Template + Filter report by adding a text field containing the following: {&[Template + Filter]:TEMPLATEDETAILS}

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Copy the text field and change Template + Filter to Embedded Template + Filter. If a document contains multiple datasets, you should specify which dataset to use in the template details auto text code. For the document, change the Base Template name setting to Yes (from the Document Properties dialog box), and then execute the document. As shown below, the template name (Regional Revenue Template) is displayed for the Template + Filter dataset, but Local Template is displayed for the Embedded Template + Filter dataset.

The document sample also includes text fields to identify the template details auto text codes.
Return to Design View, change the Base Template name setting to Automatic for the document, and then switch to PDF View. The template name is displayed for the stand-alone template from the Template + Filter dataset, while the template name is blank for the embedded template from the Embedded Template + Filter dataset.

If you do not want the template name to be displayed, regardless of whether the template is embedded or stand alone, set the Base Template name setting to No.
To configure the template details auto text code

1 Open the document in the Document Editor.

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2 To add a template details auto text code, add a text field, by following the steps below: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click in the desired section of the Layout area. 3 Type the following text into the text field: {&TEMPLATEDETAILS}

For more detailed instructions on adding an auto text code, see Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text
codes, page 59. 4 You can configure either: A specific template details auto text code: a Right-click the text field containing the auto text code and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. b On the General tab, click Format in the Report Details Properties area. All the template details auto text codes in the document: a Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Document Properties dialog box opens. b Click Advanced in the list on the left. c Click Format in the Report Details Properties area.

The Report Details Properties dialog box opens. 5 Click the Template Details tab. each setting on this tab inherits the By default,described in Levels of auto text codedocument or report setting, as configuration, page 65. You can return to this default by selecting Inherit from the drop-down list for the specific setting. 6 To select whether the template name of the dataset report is displayed, choose one of the following from the Base Template name drop-down list: To display the template name for a stand-alone template on a dataset and Local Template for an embedded template, select Yes.

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To display the template name for a stand-alone template, but leave it blank for an embedded template, select Automatic. To omit the template name, whether or not the template is stand-alone or embedded, choose No.

See Displaying the base template name, page 71 for detailed examples. 7 To determine whether or not the short description of the template is included, select Yes or No from the Template Description drop-down list. or If the template is embeddednotdoes not have a description, the template description line is displayed. 8 To determine whether or not dataset objects other than metrics (such as attributes, consolidations, and custom groups) are listed, select Yes or No from the Non-metric template units drop-down list. 9 To determine whether or not the metrics on the dataset are listed, select Yes or No from the Metrics drop-down list. If metrics are displayed, select whether or not to display each of the following: Only Conditional Metrics Formula Dimensionality Conditionality Transformation

If you choose to inherit whether metrics are displayed, these settings are also inherited.
10 Click OK to close the Report Details Properties dialog box. 11 Click OK to return to the document.

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Configuring the prompt details auto text code


The prompt details auto text code displays the prompt information for all prompts in the document. You can configure: Whether the prompt title and index (a number indicating the order of the prompts in the dataset report) are displayed. The text to display when a prompt is unanswered. The options are:

Display nothing Display Prompt Not Answered Display No Selection Display All/None Whether the word All or None displays depends on the type of prompt. For example, an unanswered object prompt displays as None, because no objects are selected. An unanswered filter definition prompt displays as All because the report is not filtered and therefore all the objects appear on the report.

Whether and how to display the attribute name for any attribute element list prompts in the document. The options are:

Display the attribute name (for example, Region) Omit the attribute name Repeat the attribute name for each prompt answer (for example, Region = North, Region = South)

attribute, which is when a The browse form of theused to display the displayedelementsuser answers the prompt, is attribute in the prompt details auto text code. For information on browse forms, see the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide. Whether to include unused prompts. An unused prompt occurs when you drill on a Grid/Graph that contains a prompt. The resulting report, which you can use as a dataset report, can display or omit the prompt details from the original report (the report that you drilled on).

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For example, a document contains two dataset reports, which are displayed as Grid/Graphs in the document: Customers per Employee contains the Region attribute and the metrics Count of Customers, Employee Headcount, and Customers per Employee. It is prompted for Region. Regional Revenue contains the Year and Region attributes, and the Revenue metric. It is prompted for Region and Year.

The document also contains a prompt details auto text code, which is configured to display the prompt titles and index. The prompt title is specified when the prompt is created (Region prompt and Year in the example below), and the index is a number indicating the order of the prompts in the dataset reports (Prompt 1 and Prompt 2 below).

Notice that although the dataset reports contain three prompts, only two are displayed. Since both datasets contain the same prompt on Region, that prompt is only displayed once.

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If you change the prompt details auto text code to omit the prompt titles and index, only the prompt answers are displayed, as shown below:

The Region prompt is an attribute element list prompt, so you can also specify whether and how to display the attribute name. In the example above, the attribute name is not displayed; the auto text code lists the selected attribute elements only. In the following document sample, the remaining options are shown. The prompt details auto text code on the left displays the attribute name, while the one on the right repeats the attribute name for each prompt answer.

The Region and Year prompts were answered in the previous examples, but sometimes users do not answer all the prompts. You can choose what to display when a prompt is not answered. You can select pre-defined text, or you can choose to display nothing at all. The pre-defined text includes: Prompt Not Answered No Selection

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All/None Whether the word All or None displays depends on the type of prompt. For example, an unanswered object prompt displays as None, because no objects are selected. An unanswered filter definition prompt displays as All because the report is not filtered so all the objects appear on the report.

The following document sample is the same document as before, except that the Region prompt has been answered and the Year prompt has not. The prompt details auto text code on the left was set to display All/None for the Year prompt if the user provided no answer. In this case, the auto text code displays the word All, meaning that all the years are included on the report. The prompt details auto text code on the right was set to display nothing for the Year prompt if the user provided no answer, so the auto text code displays a blank.

The following procedure re-creates the example shown on page 77. This example contains two prompt auto text codes: one displays the attribute name once and the other repeats it for each prompt answer. The steps to create prompts and reports are minimal as the focus here is on configuring the auto text codes; for background information and basic instructions on creating prompts and reports, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

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To configure prompt details auto text codes

1 Create the following prompts: An attribute element list prompt on Region, with a title of Region prompt An attribute qualification prompt on Year, with a title of Year

2 Create the Customers per Employee report containing the following: Region attribute Count of Customers metric Employee Headcount metric A derived metric called Customers per Employee (Count of Customers metric/Employee Headcount metric) Region prompt as the filter

3 Create the Regional Revenue report containing the following: Year attribute Region attribute Revenue metric Region prompt and Year prompt as the filter

4 Create a document using the Customers per Employee report as the dataset. 5 Add the Regional Revenue report as another dataset. 6 Add a Grid/Graph for each dataset report to the Detail Header. 7 In the Document Header, add a prompt details auto text code. To do this, from the Insert menu, point to Auto Text, and then select Prompt Details. 8 Copy and paste the data field to create two prompt details auto text codes. 9 Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Document Properties dialog box opens.

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10 Click Advanced in the list on the left. 11 Click Format in the Report Details Properties area. The Report Details Properties dialog box opens. 12 On the General tab, select Title and Index from the Include Prompt Titles drop-down list. This ensures that both auto text codes include prompt titles. 13 Click OK to return to the Document Properties dialog box. 14 Click OK to return to the document. 15 Right-click the text field on the left and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 16 On the General tab, click Format in the Report Details Properties area. The Report Details Properties dialog box opens. 17 Select Yes in the Show attribute name for Attribute Element Prompts drop-down list. This auto text code will now display the attribute name. 18 Click OK to return to the Properties dialog box. 19 Click OK to return to the document. 20 Right-click the text field on the right and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 21 On the General tab, click Format in the Report Details Properties area. The Report Details Properties dialog box opens. 22 Select Repeated in the Show attribute name for Attribute Element Prompts drop-down list. This auto text code will now display the attribute name for each prompt answer. 23 Click OK to return to the Properties dialog box. 24 Click OK to return to the document. 25 Save the document. To view the results, switch to PDF View. The document should display as shown in the example on page 77.

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Configuring the filter details auto text code

This section assumes that you are familiar with filters, especially the different types of filters, stand-alone vs. embedded filters, and the
components of filters. For background information, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. The filter details auto text code displays information about the report filter and report limit used in the specified dataset report by default, although other types of filters can be displayed. This auto text code has many configuration settings, which can be grouped into the following categories. This list does not describe all the settings; it is only a summary. You can configure the content of the filter details auto text code, by selecting which filter types to include (report filter, view filter (for view reports based on Cubes only), report limits, and so on) and how the filters are displayed. For example, you can select whether to include the name of the filter type and whether to display the report limits before or after view filters. See Configuring the content of the filter details auto text code, page 82 for descriptions of all these options. For filters that contain attribute element list qualifications, you can configure how those lists are displayed. For example, you can specify whether to show the attribute name (such as Region or Year) and the separator between attribute names. See Configuring how attribute element list qualifications are displayed, page 88 for descriptions of all these options. You can configure how attribute form and set qualifications in filters are displayed. For example, you can select whether to use names or symbols for the operators. See Configuring how attribute form and set qualifications are displayed, page 90 for descriptions of all these options. You can configure how logical operators, which join multiple qualifications or filters, are displayed. For example, you can choose whether or not to display operators. You can select to display only the AND operator or only the OR operator. See Configuring how logical operators are displayed, page 92 for descriptions of all these options. You can configure whether aliases replace object names in the filter details. See Configuring whether to use aliases in the filter details auto text code, page 94 for a detailed description of this option.

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Configuring the content of the filter details auto text code


You can choose whether or not to include each type of filter. The filter types are listed below: Report Filter If the report filter is displayed, you can select whether or not to display the following:

Report Filter Name. You can also select another option, Automatic. If Automatic is chosen, the report filter name is displayed for a stand-alone filter, but is omitted for an embedded filter. Report Filter Description.

Report Limits View Filter - only for View Reports This applies to view reports based on Cubes only. If the view filter is displayed, you can select whether or not to display the following:

Metric Qualification in the View Filter

Drill Filter When a Grid/Graph is drilled on, determines whether or not the attribute element(s) drilled on are displayed in the report details of the drilled-to report.

Security Filter

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The following document sample contains a filter details auto text code that displays some of the different filter types:

Unlike the other filter types, the drill filter is not displayed on the document. It is displayed on the report that is created by drilling on a Grid/Graph. For detailed examples of how the drill filter can be displayed in the filter details auto text code, see Configuring how the drill filter is displayed in the filter details auto text code, page 85. You can configure how the filters are displayed in the filter details auto text code by specifying the following settings: Whether to include the names of the filter types (Report Filter, View Filter, and so on). In the document sample above, the filter type names are displayed. If the filter type names are omitted, the auto text code displays as: (Local Filter): Year=2006, 2007 Region=Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

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If the filter type name is included, specify whether to include empty expressions. An empty expression is a filter type that is not included on the dataset report. For example, the document sample above lists the report limits, even though the dataset report does not contain one. The auto text code could instead display only those filter types that the dataset report contains, such as: Report Filter (Local Filter): Year = 2006, 2007 Security Filter: Region=Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

Whether to add a new line after each filter type name, before the actual definition of the filter. For example, the document sample above includes a new line after each filter type name. If the line is omitted, the auto text code displays as: Report Filter (Local Filter): Year=2006, 2007 Security Filter: Region= Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

Whether to add a new line between the different filter types to help differentiate between them. For example, the document sample above includes the new line. If the line is omitted, the results are: Report Filter (Local Filter): Year=2006, 2007 Security Filter: Region= Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

Whether to show the report limits before or after the view filter. Whether to display details about shortcut filters, which are stand-alone filters used in the report filter. The options are:

Show filter name Show filter definition Show name and definition

For example, Filter 1 is created as a stand-alone filter in the Filter Editor. The filter is defined as Region = Northeast. A report contains the Year and Region attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A local filter (a filter

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defined in the Report Editor, not the Filter Editor) is created in the report, filtering on 2005. Then Filter 1 is added to the report filter, so Filter 1 becomes a shortcut filter in the report. This report is used to create the document shown below, which contains three filter details auto text codes, one for each of the shortcut filter options. The definition of the local filter (Year = 2005) is displayed in each auto text code.

The first auto text code shows just the filter name, Filter 1. The second auto text code shows the filter definition, Region = Northeast, instead. The third auto text code shows both the name and filter.

Configuring how the drill filter is displayed in the filter details auto text code
Unlike the other filter types, the drill filter is not displayed on the document. It is displayed on the report that is created by drilling on a Grid/Graph. The drill filter is the attribute element(s) that you selected when you drilled on the Grid/Graph.

For information about drilling in Grid/Graphs, see Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.
For example, a Grid/Graph in a document contains the Year and Region attributes, as well as the Revenue and Profit metrics. The document uses a filter details auto text code which is configured to display only the drill filter. A portion of the document is shown below in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, since you must use either Interactive Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web to drill on a Grid/Graph. Notice that the filter

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details auto text code displays as Empty Filter, since the only filter displayed is a drill filter, and no drilling has occurred.

Drill on the Grid/Graph from 2006 Central down to Call Center, as shown above. The following report is displayed, with a Report Details pane that displays the drill filter information, that 2006 and Central were selected when the drill was performed.

If the drill filter was turned off, the Report Details pane would be blank in the drilled-to report. If you drill from an attribute (as opposed to drilling from attribute elements), a drill filter is not created. The resulting report is not filtered; it is just displayed at a different level from the Grid/Graph in the document. For

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instance, right-click the Region attribute instead of the Central region (an element of the Region attribute) in the Grid/Graph, as shown below.

The resulting report is displayed below. The report displays the same data as the Grid/Graph, but at the Call Center level rather than Region. All regions and all years are still displayed, unlike the first drilled-to report that was filtered for 2006 and Central. Because an attribute was drilled on, the report is not filtered, so the drill filter details are not displayed and the Report

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Details pane indicates that the filter is empty, because a drill filter was not created.

Configuring how attribute element list qualifications are displayed


A filter can contain an attribute element list qualification, which qualifies on a list of attribute elements. For example, you can use an attribute element list qualification on the attribute Customer, in a report, to return data only for those customers that you specify in your list. For background information on attribute element list qualifications and instructions to create them, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. For these filters, you can configure how the lists are displayed using the following settings. Examples are included below the list, on page 89. Show attribute name for In List conditions: Determines whether or not the name of the attribute in the filters attribute element list is displayed.
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The name can also be repeated for each attribute element (for example, Region = Northeast, Region = Mid-Atlantic). Separator after attribute name: Specifies the characters that separate the attribute name from the attribute element. To specify a separator, you must clear the Inherit check box before you can type in the Separator after attribute name field. New line after attribute name: Determines whether or not the attribute name and its element display on separate lines. Separator between last two elements: Specifies the text that separates the last two attribute elements in the list. The choices are:

or and comma (the character is used, not the text) custom (in the Custom separator field, type the characters to use as the separator)

New line between elements: Determines whether or not each attribute element displays on a separate line. Trim elements: Determines whether extra spaces in the attribute elements are deleted. For example, an element of an account attribute is PSI2415 : 10 : COMMERCIAL. If Trim elements is enabled, the attribute is displayed as PSI2415:10:COMMERCIAL, omitting the extra spaces.

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65. In the document sample below, the following settings were applied: Show attribute name for In List conditions = Yes New line after attribute name = Yes Separator between last two elements = custom Custom separator = , and (note that a space is included after the word and)

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New line between elements = No

In the document sample below, the following settings were applied: Show attribute name for In List conditions = Yes New line after attribute name = No (the attribute list wraps within the text field; each attribute element does not display on its own line) Separator between last two elements = custom Custom separator =, and (note that a space is included after the word and) New line between elements = No

Configuring how attribute form and set qualifications are displayed


A filter can contain: An attribute form qualification, which is based on attribute forms (such as First Name and Last Name for the Customer attribute) A metric set qualification, which is based on metric value or rank A relationship set qualification, which is based on relationships between attributes

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For background information on these types of filter qualifications, and instructions to create them, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. For these types of filters, you can configure how the qualifications are displayed using the following properties: Use names or symbols for operators: Determines whether names (such as Equals or Greater Than) or symbols (such as = or >) are displayed. The following document sample shows two filter details auto text codes. The one on the left uses a symbol to indicate the operator, while the one on the right uses a name.

Include attribute form names in qualification conditions: For conditions in attribute qualification filters, determines whether or not to display attribute form names (such as DESC or ID). The following document sample shows two filter details auto text codes. The first one includes the attribute form name (DESC), while the second does not.

Dynamic dates: Determines whether dynamic dates are shown as the date or as the expression that calculates the date.

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The following document sample shows two filter details auto text codes. The top one displays the dynamic date as a date, while the bottom one shows the expression.

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65.

Configuring how logical operators are displayed


Filters can have multiple qualifications, which are the conditions (such as Revenue > 6,000,000) that the data must meet to be included in a report. A dataset report can also contain multiple filters in its report filter. For example, the report filter of a dataset report contains two filters, East Coast Regions and Revenue > $6M. The filters are joined by a logical operator, which is AND in this case. Use the following settings to configure how to display the logical operators that join multiple conditions: New line between conditions: Determines whether or not each condition is placed on a separate line. You can also select Automatic, which inserts a line only when conditions are joined by different logical operators. For example, a report is filtered for revenue greater than 10 million and profit greater than 2 million and the Mid-Atlantic region. A second report uses the same filter conditions, except the second logical operator is replaced by or, which filters the report for revenue greater than 10 million and either profit greater than 2 million or the Mid-Atlantic region. These two reports are used in the following document. A filter details auto text code is displayed for each dataset report; both use the Automatic option for New line between conditions. In the first filter details auto text

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code, the text wraps within the text field. In the second filter details, a new line is started at the logical operator AND, and again before the second condition. Using the new lines helps to distinguish between the conditions.

If you select Yes or Automatic, you can specify whether to Single space or Double space the conditions.

Parentheses around conditions: Determines whether or not parentheses are placed around each condition, such as (Region = Northeast). If a new line is inserted between conditions, you can often omit the parentheses since the conditions are already differentiated from each other. You can also select Automatic, which displays parentheses only when they resolve ambiguity in the expression. Parentheses are not included around conditions that are joined by the same logical operator. When conditions are joined by different operators, the parentheses are necessary to ensure that the conditions are grouped correctly. For example, the same reports from the previous example are used in the following document sample as well. A filter details auto text code is displayed for each dataset report; both use the Automatic option for parentheses. Parentheses are displayed only in the filter that needs them, to ensure that any ambiguity about the order is resolved.

Logical operator between conditions: Specifies whether or not to display the logical operator between conditions. The options are:

Yes to display all operators No to omit all operators AND only to display only the AND operator

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OR only to display only the OR operator

The first filter details auto text code in the following document sample displays all the logical operators. The second one displays and only; notice that the or before the Region condition is replaced by a comma.

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65.

Configuring whether to use aliases in the filter details auto text code
You can rename an object on a report, to display a more meaningful description in the context of that particular report, for example. An alias does not change the name of the object, only the name displayed on the report. A filter still uses the name of the object, not the alias. You can determine whether aliases replace object names in a filter details auto text code. see For instructions to create aliases,Help.the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide or the Desktop For example, the Revenue metric has been aliased as Sales in the dataset report used in the following document. The filter details auto text code on the left uses the alias, while the one on the right does not.

You can choose to inherit the setting instead. If you are configuring the auto text codes in a specific text field, the setting is inherited from the document setting. If you are configuring all the auto text codes in the document, the setting is inherited from the report setting. For a list of the levels of inheritance, see Levels of auto text code configuration, page 65.

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Working with metrics in documents


that you This section assumeson reports,understand the concepts of metrics, levels of calculation and document sections. For background information on metrics and reports, see the Metrics chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. For background information on document sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34. You can add metrics to a document in either of the following ways: Add metrics from the dataset reports of a document. See Adding metrics from a dataset report to a document, page 96 for instructions. Create new metrics in the document if you need:

Additional calculations on the metrics from the dataset reports (such as multiplying by a constant or using a function) Calculations that combine metrics from different dataset reports Totals using specific functions

For descriptions of the types of metrics that you can create within a document and instructions on creating each type, see Creating metrics in documents, page 97. The level of calculation for both metrics from dataset reports and metrics created within the document depends on their location in the document, as described in Metric calculation in documents, page 110. This allows you to create metric totals in documents, such as a grand total or a group total. When a metric is placed in a document section other than the Detail section, the metric is calculated using the dynamic aggregation specified in the metric definition. For details on how metrics are aggregated in documents, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120. the metrics dynamic If you want to use a function other thansummary metric. A summary aggregation function, you can create a metric allows you to specify the desired function for the total. For instructions, see Creating summary metrics in documents, page 107.

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Adding metrics from a dataset report to a document


To use an existing metric from a dataset report, place the metric into the document in either a Grid/Graph or a text field. In summary: A metric in a text field is calculated at the level of the document section in which it is placed. For example, a metric in a Region Group Header is calculated at the regional level. A metric in the Document Footer section is calculated as a grand total for the entire document. A metric in a Grid/Graph is calculated at the level of the objects in the Grid/Graph. If the Grid/Graph is placed in a Group Header, the group level is also taken into account. For background information on Grid/Graphs and instructions to create them, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs.

metrics are calculated For more detailed description of howdocuments, page 110. in a document, see Metric calculation in
To add a metric from a dataset report to a document

1 In the Document Editor, open the document in Design View. 2 Expand the document section where you want to place the metric by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. metric is calculated level of the section that TheFor example, a metricatintheRegion Group Header is you place it in. a calculated at the regional level. A metric in the Document Footer section is calculated as a grand total for the entire document. For more details, see Metric calculation in documents, page 110. 3 Select the metric from the objects displayed in the Datasets pane, then drag and drop the metric into the Layout area. The metric is added to the document in a text field. The dataset name is added to the metric name if the metric exists in multiple datasets. is displayed, Datasets at the bottom If the Datasets paneleft.notthe panel isclickdisplayed at all, select of the panel on the If not Datasets from the View menu. 4 The metric is automatically formatted in a default style using the control defaults. You can change the formatting of the text field using the

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Property List. For instructions on formatting text fields, see Formatting text fields, page 166. 5 You can also resize the text field, if needed. See Sizing controls, page 142 for instructions.

Creating metrics in documents


You can create different types of metrics within documents: calculated expressions, derived metrics, and summary metrics. While they all use the metrics on a dataset to obtain data not directly available from a dataset, they provide different benefits and are used in different cases. discussed in Summary metrics provide subtotals; they arepage 104 andCalculating totals and summary metrics in documents, Creating summary metrics in documents, page 107.
Action Can use metrics from multiple datasets Can use advanced functions, such as banding, cosine, and Chi square distribution Can use in a grid Can use in a text field Calculated expression Yes Yes Note: See Appendix E, Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions for a list of supported functions. No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Derived metric No Yes

Can use in conditional formatting No Can reuse within the document Can be created on the fly in a text field without creating a new object and adding it to the layout No Yes

Creating calculated expressions


A calculated expression is a metric that is calculated dynamically, when the document is executed, directly from metrics on a document dataset. A calculated expression is created using at least one of the metrics in the

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document. Calculated expressions allow you to combine metrics from different datasets in the document using: Constants Simple arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /) Certain advanced functions including many financial, statistical, and mathematical functions must type the function To use an advanced function, you for supported functionssyntax in the calculated expression. Syntax is included in Appendix E, Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions. For details on the individual functions, see the MicroStrategy Functions Reference. The logical operator IF Parentheses to set the order of arithmetic operations

For example, your grouping and sorting dataset contains the Revenue by Region metric and a second dataset contains Cost by Region. (For details on the grouping and sorting dataset, see Working with multiple dataset reports, page 731.) You need the profit, which is calculated from the revenue less the cost, so you create a calculated expression with a definition of Revenue - Cost. Calculated expressions are created directly in text fields on the document, which makes them quicker to create than derived metrics. However, unlike derived metrics, calculated expressions cannot be reused within the document because they are not added to the document as dataset objects. They appear as text fields only. To create the calculated expression for profit, drag the Revenue metric from the Datasets pane to the Layout area, which automatically creates a new text field. Right-click the new text field and select Edit Text. Type - Cost inside the braces, then press ENTER. The final text field looks like {Revenue Cost}, as shown on the right side of the image below.

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The resulting document looks like the following sample:

An example of an advanced function is Banding, which maps metric values that fall within a certain range to a particular band value. The function returns a number indicating the band. The syntax of this function is Banding(ValueList, StartAt, StopAt, Size). For example, create bands on the Revenue metric in the document above. Bands are created in $250,000 increments, starting at $1,000,000 and ending at $4,000,000. Band 1 is $1,000,000 to $1,250,000; Band 2 is $1,250,001 to $1,500,000, which includes the Regions South and Northwest; and so on. To create these bands in a calculated expression, create a text field and type the following in it: {Banding(Revenue, 1000000, 4000000, 250000)} Remember to use braces { } if you type the expression.

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The resulting document is shown below.

Because no Revenue value falls between $1,000,000 and $1,250,000, there is no Band 1. Because two regions have revenue between $1,250,001 and $1,500,000, there are two lines for Band 2.
To create a calculated expression

1 In the Document Editor, open the document in Design View. 2 Expand the section where you want to place the calculated expression by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 To enter the expression, do one of the following: Drag and drop data fields from the Datasets pane. Add a text field and type the expression in it. Combine the above methods.

Join data fields with an arithmetic operator (+, -, *, /) or use an advanced function. You can use constants and parentheses within the calculation. Parentheses indicate the order of arithmetic operations.

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For more detailed instructions to use these methods, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53. For a list of supported functions and their syntax, see Appendix E, Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions.

Note the following:

If you type the expression, use braces { } around the entire calculated expression. If the name contains spaces or special characters, type it in brackets [ ] within the braces. Special characters are characters other than a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, #, _, and . (period). If the object exists in multiple datasets, use the format {[dataset name]:[object name]}. This format also allows you to create calculated expressions across datasets.

Creating derived metrics


A derived metric is a metric that is obtained dynamically, when a document is executed, directly from metrics on a document dataset. A derived metric is created using at least one of the metrics in the document. If more than one metric is used, they must be from the same dataset. Derived metrics permit the dynamic application of calculations to a document without requiring new metric definitions. A derived metric: Must be a compound metric. The reverse is not truea compound metric does not have to be a derived metric. Must use metrics from the same dataset. Can be reused within the document, including in Grid/Graphs and in conditional formatting expressions. You can use a derived metric in multiple places in a document, because derived metrics are created as dataset objects, not text fields. Is calculated by the MicroStrategy Analytical Engine based on metrics that are contained in the Datasets pane. Cannot use transformation objects.

only use You canmetric. Ifmetrics alreadyofexisting in a single dataset to create a derived the definition the derived metric demands metric data not readily available, the information cannot be obtained dynamically, because the dataset must first be re-executed.

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For example, if your dataset contains the dollar sales for a particular region, and you want to view the same data in millions, you could create a derived metric with a definition of [Dollar Sales]/1000000. When you create a derived metric, it is added to the Datasets pane but is not placed on the document. However, if you select a Grid/Graph object before creating the derived metric, the metric is automatically added to the Grid/Graph as well as placed in the Datasets pane for future use. After you create the derived metric, you can add it to the document just as you would any other dataset object. You can also use it in conditional formatting expressions. To demonstrate the difference between a calculated expression and a derived metric, create a derived metric similar to the calculated expression used in the example in the Creating calculated expressions section above. The first distinction is that a derived metric cannot use metrics from different datasets. So for this example, the grouping and sorting dataset contains both Revenue and Cost by Region. The profit is calculated from the revenue less the cost. You can create a derived metric with a definition of Revenue - Cost. Derived metrics are created using the Input Metric Formula dialog box, which is accessed by selecting New Metric from the Insert menu. Double-click Revenue, type - (the minus sign), and then double-click Cost. The calculation is displayed as (Revenue - Cost). Name the derived metric Profit and return to the document. Note that the metric is added to the Datasets pane, but is not placed on the document itself. Drag the new Profit metric from the Datasets pane to the Layout area. Note that the mathematical expression is not displayed, as is the case with a calculated expression. The name of the metric is shown instead, as with metrics from dataset reports. The following image shows the metric name in both the Layout area and in the Datasets pane.

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The resulting document looks like the following sample:

To create a derived metric

1 In the Document Editor, open the document in Design View. 2 Do one of the following: To create a metric in a Grid/Graph, select the Grid/Graph in the Layout area. Next, double-click the Grid/Graph to enable edit mode. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, and the menu options and toolbar change. Otherwise, select the dataset in the Datasets pane that contains the metrics to be used in the derived metric.

The metrics used in a derived metric must be from the same dataset.
3 From the Insert menu, select New Metric. The Input Metric Formula dialog box opens. 4 The window on the left displays the objects in the selected dataset. Double-click or drag and drop the first object to use to define the derived

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metric. This moves the object to the window on the right, which is called the derived metric definition window. 5 Add a function or operator in one of the following ways: From the operator bar above the definition window, select an operator. Click the Insert Function icon to use the Insert Function Wizard to guide you through the process of creating a function. For more details on each page of the wizard, refer to the Desktop Help.

6 Repeat step 4 to select the second object used to define the metric, or enter a constant. existing in a More than twoadditionalmetrics can be used and derived metric's formula. Add metrics, functions, operators by repeating steps 5 and 6. 7 Once you have created the expression, click Validate. If the expression is not valid, click Clear to delete the entire expression and start again, or modify the expression until it is valid. 8 In the Metric Name text box on the upper right, type a name for the new metric. 9 Click OK to apply the new metric to your document. The Input Metric Formula dialog box closes. The new metric is added to the appropriate dataset in the Datasets pane. If you selected a Grid/Graph before creating the metric, it is also added to that Grid/Graph. 10 If you need to, you can edit the derived metric. To do this, right-click the derived metric in the Datasets pane and select Edit. The Input Metric Formula dialog box opens. You can now use the derived metric as you would any other dataset object. For example, you can drag and drop it from the Datasets pane to the Layout area to place it into the document.

Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents


A metric is calculated differently depending on its location in the document. For example, the following document, which is shown in Design View, is grouped by Region. The same metric is placed in text fields in the Region Header, Detail, and Document Footer sections.
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When the PDF is generated, the same metric returns different values in the different positions. The metric in the Detail section is revenue by employee;

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the metric in the Region Header is regional revenue; and the Document Footer calculates a revenue grand total for the entire document.

by The metric calculation for the totals is determinedcase,the default subtotal specified in the metric definition. In this the Revenue metric uses SUM. The following list describes where to place a metric in the document to calculate the metric at a specific level. To calculate a metric at the level: Of the dataset report, place the metric in a text field in the Detail section. Of a total for a specific group, place the metric in a text field in the Group Header or Group Footer section. Defined by the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups on the Grid/Graph, place the metric in a Grid/Graph that is in the Document Header, Document Footer, Page Header, or Page Footer section.

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Defined by the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups on a Grid/Graph, and at the level of a specific group, place the metric in a Grid/Graph that is in the Group Header or Group Footer section. Of a grand total across the entire dataset, place the metric in a text field in the Document Header, Document Footer, Page Header, or Page Footer section.

can also display and For You instructions, seetotals for groupsfor a for selectors. 264 examples and Showing totals group, page and Showing totals for selectors, page 471. The list above summarizes metric calculation; for more in-depth information on metric calculation, see Metric calculation in documents, page 110. does not contain other the the If a Grid/Graphthe same value as ifanythingplacedthantext metric, that metric returns it were in a field in document section. This rule applies regardless of the document section the Grid/Graph is located in. For background information on Grid/Graphs and instructions to create them, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs.

Functions used in totals


The calculation of the total is determined by the definition of the metric. If a total does not aggregate the way that you want it or if it does not aggregate at all, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120. You can also use a summary metric to set the desired function for the total. For instructions, see Creating summary metrics in documents below.

Creating summary metrics in documents


A summary metric is essentially a shortcut to a subtotal. It allows you to select the function to use to calculate the subtotal (that is, a summary). If you use a metric from a dataset report rather than a summary metric, the default subtotal function is used to subtotal the metric. This default subtotal function is set in the metric definition and cannot be changed in the document. Other than this explicit aggregation, summary metrics are similar to other metrics used in documents. For instance, a summary metric is calculated differently depending on its location in the document. You can place the same summary metric in multiple locations in the same document.

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For example, you need to add a count of employees to the document example used in Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents above. The count must be calculated at the regional and document levels. The Revenue metric uses SUM as the default subtotal, but the COUNT function is needed in this case. Create a summary metric for Revenue that uses COUNT. To do this, right-click Revenue in the Datasets pane, point to New Summary Metric, then select Count. The new summary metric is added to the Datasets pane with the name Count of Revenue. Drag the metric from the Datasets pane to the Region Header and to the Document Footer. The result is shown in the following sample.

When the PDF is generated, the same summary metric returns different values in the different positions. The metric in the Region Header calculates

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a regional count, and the Document Footer calculates a count for the entire document.

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To create a summary metric

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the metric in the Datasets pane, point to New Summary Metric, then select the function to use. The new summary metric is added to the appropriate dataset in the Datasets pane. 3 If you need to, rename the summary metric, as described below: a Right-click the summary metric in the Datasets pane and select Edit. The Input Metric Formula dialog box opens. b Change the metric name and click OK. You can now use the summary metric as you would any other dataset object, by dragging and dropping it from the Datasets pane to the Layout area to place it into the document.

Metric calculation in documents


assumes that metric This sectionon a report. Foryou understand the levels ofsee the calculation background information, MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. It also assumes that you are familiar with the different document sections. For descriptions of the document sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34. A metric is calculated differently depending on its location in a document. This is true whether the metric comes directly from a dataset report or is created in the document. The following sections describe metric calculation in the various document sections: Calculating metrics at the dataset level: Detail section, page 111 Calculating metrics at the group level: Group Headers and Group Footers, page 112 Calculating grand totals for metrics: header and footer sections, page 114 Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph, page 116

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Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph and a group: Group Headers and Group Footers, page 118 Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120

descriptions of metrics and procedures Forcreate them, see Creatingcreated ininthe document,page 97. to metrics documents,

Calculating metrics at the dataset level: Detail section


A metric placed in a text field in the Detail section is calculated at the level of the dataset report that it comes from. The level of the dataset report is defined by the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups on the report. For example, a report contains the Region and Employee attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A portion of this report is shown below.

Use this report as the dataset for a document. Place the Revenue metric in a text field in the Detail section of the document. Do not add anything else (no attributes or labels) to the document. When you execute the document, the

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Revenue metric is calculated at the level of the dataset report, which is Employee. A portion of the document is shown below:

Notice that the numbers match those calculated in the report. Of course, a document would include information to give perspective to the numbers, but this example shows that the numbers are calculated regardless of what, if anything, is placed on the document.

Calculating metrics at the group level: Group Headers and Group Footers
A metric placed in a text field in a Group Header section or Group Footer section is calculated at the level of the group. For example, a report contains the Region and Employee attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A portion of the report is displayed below. The report is subtotaled by Region for this

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example to help you compare metric values between the report and the document.

Use this report as the dataset for a document. Group the document by Region. Place the Revenue metric in two text fields, one in the Group Header and the other in the Detail section. Include the region name in the Group Header, to differentiate between the groups. Execute the document. In the Group Header, the Revenue metric is calculated at the level of the group (Region). The groups elements are the elements of the Region attribute. This provides regional totals. In the Detail section, the Revenue metric is calculated at the level of the dataset report, which is Employee. A portion of the document is shown below:

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Notice that the metric values match those calculated in the report. The preceding in a text field. Metric values in Grid/Graph in example uses a metricGroup Footer are calculated at a the Group Header or the level of both the group and the Grid/Graph. For details and an example, see Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph and a group: Group Headers and Group Footers, page 118. The calculation of the group total is determined by the metrics definition, specifically by the dynamic aggregation function. For a description of how dynamic aggregation works in documents, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120. Summary metrics explicitly set the aggregation function; this is their primary role. For other user-defined metrics, the function specified in the definition is also used as the aggregation function, if the function is SUM, MIN, or MAX. For instructions on creating metrics in documents, see Creating metrics in documents, page 97.

Calculating grand totals for metrics: header and footer sections


A metric placed in a text field in any header or footer section other than a Group Header or Group Footer is calculated as a grand total, totaled across the entire dataset. These document sections include: Detail Header Detail Footer Document Header Document Footer Layout Header Layout Footer

Layout Headers and Layout Footers are only displayed inof these multi-layout documents. For descriptions and examples
document sections, see Layout Header, page 41 and Layout Footer, page 44. For background information about layouts in documents, including examples and instructions, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. Page Header Page Footer

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For example, a report contains the Region and Call Center attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A portion of this report is shown below. The report contains a grand total to help you compare metric values between the report and the document.

This report is used as a dataset for a document. The Revenue metric is placed in text fields in the Page Header, Document Header, and Detail Header. Note that it is not placed in the Detail section, so the Call Center revenue values are not displayed. Labels are included in each document section, to indicate the different groups.

Notice that the metric values are the same for all the document sections, and they match the grand total calculated in the report. Which document section you place the metric in depends on where you want the information to appear, for instance, the top or bottom of each page (Page Header or Page

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Footer) or at the beginning or end of the document (Document Header or Document Footer). values in a The preceding example uses metrics in text fields. Metric the level of Grid/Graph in these document sections are calculated at the Grid/Graph. For details and an example, see Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph and a group: Group Headers and Group Footers, page 118. The calculation of grand totals is determined by the metrics definition, specifically by the dynamic aggregation function. For a description of how dynamic aggregation works in documents, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120. Summary metrics explicitly set the aggregation function; this is their primary role. For other user-defined metrics, the function specified in the definition is also used as the aggregation function, if the function is SUM, MIN, or MAX. For instructions on creating metrics in documents, see Creating metrics in documents, page 97.

Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph


A metric placed in a Grid/Graph is calculated at the level defined by the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups on the Grid/Graph.

Note the following:

If the Grid/Graph is placed in a Group Header or Group Footer, the level of the group is also included in the metric calculation, as described in more detail in Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph and a group: Group Headers and Group Footers, page 118. A Grid/Graph cannot be placed in the Detail section. This is because the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row since controls in the Detail section are repeated once per row of the dataset.

For example, a dataset contains the Region and Employee attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A Grid/Graph containing all these objects is placed in the Detail Header section of the document. A second Grid/Graph, which contains only Region and Revenue, is placed in the Document Header. In the sample below, all of the Grid/Graph containing Region only is shown, but

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only a portion of the Grid/Graph with both Region and Employee is included.

The metrics in the Grid/Graphs are calculated at the level of the attributes in the Grid/GraphsRegion only in the top Grid/Graph, Region and Employee in the bottom one. If a Grid/Graph contained only Employee and Revenue, and an employee generates revenue in two regions, the metric value displayed in each region would reflect the total revenue of the employee, for both regions. If the Grid/Graph does not contain any objects other than the metric, the metric behaves as though it were in a text field in that document section. A metric in a text field in any header or footer section other than a Group Header or Group Footer is calculated as a grand total, totaled across the entire dataset. For example, if Region and Employee were removed from the Grid/Graphs in the previous example, both Grid/Graphs calculate a revenue grand total, as shown below:

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The calculation of these grand totals is determined by the metrics definition, specifically by the dynamic aggregation function. For a description of how dynamic aggregation works in documents, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120.

Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph and a group: Group Headers and Group Footers
A metric placed in a Grid/Graph is calculated at the level defined by the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups on the Grid/Graph, as described in Calculating metrics at the level of a Grid/Graph, page 116. When the Grid/Graph is placed in a Group Header or Group Footer, the level of the group is also included in the metric calculation, but only for those grouping fields that exist on the dataset to which the Grid/Graph belongs. For example, a report contains the Region and Category attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. A portion of this report is shown below:

This report is used as the dataset for a document. The document is grouped by Region, and its Group Header contains a Grid/Graph with Category and Revenue. The Group Header also contains the Region name, to indicate the different groups. A portion of the document is shown below:

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The revenue values are calculated at the level defined by the Grid/Graph (Category) but also at the group level (Region). Each Grid/Graph contains the revenue for its specific region and no others. The group (Region) exists on the dataset of the Grid/Graph. Consider another document, which contains two datasets: Dataset 1 contains Region, Category, and Revenue. It is the grouping and sorting dataset. (For a description of the role of the grouping and sorting dataset in a document, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748.) Dataset 2 contains Region, Call Center, and Revenue.

The document is grouped by Category (from Dataset 1). A Grid/Graph containing Call Center and Revenue (from Dataset 2) is placed on the Group Header. The Group Header also contains the Category name, to indicate the different groups. The Group Header is displayed horizontally, so that the Grid/Graphs are easier to compare. A portion of the document is shown below.

Notice that the revenue values are the same for each Call Center, regardless of which Category is displayed. The revenue values are calculated at the level defined by the Grid/Graph (Call Center) but not at the group level (Category). Each Grid/Graph contains the revenue for all categories. The group (Category) does not exist on the dataset of the Grid/Graph. If the Grid/Graph does not contain any objects other than the metric, the metric behaves as though it were in a text field in the same document section.

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As with metrics in text fields in Group Headers and Group Footers, the calculation is determined by the metrics definition, specifically by the dynamic aggregation function. For a description of how dynamic aggregation works in documents, see Dynamic aggregation in documents, page 120.

Dynamic aggregation in documents


Dynamic aggregation is the rollup of metric values that occurs when a metric is placed in any document section other than the Detail section. It does not matter whether the metric is placed in a text field or in a Grid/Graph. The function used in this aggregation is set in the metric definition, as defined by the following rules: If the metric function is SUM, MIN, or MAX and the dynamic aggregation function is set to default, the document aggregates the metric correctly using SUM, MIN, or MAX accordingly. want SUM, MIN, as If you do not change the metricor MAX to be used thethe dynamic aggregation, definition. Specify new function to be used as the dynamic aggregation function. If a metric function other than SUM, MIN, or MAX is used and the dynamic aggregation function is set to default, dynamic aggregation does not occur. Instead of a value, dashes (--) are displayed, unless you have changed the replacement text. If you want to use a particular function, change the metric definition, specifying the function to use as the dynamic aggregation function.

Compound metrics follow the same rules for aggregation. If a compound metric does not use a SUM, MIN, or MAX function, and the dynamic aggregation function is set to default, a null value is generated when the compound metric is placed in any section other than the Detail section. To trigger dynamic aggregation, specify the function to use for calculation. In the case of user-defined metrics (calculated expressions and derived metrics), the function specified in their definition is used as the aggregation function if the function is SUM, MIN, or MAX. For details on user-defined metrics, see Creating metrics in documents, page 97. For instructions on changing the dynamic aggregation function, refer to the Desktop Help. For background information on dynamic aggregation in metrics, see the MicroStrategy OLAP Services Guide.

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Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers


You can display real-time information from the web, directly in your document. For example, you can display a stock ticker running in real time next to a Grid/Graph displaying a MicroStrategy report and interactive graphs displaying your corporate financial data, as shown below:

document The interactive graphs shown on the bottom of the sampledisplays of above are displayed using widgets, which are Flash-based the results of a dataset report. For a more detailed description of widgets and how to create them, including examples, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. You can interact with the web from the document, such as changing the stock that is being tracked in the stock ticker or clicking links on the web page. You can achieve this real-time display by adding an HTML container to your document and entering the URL of the website. You can also use an HTML container to display formatted HTML, by entering HTML tags into the HTML container. For an example, see Displaying formatted HTML in an HTML container, page 122.

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The real-time information from the web or the formatted HTML is displayed within the HTML container, in the following modes in MicroStrategy Web: Express Editable Flash Interactive

You can create HTML containers using either of the following methods: You can display a website by typing a URL in the HTML container. The HTML is retrieved dynamically when the document is executed. For examples, see Displaying a website using a URL (iFrame), page 125. You can display formatted HTML by entering HTML tags in the HTML container. The HTML is interpreted by the users browser when the document is executed. For an example, see Displaying formatted HTML in an HTML container, page 122.

is document Fully formatted HTML or not displayed when theexported to is displayed in PDF View when the document is Excel. You can format the HTML container itself, with borders and drop shadows, for instance. For examples and instructions, see Formatting HTML containers, page 173. The formatting of actual content inside the HTML container, however, is determined by either the HTML tags (as shown in the example below) or the website displayed by the URL. You can also arrange and resize HTML containers, as you do other controls. For instructions and examples, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136 and Sizing controls, page 142.

Displaying formatted HTML in an HTML container


You can directly enter the HTML tags when you create an HTML container. When the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, the HTML tags are executed. in both Desktop In Design View displayed. and MicroStrategy Web, the actual HTML tags are

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HTML containers in MicroStrategy Web


For example, the following document, which is shown in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, contains an HTML container. The HTML tags in it are very simple, but you can use any HTML tags, although you should note the exceptions for Flash, described in HTML tags supported in Flash Mode, page 123.

In Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, all valid HTML is supported. The HTML tags are interpreted by the users browser.

HTML tags supported in Flash Mode


Not all HTML tags are supported in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The following HTML tags are supported in Flash Mode: <A href, event, target> <B> <BR> <FONT color, face, size> <IMG src, width, height, align, hspace, vspace, id, checkPolicyFile> <I> <LI> <P align, class> <SPAN class>

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<TextFormat blockindent, indent, leading, leftmargin, rightmargin, tabstops> <U>

For a fullatdescription of the HTML that Flash supports, see the Adobe website livedocs.adobe.com/flex/201/langref/flash/
text/TextField.html#htmlText.

HTML containers in PDF and Excel


In PDF View in Desktop, and when the document is exported to PDF or Excel, only the text in the HTML container is displayed. The formatting is determined by the formatting of the HTML container, not the HTML tags within it. Notice that the first line is the same size and color as the second line, unlike in the previous sample.

In PDF and Excel, anything within the following tags is removed, and does not display: <HEAD> <STYLE> <SCRIPT>

For example, this HTML container, shown in Design View:

Displays as the following in PDF View:

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Notice that the text within the head, style, and script tags is not displayed, and the word fence is not bolded. container The HTMLtotags in the HTML concept. are not complete; they are used only demonstrate the
To insert a HTML container that uses HTML tags

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the HTML Container icon on the toolbar.

3 On the Layout area, click and drag in the position in which to insert the HTML container. 4 By default, an HTML container uses HTML tags rather than a URL to generate the display (see Displaying a website using a URL (iFrame), page 125). In the Property List, HTML type should be set to HTML text. 5 Right-click the HTML container and select Edit Text. 6 Enter the HTML tags in the HTML container. To create a new line, press CTRL+ENTER. When you have finished typing, press ENTER or click anywhere outside the HTML container. The HTML tags are displayed in the HTML container in Design View. The HTML tags are not rendered until you view the document in MicroStrategy Web.

Displaying a website using a URL (iFrame)


You can enter the URL of a website in an HTML container. When the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, the HTML tags are retrieved from the website. This type of HTML container is an iFrame, which is an HTML element allowing one HTML document to be embedded inside another. both MicroStrategy In Design View inwithinDesktop andcontainer. Web, the websites URL is displayed the HTML

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HTML containers in MicroStrategy Web


When you display the document in Express Mode, Editable Mode, or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the website is displayed within the borders of the HTML container. For example, the HTML container in the following document uses a URL to display the MicroStrategy Resource Center website.

The website is not displayed in Flash Mode. Instead, the websites URL is displayed within the HTML container. the same MicroStrategy Web Server as the one that URLs that point tonot supported. This prevents you from opening the you are using are same URL to avoid an infinite loop.

HTML containers in PDF and Excel


In PDF View in Desktop, and when the document is exported to PDF or Excel, the contents of the web page are retrieved. The text is displayed, without any of the formatting from the HTML tags on the web page. The formatting is determined by the formatting of the HTML container, not the HTML tags within it.

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For example, the URL www.example.org displays this web page in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web:

In PDF View in Desktop, the website from the same URL displays as:

To insert a HTML container that uses a URL

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Do one of the following: Click the HTML Container icon on the toolbar.

From the Insert menu, select HTML Container.

3 On the Layout area, click and drag in the position in which to insert the HTML container. 4 From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

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5 On the General tab, select iFrame for the HTML type. 6 In the iFrame Source field, type the URL of the website. http:// The textremove it. is already automatically filled in, but you can edit or 7 Click OK to return to the document. The URL is displayed in the HTML container in Design View. To view the URLs website, you must view the document in Express Mode, Editable Mode, or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Adding shapes and lines to a document


Shapes and lines can make it easier for business analysts to distinguish between parts of a document, and can help you highlight certain information. In the document sample below, lines are used to differentiate between the regions. A shaded rectangle sets off the regional totals.

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You can add any of the following to a document: Rectangle Rounded rectangle Horizontal line Vertical line

A regular rectangle is shown on the left in the image below, in contrast to the rounded rectangle on the right.

in the sample above does The rounded rectangle to rounded rectangles, butnot have a border. You can apply borders the borders only appear in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For a description of Flash Mode and instructions to access it, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9. For instructions to change line and rectangle formatting, see Formatting shapes, page 177.
To add a rectangle to a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Expand the document section where you want to add the rectangle by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 Click the arrow next to the Rectangle icon in the toolbar and select either Rectangle (for a rectangle with square corners) or Rounded Rectangle. When you move the mouse to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the section of the Layout area where you want to place the rectangle. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the rectangle. 5 You can format the rectangle, such as adding a border or color to the rectangle. For a list of the various formatting properties, see Formatting shapes, page 177. For detailed directions, see the Desktop Help.
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6 For rounded rectangles, you can adjust how the rounded corners are displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions and examples, see Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode, page 178.
To insert a line into a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Expand the section where you want the line by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 Select Line from the Insert menu, or click the Line icon in the toolbar. When you move the mouse to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the section of the Layout area where you want to place the line. Click and drag to size the line and draw either a vertical or horizontal line. 5 You can format the line, such as changing the color and whether the line is solid or dashed. For a list of the various formatting properties, see Formatting shapes, page 177. For detailed directions, see the Desktop Help.

Inserting images in a document


You can insert an image such as a logo into a document. The image must be stored so that it is available to both the Intelligence Server and to the designers of the document. If the designers do not have access to the image, they cannot see the image while creating the document. To ensure that the image is available as needed, you can use any of the following paths or references when you add an image: An http reference to a central Web server machine, such as http://microstrategy/Test/myimage.jpg. The Intelligence Server and Desktop must both be able to access the machine. Use this type of reference for documents that will be viewed in Flash Mode; images that use a non-HTTP-based path are not displayed in Flash

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Mode. For a description of Flash Mode and instructions to access it, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9. the URL. On Avoid using spaces incannot displayUNIX machines, images with spaces in their URLs in PDFs. You can remove the space from the image name or replace the space with %20. A full path to the image on a shared network drive, such as \\my_computer\shared\myimage.jpg. All users, the Intelligence Server, the Desktop, and the Web server must be able to access the drive. A partial path, such as Images\myimage.jpg. A partial path is relative to the working directory of the user or application, so that a full absolute path does not need to be provided. If you use a partial path, the image must be copied in all of the following folders:

Desktop (for a document viewed in Desktop) Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temp (for a document exported to Excel 2000 from Desktop or a document in MicroStrategy Office) Excel 2003 or later, embed images To export a document toin Excel, page 256, for instructions (see Displaying images and more details) to ensure that the images are displayed correctly in Excel.

Intelligence Server (for a document exported to PDF from MicroStrategy Web) Web ASPx\asp (for documents in MicroStrategy Web) or jsp (for documents in MicroStrategy Web Universal)

The Web directory is the physical location whereisthe Web product is installed (for MicroStrategy Web) or where it deployed (for
MicroStrategy Web Universal). For example, if the image is on a Web server machine, you can specify the URL (an http reference) for the file as long as the Intelligence Server and users who design the documents can access that location. Once the location is established and the image file that you want to insert is available in that location, you can insert the image into a document. instances, the path In mostviewing the you canoffindWeb page.and file name of images to use by source a

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The advantages of using partial or relative paths are: Desktop, Intelligence Server, and Web Server must be able to access the same shared file location. The path of the image is not part of the document definition. If the path changes, you do not have to manually change the image path in the document.

The advantage of using absolute paths (an http or full path) is: The images do not need to be duplicated onto each machine, as described above.

Image types for PDF View


Use any of the following image types to ensure that the images display correctly in PDF View: bmp jpg jpeg gif

Before you begin


Before you can add an image to a document: The image file must be saved in the correct image type. The image file must be stored so that it is available to both the Intelligence Server and to the designers of the document.

Details of both these requirements are provided above.


To insert an image in a document

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Click Image on the toolbar.

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3 On the Layout area, click and drag in the position in which to insert the image. The Image Source dialog box opens. 4 Navigate to and select the image file to insert in the document. Click Open. The image appears in the document. If you want users to be able to click the image and open a Web page, you can define the image as a link. For details, see Linking to a web page, page 677. For information about changing image formatting, such as borders, see Formatting images, page 180.

Using dynamic images


You can add dynamic images to a document, as well as static images. Dynamic images allow different images to be displayed depending on the data in the dataset. You can use attributes and metrics to determine the file name of the image. For example, a document is paged by Region. For each Region, a map for that particular region must be displayed, as in the two pages of the following sample document.

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To do this, save the graphic files as the names of the Region (for example, Northeast.jpg and Mid-Atlantic.jpg). Insert an image in the Region Header. Use the attribute name, within braces, as the name of the image file, for example, \\my_computer\shared\{Region}.jpg. Be sure to specify the directory path and follow the guidelines outlined above to ensure that the image is available to users and designers. (See To insert a dynamic image, page 135 for detailed instructions.) When the PDF is displayed, {Region} in the filename is replaced with the attribute element used in the page-by field. For example, on the Northeast page, the image displayed is Northeast.jpg.

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In the same way, you can use a metric to return the name of the image file. For example, a document must display an icon for the daily revenue trend. For revenue growth, the icon is an arrow pointing up; for revenue decline the arrow points down; and for stable revenue the arrow is replaced by a bar. To do this, create a metric that returns a 1 for growth, 2 for no change, and 3 for decline. Create and name the images accordingly. In the document, point the image to {MetricName}.jpg in the correct directory. When the PDF is displayed, the image path is resolved and the correct file is displayed on each line. Fixed zero decimal In the Metric Editor, format the metric asensuresType,the metric value places, and no thousands separator. This that is returned as 1, 2, or 3, not as $1.00, for example.

Before you begin


Before you can use a dynamic image: You must have created the image files with the appropriate names. To use an attribute the file names must be the attribute elements; to use a metric, the file names must be the values returned by the metric. The image files must be stored so that they are available to both the Intelligence Server and to the designers of the document. For details, see Inserting images in a document, page 130.

To insert a dynamic image

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Click Image on the toolbar. 3 On the Layout area, click and drag in the position in which to insert the image. The Image Source dialog box opens. 4 Type the directory path to the image files, then the attribute or metric name in braces { }, followed by the file extension. For example, the following image source points to the Revenue Trend metric described in the example. \\my_computer\shared\{[Revenue Trend]}.jpg

If the attribute or metric name contains a space, enclose the name in square brackets [ ].
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5 Click OK. The image control appears in the document. No image is displayed, since multiple files are possible.

Arranging controls on a document


Once you have added data and other controls to a document, you can arrange them to define how and where they appear when the document is viewed as a PDF. This section explains the various ways in which you can move and arrange controls. Moving controls, page 137 Snapping to the alignment grid, page 138 Aligning controls, page 138 Distributing controls evenly, page 140 Sizing controls, page 142 Locking and unlocking controls, page 144 Ordering controls, page 144

To perform the operations described in this section, you should know how to select multiple controls in the Document Editor, as described in the following procedure.
To select multiple controls in the Document Editor

1 From the Document Editor in Design View, do one of the following: CTRL+click: Hold down the CTRL key while you click each control. Drag a selection box: Click in an empty area of a document section and drag a box that touches the controls that you want to select, then release the mouse button. (The box automatically appears when you start dragging.) The selection box can span multiple document sections.

selection You can specify whether theyou select box needs to partially or set fully enclose controls when them. This preference is in the My Preferences dialog box. For instructions, see the Desktop Help.

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2 The selected controls are displayed with red sizing handles. If you accidentally selected a control that you do not want to select, point to the control and use CTRL+CLICK again. An example of selecting multiple controls using a selection box is shown in the following figure:

When the mouse button is released, the controls are selected as shown in the following figure:

Moving controls
You can modify the look of your PDF document by specifying the positions of the controls in the Design View of the document. Use one of the following methods to move controls within the Layout area: Drag the controls to a new location: Select the controls, then drag and drop them at the location that you want. move, it be locked. A If a selected control does notmoved onmay Layout area. locked control cannot be resized or the For instructions to unlock it, see Locking and unlocking controls, page 144. Nudge the controls slightly: Select the controls. From the Format menu, point to Nudge, then select the option for the direction you want to move them (Up, Down, Left, or Right). Specify the left and top position of a control: Select the control. In the Property List, type the Left and Top positions, then press ENTER.

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Align controls with each other: See Aligning controls, page 138 for directions. Distribute controls evenly: See Distributing controls evenly, page 140 for instructions.

You can even move controls across document sections. If multiple controls are selected and moved, they move as a block.

Snapping to the alignment grid


Snap to grid means that controls are automatically aligned to grid points. If this feature is enabled, the corner handles of a control automatically move from one grid point to another grid point when you move or resize the control. When you add a control to a document, the top left corner of the control is aligned to a grid point. When you click and drag in the Layout area while creating a control, all corners of the control are aligned to the grid. If snap to grid is disabled, you can add, move, or resize controls without reference to the alignment grid. That is, the corners do not automatically move to grid points. To enable and disable snap to grid, select Snap To Grid on the Format menu. To temporarily disable snap to grid, press the CTRL key while moving or sizing controls. To align a particular control to the grid, select To Grid from the Align right-click menu. is If the alignment gridthe hidden, you can display it by clicking Alignment Grid on toolbar.

Aligning controls
If you have several controls that you want to align with each other, you can have the Document Editor align them for you. The selected controls can be aligned in relation to the position of a single control, as described in the following alignment options: Left horizontally aligns all selected controls with the leftmost control. Right horizontally aligns all selected controls with the rightmost control. Top vertically aligns all selected controls with the topmost control. Bottom vertically aligns all selected controls with the lowest control.

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The selected controls can be aligned in relation to all the controls as a group, as described in the following alignment options: Center horizontally centers all selected controls. Middle vertically centers all selected controls.

selected not have The can selectcontrols dothat are into be in the same document section; you controls different document sections. For example, you can align a heading in the Detail Header above its data column in the Detail section. This is shown in the following image in which two Month controls, in different document sections, are aligned.

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The resulting aligned controls are shown in the following image:

To align controls

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Select two or more controls and do one of the following: Right-click the controls, select Align, then choose an alignment option. From the Format menu, select Align, then choose an alignment option.

Alignment options are listed and described on page 138. You can also align objects by selecting them and setting their Left or Top property in the Position section of the Property List.

Distributing controls evenly


You can evenly distribute controls that are not well-spaced. For example, if you want three controls evenly spaced vertically, select them, then right-click, point to Distribute, then select Vertical. This is shown in the following image. Note the difference in vertical gaps between the selected controls ({&DOCUMENT}, {&FILTERDETAILS}, {&DATETIME}).

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The result after the vertical distribution is shown in the following image:

In this case, the controls are distributed relative to each other. However, if you select the Relative to Layout setting on the same menu, and then distribute the controls, the controls are distributed relative to the layout and not with respect to each other. If you distribute the controls vertically, relative to the layout, the height of the layout is used. If you distribute the controls horizontally, relative to the layout, the width of the layout is used.

The result after the vertical distribution relative to layout is shown in the following image. In this case, the controls are more spaced out, since they use the entire height of the document section for distribution, rather than just the space between the controls.

To distribute controls evenly

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Select the controls to be distributed.

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3 Right-click the selected controls, select Distribute, and then select either Vertical or Horizontal.

Sizing controls
You can size text fields, images, rectangles, and other controls, using any of the following methods: Size the control on the Layout area: Select the control, and drag any of its red sizing handles to its new size. If you hold down the CTRL key while resizing, snap to grid is temporarily disabled. Snap to grid means that controls are automatically aligned to grid points, as described in Snapping to the alignment grid, page 138. resize, it be locked. A locked If a selected control does notmoved onmayLayout area. For control cannot be resized or the instructions to unlock it, see Locking and unlocking controls, page 144. Resize several controls to the same size: Right-click the controls, point to Size, and choose an option from the following list:

To resize and move the selected controls so that all corners touch a grid point, select To Grid.

The To Grid option is also available when a single control is selected.

To change the height of the selected controls to that of the tallest one, select To Tallest. To change the height of the selected controls to that of the shortest one, select To Shortest. To change the width of the selected controls to that of the widest one, select To Widest. To change the width of the selected controls to that of the narrowest one, select To Narrowest.

Specify the height and width of the controls: In the Property List or Properties dialog box, type the Height and Width. Specify the length of a line: In the Property List or Properties dialog box, type the Length.

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Set whether the height of the control is dynamic or static: In the Property List or Properties dialog box, select one of the following Height mode options:

To keep the height from changing from the size set in the Height property, select Fixed.

a Grid/Graph, the If you chooseisFixed for(displaying onlyyou can specify thatthe size Grid/Graph clipped what can fit within dimensions) when it is exported to PDF and Excel. This is the Grid overflow (PDF and Excel) property.

To set the height of a line or rectangle to the height of the document section, select 100%. To expand the height of a text field, a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid, or a selector to the height of the control, select Fit to contents. This mode is ignored in Design View.

Set whether the width of the control is dynamic or static: In the Property List or Properties dialog box, select one of the following Width mode options:

Height mode is not available for sections or panel stacks.

To keep the width from changing from the size set in the Width property, select Fixed.

a Grid/Graph, the If you chooseisFixed for(displaying onlyyou can specify thatthe size Grid/Graph clipped what can fit within dimensions) when it is exported to PDF and Excel. This is the Grid overflow (PDF and Excel) property.

To expand the width of a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid to the width of the control, select Fit to contents. This mode is ignored in Design View.

is available Width modegrids. only for rectangles and for Grid/Graphs displayed as Set whether the length of a line is dynamic or static: In the Property List or Properties dialog box, select one of the following Length mode options:

To keep the length from changing from the size set in the Length property, select Fixed. To set the length of a line to the length of the document section, select 100%.

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Locking and unlocking controls


A control can be locked, so that it cannot be resized or moved on the Layout area. This is useful when a document template contains an object that should not be moved or resized inadvertently when multiple objects are selected on the Layout area at the same time. It also avoids a control being accidentally moved or resized using the sizing handles. You can still control the size, alignment, and position by using menu options (such as align and distribute) and properties (height, left, and so on).
To lock a control

1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 Select the control to be locked. 3 Set Property List: Position: Locked to True.
To unlock a locked control

1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 Select the control to be unlocked. 3 Set Property List: Position: Locked to False.

Ordering controls
You may have controls that you want to overlap, with one control on top of the another that is in the background. You can change the order of a control and display it in front of or behind another control. To do this using the Format menu, pointing to Order, then choosing one of the options: Bring to Front, Send to Back, Bring Forward, or Send Backward. The last two options are useful if you have three or more controls on the same position and want to incrementally bring one control forward or send it behind but not all the way to the front or back.

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For example, if you have a rectangle that you want to place behind the Document Title (to create a drop shadow), select the title text field, then right-click it, point to Order, and then choose Bring to Front.

The result, with the title in front, is shown in the following figure:

Alternatively, you can select the rectangle and choose Send to Back.

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2.

FORMATTING DOCUMENTS

Introduction
When you add a new control to a document, its initial formatting is determined by the control default for that type of control. Each control type (text field, image, rectangle, and so on) has a control default, which contains a full set of formatting properties to specify the default format. For information on control defaults, including how to apply them and how to change them, see Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196. Of course, you can change the formatting of each new control as desired. You can determine a documents appearance by formatting either its controls (text fields, lines, sections, and so on) or the entire document. For formatting ideas, see Useful formatting suggestions, page 149. For information on the types of formatting that are available for each type of control, see the following sections: Formatting text fields, page 166 Formatting HTML containers, page 173 Formatting shapes, page 177 Formatting images, page 180
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Formatting sections, page 180

Other control types are discussed in different chapters:


For information on formatting Grid/Graphs, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319 in Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. For information on formatting the types of controls that are commonly used on dashboards (panels, panel stacks, and selectors), see Formatting panels and panel stacks, page 410 and Formatting selectors, page 476 in Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. For information on formatting widgets, see Formatting widgets in Desktop, page 609 in Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets.

Individual controls can be automatically formatted differently than the data in the rest of the document. Data that is formatted differently calls attention to itself, and makes that data easier to locate for analysis. Conditional formatting allows certain properties of controls, including sections, to be controlled by data-driven conditions. This provides the flexibility to personalize documents based on the data returned by the dataset reports. For instructions and examples of conditional formatting, see Formatting conditional data in documents, page 200. You can also format the entire document, as described below: Formatting the border or background of a document or layout, page 213.

document multiple layouts, If thebackground containslayout separately. you can format the border and of each Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215, which allows you to copy formatting information from one document to another. An Autostyle is a collection of formatting properties saved for various control types, and is applied to a document to change its formatting or appearance. Adding watermarks to documents, page 217. Watermarks are faint designs or text appearing in the background of the document, typically to identify or decorate pages.

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Formatting Documents

Formatting a document for printing, page 227. These settings control how the document will look when it is printed. These settings include:

Pagination (see Adding page breaks and numbering pages, page 229) Font embedding (see Font embedding in PDFs, page 237) Graph resolution (see Changing graph resolution in PDFs, page 239) Bookmarks (see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240) Tables of contents (see Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs, page 243) Common page setup options such as margins, paper size, orientation (landscape or portrait), and scaling (see Modifying page setup options, page 231) Horizontal overflow, which determines whether controls that extend beyond the width of a single page are printed on the next page or on the same page (see Controlling horizontal overflow, page 235)

Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web, page 248. Before you can preview a document as it will look in MicroStrategy Web, you must enable Flash View and/or HTML View. Before you can view it in MicroStrategy Web, you must select the modes that it can be displayed in. Fonts must be embedded if the document uses anti-aliasing, vertical text, or rotated graph labels. Formatting a document for export, page 250. Before you export a document to Microsoft Excel, a PDF file, a Flash file, or a separate browser window, you must select the formats that the document can be exported to and specify default exporting options.

Useful formatting suggestions


The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions; for a complete list of formatting options, see the Desktop Help. The transparent backstyle lets you see what is behind a control. The opaque backstyle covers what is behind a control or colors a control. For examples and instructions, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152.

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Borders, including 3D effect and drop shadows, set off or define a control. Use a 3D effect to make a control appear three-dimensional, like a button. Use a drop shadow to float a control on top of the background. For examples and instructions, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155 and Applying a drop shadow, page 157.

Gradient colors allow you to blend two colors in a gradual color change in the background of a control. For examples and instructions, see Using gradient colors, page 159.

Tooltips display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over a control in MicroStrategy Web. Tooltips can provide extra information, such as the full company name in the tooltip of the company logo. For examples and instructions, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162.

You can display text in a text field vertically (up and down the page) rather than horizontally. Vertical text is displayed in PDF View, in all MicroStrategy Web display modes, and when the document is exported to Excel. For examples and instructions, see Displaying text vertically, page 171.

You can hide a control in PDF View. This allows you to display information to other document designers in Design View but not to users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop) and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For instance, you could include a note in a hidden text field about the source of data. For examples and instructions, see Hiding a control, page 164.

Methods for formatting a control


When you add a new control, its formatting is determined by the control default, but you can then change the formatting. You can use different interfaces to define the formatting; which interface you use depends on your personal preference and what options you want to change.

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The Property List is the easiest method to use, as it contains all the options of the other interfaces on the same screen as the Layout area, where you design the document. All formatting interfaces are listed in the table below.
Interface Property List panel Available Options Contains all the options of the other formatting interfaces: All formatting options General properties, such as name, that define the control Layout properties such as position and size How to Access Select the control in the Layout area. The Property List pane, on the right side of the interface, displays the properties for the selected control.

Formatting toolbar

Easy access to basic formatting options such as: Select the control, and then click the appropriate button on Font the Formatting toolbar. Colors Standard borders Font Alignment Number format Borders, including 3D borders and drop shadows Color options, including gradients Borders Background fill Font color No formatting properties General properties, such as name, that define the control Layout properties, such as position and size Right-click the control and choose Format.

Format Objects dialog box

Right-click options

Right-click the control and select the appropriate option. Right-click the control and choose Properties.

Properties dialog box

For descriptions of each option on a particular interface, see the Desktop Help for that interface.

Copying and pasting formatting


Another way to format a control is to copy and paste the formatting. After you have formatted a control in a particular way, you can copy that formatting to other controls of the same type. You cannot copy formatting between objects of different types. For example, you cannot paste a rectangles formatting onto a text field, because the two types do not have the same formatting properties. can You cannot copy formatting between two Grid/Graph objects. You the create an Autostyle and apply it to multiple Grid/Graphs to apply

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same formatting to all of them. For instructions to create and use Autostyles, see Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215.
To copy and paste formatting

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click a control and select Copy. 3 Select the controls to copy the format to.

The selected controls must be the same type as the control that you copied the formatting from.
4 Right-click the selected controls and choose Paste Formatting.

Using a transparent or opaque backstyle


The backstyle governs whether the background of the control is transparent or opaque. A transparent backstyle allows you to see what is behind the control. An opaque backstyle covers what is behind the control. It also allows the fill color of the control to be seen.

In the document sample below, the text field labeled Transparent has the backstyle set to transparent, while the other two text fields use the opaque backstyle. As described above, the transparent backstyle allows the gray background to show through, while opaque covers up the background with the fill color of the text field.

The difference between the two text fields that use the opaque backstyle lies in the way the backstyle property is changed. For the text field labeled Opaque, the backstyle property was set to opaque, so the default background color (white) displays. For the Fill text field, the background color was changed from the default of white. This automatically changes the backstyle

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to opaque. The following procedure, which creates the sample shown above, helps to show that difference. You can set the backstyle on the following types of controls: Grid/Graphs The backstyle applies to any part of the Grid/Graph that the grid or graph that is displayed inside the Grid/Graph does not cover. For example, the grid can be smaller than the Grid/Graph container (as shown in the example in Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319). For background information about Grid/Graphs in general, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. HTML containers using HTML tags For an HTML container using a URL (iFrame), the backstyle is overwritten by the website displayed by the URL. Panel stacks For general information about panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392. Rectangles and rounded rectangles Selector containers and title bars For general information about selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. Text fields

The steps in the following procedure create the sample shown above. You can adapt these steps to change the backstyle of most control types. In addition, the Desktop Help contains instructions for changing the backstyle for each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To change the backstyle of a text field

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 Add the text field shown as the background in the sample above. To add a text field: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the text field. c Type the desired text, then press the Enter key.

3 Select the text field and follow the steps below to format it: Set Backcolor to light gray. The Backstyle automatically changes from Transparent (the default) to Opaque. This allows the fill color (the Backcolor) to be seen. Set Forecolor to white, to allow the text to be seen against the gray background. Use the Formatting toolbar to increase the size of the font to 24.

4 Create the text field containing the word Transparent as shown in the sample above. The Backstyle is set to Transparent, allowing the light gray of the background to show through the text field. 5 Add a border around the Transparent text field.

The border is not required for the backstyle. In this example, it serves to delineate the different text fields.
6 Create the text field containing the word Opaque as shown in the sample above. The light gray of the background shows through this text field and the Backstyle is set to Transparent by default. Also check the Backcolor property, which is set to white. 7 Change Backstyle to Opaque. Now the text field is white, the default backcolor. 8 Add a border around the Opaque text field. 9 Create the text field containing the word Fill as shown in the sample above. 10 Set Backcolor to red. The Backstyle automatically changes to Opaque, allowing the Backcolor of this text field to display, rather than that of the Background text field.

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11 Set Forecolor to white, to allow the text to be seen against the red background. 12 Add a border around the Fill text field.

Applying a 3D effect
You can make most types of controls appear three-dimensional, with a raised or sunken border around the control. For example, you can make a text field look like a button. In the document sample below, the text field at the top has a regular border around it, without a 3D effect. The text field on the lower left is outset, and looks like a button. This is the raised 3D effect. In contrast, the text field on the lower right is inset, and looks like a pushed button. This is the sunken 3D effect.

In addition to determining whether the control is raised or sunken, you can set the thickness of the 3D border around the control. In the sample above, the 3D border is set to 4 points for the text field on the left. The one on the right is set to 2 points. over any existing The 3D effect border settings take precedenceoriginal border settings border. If you later disable the 3D effect, the are restored. You can use the 3D effect on the following types of controls: Grid/Graphs For general information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. HTML containers Images

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Panel stacks For general information about panel stacks, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards.

Rectangles (for rounded rectangles, they appear only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web) Selectors For general information about selectors, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards.

Text fields

The steps in the following procedure create the sample shown above. You can adapt these steps to apply a 3D effect to most control types. In addition, the Desktop Help contains instructions for applying a 3D effect to each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To apply a 3D effect to text

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add three text fields, as shown in the sample above. To add a text field: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the text field. c Type the desired text, then press the Enter key.

3 Select the text field on the top. 4 Click the Border icon in the toolbar, and then select All. 5 Select the text field on the right. 6 In the Property List: Appearance section, set the 3D Effect to Sunken. This insets the text like a pushed button. 7 By default, the 3D Weight property is set to 2. This is the thickness of the 3D line, measured in points. 8 Select the text field on the left.

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9 In the Property List: Appearance section, set the 3D Effect to Raised. This outsets the text like a button that has not been pressed. 10 Set the 3D Weight property to 4. This is the thickness of the 3D line, measured in points.

Applying a drop shadow


You can apply a drop shadow to a rectangle, which causes the rectangle to appear to float above the background. In the document sample below, the rectangles on the top use drop shadows, while the rectangle on the bottom does not.

You can adjust the offset of the drop shadow to make the rectangle appear deeper. For example, the rectangle on the top left has a depth of two points, while the top right rectangle is set to five points. Acceptable values for the offset range from 1 to 20. The rectangles in the sample are transparent, so the content behind the rectangles shows through. The lines of the drop shadows are behind the rectangles, so they show through the rectangle. The drop shadows are displayed as rings, because only the border of a rectangle can cast a shadow; the body of a rectangle is see-through and does not cast shadows. In contrast, the grey rectangle shown below is opaque; the drop shadow does not show through the rectangle itself. It is displayed below and to the right of

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the rectangle. Also, the drop shadow is a solid rectangle, not a ring as displayed above. Since the rectangle itself is opaque, it casts a full shadow.

You can use drop shadows on the following types of controls: Grid/Graph containers For general information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. HTML containers Images Lines Panel stacks (all panels in the stack use the same drop shadow settings) For general information about panel stacks, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Rectangles and rounded rectangles Selectors For general information about selectors, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Text fields

The steps in the following procedure create the sample shown above. You can adapt these steps to apply a drop shadow to most control types. In addition, the Desktop Help contains instructions for applying a drop shadow to each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To apply a drop shadow to a rectangle

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 Add three rectangles, as shown in the sample above. To add a rectangle: a Click the Rectangle icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the rectangle. 3 Select the rectangle on the top left. 4 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Drop Shadow to True. This floats the rectangle above the background. 5 Set the Drop shadow depth property to 2. This is the offset of the drop shadow, in points. 6 Select the rectangle on the top right. 7 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Drop Shadow to True. 8 Set the Drop shadow depth property to 5. To view the results, click PDF View on the toolbar.

Using gradient colors


Gradient colors blend two colors to create a gradual color change in the background of a control. In the document sample below, the rectangles on the bottom use gradient colors, while the rectangle on the top uses a single, solid color.

Notice that the direction of the color change is different in the two rectangles with gradient colors. The left rectangle blends grey into white from top to bottom, while the right rectangle blends left to right (the default). This

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property is called the Gradient Variant, and you can choose from the following directions: Left to Right Right to Left Top to Bottom Bottom to Top

Three-way or mirror gradients: Flash only


Three-way or mirror gradients blend the colors from the middle of the control out to the edges. That is, one color is applied in the center of the control and the other to the edges of the control, then the two are blended. The two halves of the control are identical, as though a mirror was placed along the center of the control. You can choose to blend the colors horizontally or vertically, as shown in the rectangles below, by specifying the Gradient Variant.

Three-way gradients are displayed only in Flash Mode in Web. They are displayed as non-mirrored gradients in other Web display modes and in Desktop. For example, in Desktop the three-way gradients shown above are displayed as follows:

A horizontally centered gradient is displayed as a Left to Right variant and a vertically centered gradient as a Top to Bottom variant.

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Applying gradient colors


You can use gradient colors on the following types of controls: Grid/Graphs For general information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. HTML containers using HTML tags For an HTML container using a URL (iFrame), the gradient color is overwritten by the website displayed by the URL. Panel stacks For general information about panel stacks, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Rectangles and rounded rectangles Selector containers and title bars For general information about selectors, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Sections Text fields

The steps in the following procedure create the sample shown on page 159. You can adapt these steps to apply gradient colors to most control types. In addition, the Desktop Help contains instructions for applying gradient colors to each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To apply gradient colors to a rectangle

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add three rectangles, as shown in the sample above. To add a rectangle: a Click the Rectangle icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the rectangle. 3 Select the rectangle on the top.

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4 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backcolor to dark gray. This sets the background color of the rectangle. 5 Select the rectangle on the bottom left. 6 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backcolor to dark gray. This is the first color to apply to the rectangle. 7 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backstyle to Gradient. This indicates that the background should blend two colors. By default, the Gradient Color is set to white. The Backcolor and Gradient Color are blended together. 8 Set the Gradient Variant to Top to Bottom. This is the direction of the shading between the Backcolor and Gradient Color. 9 Select the rectangle on the bottom right. 10 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backcolor to dark gray. This is the first color to apply to the rectangle. 11 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backstyle to Gradient. This indicates that the background should blend two colors. By default, the Gradient Color is white. The Backcolor and Gradient Color are blended together. By default, the Gradient Variant is Left to Right. This is the direction of the shading between the Backcolor and Gradient Color.

Creating a pop-up tooltip


A tooltip is pop-up text that is displayed when a user positions the cursor over a control in MicroStrategy Web. You can use tooltips to provide extra information, such as the full company name in the tooltip of the company logo.

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In the document sample below, the columns are narrow to save horizontal space on the document. This does not allow for a full description of the metrics. A tooltip can provide that extra level of detail.

Tooltips are not displayed in PDF View in Desktop. You can use tooltips on the following types of controls: Grid/Graphs For general information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. HTML containers Images Lines Panel stacks For general information about panel stacks, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Rectangles and rounded rectangles Selectors For general information about selectors, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. Text fields

A tooltip can include any of the following text types, and you can combine the different types of text in the same tooltip: Static text, such as The Company, Inc. Data fields from the dataset reports, such as the Region attribute. Be sure to type the object name inside braces { } to indicate that it is a data field rather than static text.

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Auto text codes, such as the document name or the dataset report name. Be sure to type the auto text code within braces { }. For lists of the auto text codes, see Auto text codes for document information, page 60 and Auto text codes for dataset report information, page 63.

The following procedure describes how to add a tooltip to a text field; it does not re-create the sample described above since the sample contains many controls. You can adapt these steps to add a tooltip to most control types. In addition, the Desktop Help contains instructions for adding tooltips to each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To add a tooltip to a text field

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add a text field. To add a text field: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the text field. c Type the desired text, then press the Enter key.

3 In the Property List: Appearance section, type the pop-up text in the Tooltip property. To view the tooltip, open the document in MicroStrategy Web and position the cursor over the text.

Hiding a control
You can display information to other document designers in Design View (Desktop) and Design Mode (MicroStrategy Web), while hiding it from users viewing the document in all other views and modes. For instance, you could include a note in a text field about the source of data. You then hide the text field. You achieve this by placing the content that you want to hide into a control, and then hiding that control.

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The image below is a document shown in Design View. The text field selected in the Layout area on the right will not display in the PDF because its Visible property (seen in the Property List on the left) is set to False. Other text fields, such as the Revenue heading and metrics, will display.

The next image shows the same document in PDF View. The text field containing the note is not displayed, nor is there extra space between the heading and the data rows where the note is placed.

You can hide the following types of controls, as well as entire sections of a document: Grid/Graphs For general information about Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. Images Lines Panel stacks For general information about panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392.
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Rectangles and rounded rectangles Selectors For general information about selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Text fields

The steps in the following procedure create the sample shown above. You can adapt these steps to hide other control types. In addition, Desktop Help contains instructions for hiding each control type, as well as by using a specific interface.
To hide a text field in PDF View

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Add text fields, as shown in the sample above. To add a text field: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the text field. c Type the desired text, then press the Enter key.

3 Select the text field that you want to hide. 4 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Visible to False. This control will not be displayed in PDF View, although it will continue to show in Design View. To view the results, click PDF View on the toolbar.

Formatting text fields


Text fields in a document can contain static text, data fields, auto text codes, or combinations of these text types. When you add a new text field, its formatting is determined by the control defaults, but you can change any of the formatting options. The following list provides some useful formatting

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suggestions. For information on basic options such as formatting fonts and borders, and changing other text field properties, see the Desktop Help. Make the text field appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For an example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Let the content behind the text field show through by setting the backstyle to transparent. You can also allow a fill color to cover what is behind the text field by setting the backstyle to opaque. For an example, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152. Float the text field above the background by using a drop shadow. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Create a gradual color change by blending two colors using gradient colors. For an example, see Using gradient colors, page 159. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the control in MicroStrategy Web with a tooltip. The tooltip can provide extra information, such as an expanded description of a metric. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. You can display text vertically (up and down the page) rather than horizontally. Vertical text is displayed in PDF View, in all MicroStrategy Web display modes, and when the document is exported to Excel. For an example of vertical text, see Displaying text vertically, page 171. Display information to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop) and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. To do this, you hide the control that contains the information by using the Visible property. For instance, you could include a note in a text field about the source of data. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164. Determine how to display the text when it is larger than the dimensions of the text field. The text can be clipped, or a scroll bar can be provided. Scroll bars are displayed in Express Mode and Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, and when a document is exported to HTML. For examples and instructions, see Clipping text or displaying scroll bars in text fields, page 168. Set Number formatting options such as decimal spaces, currency symbols, time formats, zip code formats, and so on, as described in Formatting numbers, page 169. Change Text layout options such as word wrap and padding, control how the text is displayed within the borders of the text field. They are

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found in the Text section of the Property List. For a list of the available options, see Formatting text position in a text field, page 173. Complete instructions for formatting text fields using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help.

Clipping text or displaying scroll bars in text fields


A scroll bar can be displayed for a text field, if the text does not fit in within the size of the text field. For example, if the height of a text field is fixed, the text field does not expand to fit the contents. Only the text that can fit within the size of the text field is displayed; in other words, the text is clipped. Clipped text is shown in the text field at the top of the document sample below.

Alternatively, a scroll bar can be displayed, so that a user can scroll through all of the text. This option is shown in the text field at the bottom of the document sample above. Notice that the scroll bar has been moved to the left, to show the end of the text. Scroll bars are displayed in Express Mode and Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, and when the document is exported to HTML. Use the Text overflow (HTML) setting to determine how to display the text when it is larger than the dimensions of the text field, as described below.
To clip text or display scroll bars in text fields

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the text field to display scroll bars for, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Layout tab.

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4 Select one of the following from the Text overflow (HTML) drop-down list: To display only the text that can fit within the size of the text field, select Clip. To display a scroll bar to allow a user to view all of the text, select Scroll.

The scroll bar is most useful when the Height mode is set to Fixed.
5 Click OK to return to the document.

Formatting numbers
Number formatting options include decimal spaces, currency symbols, time formats, zip code formats, and so on. For example, the text fields in the following document sample have different number formats applied to them. The one on the left is a date in the MM/DD/YYYY format, while the one in the middle, another date, is in the Month Date, Year format. The text field on the right is a number formatted as currency, with no decimal.

Text fields are the only control type to allow number formatting.
The following procedure guides you through creating the sample shown above. See the Desktop Help for procedures to perform all types of number formatting.

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To set number formatting for a text field

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. Use a document with a dataset that contains dates and numbers. 2 Add two date text fields and a numeric text field, as shown in the sample above. To add a text field: a Click the Text icon in the toolbar. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the text field. c Type the desired text, then press the Enter key.

3 Select the text field on the left. 4 In the Property List: Data section, click the button in the Number formatting property. The Number tab of the Format Objects dialog box opens. 5 Select Date in the Category list. 6 Select 07/19/2000 in the Formatting area. 7 Click OK to return to the document. 8 Select the middle text field. 9 Repeat steps 4-7 above, except select July 19, 2000 in the Formatting area. 10 Select the text field on the right. 11 In the Property List: Data section, click the button in the Number formatting property. The Number tab of the Format Objects dialog box opens. 12 Select Currency in the Category list. 13 Set Decimal Places to 0 (zero). 14 Select $ as the Currency Symbol. 15 Click OK to return to the document.

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To view the results, click PDF View on the toolbar.

Displaying text vertically


Text is usually displayed horizontally, that is, across the page. You can change the orientation of text within text fields to display text vertically, or up and down the page, as shown below:

A text field can be turned: 90 degrees, which displays the text from bottom to top, as shown above by the text Vertical: 90 degrees -90 degrees, which displays the text from top to bottom, as shown above by the text Vertical: -90 degrees

Vertical text is displayed in PDF View, in all MicroStrategy Web display modes, and when the document is exported to Excel. It is not displayed in Design View in Desktop, and the Firefox browser does not display vertical text.

To display vertical text in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the fonts must be embedded and swf files must be included in the document, as
described in Embedding fonts for Flash Mode, page 249.
To display text vertically

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the text field to be formatted. 3 From the Format menu, select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 4 Click the Alignment tab.

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5 Set Text direction to either: 90 degrees, to print the text from bottom to top -90 degrees, to print the text from top to bottom

specify padding The Alignment tab also allows youoftothe text field) and(the space between the text and the borders alignment within the text field. For examples of padding, see Vertical text and padding, page 172; for a description of the text display properties, see Formatting text position in a text field, page 173. 6 Click OK to return to the document. To view the vertical text, click PDF View on the toolbar.

Vertical text and padding


Padding defines the space between the text and the borders of the text field (left, right, top, and bottom). For example, the Top padding property defines the space between the text and the top border of the text field. For the horizontal text field shown below, it is set to 10. All other padding values remain at the default of one. The height mode is set to fixed, so that the text field does not expand or contract to fit the contents. Copy the text field to create a second text field. On this text field, set Text direction to 90 Degrees to display the text field vertically. Update the text to reflect its new position. As shown in the image below, Top padding still defines the space between the text and the top border of the text field.

You can set padding using either the Property List or the Alignment tab of the Format Objects dialog box. For detailed instructions, see the Desktop Help.

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Formatting text position in a text field


Text display properties control how the text is displayed within the borders of the text field. They include the following options: Horizontal alignment: Controls how the text is aligned horizontally within the control boundaries. The options are centered, left-aligned, or right-aligned. By default, text fields are left-aligned. Word wrap: Determines whether the text is displayed on a single line or multiple lines within the control boundaries. By default, the text field wraps words to multiple lines. Text direction: Controls the orientation of the text within the text field. The options are horizontal, 90 degrees (text is displayed from bottom to top), and -90 degrees (text is displayed from top to bottom). By default, text fields are horizontally oriented. For examples of text direction, see Displaying text vertically, page 171. Padding: Defines the space between the text and the borders of the text field. You can specify different amounts of padding between the text and each side of the text field (top, bottom, left, and right). For an example of padding, see Vertical text and padding, page 172.

fields are control that specify word wrap and Textdirection. the onlytitle barstypepanellet you and Grid/Graphs, you text For the of stacks can specify padding and both horizontal and vertical alignment. For instructions, see Formatting panels and panel stacks, page 410 and Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319.

Formatting HTML containers


An HTML container can contain either of the following: The URL of a website (known as an iFrame) to display the website within the document Text and HTML tags to display formatted content in the document

For examples and information about creating HTML containers, see Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121.

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When you insert an HTML container into a document, its formatting is initially determined by the control defaults. However, you can then change any of the formatting options for the new HTML container. Formatting options, such as borders and background colors, apply to the HTML container itself, not to anything placed inside the container. Examples for formatting the HTML container include 3D borders and background colors, as shown in the first sample below, and drop shadows, as shown in the second sample.

HTML container formatting options do not affect what the HTML container displays (either the text or the website). The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions for all HTML containers. Create a border around the HTML container. To create a basic border, click the Border icon in the Formatting toolbar, and select the border type. For details on all border formatting options, see the Desktop Help. Make an HTML container appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For instructions, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Float the HTML container above the background by using a drop shadow. For instructions, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the HTML container in MicroStrategy Web. The pop-up text is called a tooltip, and can provide extra information, such as a description of a website. For an example of a tooltip, and instructions to create them, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162.

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For an HTML container that displays formatted text using HTML tags, you can also format the HTML container in the following ways: Allow the content behind the HTML container to show through by setting the backstyle of the HTML container to transparent. You can also allow a fill color to cover what is behind the HTML container by setting the backstyle to opaque. For an example and instructions, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152. Select the background color of the HTML container by setting the backcolor. To set the background color, click the Fill icon in the Formatting toolbar, and select the color from the drop-down menu. For details on all background formatting options, see the Desktop Help. Create a gradual color change by blending two colors using gradient colors. For an example and instructions, see Using gradient colors, page 159. Format the font of the text displayed by the HTML container. Font format options include the font type, size, and color, as well as whether it is bolded or italicized. You can use the Formatting toolbar to format the text. For more detailed instructions, see the Desktop Help. font ThisHTMLformatting is overwritten by font formatting provided in the tags, as explained below. The formatting of the content inside the HTML container is determined by either the HTML tags or the website displayed by the URL. For an HTML container that contains HTML tags, any font formatting not specified in the HTML tags is provided by the MicroStrategy formatting options. For example, the following HTML container, shown in Design View, contains HTML tags. The HTML tags do not apply to the text until the document is displayed in MicroStrategy Web. The HTML tags format the first line as a heading 2. The second line is displayed in a blue Courier font by the HTML tags. The third line does not use any HTML tags. Notice that the Property

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List for the HTML container indicates that the object uses a black Tahoma font (the Forecolor property is the color of the font).

The same HTML container is shown below in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Notice that the second line is displayed in a blue Courier font (as defined by the HTML tag), unlike the black Tahoma font of the other lines (which use the font properties defined for the HTML container). The first line is bolded and displayed in a larger font than the other lines because of the h2 HTML tag. The other lines display in the font size indicated for the HTML container.

The font formatting for an HTML container applies only to HTML containers that use HTML tags. For example, the following HTML container is an iFrame, using a URL to display a website. The font is defined to display as an italicized gray.

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The same HTML container is displayed below in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The website determines how the text is displayed. In this case, it is black and not italicized.

Complete instructions for formatting HTML containers using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help.

Formatting shapes
When you insert a shape into a document, its formatting is determined by the control defaults. However, you can change any of the formatting options. There are some differences between rectangles and rounded rectangles: The borders, including 3D effects, on rounded rectangles are rendered only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For information on Flash Mode, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9. Rounded rectangles have additional properties to define the radius of the rounded corners and whether rounded corners are displayed for the top corners only or all four corners. For examples and instructions, see Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode, page 178.

The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions. For information on basic options such as formatting borders, see the Desktop Help. Make a rectangle appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. You cannot use 3D effects on lines. For rounded rectangles, 3D effects appear only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For an example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Allow the content behind the rectangle to show through by setting the backstyle to transparent. You can also allow a fill color to cover what is behind the rectangle by setting the backstyle to opaque. For an example, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152.

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Float the rectangle or rounded rectangle above the background by using a drop shadow. Lines do not use drop shadows. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Create a gradual color change by blending two colors using gradient colors. You can apply gradient colors to rectangles and rounded rectangles, but not to lines. For an example, see Using gradient colors, page 159. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the shape in MicroStrategy Web with a tooltip. The tooltip can provide extra information, such as an expanded description of a metric. You can use tooltips on rectangles, rounded rectangles, and lines. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. Display a shape to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop) and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode on MicroStrategy Web. Rectangles, rounded rectangles, and lines can all be displayed in Design View only. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164. Control how rounded corners are displayed for rounded rectangles in Flash Mode. You can define the radius and select whether rounded corners are displayed for the top corners or all four corners. For an example, see Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode, page 178.

Complete instructions for formatting lines and rectangles using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help.

Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode


rounded rectangles and panel Rounded corners are used onThis section focuses on roundedstacks in documents and dashboards. rectangles, although the properties are the same for panel stacks. For specific information on rounded corners on panel stacks, including examples and a procedure, see Displaying rounded corners on panel stacks (Flash Mode only), page 416. The rounded rectangles shown below are displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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The rounded corners properties apply to Flash Mode only. In PDF View or other Web display modes, rounded corners display as square, right-angle corners. That is, rounded rectangles and rectangles look the same in PDF View and in all Web display modes except Flash Mode. You can control how rounded corners are displayed for rounded rectangles in Flash Mode by: Defining the radius, which sets how round the corners are. A larger radius produces a more rounded corner. The range is 1-20. Selecting whether rounded corners are displayed for the top corners only or all four corners.

In the document sample above, the corners of the left rectangle are more rounded than those on the right rectangle. The corner radius of the left rectangle is set to 10, while the right rectangle has a corner radius of four (the default). Notice also that the right rectangle has rounded corners on the top only, while all four corners of the left rectangle are rounded. The following procedure re-creates the sample. See the Desktop Help for steps to perform all types of formatting for rectangles and rounded rectangles.
To control the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add two rounded rectangles, as shown in the sample above. To add a rectangle: a Click the arrow next to the Rectangle icon in the toolbar, and select Rounded Rectangle. b Click and drag in the desired section of the Layout area to create the rectangle. 3 Select the rectangle on the left. 4 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Rounded corner radius to 10. The range for the corner radius is 1 to 20. Higher numbers produce a more rounded corner, while lower numbers produce a straighter corner. 5 Select the rectangle on the right.
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6 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Top corners only to True. To view the effect, open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Formatting images
When you insert an image into a document, its formatting is determined by the control default. However, you can change any of the formatting options. The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions. For information on basic options such as formatting borders, see the Desktop Help. Make an image appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For an example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Float the image above the background by using a drop shadow. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the image in MicroStrategy Web with a tooltip. The tooltip can provide extra information, such as an expanded description of a metric. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. Display an image to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop and Web) and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode on MicroStrategy Web. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164.

Complete instructions for formatting images using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help.

Formatting sections
You can format each document section individually. Your formatting choices include: Whether to hide or display document sections. For examples and instructions, see Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document, page 181.

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Defining the background color of each document section. For instructions, see Formatting the background color of document sections, page 186. Displaying the detail sections horizontally across the page. Detail sections include the Detail Header, Detail Footer, and Detail. You can display all three sections horizontally or just the Detail section horizontally. For examples and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186. Changing the size of document sections. You can define a document section as a set size that does not vary, or as a variable size that grows or shrinks within set limits. For examples and instructions, see Changing the size of a section, page 188. Specifying whether the entire contents of a document section are repeated on the next horizontal page when a section spans multiple pages. This is generally used with Grid/Graphs, particularly those with uncertain widths, so that the Grid/Graph is labeled on every page that it stretches to. For examples and instructions, see Repeating information horizontally, page 194. Specifying how page breaks within document sections are handled. If a document section begins in the middle of a page and spans multiple pages, the remainder of the section can be printed on the same page, or the section can start on the next page. This can help keep column labels with the data they identify. For examples and instructions, see Keeping the contents of a section together, page 195. Specifying how row heights are determined when the document is exported to Excel. You can choose to have all the rows be the same height or to allow Excel to automatically adjust the row height to fit the data. For instructions and an example, see Allowing Excel to automatically change row height, page 257.

Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document


By default, all the sections of a document are displayed to users in all views in Desktop and in all modes in MicroStrategy Web. However, if a document section is empty (that is, it does not contain any controls), that section is not displayed to users.

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In certain scenarios, you do not want an end user, or a certain group of end users, to be able to view particular document sections. For example: As a designer, you want to work only in a single large section, such as in a dashboard, thus using all the available space in the Document Editor. This one section is displayed to all users in all views. For more details and instructions, see Hiding a section from users and designers, page 182. You create a number of documents that should have specific sections hidden. To simplify and standardize the documents, you can create a template that hides those sections. You can then use the template to create the documents, and by default only the selected sections are displayed. For more details and instructions, see Hiding a section from users and designers, page 182. A section contains information that makes sense in a printed document but not in one displayed in MicroStrategy Web. For example, the Page Footer section in a document contains page numbers. You can hide the Page Footer in all MicroStrategy Web modes but display it in PDF View. The section is still displayed in Design View in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. For more details and instructions, see Displaying a section in the PDF only, page 184. A section contains data that is displayed only when a specific condition is met. This scenario uses conditional formatting, which is described in Using prompts in documents, page 766, and the Visible property, which is described in Hiding a control, page 164. A section contains internal notes about the source of the data and when to run the document. You do not want users to see this information; only document designers should be able to view it. The section must be hidden in PDF View in Desktop and in all MicroStrategy Web modes except Design Mode. For an example and a procedure, see Hiding a control, page 164. Although the example discusses controls specifically, hiding a section works the same way.

Hiding a section from users and designers


As a designer, you may want to work in a single large section, such as in a dashboard, thereby optimizing your workspace by using all the available space in the Document Editor. This one section is displayed to all users in all views. All other sections are hidden from users in the finished document and from you in Design View. Displaying a single section can be practical when designing dashboard documents (a dashboard is a visually intuitive and interactive display of data

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that summarizes key business indicators for a quick status check), since dashboards are typically only one page long. A quick way to create a document with only one section displayed is to use the Blank Dashboard template as the starting point for your dashboard. The single section on the template is defined as being 6.5 inches high. For a more detailed description of the Blank Dashboard template, see Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template, page 389; for information on dashboards in general, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards. You are not limited to displaying only a single section; you can select which sections to display and which to hide. For example, you need to create a number of documents that should have specific sections hidden. To simplify and standardize the documents, create a template that hides those sections. You can then use the template to create the documents, and by default only the selected sections are displayed. For instructions on creating and using templates, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.

Note the following:


You cannot hide all the sections; at least one section must be displayed.

For a multi-layout document, a section that is hidden in all views in one layout is not automatically hidden in the other layouts. You can hide and display different sections for different layouts. You can use the steps below to hide or display sections in different layouts. For background information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

As a designer, you may want to temporarily display only the specific sections that you are editing right now. Rather than hide sections from users, you should expand and collapse sections as described in Collapsing or expanding document sections as you design, page 37.
To hide or display sections to users and designers

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to change.

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3 Select Sections from the View menu. The Sections category of the Layout Properties dialog box opens. 4 Clear the check box for any section that you want to hide.

You cannot hide all the sections; at least one section must be displayed.
5 If a section is hidden but should be displayed, select its check box. 6 Click OK to return to the document. Only the selected sections are displayed.

Displaying a section in the PDF only


A document section can contain information that makes sense in a printed document but not in one displayed in MicroStrategy Web. For example, the Page Footer section in a document contains page numbers. You can hide the Page Footer in all MicroStrategy Web modes but display it in PDF View. The section is still displayed in Design View in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. (For descriptions and comparisons of the all Web display modes, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9.) The following image shows a document in PDF View in Desktop, displaying page numbers at the top of the page.

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The next image shows the same document in Express Mode on Web. Notice that the page numbers are not displayed.

in Web The Visible availableView Mode property, which controls thisLayout behavior, is only for the Document Header/Footer, Header/Footer, and Page Header/Footer sections. The following procedure guides you through creating the sample shown above.
To display a section in the PDF only

1 Open the document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to change. 3 If the Property List is not displayed, from the View menu, select Property List. 4 Use one of the following methods to select the section to be hidden: Click the top boundary of the section to select it. Select the section from the drop-down list at the top of the Property List.

5 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Visible in Web View mode to False. To view the document as a PDF, click PDF View in the toolbar. To view the document in a Web display mode, you must open it in MicroStrategy Web.

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Formatting the background color of document sections


You can format the background color of each section in a document. Different interfaces are more useful depending on what you want to format. You can format a section in the following ways: Set the background color and style, or the background gradient color and style, by selecting the name of the section in the Property List and setting the Backcolor, Backstyle, Gradient Color, and Gradient Variant properties. Select a single color or gradient colors for the background using the Format Objects dialog box. Click the upper boundary of the section, and then choose Format from the Format menu. Select a single color for the background by right-clicking in any blank area of the section, choosing Fill, and then selecting the color. You can only select a single color with this method; you cannot use it to define gradients.

Gradients blend two colors to create a gradual color change in the background of the section. For an example and instructions to apply gradient colors, see Using gradient colors, page 159.

Displaying sections horizontally


By default, all sections are displayed and printed vertically in a document. That is, the Detail Header is displayed below the Document Header, the Detail is displayed below the Detail Header, and so on, as described in Document sections overview, page 38. However, the detail sections can be displayed horizontally across the page. That is, the Detail Header is displayed next to the Detail, followed by the Detail Footer, in a horizontal row across the page. Detail sections include the Detail Header, Detail Footer, and Detail. You can display all three sections horizontally or just the Detail section horizontally. group horizontally, as described in Displaying You can also display a page 273. a group horizontally, Displaying the sections horizontally provides another way to customize the presentation and display of your information. For example, the following document presents the monthly revenue for 2004 in two columns down the page, showing the default vertical display. Notice the extra white space on

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the right side of the paper. The title Monthly Revenue is displayed in the Detail Header, while Month and Revenue are placed in the Detail section.

Displaying the Detail section horizontally displays the monthly revenue across the page, as shown in the document sample below. The Revenue metric was moved below Month, to present a half year of data across a single sheet of paper.

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The following image shows the same document in Design View. The Detail Header contains the title, while the Detail section contains Month and Revenue. The Detail section is displayed horizontally.

Horizontally displayed sections have additional properties to control the horizontal width. For a list of these properties, and a width sizing example, see Changing the horizontal width of a section, page 191.
To display and print detail sections horizontally

1 Right-click in the Detail Header, Detail, or Detail Footer section and select Detail Properties. The Detail Properties dialog box opens. 2 To horizontally display only the Detail section, select the Render Detail horizontally check box. 3 To horizontally display all the detail sections, select the Render Detail header and footer horizontally check box. The Render Detail horizontally check box is automatically selected as well. 4 Click OK.

Changing the size of a section


While designing a document, you can drag the lower boundary of a section to make it larger or smaller. However, by default, when you view a document as a PDF its sections expand to fit the controls that they contain. They do not

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shrink when the controls are smaller than the section size. You can change this behavior by setting the Height can shrink property to True. Then the section is only as big as necessary to display all the information in the section. You can define a section as a set size that does not vary, or as a variable size that grows or shrinks within set limits. To do this, set the Size properties of the section, as described below.

Snap to Grid (see Snapping to the alignment grid, page 138) does not apply to section sizing.
You can use these properties in combination with each other to create the following size designs: Fit to contents: The size of the section adjusts automatically to the contents, without any waste of space.

Maximum height: set to zero Height can grow: True Height can shrink: True

Fixed height: The height of the section remains the same, regardless of its contents.

Height: desired size of the section Height can grow: False Height can shrink: False

Grow to a maximum height: The height of the section adjusts automatically to its contents but it will not exceed the set maximum.

Maximum height: maximum size of the section Height can grow: True Height can shrink: True

Shrink to a minimum height: The height of the section adjusts automatically to its contents but will not contract below the set minimum.

Height: minimum size of the section Maximum height: set to zero Height can grow: True

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Height can shrink: False

Vary within a set range: The height of the section adjusts automatically to its contents but will not exceed the set maximum nor contract below the set minimum.

Height: minimum size of the section Maximum height: maximum size of the section Height can grow: True Height can shrink: False

Maximum is less than Iffixed heightHeightto the size setHeight, the section is displayed with a equal in Height. When exported to HTML or viewed in HTML, a document section uses the Height setting, regardless of the Height can grow or Maximum height settings. For example, the height of a document section is defined as 1.5 inches, the maximum height as 10, and Height can grow is selected. The data in the document section is longer than 1.5 inches. In HTML View or when exported to HTML, the document section is only 1.5 inches high, and the data is cut off. This occurs because the exact height cannot be determined during HTML rendering. To allow all the data to be displayed, specify a more accurate Height setting. The Hide if empty property can also be used with any of these size designs. If it is set to True, the section does not display if it contains no data. If it is set to False, the section displays according to the size properties, even if the section does not contain any data.

Section sizing example


The Detail Header section of a document contains column header labels. You want to provide white space as part of this section, so that it does not shrink beyond a minimum size. You can make the section half an inch tall by dragging the sections border, or by setting the Height property to .5, and then setting the Height can shrink property to False.

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An example of this is shown below.

Notice that the labels are less than half an inch from the top of the Detail Header. If the Height can shrink property was set to True, the labels would print right above the Detail. Instead, there is a buffer of white space between the labels and the data of the document:

For instructions, see To change the size of a section in a document, page 193.

Changing the horizontal width of a section


A horizontally displayed section prints horizontally across a page and therefore needs additional Size properties to control the horizontal size. These properties are: Width Width can grow Width can shrink Maximum width

You can define a horizontally displayed section as a set width that does not vary, or as a variable width that grows or shrinks within set limits according to the size of its content.

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For example, to use a specific width, type the size in the Width property. Set the Width can grow and Width can shrink properties to False. smaller than the right-most The width should not beThis ensures that controls areedge of the controls in the section. displayed regardless of their position. To adjust the width to the contents automatically, without wasting space, set Maximum width to zero. Set the Width can grow and Width can shrink properties to True. For general information on horizontally displayed sections, including examples and instructions, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186.

Section width sizing example


The document shown below contains the text field Monthly Revenue in the Detail Header, with the Month attribute and the Revenue metric in the Detail section. The Detail section is displayed horizontally and is set to a width of 1.8.

Only a portion of the document is displayed above.


The amount of space between the months is too large, so you want to reduce the space between them. You could adjust the size of the Detail section until you find the correct fit, or you can adjust the width to the contents automatically. To do the latter, set Maximum width to zero, and set both Width can grow and Width can shrink to True. The columns of months and revenue amounts are now close together, and more data fits across the page, as shown below.

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Changing the size of a section


To change the size of a section in a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the section to resize. 3 Do one of the following: Use the Properties dialog box: From the Format menu, select Properties. Then click the Layout tab. Use the Property List: Locate the Size section of properties.

4 Specify the height, as described below: Height can grow: determines whether the section height can expand to fit its contents. The section height does not change in Design View. Height can shrink: determines whether the section height can shrink to fit its contents. The section height does not change in Design View. Height: sets the height of the section. Maximum height: sets the maximum height for the section. Zero (0) indicates that there is no height limit.

5 If the section is displayed horizontally (that is, across the page), you can specify the width of the section: Width can grow: determines whether the section width can expand to fit its contents. The section width does not change in Design View. Width can shrink: determines whether the section width can shrink to fit its contents. The section width does not change in Design View. Width: sets the width of the section. Maximum width: sets the maximum width for the section. Zero (0) indicates that there is no width limit.

6 By default, the section displays only if it contains content. To display the section whether or not it has content, clear Hide if empty. 7 If you are working in the Properties dialog box, click OK to return to the document.

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Repeating information horizontally


When a section spans multiple pages, you can specify whether or not the entire contents of the section are repeated on the next horizontal page. The Repeat horizontally setting is generally used with Grid/Graphs, particularly those with uncertain widths, so that you are not sure of the number of pages that the Grid/Graph will extend to. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph, and you want to be sure that the data on it is labelled, even if it wraps to the next page. Enable the Repeat horizontally option so that you can be sure that the Grid/Graph will be labeled on every page that it stretches to. If multiple Grid/Graphs are placed on the same document, this setting can help a user easily identify which Grid/Graph is which. To create the sample document below, an additional section is added within the Detail Header section. (For information on adding additional sections, see Inserting additional sections in documents, page 45.) Label text is placed in the first section and the Repeat horizontally check box is selected for that section. A Grid/Graph displayed as a grid is placed in the second section. When the Grid/Graph wraps to the second page, the label text is repeated to identify the Grid/Graph. In this case, the Grid/Graph is so wide that it extends six pages horizontally. The bottom part of the Grid/Graph begins on page seven, as shown in the following sample pages.

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To repeat information horizontally

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the section to repeat. 3 In the Property List, locate the Page Break section. Select True from the drop-down list in the Repeat horizontally property.

Keeping the contents of a section together


When a page break occurs within a document section, the remainder of the section is printed on the next page. To print the section on a single page, set the Keep together property to True. If the section cannot fit on one page, it starts on a new page and continues printing on the following pages.

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You can use this option to, for example, keep column labels in text fields with the data fields that they identify. If the column labels of a section are stranded at the bottom of a page, with the corresponding data at the top of the next page, apply the Keep together setting to that section. data for a together in a similar manner. You can also keepKeeping thegroup in a group together on a page,For instructions, see data page 283.
To keep the contents of a section together on a page

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the section to keep together. 3 Do one of the following: Use the Properties dialog box: From the Format menu, select Properties. Then click the Layout tab. Use the Property List: Locate the Page Break section of properties.

4 Select the Keep together property check box, or from the drop-down list in the Property List, select True. 5 Click OK. more details the settings on the For Desktop Help.aboutview this, press F1 orProperties dialog box, see the To click Help.

Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults


A control default is a set of formats that is applied to a specific type of control (text fields, HTML containers, and so on). There is one control default for each control type. All controls of that type therefore display uniform formatting. When you create a new object, the object is automatically formatted by the control default for its control type. You can then change the formatting of

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that object to suit your needs. You can also change the default formatting for a control type by changing the control default. document sections, but is applied A control default exists foror group footer is created, not whenonly when a new group header additional sections are added. For details, see Control defaults for document sections, page 198. For example, the control default for text fields specifies that the font of all new text fields is Arial size 10 and black. Create two new text fields, Text1 and Text2, as shown below:

The text in both controls is displayed according to the control default. That is, both are Arial size 10 and black. Format Text1 as Courier New size 14 and light blue. Set the control default to use Text1s format. Create a third text field, Text3. It is automatically formatted like Text1 (Courier New size 14 and light blue), as shown below:

Notice that the format of Text2 did not change. When you change the control default, existing controls are not affected, because the control default is not linked to any existing controls in the document. Only controls created after the control default formatting is changed will reflect the new default formatting. If you want an existing control to be formatted in the same way as the control default, you can manually apply the control default to an existing control. For example, select Text2 and apply the control default. It is now formatted like Text1 and Text3, with Courier New size 14 and light blue. you copy paste a control Control defaults areanot used whenformattingandthe copied or or when you duplicate control. The of duplicated control is copied or duplicated along with the control itself.
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Control defaults can include any formatting property, such as font color, background color, borders, and so on, that applies to the control type. For example, you cannot format the font of a line since it does not have a font. Therefore, the control default for lines does not include font formatting settings. For Grid/Graphs, the control default affects only the report Autostyle. (A report Autostyle is a set of predefined formats used for reports and for Grid/Graphs in documents; a report Autostyle is different than a document Autostyle, discussed in Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215. For information on report Autostyles, see Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options, page 313 and the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.) Autostyles, available in List for a document, Default gridway to define the controlthe PropertyGrid/Graphs. To set are another default for the default grid Autostyle, select Document Properties from the Format menu. On the Document tab, select the report Autostyle from the Default Grid Autostyle drop-down list. A default grid Autostyle applies to all layouts of a multi-layout document.
To define the default formatting for a control type

1 Format a control as you want the default formatting for this control type to look. 2 Right-click it and select Set Control Defaults. All new controls of that control type are formatted using the control default formatting. the existing You can also apply For control default toApplyingcontrols of the default same control type. instructions, see formatting to a control or document section, page 199.

Control defaults for document sections


Document sections, although not a control type, have a control default. The control default includes all the properties of the document section, such as background color, height, and page breaks. You can format a document section, set it as the control default for sections, and apply the control default to any existing section. The control default is

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automatically applied to new group sections, but not when you insert additional sections, as described below: When you create a new group, a Group Header section and a Group Footer section are created. These sections are formatted according to the control default for document sections. When you insert a new document section, the new section is formatted the same as the section to which it is added. For example, if you add a section below the Detail Header, the new section is formatted like the Detail Header.

For instructions on grouping a document, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. For instructions to add sections, see Inserting additional sections in documents, page 45.

Applying default formatting to a control or document section


If you change the control default formatting, existing controls are not affected, because the control default is not linked to any existing controls in the document. If you want the format of an existing control to be consistent with new controls, you can apply the control default to the existing control to change its formatting. You can also use a control default for document sections in the same way, by setting the control default and then applying it to an existing document section. This is also helpful when you create a number of controls of the same type, format one as desired, and want to apply the same formatting to existing controls as well as to any new ones that you create later. paste formatting to You can also use copy andFor information and copy formatting between existing objects. instructions, see Copying and pasting formatting, page 151.
To apply default formatting to a control or document section

1 Open the document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the control or document section to be formatted and select Apply Control Defaults.

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Formatting conditional data in documents


Certain data on your document can assume special significance (such as Sales > 1000, or Date of Sale prior to December 1, 2003). Conditional formatting allows you to draw immediate attention to such data based on the result of a condition evaluation. If a condition evaluates to TRUE, the data can be: Hidden. Formatted in a particular way, for example, bold red font for Sales below $1000. Replaced by text, such as East for regions in the eastern US. This replacement text can also be formatted. Replaced by a symbol, such as a diamond for sales above $100,000. These replacement symbols can also be formatted.

Conditional formatting allows you to format specified data in your document depending on predefined criteria. The criteria are defined in attribute or metric qualifications (also known as conditions), such as Customer Order Amount >100 or City = Miami. Conditional formatting allows the data in controls and document sections to be formatted by data-driven conditions. Like thresholds in reports, conditional formatting allows you to alert document recipients to data that is likely to be important for making business decisions. Conditional formatting provides the flexibility to personalize documents based on the data returned by the dataset reports. For example, a document contains customer order information. Any customers with an order over $100 in the past three months can be displayed in italicized blue font, to ensure that they receive special promotions. Any customers who live in a particular city can be displayed in a bold red font, so that they can receive a notice about a new store opening there. A conditional format is the combination of a control, a condition, and formatting properties which are applied to the controls data that meets the condition. Objects of all control types except Grid/Graph can use conditional

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formatting. The following table lists the control types and the types of conditional formatting available for each.
Control Type Image Line Rectangle Text field Conditional Formatting Hide object Formatting: Borders Hide object Formatting: Line style, color, and weight Hide object Formatting: Background color; Line style, color, and weight Hide object Replacement text and symbols Formatting: All formatting properties Hide object Formatting: Background color Replacement text, symbols, and images Formatting: All formatting properties You can apply conditional formatting (or thresholds) to an object in a Grid/Graph, but the method is slightly different. For information on creating thresholds in reports, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

Section Grid/Graph

Derived metrics and summary metrics can be used to create conditional formatting; calculated expressions cannot.

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For example, the following document contains cost, profit, and revenue by region and employee, and is grouped by region.

The document needs to provide a quick summary of the profit information, so the profit data must be replaced with a green diamond if the profit is

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$100,000 or greater, and a red stop sign (that is, a hexagon) if it is less. The final document looks like the following:

While this example uses a metric from the dataset report in the condition, you can also use derived metrics, summary metrics, and attributes in the condition. For examples, see Derived metrics, summary metrics, and attributes in conditional formatting, page 205.

Creating conditional formatting


The first step in creating a conditional format is to define the qualification. The next step is to specify the formatting. procedures in this section Thethe document shown above;only define the conditional formatting for they do not include adding the text fields, grouping, and so on to re-create the entire document.
To create a conditional format

1 Open the document in the Document Editor.

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2 From the Format menu, choose Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box opens. 3 In the drop-down list at the far left of the toolbar, select the control or section to apply conditional formatting to. For this example, select the Profit metric text field.

4 In the toolbar, click the Add a new threshold icon to add a new conditional format definition. The new conditional format appears below the toolbar, labeled New Threshold. 5 Rename the new conditional format by selecting New Threshold and typing the new name. For this example, type Profit => $100K.

To define the qualification for a conditional format

6 In the conditional format box that you just created, click the text Click here to start a new qualification. A qualification is the actual condition that must be met for the conditional formatting to be applied. 7 Click Field, then select the attribute or metric to qualify on. The list includes all the attributes and metrics in all of the datasets on the document. For this example, select Profit.

8 Click Operator to choose an operator, such as Exactly or In List. The operators available for selection depend on whether you selected an attribute or a metric as the Field. For this example, select Greater than or equal to.

9 Click Value to select a value. Depending on the Field and Operator chosen, Value can be a box to enter numbers or text, a list of attribute elements, or another field drop-down list. For this example, click Type a value, type 100000, then press ENTER.

Now that you have set the condition that triggers the formatting, you must specify the formatting.

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To specify the formatting for a conditional format

By default, the control or section is formatted. You can instead hide the control or section, replace the text on the document with new text, or replace the text on the document with a symbol. For this example, the text is replaced with a symbol; only those instructions are included below. Instructions for the other options are provided in the Desktop Help. 10 Click Format in the middle of the conditional format box and select Quick Symbol. 11 Click the diamond symbol in the box next to the drop-down list. 12 To color the diamond green, click the Edit the threshold formatting icon on the toolbar. 13 On the Font tab, select a shade of green from the drop-down list in Color. 14 Click OK to return to the Conditional Formatting dialog box. Repeat the steps above to replace the Profit metric with a red hexagon if the value is below $100,000. The differences are listed below: In step 5, name the conditional format Profit < $100K. In step 8, select Less than. In step 11, select the hexagon. In step 13, select a shade of red.

After you have created both conditional formats, click OK to return to the document. When you create the PDF, the document should look like the sample shown on page 203.

Derived metrics, summary metrics, and attributes in conditional formatting


Conditional formatting can use derived metrics and summary metrics in the condition definition. For example, the following document contains cost, profit, and revenue by region and employee, and is grouped by region. A summary metric for the average profit is displayed in the Region Header. For

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regions with an average profit less than $100,000, the region name appears in a box.

You do not have to use a metric as the condition; you can also use attributes. For example, you want to quickly identify employees who work in the North (that is, either the Northeast or Northwest region). Therefore, the condition definition is Region In list {Northeast, Northwest}.

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In the following sample, the Northeast employees are highlighted, but not the Mid-Atlantic employees. If any Northwest employees were displayed in the sample, their names would be highlighted as well.

Conditional formatting on selector totals


Selectors provide interactivity to dashboards, allowing each user to change how he sees the data. A selector can change panels, the focus of a Grid/Graph, or dynamic text fields (a text field that is a reference to an object on a report) in a panel stack. Selectors that contain attribute, custom group, or consolidation elements as selector items can also include an option to display totals. The total is calculated for all the selector items. A user can choose whether to display specific elements, all of the elements at the same time, or the totals. For instructions to add selector totals, see Showing totals for selectors, page 471; for background information on selectors in general, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. In Desktop and in MicroStrategy Web, if the target is a Grid/Graph, you can select whether to apply conditional formatting to metrics only, to metrics and their corresponding selector totals, or to the subtotals only. In MicroStrategy Web, if the target is a text field, you can select whether to apply conditional formatting to metrics only, or to metrics and their corresponding selector

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totals. (See the MicroStrategy Web Help for instructions.) When you create a conditional format in Desktop, if the target is a text field, the conditional format is not applied to the total, but rather to the metric values only. For example, a document contains the Region attribute and the Revenue metric on a panel stack. The panel stack is targeted by a selector, which allows a user to choose the region to display in the panel stack. The selector includes the option to display the total, which is calculated for all the regions. The conditional formatting on the Revenue metric displays low revenue in red and high revenue in green. The conditional formatting can be applied to the regional revenue values only (that is, the metric only), or to both the regional revenue values and the total value.

Showing and hiding conditional formatting


Once you create a conditional format, you can choose to enable or disable it, that is, to display it or to hide it in the PDF. If you have multiple conditional formats on a single document, you can show or hide all of them using the Conditional Formatting icon on the toolbar, or you can select which to display, using the Conditional Formatting dialog box. For examples and instructions, see: Disabling a conditional format to hide it, page 208 Enabling a conditional format to display it, page 210 Allowing users to display and hide conditional formatting, page 211 Hiding or displaying all conditional formatting in a document, page 212

Disabling a conditional format to hide it


Disabling a conditional format hides it from users. For example, a document replaces profit data with a green diamond if the profit is $100,000 or greater, and a red stop sign (that is, a hexagon) if it is less. The original document is shown on page 203. If you want users to see the data for only those employees with profit above $100,000, you can hide the conditional formatting for that condition. When you create the PDF, numbers display for

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profits above $100,000, but the red hexagon is still shown instead of the profit data if it is smaller, as shown below:

To disable a conditional format to hide it

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, choose Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box opens. 3 In the Object drop-down list, select the control or section for which to disable conditional formatting. For this example, select the Profit metric text field.

4 In the Conditional format list, clear the check box in front of the conditional format to disable. For this example, clear the check box in front of Profit => $100K.

5 Click OK to return to the document.

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Enabling a conditional format to display it


Enabling a conditional format allows users to view the conditional format in the PDF. For example, a document contains two conditional formats: Profit data is replaced with a green diamond if the profit is $100,000 or greater This conditional format is enabled, so users see the diamonds instead of the profit values. Profit data is replaced with a red stop sign (that is, a hexagon) if the profit is less than $100,000 This conditional format is disabled, so users see the profit values instead of hexagons. This document is shown on page 209. You now want users to see the hexagons of the conditional format, rather than the profit data, so you enable that conditional format. The results are shown below:

To enable a conditional format to display it

1 Open the document in the Document Editor.


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2 From the Format menu, choose Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box opens. 3 In the Object drop-down list, select the control or section for which to enable conditional formatting. For this example, select the Profit metric text field.

4 In the Conditional format list, select the check box in front of the conditional format to enable. For this example, select Profit => $100K.

5 Click OK to return to the document.

Allowing users to display and hide conditional formatting


The Conditional Formatting icon on the toolbar allows users to turn conditional formatting on and off for the entire document. By default, the icon is disabled, as is the Show Conditional Formatting option on the Document Properties dialog box. Disabling them can be useful if users should not see certain sections of the document that are displayed or hidden based on conditional formatting. However, you may want users to be able to switch conditional formatting on and off. The procedure below describes how to enable the Conditional Formatting icon and the Show Conditional Formatting option for users.
To allow users to display and hide conditional formatting

1 From the Format menu, choose Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box opens.

You can also right-click an object in the layout area and select Conditional Formatting.
2 Select the Allow user to display and hide conditional formatting check box. 3 Click OK to return to the document.

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Hiding or displaying all conditional formatting in a document


If the Conditional Formatting icon has been enabled, users can hide or display all the conditional formatting in a document, regardless of whether a specific conditional format was enabled or disabled. For instructions to enable the icon, see Allowing users to display and hide conditional formatting, page 211. formatting affects the entire Showing and hiding conditionalof a multi-layout document. For document, including all layouts background information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. For example, a document displays a green diamond if the profit is $100,000 or greater, and a red stop sign (that is, a hexagon) if it is less. If the Conditional Formatting icon is enabled, users can hide all conditional formatting, so that the profit values are displayed instead of diamonds and hexagons.
To hide all conditional formatting on a document

This procedure assumes that users are allowed to show and hide conditional formatting, as described in Allowing users to display and hide conditional formatting, page 211. Do one of the following: In Design View or PDF View, click the Conditional Formatting icon in the toolbar. In Design View only, select Document Properties from the Format menu. In the Document section, clear the Show conditional formatting check box.

This hides all the conditional formatting on the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document, regardless of whether the conditional format was enabled or disabled in the Conditional Formatting dialog box. You can easily switch between showing conditional formats and showing the underlying values.

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Formatting the border or background of a document or layout


You can format the border or background of a document for a more professional-looking presentation. The document's border extends around the printable area on each page of the document. The two pages of the sample document displayed below show a document border.

While the sample document border shown above is a thin black line around the entire border, other border line options include thick, hairline, dotted, dashed, and double. You can change the color of the border. You can also apply the border to one or more sides of the document. document multiple If thebackground containslayout. layouts, you can format the border and of each
To format the border and background of a document or layout

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to format. 3 Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click Colors and Lines. 5 Select the color for the background of the entire document or for the selected layout, using the Backcolor drop-down list. over the The section color takes precedencecolor of a document/layout see color. For instruction to define the document section, Formatting the background color of document sections, page 186. 6 To define how to display the document/layout borders, click Format next to Border. The Border tab of the Format Cells dialog box opens. 7 You can remove the entire border, by clicking None in the Presets area. You do not have to select a Style, Color, and so on. 8 To format the border, complete the following steps: a Select the Style, which is the style of line to use as the border. Your choices are No Line, Dashed, Dotted, Hair, Thin, Double, and Thick.

The Hair line style cannot be displayed in reports viewed in MicroStrategy Web.
b Select the color to use for the border by clicking the arrow next to Color. c Select where to apply the Style and Color: To apply the formatting to the entire border, click the Outline button in the Presets area. To apply the formatting to specific sections of the border, click the Top Border, Bottom Border, Left Border, and/or Right Border buttons. 9 Click OK to return to the Document Properties dialog box. 10 Click OK to return to the document.

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Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles)


If you have a document with a look or style that you want other documents to have, you can create an Autostyle. An Autostyle is a collection of formatting properties saved for various control types. You can apply an Autostyle to a document to change its formatting or appearance. When you apply an Autostyle to another document, the system copies formatting information from the Autostyle onto the target document. It replaces formatting properties for all document sections and controls (including Grid/Graphs) on the target document with the corresponding properties in the Autostyle. If there is no corresponding section or control on the Autostyle document, it applies the default format for this control type in the Autostyle. If an Autostyle has multiple controls of the same type in one section, the format of the first control of this type in that section is used. For a multi-layout document, an Autostyle is applied only to the current layout, not the entire document. If the Page Header and Page Footer are shared among layouts, any formatting changes applied to those sections are applied throughout the document. Page Headers and Page Footers are shared by default; see Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout, page 725 for instructions to change that. For descriptions and examples of the Page Header and Footer, see Page Header, page 40 and Page Footer, page 45. For background information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. different A A document Autostyle is documentfrom a report Autostyle.applied to document Autostyle is a object and can only be documents. A report Autostyle is an Autostyle object and can be applied to reports and to grids within documents. Both types of Autostyles contain formatting information. For each preconfigured report Autostyle, a matching document Autostyle exists. You can create your own Autostyles or use the Autostyles provided by MicroStrategy.

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Creating an Autostyle
To create an Autostyle, apply the formatting that you want to a documents controls and sections, then save the document in the AutoStyles folder whose path is as follows: project name\Public Objects\AutoStyles

Documents saved in the AutoStyles folder are still documents, and not Autostyle objects.
Saving the Autostyle document in the AutoStyles folder allows you to select the Autostyle document when you create a document using the Document Wizard. An Autostyle document saved elsewhere is not available to the Document Wizard. If you save documents in any other location, such as the My Objects folder, for example, you can still apply them as Autostyles to other documents through the Document Editor.

Applying an Autostyle to a document


Use this procedure to apply an Autostyle to a document. You can use a Autostyle provided by MicroStrategy or one that you created yourself. Applying an Autostyle pastes the formatting information from one document to another. It changes the formatting of all the sections and controls of the target document in one action. For a multi-layout document, an Autostyle is applied only to the current layout, not the entire document, as described in Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215.
To apply an Autostyle

1 Open the target document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 From the Format menu, select Apply Autostyle. The Select Autostyle dialog box opens.

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4 Locate and select the Autostyle to apply to the document. documents created by MicroStrategy are available AutostyleObjects\AutoStyles directory.User-created in the Public Autostyle documents may be located in this folder as well, but could have been saved in another folder as well. 5 Click OK. The formatting is applied to the document.

Adding watermarks to documents


A watermark is a faint design appearing in the background of a page. A watermark typically identifies or decorates pages, and it can be either text or an image. Examples include the word Confidential stamped on every page or a business logo appearing in the background of every page of the document. A watermark appears behind everything else on a document. You can think of a document that has a watermark as special paper that already has text or an image printed on it. Whatever objects that you add to the watermarked document appear on top of the watermark. Therefore, any object that is not transparent prints over or hides the watermark. For example, a watermark displays behind part of a Grid/Graph, if the Grid/Graph's background is transparent. The watermark is hidden beneath the cells of a Grid/Graph because the cells are not transparent. For a more detailed discussion of Grid/Graph formatting, including an example of the background vs. cells, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319. Watermarks are displayed in PDF View only; they are not shown in any other views or modes in Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. The watermark appears on every page of the document. If the document contains multiple layouts, the watermark appears on every page of every layout. Watermarks are displayed within the margins of the document; they do not extend to the edge of the page. To fit within the margins, watermarks are adjusted automatically: For a text watermark, the text is automatically cropped if it extends past the document margins. For an image watermark, the image is automatically centered on the page. As with images placed elsewhere on a document, the image file

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must be stored so that it is available to both the Intelligence Server and to the designers of the document. For details, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. You can wash out a text watermark in MicroStrategy, which fades the text to ensure that the document information is legible through the watermark. To achieve the same result with an image watermark, create the image using faded or dim colors. The Human Resources Analytic Module contains a report on salaries above the industry range. The following document uses that report as its dataset, and includes the word Confidential as a watermark across the page. Notice that the watermark text is washed out so that the rest of the text on the document is legible. Notice too that the watermark text is displayed behind the other text.

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The following document contains more than one page, and the image watermark is shown on all the pages. The image watermark is centered on the page.

Project watermarks vs. document watermarks


You can set watermarks at both the project level and document level: A project watermark allows you to have the same watermark, such as a business logo, on every document in the project. A project watermark is also applied to reports when they are exported to PDF. A document watermark allows specific documents to have an individual watermark.

By default, document watermarks are enabled and overwrite the project watermark. However, until you create a document watermark, the project watermark, if any, is used on the document. If document watermarks are disabled, then the project watermark, if it is defined, is always displayed. This flexibility allows you to create a variety of different watermarks for different purposes. For example, most documents display your business logo; however, internal documents need to be marked Confidential. Since a project watermark is overwritten by a document watermark by default, create a project watermark that uses the logo. By default, document watermarks overwrite project watermarks, so do not change that setting. Next, for each internal document, create a document watermark with the text
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Confidential. For instructions, see Creating the project watermark, page 221 and Creating document watermarks, page 224. In a different scenario, all documents from a particular project must be marked Confidential. To do this, create a project watermark with the text Confidential. Since you do not ever want this project watermark to be overwritten, disable document watermarks. (By default, document watermarks are enabled and overwrite the project watermark.) For instructions, see Creating the project watermark, page 221 and Disabling document watermarks, page 226. If the project has a watermark but you do not want to display any watermark on a specific document, allow document watermarks to overwrite the project watermark and set that specific document's watermark to no watermark. For instructions, see Hiding a project watermark for a specific document, page 223. If you do not want to allow any watermarks on any documents, disable watermarks. To do this, set the project watermark to no watermark and disable document watermarks. For instructions, see Disabling all watermarks, page 226. You can create project watermarks and allow the use of document watermarks only from MicroStrategy Desktop, not in MicroStrategy Web. The settings are applied to documents displayed in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, however. You can create and display document watermarks in MicroStrategy Web as well as in Desktop. The following table describes how to achieve various results.
Document Results All documents in the project display the same watermark Project-Level Settings Document-Level Settings

Define the project watermark Unavailable Clear the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box Define the project watermark For documents that display a watermark, select Use Select the Allow project watermark documents to overwrite this watermark check box For documents without watermarks, select No watermark Define the project watermark For the specific documents, define the document Select the Allow watermark documents to overwrite this watermark check box For other documents, select Use project watermark

Most documents display the same watermark All other documents do not display a watermark

Specific documents have individual watermarks All other documents display the same watermark

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Document Results Specific documents have individual watermarks All other documents do not display a watermark Each document has an individual watermark

Project-Level Settings Select No watermark Select the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box Select No watermark Select the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box Select No watermark Clear the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box

Document-Level Settings For the specific documents, define the document watermark For other documents, select Use project watermark Define a document watermark for each document

No documents display a watermark

Unavailable

Creating the project watermark


A project watermark is used on all documents in the project, except for any documents that have a document-level watermark. For instructions to create a document watermark, see Creating document watermarks, page 224. If you want to ensure that the project watermark is used on all documents in the project, you can disable document watermarks. For instructions, see Disabling document watermarks, page 226. also The project watermark is Basicapplied to reports when they are exported to PDF. See the Reporting Guide for general information about reports.
To create the project watermark (for both documents and reports)

1 In Desktop, right-click your project and select Project Configuration. The Project Configuration Editor opens. 2 Expand the Project Definition category, then select Document and Reports. 3 Click Watermark. The Watermark dialog box opens. A watermark can display either text or an image but not both; complete only the appropriate step below.

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4 To create a text watermark: a Select Text watermark. b In the Text field, type the text to display as the watermark, up to 255 characters. c To change the appearance of the text, click Format, which opens the Font tab of the Format Cells dialog box. You can select the font, size, color, and so on. For details on any of the options, click Help. Click OK when you have made your selections.

d By default, the watermark uses the font size defined in the Format Cells dialog box. To allow the font size to automatically adjust to fill the layout, select the Size font automatically check box. This can be useful if the document contains both portrait and landscape pages. e To fade the watermark to ensure that the document/report information is legible through the watermark, select the Washout check box.

has a fill a white fill, Any object thatyou want acolor, includingshow throughcovers the watermark. If watermark to a Grid/Graph, set the background of the Grid/Graphs cells to transparent. Similarly, the background of a text field, rectangle, and so on must be transparent to allow the watermark to show through these objects. f By default, the text is printed diagonally across the page. To print it horizontally instead, select Horizontal in the Orientation area.

5 To create an image watermark: the As with images placed elsewhere on a document,and image file must be available to both the Intelligence Server to the designers of the document. For details, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. a Select Image watermark. b Click (the Browse button) next to the Source field. The Image Source dialog box opens. c Do one of the following to select and preview the image file:

Type the path and file name of the image in the text field. Click Preview. Click (the Browse button) and select the image file. The preview area automatically displays the image.
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Once you have selected the image to use as the watermark, click OK. d By default, the image is automatically resized to fit within the document/report margins while retaining the images aspect ratio. To scale the image manually, select a percentage from the Scale drop-down list. The image is scaled to the selected percentage of its original size. 6 Click OK to return to the Project Configuration Editor. 7 To have all documents display this project watermark, clear the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box. If it remains selected, documents in this project can have their own watermarks, which overwrite the project watermark. 8 Click OK to return to Desktop.

Hiding a project watermark for a specific document


A project may have a watermark that is suitable for most documents. However, you may not want to display any watermarks on a specific document. To achieve this, set the specific documents watermark to no watermark. Because document watermarks overwrite project watermarks by default, the document setting overrides the project setting and no watermarks are displayed for this document. The following procedure describes how to do this.
To hide a project watermark for a specific document Check that document watermarks are enabled

1 In Desktop, right-click your project and select Project Configuration. The Project Configuration Editor opens. 2 Expand the Project Definition category, then select Document and Reports. 3 Ensure that the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box is selected. This allows you to define document watermarks that overwrite the project watermark.

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Create a blank document watermark

4 Open the document in Design View in Desktop. 5 Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 6 Select Document. 7 Click Format in the Watermark area. The Watermark dialog box opens. 8 Select No watermark. 9 Click OK to return to the document.

Creating document watermarks


By default, document watermarks are enabled and overwrite any project watermark that has been created. However, until you create a document watermark, the project watermark, if any, is used on the document.
To create a document watermark

all layouts of a This procedure affects the entire document, includingon multi-layout multi-layout document. For background information documents, including examples and instructions, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 Open a document in Design View in Desktop. 2 Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Document. 4 Click Format in the Watermark area. The Watermark dialog box opens. The watermark can display either text or an image but not both; complete only the appropriate step below.

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5 To create a text watermark: a Select Text watermark. b In the Text field, type the text to display as the watermark, up to 255 characters. c To change the appearance of the text, click Format, which opens the Font tab of the Format Cells dialog box. You can select the font, size, color, and so on. For details on any of the options, click Help. Click OK when you have made your selections.

d By default, the watermark uses the font size defined in the Format Cells dialog box. To allow the font size to automatically adjust to fill the layout, select the Size font automatically check box. This can be useful if the document contains both portrait and landscape pages. e To fade the watermark to ensure that the document information is legible through the watermark, select the Washout check box.

has a fill a white fill, Any object thatyou want acolor, includingshow throughcovers the watermark. If watermark to a Grid/Graph, set the background of the Grid/Graphs cells to transparent. Similarly, the background of a text field, rectangle, and so on must be transparent to allow the watermark to show through these objects. f By default, the text is printed diagonally across the page. To print it horizontally instead, select Horizontal in the Orientation area.

6 To create an image watermark: the As with images placed elsewhere on a document,and image file must be available to both the Intelligence Server to the designers of the document. For details, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. a Select Image watermark. b Click (the Browse button) next to the Source field. The Image Source dialog box opens. c Do one of the following to select and preview the image file:

Type the path and file name of the image in the text field. Click Preview. Click (the Browse button) and select the image file. The preview area automatically displays the image.

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Once you have selected the image to use as the watermark, click OK. d By default, the image is automatically resized to fit within the document margins while retaining the images aspect ratio. To scale the image manually, select a percentage from the Scale drop-down list. The image is scaled to the selected percentage of its original size. 7 Click OK to return to the document.

Disabling document watermarks


By default, document watermarks are enabled, meaning that they overwrite the project watermark. If you want all documents to use the project watermark and not have their own watermarks, follow the instructions below to disable document watermarks.
To disable document watermarks

1 In Desktop, right-click your project and select Project Configuration. The Project Configuration Editor opens. 2 Expand the Project Definition category, then select Document and Reports. 3 Clear the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box. 4 Click OK to return to Desktop.

Disabling all watermarks


If you do not want to allow any watermarks on any documents, disable all watermarks. To do this, set the project watermark to no watermark and disable document watermarks. Both steps are included in the following procedure. Setting the project watermark to no watermark also removes watermarks from reports. Reports use the project watermark when they are exported to PDF. See the Basic Reporting Guide for general information about reports.

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To disable all watermarks (for documents and reports)

1 In Desktop, right-click your project and select Project Configuration. The Project Configuration Editor opens. 2 Expand the Project Definition category, then select Document and Reports. 3 Click Watermark. The Watermark dialog box opens. 4 Select No watermark. 5 Click OK to return to the Project Configuration Editor. 6 Clear the Allow documents to overwrite this watermark check box. 7 Click OK to return to Desktop.

Formatting a document for printing


PDF View displays the document as it will look when it is printed (for example, with page breaks). Before switching to PDF View, you should configure various settings that control how the document is displayed and printed. This ensures that the end result (the printed document) appears as you want it to. These settings include: Pagination: You can control when a new page should start and when page numbering restarts. For details and instructions, see Adding page breaks and numbering pages, page 229. Page setup options: You can control the display and printing of page margins, paper size, orientation (landscape or portrait), and scaling. For details and instructions, see Modifying page setup options, page 231. Horizontal overflow: You can specify whether controls that extend beyond the width of a single page are printed on the next sheet of paper (the default setting) or on the same page. For more information, including examples, see Controlling horizontal overflow, page 235. Font embedding: You can ensure that the fonts selected in the Document Editor are used to display and print the PDF, even on machines that do not have the original fonts installed. For more

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information, including instructions, see Font embedding in PDFs, page 237. Graph resolution: You can use bitmaps instead of vector graphs. Vector graphs are smaller than bitmaps and therefore reduce the size of the PDF, while still providing good quality printed graphs. Bitmaps allow background patterns, rectangular gradients, texture backgrounds, and picture backgrounds. If the PDF uses bitmaps, you can also select whether to use draft quality, which uses a lower resolution to reduce the size of the PDF. For more information, including instructions, see Changing graph resolution in PDFs, page 239. Bookmarks: You can create bookmarks in the PDF, to allow quick access to specific areas of the file. You can specify that the bookmarks are hidden when the PDF opens, to maximize the amount of space for the document. The user can then display and use the bookmarks. For more information on bookmarks, including examples and instructions, see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240. grouped. Bookmarks cannot be created if the document is not records inFor a information on grouping a document, see Grouping document, page 260. Table of contents: You can create an interactive table of contents as the first page of the PDF. For more information on tables of contents, including examples and instructions, see Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs, page 243. has multiple A table of contents can be created only if a documentmulti-layout layouts and/or is grouped. For more information on documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. For information on grouping a document, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. After you switch to PDF View (for instructions, see To open a document in PDF View, page 4), you can then refine the document to ensure that it looks exactly the way that you want it. For example, you can resize or move controls as needed. For instructions, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136. For instructions to print a document, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help. the PDF which You can openedit document as a whilein a separateawindow, it will allows you to the document referring to copy as display as a PDF. For instructions, see Opening a PDF in a separate window: Exporting a document as a PDF, page 4.

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Adding page breaks and numbering pages


In a document, you can determine when a new page should start and how the page numbers print. For example, you can have a page break before each new section and have page numbering restart at 1 for each section. This section covers: Adding a page break to a document, page 229 Adding page numbers to a document, page 230

Adding a page break to a document


You can add page breaks to a document to signify the beginning of a new document section. For example, to create a cover page, use the Document Header section to display the title and author, inserting a page break after the Document Header. Or, to print each Detail section on a separate page, add page breaks after each section. To print the Detail Header and Detail Footer separately from the Detail section, use the Before and after section setting. You can also add page breaks between groups. For more information, see Adding a page break for a group, page 280.
To add a page break to a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the section to print on a new page. To do this, click the section or select it from the drop-down list on the top of the Property List panel. 3 In the Property List panel, locate the Page Break section and from the Force New Page drop-down list, select how you want the page break to occur: Before section causes the page break to occur before the section begins. After section causes the page break to occur at the end of the section.

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Before and after section inserts a page break both before the section and after it.

a page Selecting None does not insert section.break. The section continues immediately after the previous

Adding page numbers to a document


By default, a document does not have any page numbers printed on it. You can add them anywhere you want in the document, although page numbers are typically placed in the Page Header or Page Footer sections. You can quickly add page numbers by using the Insert menu. You can also type the auto text codes into a text field. The codes for page numbering are: {&PAGE} for the page number {&NPAGES} for the total number of pages

For more information on these codes, see Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59.
To add page numbers to a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Expand the section where you want the page number, if it is not already expanded. For example, to expand the Page Footer section, click the plus sign next to it. 3 Click in the section to specify the location of the page number. 4 Select Auto Text from the Insert menu, and then choose Page Number (or Total Pages).

To print a label like Page 1 of 8, do the following:


Insert a blank text field. Inside the text field, type Page followed by a space. Select Auto Text from the Insert menu, and then choose Page Number.

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Type a space, then of, then another space. Select Auto Text from the Insert menu, and then choose Total Pages. Press the Enter key.

Modifying page setup options


You can modify the document's appearance before printing to ensure that the end result (the printed document) appears as desired. You can modify options such as margins, paper size, orientation (landscape or portrait), scaling, and horizontal overflow. Horizontal overflow specifies whether controls that extend beyond the width of a single page are printed on the next sheet of paper (the default setting) or on the same page. For more information, including examples, see Controlling horizontal overflow, page 235. Each layout of a multi-layout document can have different page setup options. For more information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.
To modify the page setup options

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 From the File menu, select Page Setup. The Page Setup dialog box opens. 4 Click Page. 5 To change the paper size, select the new size, such as Letter or Legal, from the Paper Size drop-down list.

Note the following:

Changing this property alters the values for both Page Width and Page Height.

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If you select Legal and then export this document to PDF, it will not print out at the legal paper size. When you print the document from the PDF, select Choose paper source by PDF page size in the Print dialog box.

6 You can change the Width or Height of the page. over The Width and Height settings take priority Widththe Paper Size setting. Therefore, if you increase either the and Height beyond the Paper Size setting, Paper Size automatically adjusts accordingly. 7 You can change the paper Orientation from Portrait (the default) to Landscape.

Changing the Orientation alters the values for both Width and Height.
8 By default, the document is scaled to 100% (full size). You can change this by doing one of the following: To increase or decrease the scale of the document, select Adjust to and then enter the scale percentage. To scale the document to a specific number of pages, select Fit to, and then set the number of pages wide, for horizontal scaling, and tall, for vertical scaling. Fit to ensures that the document fits within the parameters, but does not increase the size of the document. If the document is already smaller than the set width and height, it will not become expanded. If the document is grouped, you can combine scaling with the Page break between groups option in the Grouping Properties dialog box. This fits each group onto a single page, and helps when the document is too big to fit on a single page. For examples of this setting in use, see Printing a document on a single page, page 233. 9 To apply the scaling to the Page Header and Footer sections, select the Scale page header/footer check box. If the check box is cleared (the default), the contents of the Page Header and Footer sections are printed at the size specified in the Property List, regardless of the scaling percentage applied to the rest of the document.

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10 Horizontal fit specifies how to handle content that does not fit on a single horizontal page. This is also known as overflow. The overflow controls can be displayed and printed either left to right on multiple pages, or immediately below each other on the same page. By default, the overflow is printed on the next page. To print the overflow on the same page, select Below from the Overflow drop-down list. For more information on horizontal fit, including examples, see Controlling horizontal overflow, page 235. 11 To define the page margins, click Margins, then do any number of the following: To change the distance between the top of the page and the top of the document or the top of the border, type the new measurement in Top. To change the distance between the bottom of the page and the bottom of the document or the bottom of the border, type the new measurement in Bottom. To change the distance between the left side of the page and the left side of the document or the left edge of the border, type the new measurement in Left. To change the distance between the right side of the page and the right side of the document or the right edge of the border, type the new measurement in Right.

12 To apply the settings, click OK.

Printing a document on a single page


You may have a document that contains so many columns and/or rows that it prints on multiple pages, but the document needs to fit on a single page. Depending on the content, you can try any of these solutions: Decreasing the font size of the text font sizes are in the Various Objects dialoglistedTo the Formatting toolbarisand inlisted, Format box. specify a font size that not type the number in the Size field in the Format Objects dialog box. Scaling the document to fit on a single page scaling If the document is grouped, you can combineGroupingwith the Page break between groups option in the Properties

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dialog box. This option fits each group onto a single page, and helps when the document is too big to fit on a single page. For example, a document contains nine columns of data and is grouped by Country. Printed at full size, the document is two pages across and two pages long, for a total of four pages. The document can be scaled to fit on a single page, as shown below:

You can also use the Page break between groups option to apply Fit to Page scaling to separate groups instead of applying it to the whole document. For example, a document grouped by region contains nine columns. Each region is two pages in width and two pages in length, but should print on a single page. The Page break between groups option forces a page break between each region. Since the document cannot then be

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fit on a single page, the page scaling is applied to each group. Shown below are the first two pages of the document.

Controlling horizontal overflow


If the controls on a document extend beyond the width of a single page, the controls that overflow are printed on the next page. You can change this default setting to allow the overflow to print on the same page. In other words, instead of printing the controls left to right on multiple pages, the controls are printed immediately below each other on the same page. The Horizontal Fit: Overflow setting determines this behavior. You can set a different Horizontal Fit: Overflow setting for each layout of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

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For example, the following document is wider than the page size, so by default it is split onto two pages, as shown below:

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If you want to see the figures for each row on the same page, change the overflow setting to Below. The part of the section that would have printed on page two is now printed on page one, directly beneath the first part:

To control horizontal overflow

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select Page Setup from the File menu. The Page Setup dialog box opens. 3 Select Page. 4 In the Horizontal fit area, select an Overflow setting from the drop-down list: Next page: horizontal overflow is printed on the next page Below: horizontal overflow is printed on the same page

5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

Font embedding in PDFs


Embedding fonts ensures that the original fonts selected in the Document Editor are used to display and print the PDF, even on machines that do not have the original fonts installed. No font substitutions are made.

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Embedding fonts allows you to: Use language fonts other than Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Western European in PDFs Provide a true Unicode environment, where one document contains different languages if the only languages Font embedding is not requiredChinese, Japanese, orused are and Simplified Chinese, Traditional Korean, the matching language fonts are used instead of a Unicode font. Create PDFs containing Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, or Korean characters for any machine, even one without the corresponding Acrobat Reader language pack cannot display bookmarks in the correct language Acrobat Readercorresponding language pack is installed on the font unless the users machine. The remainder of the PDF will display and print the languages correctly. This Acrobat Reader requirement applies to all languages other than English and Western European. Create truly portable PDFs to email and to publish on the Web, even if you do not have control over the machines that will display and print the PDFs MicroStrategy Web to view the For a must be installed onuser Intelligenceembedded fonts, the a fonts the Server machine. For Desktop user to be able to view the embedded fonts, the fonts must be installed on the Desktop machine as well as the Intelligence Server machine. The disadvantages of embedding fonts include: A larger PDF, because the file now includes extra font data and encoding tables. Additionally, even single-byte languages use two bytes. A longer generation time for the PDF, since the file is larger and extra processing is needed to embed the fonts. A larger memory footprint related to the number of fonts, the number of embedded characters, and the size of the PDF output.

Fonts must be installed on the Desktop machine to ensure that the document is rendered correctly when creating and editing the document. The Embed fonts in PDF setting ensures that if the fonts used in the document are available on the machine that generates the PDF, the fonts are embedded in the PDF. When you execute a document in Desktop, the PDF is generated by

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that client machine. When you execute a document in MicroStrategy Web, the PDF is generated by the Intelligence Server machine. If you edit a document containing embedded fonts on a machine that does not have those fonts installed, a Windows default font is displayed instead. For example, this scenario can occur when you create a document and embed fonts for Japanese. In this case, the Japanese fonts are installed on that machine and the Intelligence Server used for the project. Another user views the document on a different machine that does not have Japanese fonts. The document displays correctly because you embedded the fonts. If that user edits the document, the Japanese characters are displayed in the font that Windows selects as the closest match to the missing font. If this occurs, do not change the font selections, which are set to blank automatically, so that they will continue to display correctly in the PDF. The solution is to install the font on any machine that is used to edit the document.
To embed fonts in a PDF

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout
documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 2 Click Export. 3 In the PDF area, select the Embed fonts in PDF check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document. When the PDF is generated (see Printing a document, page 4), the fonts are embedded in the PDF.

Changing graph resolution in PDFs


You can control how graphs in Grid/Graphs are generated in PDFs. By default, graphs are generated using vector graphs, which are much smaller than bitmaps and reduce the size of the PDF, while still providing good quality resolution for printed graphs.

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However, vector graphs do not support: Background patterns (only the background color of the pattern is used) Rectangular gradients (linear and circular gradients are supported; rectangular gradients are converted to circular gradients) Texture and picture backgrounds (a solid white background is applied)

To allow graphs to use these options, change the graph resolution to bitmaps. This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.
To change the graph resolution in PDFs

1 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 2 Click Export. 3 In the PDF area, select the Use bitmaps for graphs check box. 4 If you want to use a lower resolution for the bitmap graphs, select the Use draft quality check box. Draft quality: Lowers the graph resolution, thus reducing the size of the PDF Impacts the quality of printed graphs Generally does not affect the quality of on-screen graph images

5 Click OK to return to the document.

Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs


Bookmarks identify parts of a PDF, allowing quick access to specific areas of the file. Bookmarks are displayed in the PDF in a tree format, creating a table

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of contents as a navigation aid. Bookmarks are created only when a document is grouped or contains multiple layouts. In PDF View, a link is included for each element of each grouping field in the document. A user can navigate between layouts using the layout tabs. When the document is exported to a PDF, the grouping bookmarks are displayed, as well as a bookmark for each layout.

If a document is not grouped or does not have multiple layouts, bookmarks cannot be created. For instructions to group a document, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. For instructions on creating multiple layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. For example, a document is grouped by Region and then Employee. The PDF is created with bookmarks, as shown in the following sample.

By default, bookmarks are created for all grouped documents and all multi-layout documents, and the bookmark panel is automatically shown when the PDF is viewed. You can choose to hide the bookmark panel initially (it is still available by clicking the Bookmarks icon in PDF View) to

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maximize the amount of space for the document. You can also choose to not generate the bookmarks if, for example, the PDF includes an interactive table of contents, which is different from bookmarks. For more information on creating a table of contents, see Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs, page 243. For information on how bookmarks and tables of contents work together, see Bookmarks and tables of contents, page 247. information on using bookmarks For moredocumentation for Acrobat Reader.in PDFs, consult the product
To not generate bookmarks in a PDF

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 2 Click Export. 3 In the PDF area, clear the Include bookmarks in PDF check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document. When the PDF is viewed (see Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web, page 248), bookmarks are not displayed.
To hide bookmarks in a PDF

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 1 Click Export. 2 In the PDF area, clear the Show bookmarks in PDF check box. 3 Click OK to return to the document. When the PDF is viewed (see Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web, page 248), the bookmark panel is not automatically displayed.
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Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs


A table of contents allows a user to quickly access specific areas of the PDF. In the PDF, users can click an entry or page number to jump to that area. An entry is created in the table of contents for each element of each grouping field and, if the document contains multiple layouts, each layout. You can create a table of contents only if a document has multiple layouts and/or is grouped. Grouping a document creates a hierarchical structure to help users read and understand the document better. For more information, including instructions on how to group a document, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. A multi-layout document contains multiple layouts, each layout functioning as a separate document generated into a single PDF. For more information, including instructions and examples, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

interact with a the document a To fully either Desktop table of contents, exportFor instructionstoand PDF, in or MicroStrategy Web. more information on exporting to PDF, see Opening a PDF in a separate window: Exporting a document as a PDF, page 4.

The table of contents in a grouped document: Example


You can create an interactive table of contents if a document is grouped. For background information on grouping, including instructions, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. For example, a document is grouped by region and includes a table of contents. When you switch to PDF View, the first page of the PDF is the table of contents. The entries in the table of contents are the regions, as shown

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below. A user can click either a region (such as Central) or a page number to jump to that region in the PDF.

Notice that the page number is displayed as the Roman numeral i (in the toolbar at the top of the image), while the data begins on page 1. The table of contents is inserted at the beginning of the document and is not included in the page numbering of the document itself. The table of contents shown in the above example has been formatted. The text Table of Contents was added as the title. If you do not add a title, the table of contents starts at the top of the page, without a title, as shown below:

Although this is the same document as shown in the previous sample, the font size, color, and type are different. This is because the font in the first sample was formatted, while the default formatting settings were used for the second sample.

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The table of contents in a multi-layout document: Example


You can create a table of contents if the document contains multiple layouts, which function as separate documents generated into a single PDF. For background information on multi-layout documents, including instructions to create them, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. For example, a document contains the following three layouts, listed in order: Revenue by Category (1) Regional Revenue (2) Yearly Revenue (3)

This document contains a table of contents. By default, it is displayed on the first page of the PDF, as shown below:

Each of the three layouts is listed in the table of contents. Change the table of contents to display before the second layout, Regional Revenue (2). Now the PDF displays the Revenue by Category (1) layout, followed by the table of contents shown below, which contains information for the last two layouts only:

Changing the location of the table of contents is useful when you want to include a cover page before the table of contents.

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The table of contents in a grouped multi-layout document: Example


If your document contains layouts and groups, the table of contents displays both, as shown in the PDF below. The layouts are the top level entries, while the groups are shown within each layout.

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Bookmarks and tables of contents


A document that is grouped or has multiple layouts generates and displays bookmarks in the PDF automatically. If a PDF has bookmarks, the table of contents is listed in the bookmark panel, as shown below.

If a PDF includes a table of contents, the bookmarks may be redundant. You can prevent bookmarks from being generated for the PDF. For instructions, see To not generate bookmarks in a PDF, page 242.

Creating a table of contents


To include an interactive table of contents in a PDF

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Table of Contents. 4 Select the Include Table of Contents check box.

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5 If the document contains multiple layouts, the Before layout drop-down list is available. By default, the table of contents is displayed before the first layout, but you can select a different layout from the list. setting is useful Thistable of contents.when you want to include a cover page before the 6 To display a title for the table of contents, type the text in the Title field. If the Title field is blank, the table of contents starts at the top of the page. 7 To format the font, click Format. The Font dialog box opens. You can select the font, size, color, and so on. Click OK when you have made your selections. Your selected font formatting is shown in the preview area below the Format button, and is applied to the entire table of contents. For details on any option, click Help. 8 By default, tab leaders are shown. Tab leaders are a series of dots connecting the entry with the page number. To remove tab leaders, clear the Show tab leader check box. 9 Click OK to return to the document. 10 To view the PDF, do the following: a Click PDF View on the toolbar. b From the File menu, select Export to PDF. The PDF opens in another instance of the Acrobat Reader.

Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web


Flash View and HTML View in Desktop display the document as it will look in MicroStrategy Web, which can help you size and place objects. Although PDF View accurately displays the document as a PDF, it is not as precise for documents that will be displayed in MicroStrategy Web. For example, in PDF View a widget is displayed as a Grid/Graph. Use Flash View to see the widget itself, and ensure that it is placed and sized correctly. do to the document in a A good way toway,this iscan openthe document whileseparate browser window. This you edit referring to a copy as it will display in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see Opening a document in a separate browser window: Exporting a document to HTML, page 7.

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HTML View, Flash View, and PDF View all preview the results of the document. However, you cannot print the document in HTML View or Flash View. To print the document, use PDF View. For instructions, see Printing a document, page 4. For instructions to switch to Flash View or HTML View, see Switching to HTML View or Flash View, page 7. For instructions to resize and move controls, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136.

Selecting the display modes available for MicroStrategy Web


In Desktop, you can select the modes that are available for displaying a specific document in MicroStrategy Web. You can also select which mode the document should initially open in. For descriptions of the modes, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9.
To select available display modes for MicroStrategy Web

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor in Desktop. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 In the Available display modes list on the Document tab, select the check boxes for each mode that this document should display in. Clear the check box for any mode that should not available. 4 Select the mode in which the document initially opens from the Run by default as drop-down list. If you did not select the check box for this display mode in the step above, the check box is automatically selected. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Embedding fonts for Flash Mode


Before you view the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, fonts must be embedded if the document contains any of the following: Anti-alias support Vertical text

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Graph labels rotated 45, 90, or 180

If the font used for one of these features is not embedded, anti-alias is not used or the text is displayed horizontally. The font definitions, such as Tahoma and ComicSans, are contained in SWF files. For example, these files can include the font types that support vertical text and font anti-aliasing in Flash Mode. For examples of vertical text, see Displaying text vertically, page 171.
To embed fonts for Flash Mode

in C:\Program Before you begin, save the SWF filesor the directory in Files\ MicroStrategy\Web ASPx\swf which the dashboardviewer.swf file is located. 1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor in Desktop. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Flash from the list of categories on the left. 4 In the Embed the following fonts field, enter the relative path and the name of the SWF file, such as ../swf/Tahoma.swf. Separate multiple files with a comma. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Formatting a document for export


Exporting allows you to send data to other applications. You can: Export data to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for further manipulation and use. Before you export to Excel, see Best practices: Designing documents for Excel, page 19 for tips to create a document that will display correctly when it is exported to Excel. For instructions to export documents to Excel, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help.

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Export a dashboard to a Flash file, so that users can view the Flash content and interact with it off-line, without using MicroStrategy. The Flash file is a fully interactive, stand-alone Flash dashboard. For more information and instructions to export documents to Flash files, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide.

Export the document to a PDF file, and keep the file open in a separate window outside of the Document Editor. You can then return to the Document Editor, switch to Design View, and edit the document, while keeping a copy of the PDF open to refer to. For instructions to open the PDF in a separate window, see Opening a PDF in a separate window: Exporting a document as a PDF, page 4.

Open the current document in a separate browser window outside of the Document Editor. You can then return to the Document Editor, switch to Design View, and edit the document, while referring to a copy of the document as it looks in a browser. For instructions to export documents to HTML, see Opening a document in a separate browser window: Exporting a document to HTML, page 7.

Before you can export a document, you must select the formats that the document can be exported to. For instructions, see Selecting available export formats, page 252. For export to Excel, HTML, and PDF, you can specify default exporting options, or you can allow users to be prompted to make these choices. These options are described below: If your document is grouped, you can choose to export the entire document or only the selected group element. Page-by allows you to view the document by a selected group element. For information on grouping, including examples, see Grouping records in a document, page 260; for more information on page-by, including examples, see Using page-by on a document, page 286. If your document contains multiple layouts, you can choose to export the entire document or only the current layout. For more information on how layouts are exported to Excel, see Exporting multi-layout documents, page 727.

For detailed instructions, see Specifying default export options, page 253. a that contains multi-code Before you export asdocumentand Japanese, to PDF, the page for translations, such English fonts labels, Grid/Graph objects, and so on should be set to a Unicode font

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such as Arial Unicode MS. This allows all characters to be shown by default when a user changes the metadata language.

Selecting available export formats


Before you can export a document, you must select the formats the document can be exported to.
To select the available export formats

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout
documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Document. 4 In the Available Export Formats list, select the check box for each export format to enable: PDF Excel HTML Flash

5 Click OK to save your selections and return to the document.

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Specifying default export options


You can set default export options: That apply to Excel only These options affect images that are displayed in Excel. They include the graph format and whether to embed images. property also height the A document sectionYou can chooseaffects the row rows beofthe same Excel spreadsheet. to have all the height or to allow Excel to automatically adjust the row height to fit the data. For instructions and an example, see Allowing Excel to automatically change row height, page 257. That apply to PDF only These options include graph resolution, embedded fonts, bookmarks, and interactive tables of contents. That apply to Excel, HTML, and PDF These include how to export grouped documents and multi-layout documents, and whether to prompt users who export documents. Instructions follow for all of the default export options.
To set default export options

This procedure affects the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. For more information on multi-layout
documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. 1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Export. 4 For a multi-layout document, select whether to Export: All layouts, which exports all the layouts in the document (If the document will be viewed on a Kindle or Nook, select All layouts so that the Kindle or Nook user can see all the data.) Current layout, which exports only the layout being viewed
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5 For a grouped document, select whether to export the entire document or only the selected group element: To export the entire document, select the Expand page-by check box. (If the document will be viewed on a Kindle, select Expand page-by so that the Kindle user can see all the data.) To export only the selected group element, clear the Expand page-by check box.

6 Select whether to prompt the user to choose what to export. To prompt the user, select the Prompt user on export check box. The prompts allow the user to select whether to export all layouts or just the current layout of a multi-layout document, and whether to export the entire document or only the selected group element of a grouped document.

user of If Promptuser is on export is selected, but eitherandthe following is true, the not prompted, and the Export Expand page-by properties set above are used: The document has one layout and no grouping. The document has one layout, is grouped, and the page-by selections are set to all. To disable prompting, clear the Prompt user on export check box. The Export and Expand page-by properties set above are used when the document is exported. To prompt the user, select the Prompt user on export check box.

Specifying Excel export options

The following steps apply to documents exported to Excel only. 7 To embed images so that a user can see the image when he opens the Excel file on another computer that does not have a network connection, select the Embed images check box.

Image embedding is available only in Excel 2003 or later.


8 Select whether to Use live Excel charts or Use embedded bitmaps as the Graph format. a description of how For Displaying images inthese properties interact to display images, Excel, page 256. see

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Specifying PDF export options

The following steps apply to documents exported to PDF only. 9 Select whether to Include bookmarks in the PDF. Bookmarks are generated for each element of each grouping field in the document, creating a table of contents for the PDF. If the document is not grouped, no bookmarks are generated. For more information on bookmarks, including examples, see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240. 10 If you include bookmarks, select the Show bookmarks in PDF check box, so that the bookmarks are displayed when the PDF is viewed. If the check box is cleared, the bookmarks can still be generated but they are not displayed automatically when the PDF opens. 11 Select whether to Embed fonts in the PDF, which determines whether the original fonts chosen in the Document Editor are used to display and print the PDF, even on machines that do not have those fonts installed. This ensures the portability of the PDF. For more information on this setting, including advantages and disadvantages, Font embedding in PDFs, page 237. fonts must on the machine to ensure Thedocument isbe installedcorrectlyDesktopcreating and editing that the rendered when the document. The setting above ensures that if the fonts used in the document are available on the machine that generates the PDF, the fonts are embedded in the PDF. When you execute a document on Desktop, the PDF is generated by that client machine. When you execute a document in MicroStrategy Web, the PDF is generated by the Intelligence Server machine. 12 By default, graphs are generated using vector graphs, which are smaller than bitmaps and reduce the size of the PDF. They also improve the quality of printed graphs. Select the Use bitmaps for graphs check box to generate graphs using bitmaps instead. For more information, including when to use bitmaps or vector graphs, see Changing graph resolution in PDFs, page 239. 13 If you use bitmaps, you can select whether to Use draft quality, which determines whether bitmap graphs are generated using a lower resolution, thus reducing the size of the PDF. The quality of the graph images on the screen is generally not affected, but the quality of the printed graphs is impacted.

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14 Click OK to save your selections and return to the document. specify how break between If the document is grouped, you caneach page in atoseparate Excel groups. For example, you can place worksheet in the same Excel workbook. For instructions and samples, see Specifying that groups are exported to separate Excel worksheets, page 283.

Displaying images in Excel


Before you export a document to an Excel spreadsheet, you can select whether to: Embed images. If you embed images, a user can see the image when he opens the Excel file on another computer that does not have a network connection.

Use live Excel charts or Use embedded bitmaps for the graph format. Live Excel charts ensure a smaller export size and integrate fully with Excel. However, they support fewer graph properties than MicroStrategy does. The following graphs appear differently in Excel than in MicroStrategy:

Image embedding is available only in Excel 2003 or later.

All 3D graphs Box Plot Bubble Funnel Gantt Gauge Hi Low Histogram Horizontal Area Horizontal Bar Horizontal Line

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These settings work together to determine how images are displayed in Excel. To display embedded graphs:

Set Graph format to Use embedded bitmaps. The Embed images check box does not affect whether embedded graphs are displayed.

To display live charts:

Set Graph format to Use live Excel charts and clear the Embed images check box.

To embed images other than graphs:

Select the Embed images check box.

For instructions, see Specifying default export options, page 253.

Allowing Excel to automatically change row height


When you export a document that contains a Grid/Graph to Excel, some of the data can be too long to fit inside an Excel cell. For example, the items 100 Places to Go While Still Young at Heart and Cabin Fever: Rustic Style Comes Home are too long for the Item column in the following Excel spreadsheet, which was exported from a document. The text wraps within the cell, but the row is too short and cuts off the text.

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If this occurs, you can allow Excel to dynamically and automatically resize. The result is shown below, where the two rows are now tall enough to display the full text.

By default, the height of all rows are the same, to conserve the same layout that you created in the document. To modify the behavior, change the Automatically fit rows property to True. This property applies to a single document section.
To allow Excel to automatically change row height for a section

1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 In the Layout area, select the document section to modify. 3 From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Layout tab. 5 Select the Automatically fit rows check box. 6 Click OK to return to the document.

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3
3.

GROUPING AND SORTING RECORDS IN A DOCUMENT

Introduction
This section describes procedures for grouping and sorting records in a MicroStrategy Report Services document. When you group records in a document, you set up the documents hierarchy and therefore its inherent sort order. You can then choose to sort a group in either ascending or descending order. You can also choose how to sort the detail records of the document. You can use page-by to interactively display groups on separate pages in PDF View. This chapter explains all of these concepts with suitable examples. Grouping records in a document, page 260 Using page-by on a document, page 286 Sorting records in a document, page 290

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Grouping records in a document


Grouping records together helps people who read the document to understand the data better. Grouping the data sets up a type of hierarchy within the document, and an inherent or implied sort order for the data. The data is first sorted by the leftmost field in the Grouping panel, then by the next field, and so on. To reorder the grouping, you can move the fields in the Grouping panel. You can specify the grouping of data in a document in one of the following ways: While creating a document using the Document Wizard, you can select the fields by which you would like to group data. While editing a document, you can drag objects from the Datasets pane and drop them onto the Grouping panel in the Document Editor.

To display the Grouping panel, select Grouping from the View menu.
You can select attributes, consolidations, and custom groups as grouping fields.

Note the following:


Each element of each grouping field automatically becomes a bookmark in the PDF. You can turn off automatic generation of bookmarks. For more information, see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240. You group each layout of a multi-layout document independently of other layouts. For more information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

Grouping and page-by


By default, page-by is enabled for all the grouping fields in the document. Page-by is the ability to select grouping elements for display in PDF and HTML View. For more information, see Using page-by on a document, page 286.

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Example of grouped records in a document


In the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, the Sales by Region report within the Sales and Profitability Analysis folder is a good dataset for illustrating how grouping can work in documents. The Sales by Region dataset has Region, Year, Category, and Subcategory attributes, and it has the Units Sold and Revenue metrics in it. This is shown below as it appears in the Datasets pane of the Document Editor.

If you just drag and drop all the dataset objects to the Layout area, in the order they appear and add headings to label the controls, the document looks like the following:

If you want the document to be grouped first by Region, and then by Year within Region, first ensure that the Grouping panel is displayed. Then drag Region from the Datasets pane onto the Grouping panel. Next, drag and drop Year onto the Grouping panel.

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With these changes, the document groups first by Region, and then by Year, as shown in the following figure:

The ascending sort order of both Region and Year come from the default sort order of these attributes. You can change the sort order using the Sorting dialog box. For details on this, see Sorting records in a document, page 290.

For more information on the default sort of attributes, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.
Changing the grouping order in a document
If you want the grouping order in the document to be different, you can change it by moving a field to the left or the right in the Grouping panel. Moving a grouping field can also affect whether the group is displayed vertically (Detail sections are displayed below the Group Header) or horizontally (Detail sections are displayed next to the Group Header, running horizontally across the page). All groups to the right of a horizontally displayed group must be horizontal; a document cannot contain a horizontally displayed group followed by a vertically displayed group. For the rules that govern this behavior, see Changing the grouping order of horizontally displayed groups, page 277.

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To change the grouping order

You can change the order only when the document is grouped by more than one field.
1 Open a document from the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, from the View menu, select Grouping. It displays above the Layout area. 4 In the Grouping panel, do one of the following: Right-click the grouping field to move. Select Move Right or Move Left. Drag the field right or left. A placeholder indicates where it will be placed as you drag it. Drop the field where you want it.

When you change the grouping order, the header and footer sections of the corresponding attribute also change positions. For example, in the following figure, the document is grouped by Category, and then Region. The Category Header precedes the Region Header.

Now, when the grouping fields are switched, the Region Header precedes the Category Header, as shown below:

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Deleting a grouping field in a document


If you no longer want to group by a particular field in the Grouping panel, you can delete it. To do this, right-click the field and select Delete. Verify that you actually want to remove the particular field and then click Yes. You can also drag the field from the Grouping panel to the Datasets pane. field If you remove aheaderfrom the Grouping panel, the editor removes the corresponding and footer sections including their entire contents such as text fields, lines, rectangles, images, and so on.

Showing totals for a group


After you add a group to a document, you can allow totals to be displayed for that group. For example, the following document is grouped by Year, with a total displayed for all years:

The document above shows the end result of group totals. Other types of totals can also be displayed for users, including grand totals. For example, a document displays a Grid/Graph containing the Year attribute and Revenue metric. The document is grouped by Year. In PDF View a user can select a year and display a Grid/Graph with the data for that year, as shown below:

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Alternatively, the user can display a single Grid/Graph for all the years, by selecting All, as shown below:

for more Page-by allows you to display the various yearsaor all years; page 286. information on page-by, see Using page-by on document, However, the user needs the total of all the years in the Grid/Graph. To do this, allow the Year group to show a Total option in the PDF View. You do not need to edit the report or the Grid/Graph. In PDF View, a Total option is added to the page-by. When a user selects it, the total revenue of all the years is displayed, as shown below:

Now when a user selects All in PDF View, all the years and the total are displayed, as shown below:

If you disable page-by, the user cannot change the page-by from the All option in PDF View. Therefore the document always displays as shown above, with all the years and the group total. For instructions on disabling page-by, see Disabling page-by, page 289.

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To disable page-by, define the Page-by Mode as No Page-by (All Only), which explicitly indicates that the only page-by option in PDF View is All. For instructions on disabling page-by, see Disabling page-by, page 289.
To show totals for a group

1 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, from the View menu, select Grouping. It displays above the Layout area. 4 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field to total, and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 5 Select the Show option for Total check box. 6 Click OK.

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Group totals and sorting


The group total is not affected by sorting. For example, a document contains the Year and Region attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. Group totals are displayed, as shown below:

of the document The middle portionby the dotted line.has been removed to conserve space, as indicated

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If you sort region in descending order, Web appears at the top but Total remains at the end of the document, as shown below:

For information on sorting a group, including instructions, see Sorting records in a document, page 290.

How group totals impact metric calculation on Grid/Graphs


Metric values in a Grid/Graph in the Group Header or Group Footer are calculated at the level of: The objects on the Grid/Graph AND All higher-level groups in the dataset report of the Grid/Graph, not including the current group

Higher-level groups are those groups to the left of the current group. If any of the higher-level groups is set to Total, then that object is excluded from the calculations on the Grid/Graph. For example, a document is grouped by: Year

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Region Category

A Grid/Graph containing the Income Bracket attribute and the Revenue metric is placed in the Category Group Header section. All the groups have group totals enabled. In PDF View, set: Year = 2006 Region = South Category = Books

The revenue values in the Grid/Graph are calculated for the various income brackets in the South region in 2006 for books, as shown below.

Change Category to Total. Notice in the document sample below that the revenue amounts have increased. This is because all categories, not just books, are now included in the revenue calculation.

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Add Category to the Grid/Graph and re-execute the document. The revenue values are the same as in the previous example, and Category displays as Total in the Grid/Graph, as shown below.

Remove Category from the Grid/Graph. In PDF View, set Year to Total. Now the revenue values in the Grid/Graph are calculated for the various income brackets in the South region, as shown below. All years and all categories are included in the calculations. If the Grid/Graph displayed Year or Category, their page-by selections would show as Total.

If the Grid/Graph is moved from the Category Group Header to the Region Header, the metric values are calculated differently. When Region is set to All, you cannot change Category. The revenue values are calculated for the

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various income brackets in 2006, as shown below. All regions and all categories are included in the calculations.

The Region has been added to help identify the different Grid/Graphs.
How group totals impact metric calculation in text fields
Metric values in a Group Header or Group Footer are calculated at the level of all higher-level groups. Higher-level groups are those groups to the left of the current group (the group creating the grouping section). The document in this example contains text fields and metrics, and is grouped by: Year Region Category

All the groups have group totals enabled. The Year Header section displays the year selected in the page-by, the Region Header section displays the

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region, and the Category Header displays the category and the Revenue metric. The image below shows the document in Design View.

In PDF View, set: Year = 2006 Region = South Category = All

The document, as shown below, now displays the revenue for each category, as well as a total (because group totals are enabled). For the group total, the dynamic text field for Category is replaced by the word Total. For each category, the revenue is calculated for the selected year and selected region. For the category total, the revenue is calculated at the region level, for the selected year (that is, all categories for South in 2006).

Switch Category to Total. Now only one line item, the category total, is displayed. The revenue includes all categories for only the South region and

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2006. The total shown below is the same as the total in the previous document sample.

Now, change Year to Total and Category to All. The revenue calculated is for the South, for all years, and for each category. Notice that the revenue amount for category total is much higher than the previous sample, because it contains all years, not just 2006.

These examples demonstrate that metric values in a Group Header or Group Footer are calculated at the level of all higher-level groups. Higher-level groups are those groups to the left of the current group (the group creating the grouping section).

Displaying a group horizontally


By default, groups are displayed vertically in a document. That is, the detail sections are displayed below the Group Header. For example, a document is

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grouped by Year. The Detail section includes revenue and profit information by region. Displaying the group vertically yields the following document:

However, for certain documents, displaying and printing the group horizontally is desired. That is, the detail sections are displayed next to the Group Header, running horizontally across the page. The example given above, if displayed horizontally, shows a row containing the year, and then, for each region, the Region, Revenue, and Profit. While this is a simple example, it quickly demonstrates the concept. In PDF View, the document displays as shown below:

In Design View, the document with horizontal display looks like the following:

Notice that the sections within the group are turned sideways and listed horizontally, across the page. These horizontally rendered sections are the Group Header and Footer (in this case, Year), the Detail Header, the Detail, and the Detail Footer. They are displayed in the same order as when shown vertically. The other sections are still listed vertically (Page and Document sections). You can also change the orientation of only the lower level sections (that is, the detail sections). In the following sample, the Detail Header, Detail, and

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Detail Footer are displayed horizontally while the Group Header and Group Footer are displayed vertically:

You can also display the Detail Header and Detail Footer vertically while keeping the Detail section horizontal. In fact, a document does not have to be grouped to allow these sections to be displayed horizontally. For information on displaying sections horizontally without groups, see Displaying sections horizontally, page 186. have additional Horizontally displayed sectionsinformation, seeproperties to control the horizontal width. For more Changing the horizontal width of a section, page 191.
To display a group horizontally

This procedure assumes that the document is already grouped. 1 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, from the View menu, select Grouping. It displays above the Layout area. 4 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field to display and print horizontally, and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 5 Do one of the following: To display the Group Header, Group Footer, Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer sections horizontally, select the Render group horizontally check box. To display only the Detail Header, Detail, and Detail Footer sections horizontally, select the Render Lower Level Sections Horizontally check box.

6 Click OK.

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Adding more grouping fields to horizontally displayed groups


When you add another grouping field, its location in the Grouping panel controls whether it is displayed and printed horizontally or vertically, as described below: All groups to the right of a horizontally displayed group display horizontally. Therefore, if you add the field to the right of a horizontally repeating group, the new group is displayed horizontally. If you add the field to the left of all horizontally displayed groups, the new group is displayed vertically.

For example, continuing with the previous example, add Region to the right of Year in the Grouping panel. The Region Header and Region Footer sections are displayed horizontally, as shown below:

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If you add Region to the left of Year instead, the Region Header and Region Footer are displayed vertically, as shown below:

If you then add Category between Region and Year in the Grouping panel, Category is displayed vertically. This occurs because Category is to the left of the horizontally displayed group.

Changing the grouping order of horizontally displayed groups


If you move a group on the Grouping panel, thereby changing the grouping order, only the moved group changes its orientation. That is, if you move a horizontally displayed group, that group can become vertically displayed, if necessary, but the orientation of no other groups change. If you move a vertically displayed group, that group can become horizontally displayed, if necessary, but no other orientation changes. the right a horizontally All groups to documentofcannot contain adisplayed group must begroup horizontal; a horizontally displayed followed by a vertically displayed group.

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If you move a horizontally displayed group, its orientation depends on the orientation of the groups to its right. The following rules determine whether it remains horizontal or changes to vertical: If you move a horizontally displayed group to the left,

And if all groups to the right are horizontal, Then the moved group remains horizontal

And if at least one group to the right is vertical, Then the moved group is rendered vertically

If you move a horizontally displayed group to the right,

All groups to the right must be horizontal by definition, So the moved group remains horizontal

If you move a vertically displayed group, its orientation depends on the orientation of the groups to its left. The following rules determine whether it remains vertical or changes to horizontal: If you move a vertically displayed group to the right,

And if all groups to the left are vertical, Then the moved group remains vertical

And if at least one group to the left is horizontal, Then the moved group is displayed horizontally

If you move a vertically displayed group to the left,

All groups to the left must be vertical by definition, So the moved group is displayed vertically

For example, a document is grouped by Year, Region, and Category, left to right. Year is displayed vertically; Region and Category are displayed horizontally, as depicted in the following table:
Year Year Region Category Region Category

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You move Category all the way to the left, past Year. Category becomes vertical, because a group to the right (Year) is vertical. The result is shown below.
Category Category Year Region Year Region

You move Year to the right, after Region. Year becomes horizontal, because all groups to the right of a horizontal group must be horizontal.
Category Category Region Year Region Year

You move Region to the left, before Category. Region becomes vertical, because a group to the right (Category) is vertical.
Region Region Category Year Category Year

more information changing For grouping order in ondocument, the grouping order, see Changing the a page 262.

Hiding Group Header and Group Footer sections


For each grouping field, you can specify whether the Group Header and/or Group Footer sections are displayed. For example, a document is grouped by Region and State. You want to display a header for each state, to identify the state. You also want a footer for each state, with various metrics totaled at the state level. You want to display a header for each region to identify the region, but you do not need a footer. To do this, you can hide the footer section for Region.

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By default, a Group Header section and a Group Footer section are displayed for each grouping item.
To hide a Group Header or Group Footer section

1 Open a document from the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to group. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field to modify, and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 4 To hide the Group Header section, clear the Show Header check box. 5 To hide the Group Footer section, clear the Show Footer check box. 6 Select the Keep group together check box. 7 Click OK.

Adding a page break for a group


You can add page breaks whenever a new group begins. For example, if your document is grouped by Region, you may want each region to start printing on a new page. Add a page break for the Region Header section in the Layout area of the document. You can use page breaks between groups and fit to page scaling to print each group on a single page. For more information on print scaling, see Modifying page setup options, page 231. For examples of these settings in use, see Printing a document on a single page, page 233.

Note the following:


Properties related to pagination apply only to PDF View. You can also add page breaks between sections. For more information, see Adding a page break to a document, page 229.

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To add a page break for a group

1 Open a document from the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field for which to insert a page break. Select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 4 Select the Page break between groups check box. 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

Resetting page numbers for each group


If you intend to restart page numbering for a groups new section, use restart page numbering and page break between groups settings.

This also changes the value ofisthe auto text code for total pagepages in numbers {&NPAGES}, which normally the total number of
the document, to the number of pages in that groups section. For example, suppose you have an eight-page document with no grouping, the {&NPAGES} code resolves to 8 (page 1 of 8, 2 of 8 ... 8 of 8). But if you group the document by Region, then page break and restart numbering for it, the {&NPAGES} code resolves to the number of pages in each Regions individual section. So, if the Region has the following sections, the pages in each section are numbered as follows: Southeast 2 (page 1 of 2, 2 of 2) Mid-Atlantic 2 (1 of 2, 2 of 2) Northwest 3 (1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3) Northeast 1 (1 of 1)

Properties related to pagination apply only to PDF View.


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To start page numbering for a group

1 Open a document from the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the field that you want to restart numbering and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 4 Select the Page break between groups and the Restart page numbering check boxes. the Page break You must select the Restart pagebetween groups check box before selecting numbering check box. 5 Click OK.

Repeating a Group Header section on another page


If all of the data within a group cannot fit on one page and you want the groups header information to print on all overflow pages, use the repeat section setting.
To repeat a Group Header section on each page

1 Open a document from the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 In the Layout area, select the Group Header section for the group to repeat. 4 Do one of the following: In the Property List, under the Page break section, from the Repeat on each page drop-down list, select True.

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From the Format menu, select Properties. On the Layout tab, select the Repeat on each page check box.

5 Press ENTER.

Keeping the data in a group together on a page


You may want to keep a page break from occurring within a group that is, from its Group Header to its Group Footer and all the content in between. To do this, you can define that the group is kept together. If the group does not fit entirely on a page, it starts on a new page and any overflow prints on successive pages. for a section together in similar manner. You can also keep dataKeeping the contents of aasection together, For more information, see page 195.
To keep a group together on a page

1 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field that you wish to keep together, and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 4 Select the Keep group together check box. 5 Click OK.

Specifying that groups are exported to separate Excel worksheets


When you export a grouped document to Excel, you may want to place each element (or page) of a grouping field in its own worksheet, in the same Excel workbook. By default, all elements/pages are exported to the same Excel worksheet.

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For example, a document is grouped by Region. When it is exported to Excel, all the regions are included in the same worksheet, as shown below. Notice that the Excel workbook contains only one tab, named Regional grouping (the document name).

If you specify instead that each group is exported to a separate worksheet, the same document looks like the following after being exported to Excel:

Notice that the displayed worksheet lists only those employees in the Central region. Each region has its own tab, labeled with the document name and a number (1 of 8, 2 of 8, and so on).

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In the document, add Call Center to the grouping panel, to the right of Region. When you export the document to Excel, each Call Center is placed in its own worksheet, as shown below:

Notice that the Excel file contains 15 tabs now, one for each Call Center. If you change the grouping properties of Region so that regions are not exported to separate worksheets, the exported file looks like the following:

Now only one worksheet is created. Why? When a group is exported to a single worksheet, any of its sub-groups (that is, groups to the right of it in the Grouping panel) must also be exported to a single worksheet.

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To specify that each group is exported to a separate Excel worksheet

assumes that This procedurecreate a group,you have already created aagroup. For instructions to see Grouping records in document, page 260. 1 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout that you want to modify. 3 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, select Grouping from the View menu. 4 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping item and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 5 Select the Sheet break between groups check box. there is a group to This option is not available ifthe following is true:the left of the selected group and either of The group to the left of the selected group is not defined to export to separate Excel worksheets. The group to the left of the selected group is defined to display horizontally.

6 Click OK to return to the Document Editor. To export the document to Excel, click the PDF icon in the toolbar to switch to PDF View, and then select Export to Excel from the File menu. For more detailed instructions on exporting to Excel, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide.

Using page-by on a document


You can use page-by to interactively display groups on separate pages in PDF View. It allows the end user to dynamically select group elements as criteria for analysis. The PDF that results from this selection is called a page

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of the original document. By allowing the use of different criteria to show information, pages provide an added level of data manipulation and display. For example, a document displays revenue and profit data and is grouped by Region and then Year. By default, both Region and Year are included in the page. In PDF View, you can select a specific region and year to display the data for the selected region and year combination. The following sample shows only the data for the Northeast region in 2002.

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You could also see the data for all years for a particular region or all data in the document, regardless of region or year. The following sample shows all the data in the document.

consolidations, Since you can group on attributes,by metrics. and custom groups, but not metrics, you cannot page If you display totals for a group, an option named Total is displayed in the drop-down menu for that group in PDF View. For examples of group totals and instructions on displaying them, see Showing totals for a group, page 264.

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You can control how the page-by is exported to Excel or PDF, by choosing whether to export only the current page-by selection or the whole document. For more information, see Formatting a document for export, page 250.

Disabling page-by
By default, page-by is enabled for all the grouping fields in the document. If you disable page-by for a particular grouping field, any fields to the right of it in the Grouping panel are also disabled. You can also enable page-by while preventing the simultaneous display of all the elements, which is useful for grouping fields that have many elements. Procedures for these actions are detailed below. If you disable page-by for a group that has totals, the group total is still shown but you cannot display totals only. See Showing totals for a group, page 264 for an example of group totals.
To disable page-by on a document

This procedure assumes that the document contains at least one grouping field. 1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, select Grouping from the View menu. The Grouping panel opens above the Layout area. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field on which to disable page-by. Select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box for that grouping field opens. 4 Select No Page-By (All Only) from the Page-By mode drop-down list. to the right of Any grouping fields also disabled. the selected field in the Grouping panel are 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor. When the document is executed in PDF View, all the elements of the group are displayed.

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To disable simultaneous display of all elements

This procedure assumes that the document contains at least one grouping field. 1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 If the Grouping panel is not displayed, select Grouping from the View menu. The Grouping panel opens above the Layout area. 3 In the Grouping panel, right-click the grouping field and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box for that grouping field opens. 4 Select Page-By (Single Element Only) from the Page-By mode drop-down list. 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor. When the document is executed in PDF View, you cannot select the All option, which shows all the elements for this group simultaneously.

Sorting records in a document


A documents data is sorted according to its group settings. However, you may want to control its sorting further. The order of the sort keys is defined by the order of the groupings, as described in Grouping records in a document, page 260. This sorting is set on the Grouping section of the Sorting dialog box. To change how the Detail section is sorted, use the Detail section of the same dialog box.

Note the following:


You can sort on objects from the grouping and sorting dataset only.

You can sort each layout of a multi-layout document independently. For more information on multi-layout documents, including which properties apply to the document as a whole or to individual layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

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For example, you may want to sort the information in the documents Detail section. If you have a document grouped by Region and Year, in the detail section, you may want to sort the records by Revenue in descending order. When sorting by a custom group, you can choose from the following options: Use the default sort property of the custom group. Select the position of the components of the custom group, that is, whether the element name or its individual components are displayed first. However, the display option of the custom group must be set as Show only the individual items with in the element and also expand these individual items if possible or Show element names, individual items within this element and also expand these individual items if possible. For more information on these settings, refer to the Desktop Help.

To sort grouping items in a document

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify. 3 From the Data menu, select Sorting. The Sorting dialog box opens, with all grouping items listed in the Grouping section. 4 To change the Criteria of a grouping item, click in the appropriate cell. A drop-down list appears. From the list, select the criteria to sort by. If the object in the currently defined sorting list is an attribute, select the attribute form (such as ID or description) to sort on. If the object in the currently defined sorting list is a custom group, select from the following options: Keep Group Structure, which indicates that the custom group is not sorted (the default) Sort on Attribute ID Inherit Attribute Sort, which uses the default sort of the attribute form set to display first on setting For informationGuide. the default sort, see the MicroStrategy Project Design

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If the Sort By object is a consolidation, the only option available is Default.

5 Select the order from the Order column as Ascending or Descending. if the Criteria of is set You cannot change the orderorder of a customan attribute if youto Default. You can change the group only selected Sort on Attribute ID in the Criteria. 6 If you are sorting on a custom group, you can change the Parent Position, which is the position of the element headers relative to the child elements. Select from the following options: Default inherits the sort property of the custom group Top displays the element name first, then its individual items (that is, the header is displayed above the children) Bottom displays the individual items of an element, followed by the element name (that is, the header is displayed below the children)

The Parent Position options affect the custom group is displayed as Showthe document only ifitems only the individual within this element and also, expand these individual items if possible or Show element names, individual items within this element and also, expand these individual items if possible. 7 When you have finished defining how to sort the grouping items, click OK to return to the Document Editor.
To sort records in a document

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to sort. 3 From the Data menu, select Sorting. The Sorting dialog box opens. 4 To add a sorting definition for Detail (the lower half of the dialog box), click Add, which populates a row with an object from the grouping and sorting dataset. 5 To change the selected object, click in the Sort By cell. A drop-down list containing all the objects from the Datasets pane appears. Choose the desired object from the list.
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6 From the Criteria drop-down list, select the criteria to sort by: If the object in the currently defined sorting list is an attribute, select which attribute form (such as ID or description) to sort on. If the object in the currently defined sorting list is a custom group, select from the following options: Keep Group Structure, which indicates that the custom group is not sorted (the default) Sort on Attribute ID Inherit Attribute Sort, which uses the default sort of the attribute form set to display first on setting For informationGuide. the default sort, see the MicroStrategy Project Design If the Sort By object is a consolidation, the only option is Default.

7 Select the order from the Order column as Ascending or Descending. if the Criteria of is set You cannot change the orderorder of a customan attribute if youto Default. You can change the group only selected Sort on Attribute ID in the Criteria. 8 If you are sorting on a custom group, you can change the Parent Position, which is the position of the element headers relative to the child elements. Select from the following options: Default inherits the sort property of the custom group Top displays the element name first, then its individual items (that is, the header is displayed above the children) Bottom displays the individual items of an element, followed by the element name (that is, the header is displayed below the children)

The Parent Position options affect the custom group is displayed as Showthe document only ifitems only the individual within this element and also, expand these individual items if possible or Show element names, individual items within this element and also, expand these individual items if possible. 9 To sort by another object, click Add again, then repeat steps 3-8 to modify the sorting details. 10 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

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4
4.

DISPLAYING REPORTS IN DOCUMENTS: GRID/GRAPHS

Introduction
In a document, you can display a report by adding a Grid/Graph to the document. A Grid/Graph acts as a standard MicroStrategy report. You can use a Grid/Graph as a type of summary for a group or the entire document, because the data displayed in it is aggregated to the level in which the Grid/Graph is placed. If the Grid/Graph is in one of the Group Header or Group Footer sections, it limits the data displayed in it to only that which is included in that group. For example, a document is grouped by Region, and you place a Grid/Graph in the Region Header section. If Region contains three values (Midwest, Northeast, and Northwest), the Grid/Graph aggregates and displays only Midwest data in the Midwest Region Header, only Northeast data in the

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Northeast Region Header, and only Northwest data in the Northwest Region Header. The following sample Grid/Graph is for the Northeast region.

This chapter describes how to add Grid/Graphs to documents and how to work with them. It uses sample documents and procedures to explain the following concepts: Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298 Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310 Adding objects to a Grid/Graph, page 312 Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319 Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326 Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329 Using view filters on Grid/Graphs, page 331 Linking to the dataset reports of Grid/Graphs, page 345 Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348 Enabling interactive Grid/Graphs for MicroStrategy Web, page 358

Once a Grid/Graph is in the document, you can display it in several ways: Grid: displays the Grid/Graph as a standard MicroStrategy grid with rows and columns of attributes and metrics, as shown below. For details, see Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid, page 313.

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Graph: displays the data visually like a standard MicroStrategy graph. The same Grid/Graph is shown below as in graph view. For details, see Viewing as a graph, page 314.

Grid and Graph: displays both Grid and Graph views simultaneously. The same Grid/Graph is shown below in Grid and Graph view. For details, see Viewing as a grid and a graph, page 315.

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Adding a Grid/Graph to a document


In a document, you can display a report by adding a Grid/Graph, which acts as a standard MicroStrategy report. A Grid/Graph is directly associated with one dataset report. The data from that report is used to populate the Grid/Graph. You cannot mix data from multiple dataset reports within one Grid/Graph. For more information about multiple dataset reports, see Working with multiple dataset reports, page 731. You can add a Grid/Graph to a document in any of the following ways: If the document already contains the dataset report that will populate the Grid/Graph with data, then do one of the following:

Create a Grid/Graph that includes all the objects of the report, whether they appear on the report grid or in the Report Objects pane. Create a Grid/Graph that looks like the report itselfthe report formatting is copied and only those objects displayed on the report grid are copied onto the Grid/Graph.

report formatting changes or objects are added or deleted If thethe report, the Grid/Graph in the document doestonot change. from To link the Grid/Graph to the report, create the Grid/Graph as a shortcut (see below). Both of these procedures are included in To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. If the document does not contain the dataset report, then you can add a dataset and a Grid/Graph simultaneously. For instructions, see Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously, page 302. You can create an empty Grid/Graph, or placeholder, which you then populate with data from a dataset report. The placeholder can display as a grid or as a graph, and you can select the type of graph to display. For more information and instructions to add placeholders and datasets, see Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 303 and Adding a dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 304. create document You can use Grid/Graph placeholders tothat do not contain any templates with formatted Grid/Graphs data. You can create a Grid/Graph as a shortcut. A shortcut is linked to the dataset report itself, which means that any changes (such as formatting) made to the dataset report are passed to the Grid/Graph in the document.

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However, you cannot edit a Grid/Graph shortcut. For information on what you can do with shortcuts, including formatting and unlinking, and detailed instructions, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306. not linked to the report shortcut, If a Grid/Graph isthe dataset report dataset passedas athe changes made to are not to Grid/Graph. For example, the Revenue metric values on a report are displayed in blue font. That report is used as the dataset report for a Grid/Graph in a document. Later, the font of the Revenue metric values on the report is changed to green. The color of the Revenue values on the Grid/Graph in the document does not change. If the Grid/Graph is linked as a shortcut, however, the color of the Revenue values would change when the Revenue values on the report were changed. If an object is removed from the dataset report, that object is also automatically removed from the Grid/Graph in the document, regardless of whether or not the Grid/Graph is linked as a shortcut.

Grid/Graphs and automatic target maintenance for selectors


Selectors allow a user to display different metrics or different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a Grid/Graph (the target of the selector). Targets can be automatically maintained in a layout. This means that when you add a Grid/Graph, the Grid/Graph is the target of all selectors in the same panel or document section as the Grid/Graph. For more information about automatically maintaining targets for selectors, including instructions to enable and disable the functionality, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. For background information about selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.
To add a Grid/Graph

This procedure assumes that the document contains the dataset report that will populate the Grid/Graph with data. If it does not, you can add a new dataset and a Grid/Graph to the document at the same time. Use the procedure in Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously, page 302 instead of following the instructions below. 1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 Do one of the following:


To Create A Grid/Graph containing all the objects on a dataset report A Grid/Graph with several dataset objects on it Follow These Steps Drag and drop the name of the dataset report from the Datasets pane to the section where you want the Grid/Graph. 1 Select the objects in the Datasets pane, by using either SHIFT+click or CTRL+click. 2 Drag and drop them in the desired section while pressing the SHIFT key. By default, metrics are placed in the columns and everything else is placed in the rows. Hold down the SHIFT key while dragging and dropping the dataset reports name from the Datasets pane to the section where you want the Grid/Graph. If the formatting style of the report changes, the formatting style of the Grid/Graph does not change. If you want the formatting to change in this instance, use a shortcut instead. See Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306 for more information and instructions.

A Grid/Graph that: Copies the formatting of the report Contains only those objects displayed on the report grid (versus those in Report Objects but not on the report grid)

place Grid/Graph You can Since acontrols in theanywhere in a document except the Detail section. Detail section are repeated once per row of the dataset, the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row. 3 The Grid/Graph is added, displaying as a grid (a standard MicroStrategy grid report with rows and columns of attributes and metrics) by default, unless you retained the report formatting. For example, if you want to place the Sales by Region report as a Grid in the Document Header, click the Sales by Region dataset name and drag it to the Document Header section in the Layout area. After a Grid/Graph is added, you can change how it is displayed. A Grid/Graph can be displayed as: Grid: a standard MicroStrategy grid is displayed, with rows and columns of attributes and metrics. The sample shown above is displayed as a grid. For details, see Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid, page 313. Graph: the data is displayed visually like a standard MicroStrategy graph. For details, see Viewing as a graph, page 314. Grid and Graph: displays both Grid and Graph views simultaneously. For details, see Viewing as a grid and a graph, page 315.

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Now that the Grid/Graph has been added to the document, you can: Add additional objects to the Grid/Graph. See Adding objects to a Grid/Graph, page 312 for instructions. Enable quick switch between graph view and grid view. For a description of quick switch and instructions, see Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329. Display a title bar, which allows MicroStrategy Web users to minimize and maximize the Grid/Graph. It also helps identify the Grid/Graph in all views. For examples and instructions, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326. Resize the Grid/Graph. For instructions, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310. Create a view filter to filter the data that is displayed in the Grid/Graph. For examples and instructions, see Using view filters on Grid/Graphs, page 331. Change the dataset, which provides the data displayed on the Grid/Graph. For instructions, see Changing datasets in Grid/Graphs, page 309. Enable drilling on the data in the Grid/Graph. For information on drilling and instructions, see Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.

You can format different parts of the Grid/Graphthe container (the object that displays the actual report grid or graph), the report grid or graph itself, and the title bar. Format the container of the Grid/Graph to change settings such as name, position, size, borders, and background of the object displaying the report grid or graph. See Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319 for instructions. Edit the Grid/Graph, to change settings on the report grid or graph, such as row and column formatting, graph style, and sorting. See Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310 for instructions. Format the title bar to affect how the title bar is displayed, such as the font, background, and border. See Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319 for instructions.

For a comparison of formatting the container and the title bar, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319.
This formatting affects the Grid/Graph on the document; it does not change the original report. Similarly, any changes, such as formatting a metric or

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changing the graph type, made to the original report are not propagated to the Grid/Graph, unless the Grid/Graph is a shortcut. However, if an object is removed from the original report, that object is also removed from the Grid/Graph in the document, regardless of whether or not the Grid/Graph is linked as a shortcut. For more information on linking Grid/Graphs as shortcuts, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306.

Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously


If the report that will populate the Grid/Graph with data has not been added to the document yet, you can add a new dataset report and a Grid/Graph to the document at the same time.
To add a dataset and a Grid/Graph simultaneously

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the Report icon in the controls toolbar, or select Report from the Insert menu. 3 Click and drag in the section where you want the Grid/Graph. The Pick Dataset dialog box opens. Grid/Graph document You can place aSince controlsanywhere in a section areexcept in the Detail section. in the Detail repeated once per row of the dataset, the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row. 4 Locate and select the report to add to the document. This dataset report also provides the data for the new Grid/Graph. 5 To use the formatting of the report, rather than the default Grid/Graph formatting, select the Use formatting of this report check box. 6 Click OK to return to the document. A new Grid/Graph is displayed in the document, and the dataset report is displayed in the Datasets pane.

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Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder


A Grid/Graph placeholder is an empty Grid/Graph, without a dataset report to populate the Grid/Graph with data. The Grid/Graph placeholder is not displayed in PDF View until you add a dataset report to it. For instructions to add dataset reports to Grid/Graph placeholders, see Adding a dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 304. A Grid/Graph can be displayed as either: A grid (a standard MicroStrategy grid report with rows and columns of attributes and metrics) A graph (which shows the data visually as in a standard MicroStrategy graph report)

When you add a Grid/Graph placeholder, you can choose whether to display it as a grid or as a graph. Grid/Graph placeholders can save time by allowing you to create a document template containing Grid/Graph placeholders but no dataset reports. You can then use the template to create several different documents, each with specific dataset reports and Grid/Graphs populated by those dataset reports. The formatting of the Grid/Graph placeholder is retained when you add a dataset report to the placeholder. To continue with the template scenario above, all the Grid/Graphs could be formatted identically in the documents, regardless of the formatting on the reports. To a Grid/Graph placeholder, populate it with data, andformatremove the data. The formatting is retained on theformat it, then placeholder. To format the rows and columns of a Grid/Graph, edit the Grid/Graph and then format it. For more detailed instructions, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310. You can also choose to copy the formatting from the report. In the template scenario, each Grid/Graph could be formatted differently, depending on the formatting in the original reports.
To add a Grid/Graph placeholder to a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 Do one of the following: To add a placeholder that displays as a grid, select Grid from the Insert menu. To add a placeholder that displays as a graph, point to Graph on the Insert menu, and select the graph style. For descriptions of the various graph styles, see the Graphing chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

3 Click and drag in the section where you want the Grid/Graph placeholder. a Grid/Graph placeholder anywhere in document You caninplaceDetail section. Since controls in the Detaila section are except the repeated once per row of the dataset, the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row. A new Grid/Graph placeholder is displayed as an empty Grid/Graph in the document. You need to add a dataset to the Grid/Graph placeholder to populate it with data, as described below.

Adding a dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder


You can add a dataset report to a Grid/Graph placeholder (an empty Grid/Graph) by doing either of the following: Dragging an existing dataset report to the Grid/Graph placeholder. For instructions, see To add an existing dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 305. Adding a new dataset report to an existing Grid/Graph placeholder. For instructions, see To add a new dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 305.

The data on the selected dataset report (either new or existing) is used to populate the Grid/Graph placeholder. The formatting of the Grid/Graph placeholder can be: Copied from the report. To continue with the template scenario described in Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 303, each Grid/Graph could be formatted differently, depending on the formatting in the original reports. Retained.

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In the template scenario, all the Grid/Graphs could be formatted identically in the documents, regardless of the formatting on the original reports. following procedures assume that the document contains Theempty Grid/Graph (a Grid/Graph placeholder). Ifalready not, an it does follow the procedure in To add a Grid/Graph placeholder to a document, page 303.
To add an existing dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Do one of the following: To retain the formatting of the report, drag and drop the name of the dataset report from the Datasets pane to the Grid/Graph placeholder. To use the formatting of the Grid/Graph placeholder, hold down the SHIFT key while dragging and dropping the dataset reports name from the Datasets pane to the Grid/Graph placeholder.

When the document is executed, the Grid/Graph is populated with data from the selected dataset report.
To add a new dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph placeholder (an empty Grid/Graph) and select Pick Dataset. The Pick Dataset dialog box opens. 3 Locate and select the dataset report to provide the data for the Grid/Graph. a report that used You can selectyou can selectisa alreadythat isas a dataset ononthe document, or report not included the document. 4 By default, the Grid/Graph uses the formatting from the Grid/Graph placeholder. Alternatively, the formatting of the original report can be retained. To do this, select the Use formatting of this report check box. 5 Click OK to return to the document.
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The dataset report is added to the Datasets pane. When the document is executed, the Grid/Graph is populated with data from the selected dataset report.

Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut


If you add a Grid/Graph to a document as a shortcut, the Grid/Graph is linked to the original report. Any changes made to that report, such as formatting a metric or changing the graph type, are automatically passed to the Grid/Graph in the document. You cannot edit the Grid/Graph in the document unless you unlink it, that is remove the shortcut. Editing options include adding a view filter, formatting rows and columns, sorting, changing the graph style, modifying graph titles, and so on. (For a complete list of editing options, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310.) In a Grid/Graph added as a shortcut, you can: Add a title bar (for instructions, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326) Format the Grid/Graph container and the title bar (for instructions, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319) View the Grid/Graph as a grid, a graph, or both a grid and a graph (for instructions, see Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid, page 313, Viewing as a graph, page 314, and Viewing as a grid and a graph, page 315) Specify Grid/Graph properties, such as position, size, grid overflow, and quick switch (for instructions, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319)

in The Shortcut propertyis athe Property List is a quick indicator of whether a Grid/Graph shortcut. You can unlink a Grid/Graph shortcut, if you no longer want changes made to the original report to be passed to the Grid/Graph in the document. Unlinking removes the shortcut and creates a Grid/Graph in its place. For the procedure, see To unlink a linked Grid/Graph shortcut, page 309. or add a a message If you try to edit the shortcutunlink theview filter,Click OK orisConvert displayed that allows you to shortcut. to unlink the shortcut. If you want to replace the shortcut with data from a different dataset, you can replace the dataset in the document. The formatting, filter, and report

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objects of the shortcut are automatically changed. For instructions and a description of the effect that replacing the dataset has on the document, see the Desktop Help. You do not have to create a new Grid/Graph to use shortcuts; you can instead link an existing Grid/Graph to a dataset report. For instructions, see To link an existing Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 309. Both Grid/Graphs shown below use the same dataset report, Yearly Revenue. However, the one on the right (Grid/Graph 2) is linked to the original report as a shortcut, while the one on the left (Grid/Graph 1) is not.

Change the graph type of the Yearly Revenue report from vertical bar to horizontal bar. Save the report. When you execute the document again, as shown below, Grid/Graph 1 still displays as a vertical bar graph, but Grid/Graph 2 is now a horizontal bar graph, because it is a shortcut

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Grid/Graph and therefore changes to the dataset report are automatically passed to the shortcut Grid/Graph in the document.

A Grid/Graph added as a shortcut allows a document to contain an object prompt in a Grid/Graph. An object prompt on the template of a dataset report allows users to select which objects to include in the report. Grid/Graphs cannot use object prompts, unless you add the Grid/Graph as a shortcut. shortcut used, prompt does Even when a pane; youiscannotthe objectthe document notaappear in the Datasets add it to as separate object. When the document is executed, the object prompt is displayed and its answers are shown in the document results. This occurs just as if you had executed the dataset report as a stand-alone report. For more details on prompts in documents, see Using prompts in documents, page 766.
To add a Grid/Graph as a shortcut

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 In the Layout area, click in the section where you want to place the Grid/Graph. Grid/Graph anywhere document except in You can place aThis is because controlsin athe Detail section arethe Detail section. in repeated once per row of the dataset, and the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row.

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3 Right-click the dataset report in the Datasets pane and select Add to Section as shortcut.

If the dataset report uses an Intelligent Cube, this option is unavailable.


To unlink a linked Grid/Graph shortcut

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the Grid/Graph to unlink. 3 In the Property List: Data section, select False from the Shortcut drop-down list.
To link an existing Grid/Graph as a shortcut

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the Grid/Graph. 3 In the Property List: Data section, change Shortcut to True.

Changing datasets in Grid/Graphs


When you add a Grid/Graph to a document, you choose the dataset. However, you can change that dataset later, if necessary. also replace the dataset document, and any Grid/Graphs You can the dataset are updated of ause the new dataset instead. For that use to instructions, see the Desktop Help.

Prerequisite
This procedure assumes that you have added a Grid/Graph to the document. If you have not, you can add a Grid/Graph and select the dataset at the same time. For instructions to do this, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299 or Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously, page 302.

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To change the dataset of a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. hashed appear around If redand clicklinesobject once. it, you are in edit mode. Press ESC the 3 Select the new dataset report from the drop-down list in Property List: Data: Data source. All the datasets of the document are listed. 4 When you are done, press ESC or click anywhere in the Layout area outside the Grid/Graph object.

Any dataset objects that are not available in the new dataset are deleted from the Layout area.
Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph
A Grid/Graph has several modes or states of selection.
To select and edit a Grid/Graph

When the Grid/Graph is not selected and your cursor is not over it, it displays without handles or the edit icon. This normal view is shown below.

When you place your cursor over it, the edit icon (explained later) displays in its top-left corner, as shown below.

When you click the Grid/Graph, the Grid/Graph control is selected. You can then resize the Grid/Graph by dragging the resizing handles. You can also

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change settings such as its name and display mode in the Property List. This selected mode is shown below.

resize, it be locked. A locked If a selected Grid/Graph does notmoved onmayLayout area. For more Grid/Graph cannot be resized or the information and instructions, see Locking and unlocking controls, page 144. To edit the Grid/Graph, double-click it or click the edit icon. A red hashed border displays around it (shown below) and the menu options and toolbar change at the top of the Document Editor.

When a Grid/Graph is in edit mode, you have many of the same options for customizing the Grid/Graph as when using the Report Editor, which is part of MicroStrategy Desktop. For example, you can add objects to the Grid/Graph, format rows and columns, sort, add totals, create and edit drill maps, and format the graph. For details, see the following sections: Adding objects to a Grid/Graph, page 312 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options, page 313 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options, page 315

To exit edit mode for the Grid/Graph, press ESC or click anywhere in the documents Layout area outside of the Grid/Graph. the grid report displayed Editing changesthe document; itor graph report asthe originalin the Grid/Graph in does not change report. For this reason, if the Grid/Graph is linked to the original report as a shortcut, you cannot edit the Grid/Graph. You can format the Grid/Graph control within the document, whether it is a shortcut or not. For instructions, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319, which discusses borders, title bars, and quick switch, among other properties. For instructions to unlink a Grid/Graph shortcut so that it is converted to standard Grid/Graph, and more information on

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shortcuts in general, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306.

Adding objects to a Grid/Graph


If you create an empty Grid/Graph in the document, you need to populate it with objects. These objects are the attributes, consolidations, custom groups, hierarchies, and metrics in a dataset report. You can add objects easily if the Grid/Graph is displayed as a grid and is in edit mode. You can select which attribute forms to add to the Grid/Graph. If you use an attribute form that is later removed from the original report, that attribute form is no longer displayed on the Grid/Graph in the document. If all the attribute forms used on the Grid/Graph are removed from the original report, the Grid/Graph displays the attribute ID. If the attribute itself is removed from the original report, it is also removed from the Grid/Graph. You can add additional objects to a Grid/Graph that already contains objects. However, a Grid/Graph can contain objects from only one dataset report; you cannot combine objects from different dataset reports in the same Grid/Graph. dataset report which Grid/Graph is associated, To change thesource propertywiththe Dataa area of the Property List. use the Data in
To add attributes, metrics, and other objects to a Grid/Graph

1 From the Document Editor in Design View, double-click the Grid/Graph to enter edit mode. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, indicating that it is in edit mode. For more information, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310. 2 Drag the object from the Datasets pane onto the Grid/Graph. A placeholder displays its position when you drop it. 3 Drop the object. It is placed in the Grid/Graph. creates text field If the object is not inaedit mode.on top of the Grid/Graph, the Grid/Graph Undo the addition by pressing CTRL+Z, then double-click the Grid/Graph and try again. 4 To exit edit mode, press ESC.

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Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid


When you add a Grid/Graph to a document, it is displayed as a grid (a standard MicroStrategy grid report with rows and columns of attributes and metrics) by default. If the display mode is changed, you can set it to display as a grid again.
To view a Grid/Graph as a grid

1 Select the Grid/Graph. hashed lines appear around it, Press If redto exit edit mode, then click the you are in edit mode.select it. ESC Grid/Graph once to 2 Do one of the following: In the Property List under the Appearance section, from the View Mode drop-down list, select Grid. From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. On the Grid tab, from the View mode drop-down list, select Grid.

3 Click anywhere outside of the Grid/Graph so that the Grid/Graph is no longer selected.

Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options


Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid provides many of the same options that editing a grid report does. For example, you can create derived metrics and apply thresholds. When you edit a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid, the menus and toolbar change to reflect report options rather than document options. For example, you can: Change the formatting of various rows and columns using the Format menu. Change the sorting, as well as define totals or subtotals, using the Data menu. Select a different autostyle for the grid, assign thresholds, and change various column settings (such as removing the extra Metrics column from the Grid/Graph for MicroStrategy Web) using the Grid menu.
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Create derived metrics using the Insert menu.

These options also apply to the grid part of a Grid/Graph that is displayed as a grid and a graph. For more information about these options, see the Desktop Help. grid or Editing changes theFor thisgraph inifthe document; it does not change the original report. reason, the Grid/Graph is linked to the original report as a shortcut, you cannot edit it. You can format the Grid/Graph control within the document, whether it is a shortcut or not. For instructions, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319, which discusses borders, title bars, and quick switch, among other properties. For instructions to unlink a Grid/Graph shortcut, and more information on shortcuts in general, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306.

Viewing as a graph
When you insert a Grid/Graph into a document, it is displayed as a grid (a standard MicroStrategy grid report with rows and columns of attributes and metrics) by default. You can choose to display it as a graph, which shows the data visually as in a standard MicroStrategy graph report.
To view a Grid/Graph as a graph

1 Select the Grid/Graph. hashed lines appear around it, in edit mode. Press If redto exit edit mode, then click the you areonce to select it. ESC object 2 Do one of the following: In the Property List under the Appearance section, from the View Mode drop-down list, select Graph. From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. On the Grid tab, from the View mode drop-down list, select Graph.

3 Click anywhere outside of the Grid/Graph so that the grid is no longer selected.

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Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options


Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph provides many of the same options that editing a graph report does. When you edit a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph, the menus and toolbar change to reflect report options rather than document options. For example, you can change: Graph style Color palette Legends Graph options such as riser shape, layout type, and location of data labels Axis formatting Titles

These menu options are available in the Graph menu, the same as when you edit a graph report in the Report Editor. These options also apply to the graph part of a Grid/Graph viewed as both a grid and a graph. For more information on these graph editing options and others, see the Desktop Help. Grid/Graph in document; it not Editing changes theFor this reason, thethe Grid/Graphdoeslinkedchange the original report. if is to the original report as a shortcut, you cannot edit it. You can format the Grid/Graph control within the document, whether it is a shortcut or not. For instructions, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319, which discusses borders, title bars, and quick switch, among other properties. For instructions to unlink a Grid/Graph shortcut, and more information on shortcuts in general, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306.

Viewing as a grid and a graph


When you insert a Grid/Graph into a document, it is displayed as a grid (a standard MicroStrategy grid report with rows and columns of attributes and metrics) by default. You can choose to display the Grid/Graph as both a grid and a graph (which displays the data visually as in a standard MicroStrategy graph report) at the same time.

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To view a Grid/Graph as a grid and a graph simultaneously

1 Select the Grid/Graph. hashed lines appear around it, in edit mode. Press If redto exit edit mode, then click the you areonce to select it. ESC object 2 Do one of the following: In the Property List under the Appearance section, from the View Mode drop-down list, select Grid and Graph. From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. On the Grid tab, from the View mode drop-down list, select Grid and Graph.

3 Click anywhere outside of the Grid/Graph so that it is no longer selected.

Specifying the layout for a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and a graph
You can specify the layout for a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and graph. That means that you can determine how the grid and the graph share the space available in the Grid/Graph. The grid and graph can be placed either side by side, or above and below each other by specifying the grid's location relative to the graph. You can also control the relative sizes of the grid and the graph, by specifying the ratio of the size of the grid to the size of the graph. For example, the following Grid/Graph is displayed as both a grid and a graph. It is shown in Design View, so that you can focus on the grid and graph objects, rather than the data. The default properties were not altered,

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so the grid is placed below the graph, and each occupies half the space of the Grid/Graph.

Since the Grid position is set to Bottom, the Grid area percent property, which is set to 50 by default, specifies the height ratio. Change the Grid area percent to 25. Now the graph occupies 75% of the height of the Grid/Graph container while the grid only uses 25%, as shown below.

If you change the Grid position to Left or Right, the Grid area percent property represents the width percentage. If you specify the Grid position as

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Right, without adjusting the Grid area percent, the Grid/Graph displays as shown below.

The grid uses 25% of the width of the window and is placed to the right of the graph. The following procedure re-creates the last sample shown above, with the grid to the right, at 25%.
To specify the layout for a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and a graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. If red hashed lines appear around it, you are in edit mode; press ESC and click the object once. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Grid and graph. 4 Set Grid position to Right, to display the grid to the right of the graph. 5 By default, the grid and graph share the control's window equally. Change Grid area percent to 25, so that the grid uses 25% of the width of the Grid/Graph window.

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Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid and a graph: Formatting options


Editing a Grid/Graph provides many of the same options that editing a report does. When you edit a Grid/Graph, the menus and toolbar change to reflect report options rather than document options. You can modify both the grid portion and the graph portion. For information on editing the grid, see Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options, page 313. For information on editing the graph, see Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options, page 315.

Formatting Grid/Graphs
Formatting a Grid/Graph changes the formatting of the Grid/Graph, not the data displayed in it. For example, you can format the border around the Grid/Graph to change its color or make it appear three-dimensional. To change the formatting of the data displayed in the Grid/Graph, such as bolding attribute names or changing the color of bar graph risers, you must edit the Grid/Graph. For instructions to edit a Grid/Graph, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310. For details on the available data formatting options, see Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options, page 313 and Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options, page 315 (the options vary depending on how the Grid/Graph is displayed). When you add a new Grid/Graph, the initial formatting of the Grid/Graph is determined by the control default, but you can then change any of the formatting options. A control default specifies the default formatting for a particular type of control. For more information on control defaults, see Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196. You can format the borders and background of a Grid/Graph. Border options include 3D borders and drop shadows; background options include transparent backgrounds and gradient colors. You can also modify other properties that define the Grid/Graph, such as tooltips and grid overflow, and quick switching between grid view and graph view. Most of these properties are included in Useful formatting suggestions, page 322; for a full listing refer to the Desktop Help.

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The background of a Grid/Graph shows only when the Grid/Graph is larger than the report displayed inside it. This occurs when all of the following conditions are met: The Grid/Graph is displayed as a grid report. The Height mode and Width mode are set to Fixed, not Fit to contents. This allows the specified Height and Width figures to be used.

For example, the background of the Grid/Graph in the following sample is a dark gray. Because the Grid/Graph is longer than the actual grid report, the bottom of the Grid/Graph is dark gray.

You can add a title bar to a Grid/Graph, as explained in Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326. A title bar allows Web users to minimize and maximize the Grid/Graph, and it identifies the Grid/Graph in all views. You can format the title bar independently of the Grid/Graph itself. You can format the font and background, including transparent backgrounds and gradient colors, of the title bar. transparent, If the background of the title bar isSee Allowingthe background color of the Grid/Graph shows through. the background of the Grid/Graph to show through a transparent title bar, page 328 for instructions and an example. The following sample shows a Grid/Graph with a title bar. The font of the title bar has been set to Comic, size 9. The background of the title bar is shaded from black to white, using gradient colors. The Grid/Graph has a 3D

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border, which makes the Grid/Graph appear three-dimensional, like a button.

The following procedure re-creates this sample.


To format a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. If red hashed lines appear around it, you are in edit mode; press Escape and click the object once. 3 To add the title bar, in the Property List: View section, set Show title bar to True. 4 To specify the height of the title bar, in the Property List: View section, enter the height in the Title height property. 5 Do one of the following to open the Format Objects dialog box: Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Format. Select Format from the Format menu.

Format the font of the title bar

6 Select Title in the object list on the left. 7 Select the Font tab. 8 Select Comic Sans MS in the Name list. 9 Choose 9 as the Size.

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Format the background of the title bar

10 Select Title in the object list on the left. 11 Select the Background tab. 12 Select Gradient in the Background style pull-down list. (For information on using the transparent background style, see Allowing the background of the Grid/Graph to show through a transparent title bar, page 328.) 13 Set Color 1 to Black and Color 2 to White. 14 Select Left to right as the direction of the color shading.
Add a 3D border to the container

15 Select Container in the object list on the left. 16 Select the Effects tab. 17 Select Raised from the 3D border pull-down menu. 18 Set Weight to 3. 19 Click OK to return to the document.

Useful formatting suggestions


The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions for Grid/Graphs. For information on basic options such as formatting fonts and borders, see the Desktop Help. Make the Grid/Graph appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For an example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Let the content behind the Grid/Graph show through by setting the backstyle to transparent. You can also allow a fill color to cover what is behind the Grid/Graph by setting the backstyle to opaque. For an example, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152. applies to of The backstyleis displayedany partthethe Grid/Graph that the grid or graph that inside Grid/Graph does not cover. The grid or graph still displays, regardless of the backstyle setting.

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For example, the grid can be smaller than the Grid/Graph container (see the example on page 320). In a Grid/Graph that is used as a selector to control other Grid/Graphs, the background for items selected in the Grid/Graph is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the Grid/Graph's background, by default. You can specify the background color for the selected items. The color is displayed in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For an example and procedures, see Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors, page 324. Float the Grid/Graph above the background by using a drop shadow. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Create a gradual color change by blending two colors using gradient colors on the Grid/Graph. For an example, see Using gradient colors, page 159. Display pop-up text with a tooltip when a user positions the cursor over the Grid/Graph in MicroStrategy Web. The tooltip can provide extra information, such as an expanded description of the dataset report. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. Display a Grid/Graph to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop or Web), and in Editable Mode and Express Mode on MicroStrategy Web. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164. Allow users to minimize and maximize the Grid/Graph in Web with a title bar. The title bar also displays a title, which helps identify the Grid/Graph. Title bars provide documents with a portal grid mode and help you create a dashboard look and feel. For an example, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326. Quickly change the display of a Grid/Graph from graph to grid and back with the Quick switch button. The quick switch button is available in MicroStrategy Web only; you cannot use it in Desktop. However, in Desktop you can determine whether quick switch is available in Web. For more information, see Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329. Enable a transition animation for Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. A transition animation is a visual transition that occurs when a Grid/Graph is first displayed in Flash Mode. Examples are Blur, Fade, and Iris. For more information, see Enabling transition animations in Flash, page 492.

Complete instructions for formatting Grid/Graphs are provided in the Desktop Help.

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Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors


A Grid/Graph can be used as a selector to control other Grid/Graphs. (For an example and more information, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486.) By default, the background for items selected in the Grid/Graph is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the Grid/Graph's background, but you can specify the color for the selected items. The color is displayed in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For example, a document contains two Grid/Graphs. The one on the left, which is displayed as a grid, shows revenue by region. Region is used as a selector, targeting the Grid/Graph on the right, which is displayed as a graph. The graph shows revenue by category and region. When a region is selected in the grid, the graph is updated to display data for that region only. By default, the grid's background is set to transparent, and the background for selected items is set to automatic. In Flash Mode, the grid is displayed automatically with a white background (transparent to the section's background, which is white). The selected item (Central) is displayed in blue to provide contrast, as shown below:

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Change the grid's background for selected items to dark gray. In Flash Mode, the selected item's background is dark gray, as specified, and the grid's background is still automatically displayed in white, as shown below:

In all other modes except Express Mode, the background of the selected item is automatically defined to provide contrast with the Grid/Graph's background. This example appears in blue in all other modes, as shown in the first example above. The following procedure assumes that the document contains a Grid/Graph used as a selector. For steps to create it, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486.
Formatting the background of selected items in a Grid/Graph used as a selector

1 Open the document to be formatted in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph to format and select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 3 Select Container in the Format list on the left. 4 Click the Background tab. 5 By default, the Selection color, which is the background color for items that are selected in the Grid/Graph, is set to Automatic. This means the color is automatically set to contrast with the Grid/Graph's background.

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To specify a color, click Selection color, and choose a color from the color palette.

The Selection color is applied in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
6 Click OK to return to the document.

Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs


A title bar on a Grid/Graph allows users to better identify an object on the document, for example, a Grid/Graph focused on regional marketing efforts. In Editable Mode and Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can minimize and maximize the Grid/Graph using the title bar. In Design View, the title bar looks like the following:

While the icons on the right of the title bar are not functional in this view, in Web they allow the user to resize the window containing the Grid/Graph. The options are described below: Minimized: Only the title bar is shown. A user can move the Grid/Graph but cannot resize it. Normal: The Grid/Graph is shown at the height and width set for it. Maximized: The Grid/Graph is displayed at the same size as the section in which it is located.

Title bars allow you to quickly achieve a dashboard look in your documents. If you include several Grid/Graphs with title bars in a document, you can create the feel of a portal. The Grid/Graphs can all be displayed, or a user can minimize the ones that are not relevant at the moment to focus on a particular Grid/Graph. A title bar: Displays the title of the report by default, although you can replace it with your own text. This helps identify the object.

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Is displayed in all views/modes for both Desktop and Web. Lets you determine the initial state of the window: normal, minimized, or maximized. The initial state, which is controlled by the Display state property, is used in PDF View for Desktop and all modes in Web.

In Editable Mode and Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the title bar allows users to: Minimize and maximize the Grid/Graph. (Also available in Express Mode and Flash Mode) Quickly access menu options to format and edit the Grid/Graph. Available menu options include sorting and adding subtotals, among others. Open the dataset report used in the Grid/Graph (using Zoom In).

You can format the title bar independently of the container of the Grid/Graph; for details, examples, and procedures, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319. The title bar in the sample above does not use the default formatting. The following procedure re-creates the sample shown above, except for the formatting.
To add a title bar to a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. If red hashed lines appear around it, you are in edit mode; press ESC and click the object once. 3 In the Property List: View section, set Show title bar to True. 4 By default, the title of the dataset report is shown in the title bar, as in the sample. To change it, type the new text in the Title field. 5 By default, the initial size of the window is normal, as in the sample. To change it, choose either Minimized or Maximized in the Display state property.

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Allowing the background of the Grid/Graph to show through a transparent title bar
If you set the background of the title bar to transparent, the background fill of the Grid/Graph shows through. For example, note that the title bar in the following Grid/Graph is shaded, left to right, from black to white.

Now, change the background of the title bar to Transparent. Select a dark gray for the background of the Grid/Graph container. In the sample below, you can see the dark grey of the container at the right of the Grid/Graph, as well as in the title bar.

The following procedure re-creates this sample. It assumes that you have already completed the procedure To format a Grid/Graph, page 321.
To use a transparent title bar for a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. If red hashed lines appear around it, you are in edit mode; press ESC and click the object once. 3 Do one of the following to open the Format Objects dialog box: Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Format. Select Format from the Format menu.

4 In the object list on the left, select Title.


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5 Select the Background tab. 6 From the Background style pull-down list, select Transparent. 7 In the object list on the left, select Container. 8 Select the Background tab. 9 From the Background style pull-down list, select Solid. 10 Select Grey-50% as the Fill color. 11 Click OK to return to the document.

Quick switch for Grid/Graphs


In MicroStrategy Web, a user can quickly switch a Grid/Graph between Graph view and Grid view with the click of a button, when the Quick switch option is enabled. The Graph view and Grid view are both loaded when the document is initially viewed. The document may initially load more slowly, but it switches between the views quickly since a request to the Web server does not occur. This quick switch option is ideal for dashboard documents, which are generally smaller and less data-intense than standard documents. For more information on dashboards, see Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards.

Quick switch in MicroStrategy Web


The Quick switch button is displayed in MicroStrategy Web only, in both Interactive Mode and Editable Mode. For more information on the different modes in Web, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9. The

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button to perform the switch is located at the top of the Grid/Graph, as shown below.

Quick switch in Desktop


The quick switch button is available in MicroStrategy Web only; you cannot use it in Desktop. However, in Desktop you can determine whether quick switch is available in Web. Follow the procedure below in Desktop to enable quick switch for use in Web. In PDF View in Desktop, the Grid/Graph is displayed as either a grid or a graph, depending on the View mode property. When you export a document to Excel or view it as a PDF, the last view displayed (Grid or Graph) is used.

Enabling quick switch


To enable quick switch, the Grid/Graph must be displayed as either a grid or a graph. If the View mode is set to Grid and graph, quick switch is not available. If you enable quick switch, the Height mode and Width mode properties are automatically set to Fixed; the Fit to contents option is disabled. This ensures that the graph or grid will fill 100% of the size specified for the Grid/Graph container. The Grid/Graph container is the object that holds the actual Grid/Graph, as opposed to the optional title bar. For an example of a title bar, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326. Therefore, you should check that the height and width are correct when you enable quick switch.
To enable quick switch for a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 Click the Grid/Graph to select it. Resizing handles display around it. If red hashed lines appear around it, you are in edit mode; press Escape and click the object once. 3 Ensure that the View mode property is either Graph or Grid. If View mode is set to Grid and graph, the Quick switch property is not available. 4 Do one of the following: Set Property List: Data: Quick switch to True. Select Properties from the Format menu. On the Grid tab of the Properties dialog box, select the Quick switch check box.

5 Ensure that the Height and Width properties are set correctly, since the Height mode and Width mode are automatically set to Fixed when you enable quick switch.

Using view filters on Grid/Graphs


A view filter on a Grid/Graph in a document consists of conditions on attributes and metrics which restrict the amount of data displayed on the Grid/Graph. You can use view filters to help reduce the number of datasets used to build a document that contains multiple Grid/Graphs, when all of the Grid/Graphs could share a single dataset with the use of multiple filters. For example, a document used as a dashboard contains revenue and profit information for different regions. You could create a report with revenue and profit metrics, then create copies of it, applying a different regional filter to each copy. If you have 10 regions, then 10 reports must be created and maintained. Each report must be added to the document as a dataset. In contrast, view filters allow you to create one report and add it once to the document as a dataset report. Next, add multiple Grid/Graphs using the same dataset. Apply a different view filter, for each region, to the various Grid/Graphs. Now all the Grid/Graphs share a single dataset. This reduces maintenance and execution time, since only one dataset report has to be created and maintained, and only one dataset report has to be executed when the document is viewed. A sample of a similar regional revenue dashboard is shown below. Only three regional Grid/Graphs are included in the sample for the sake of efficiency. The procedures to re-create this document and, in

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particular, create view filters on Grid/Graphs, are described in the View filters example, page 336.

You can also use view filters for custom sorting, formatting for individual rows, and custom subtotals. To continue with the regional revenue dashboard example shown above, you could need to see the regions in the following order: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Mid-Atlantic. To do this, create five Grid/Graphs on a document. Apply a view filter for Northeast to the first Grid/Graph, for Southeast to the second, and so on. Similarly, to apply a different format to each row (that is, region) in the document, add one Grid/Graph for each region, apply a view filter on region to the Grid/Graphs as described above, and then format each Grid/Graph as needed. For example, the Northeast region can be displayed in red while Southeast appears in blue. This process can be used to create custom banding on a document.

Information on formattingaGrid/Graphs can be found in Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as grid: Formatting options, page 313.
You can also use view filters to create custom subtotals, such as an Eastern region subtotal and a Western region subtotal, for example. Add a Grid/Graph, apply a view filter for Northeast and Southeast, and enable subtotals for the Grid/Graph. Repeat the process with another Grid/Graph, setting the view filter to Northwest and Southwest. To enable subtotals, edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it, then select Grand Totals from the Data menu. The resulting custom subtotal document is shown below, with column headers turned off for the second Grid/Graph. To do this, edit the

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Grid/Graph, then select Options from the Grid menu. On the General tab of the Grid Options dialog box, clear the Show column headers check box.

Grid/Graph is a shortcut, you cannot create view filter because If a Grid/Graph is linked to the original report. Ifa you try to create a the new filter, a message appears allowing you to choose whether to remove the shortcut. If you click Convert, the Grid/Graph is converted from a shortcut to a standard Grid/Graph, and any changes made to the original report are no longer passed to the Grid/Graph in the document. For information on what actions are allowed in shortcuts, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306. View filters can filter the Grid/Graph based on metric qualifications as well as attribute qualifications. For example, the following Grid/Graph displays Revenue, Cost, and Profit values for all regions:

Create a view filter that contains two qualifications: Revenue > $5,000,000 Profit < $1,000,000

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When it is applied to the Grid/Graph, only two regions, Central and South, met the qualifications and are displayed, as shown below.

Multiple qualifications in view filters


To create more sophisticated filters, you can add multiple qualifications to the same Grid/Graph. For example, if your dataset report contains customer information, you could create qualifications on region and age to display only those customers in the Northeast and Southeast who are older than 73 or younger than 19. A sample of this document is shown in the Multiple view filters example, page 338, along with procedures to re-create it. view filters are local to This means that a view Thesedoes not affect the reportthe document.the Grid/Graph displayed filter results, only on the document. A view filter created on a report is ignored in the document, so that all the data from the report is used in the document. For more information, see Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset, page 749. By default, multiple qualifications are joined with the AND operator, but you can change the operator to AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT. You cannot change the logical operator between two metric qualifications if all of the following are true: Both qualifications are metric qualifications. The metric qualifications use two different metrics (for example, Revenue in Qualification 1 and Profit in Qualification 2). The metric qualifications are not metric-to-metric qualifications, but instead compare the metrics to numeric values.

Metrics in rows and columns


A report cannot contain metrics in rows and columns, but you can simulate this scenario using view filters on multiple Grid/Graphs in a single document. The document shown below uses the Customer Count and Order Count metrics on the rows, while the Current and Last Month columns

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calculate the counts for the current month and the previous month. View filters on the Grid/Graphs filter for the Books category in the first set of data and Electronics in the second set.

The dataset reports for this document are shown below. Notice that the metrics are on the rows and the Category attribute is on the column. The data of the first dataset is in bold font while that of the second dataset is italicized. This font difference will help you distinguish the source of the data when it is combined in the document.

Create a document with the two datasets and combine their data with text fields, as shown in the following diagram, which is a representation of the actual document. The data in bold font is from the first dataset, italicized data is from the second dataset, and plain text is static text fields created on

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the document. The boxes represent the different view filters applied to the data.

document are provided in The procedures to re-create thispage 341. This diagram willExample of metrics in rows and columns, help you re-create the document.

View filters example


The following procedures walk you through creating the regional revenue dashboard, which was discussed on page 332. The high-level steps for this procedure are listed below. 1 Create the dataset report. 2 Create the document and add multiple Grid/Graphs. 3 Create a view filter for each of the Grid/Graphs. 4 View the document. example is focused on creating view not a document Since this the following procedures assume thatfilters,are familiar with or report, you the steps necessary to create documents and reports. For details, refer to the Desktop Help or the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.
To create the view filters example Create the dataset report

1 Create a report with the Region attribute, the Revenue metric, and the Profit metric.

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2 Save the report as Regional Revenue and Profit and close it.
Create the document and add multiple Grid/Graphs

3 Create a new document using Regional Revenue as the dataset report. 4 Add three Grid/Graphs to the document, using the Regional Revenue dataset for each.
Create view filters on the Grid/Graphs

5 Right-click the first Grid/Graph and select Edit View Filter. The Grid/Graph is already selected when the View Filter dialog box opens. lines Grid/Graph, If red hashedESC toappear around a mode. you are in edit mode. Press deactivate edit 6 Click the text Click here to start a new qualification to create a new view filter. 7 Click Field to open a drop-down menu of attributes on the Grid/Graph. Select Region, which is the attribute on which to qualify.
Use the In list operator

8 Select In list from the Operator list, to create a list of the attribute elements to include in this Grid/Graph. 9 From the Value list, click Select Elements, which opens a list of attribute elements. 10 Double-click Northeast and then click OK. You have now set the first Grid/Graph to display revenue and profit for the Northeast region only. Now we will explore a different way to set up the qualification. 11 Select the next Grid/Graph from the list of Grid/Graph controls at the top of the dialog box. 12 Click the text Click here to start a new qualification to create a new view filter for this Grid/Graph. 13 Click Field to open a drop-down menu of attributes on the Grid/Graph. Select Region.

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Use the Where operator

14 From the Operator list, select Where. 15 From the Field list, select DESC, for the attribute description. 16 From the Operator list, select Exactly. 17 From the Value list, click Select a value, to open a list of attribute elements. 18 Select Mid-Atlantic and click OK. You have now set the second Grid/Graph to display revenue and profit for the Mid-Atlantic region only. We will now set the final Grid/Graph to display Southeast only. 19 Select the next Grid/Graph from the list of Grid/Graph controls at the top of the dialog box. 20 Click the text Click here to start a new qualification to create a new view filter for this Grid/Graph. 21 Repeat either set of steps (Use the In list operator or Use the Where operator) to set the Region to Southeast. 22 Click OK on the View Filter dialog box to return to the document. The newly created view filter will be applied to the Grid/Graph when you view the document as a PDF.
View the document

fit on the screen when view To ensure all the Grid/Graphsthe Grid/Graphs aroundyou resize them, you may want to move or them. 23 Click the PDF View icon on the toolbar. The new document is displayed.

Multiple view filters example


You can also have multiple conditions on the same Grid/Graph. The following procedures walk you through creating the customer information document shown below, which was discussed in Multiple qualifications in view filters, page 334. A view filter with multiple conditions filters the data

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to display only those customers in the Northeast and Southeast regions who are older than 73 or younger than 19.

show a sample of the data on the This document has been modified to and Southeast customers older Grid/Graph, to show that Northeast than 73 or younger than 19 are included. The high-level steps for this procedure are listed below. 1 Create the dataset report. 2 Create the document and add a Grid/Graph. 3 Create a view filter with multiple conditions for the Grid/Graph. 4 View the document. example is focused on creating a filter, not a Since this the following procedures assumeview are familiardocument or report, you with the steps necessary to create documents and reports. For details, refer to the Desktop Help or the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.
To create the multiple view filters example Create the dataset report

1 Create a report with Customer Region, Customer, Customer Age, and the Revenue metric. 2 Save the report as Customer Information and close it.

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Create the document and add a Grid/Graph

3 Create a new document using Customer Information as the dataset report. 4 Add a Grid/Graph to the document, using the Customer Information dataset.
Create a view filter on the Grid/Graph

5 Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Edit View Filter. The Grid/Graph is already selected when the View Filter dialog box opens. lines appear around Grid/Graph, If red hashedEscape to deactivate aedit mode. you are in edit mode. Press
Create the qualification on Region

6 Click the text Click here to start a new qualification to create a new view filter. 7 Click Field to open a drop-down menu of attributes on the Grid/Graph. Select Region, which is the attribute on which to qualify. 8 From the Operator list, select In list, to create a list of the attribute elements to include in this Grid/Graph. 9 From the Value list, click Select Elements, which opens a list of attribute elements. 10 Double-click Northeast and Southeast, and then click OK.
Create the qualification on age > 73

11 Click New to start a new qualification. 12 Click Field to open a drop-down menu of attributes on the Grid/Graph. Select Customer Age. 13 From the Operator list, select Where. 14 From the Field list, select ID. 15 From the Operator list, select Greater than. 16 From the Value list, select Type a value, to open an entry box.

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17 Type 73 and press ENTER.


Create the qualification on age < 19

18 Click New to start a new qualification. 19 Click Field to open a drop-down menu of attributes on the Grid/Graph. Select Customer Age. 20 From the Operator list, select Where. 21 From the Field list, select ID. 22 From the Operator list, select Less than. 23 From the Value list, select Type a value, to open an entry box. 24 Type 19 and press ENTER. 25 Click the AND between the two age qualifications and select OR from the drop-down list. Notice that the two age qualifications become indented, denoting that any customer in the Northeast or Southeast who is older than 73 or younger than 19 is included in the view filter. 26 Click OK to return to the document.
View the document

27 Click the PDF View icon on the toolbar. The new document is displayed.

Example of metrics in rows and columns


While a report cannot contain metrics in rows and columns, a document can, by using view filters on multiple Grid/Graphs. Recall the example outlined in Metrics in rows and columns, page 334. The Customer Count and Order Count metrics are placed on the rows of the document, while the Current and Last Month columns calculate the counts for the current month and the previous month. View filters on the Grid/Graphs filter for the Books category in the first set of data and Electronics in the second set. The following diagram, which is a copy of that provided previously, will help you create your version of the document. The numbers in bold font are from the first dataset, italicized numbers are from the second dataset, and the

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plain text is static text fields created on the document. The boxes represent the different view filters applied to the data.

The high-level steps for this procedure are listed below. 1 Create the dataset reports. 2 Create the document with two datasets. 3 Add the Grid/Graphs, format them, and add view filters. 4 Add text fields to label the rows and columns. 5 Save and view the document. example is focused on using view filters solve particular Since thisthe following procedures assume you aretofamiliara with the problem, steps necessary to create reports, documents, and Grid/Graphs. For details, refer to the Desktop Help, the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide, or preceding sections of this guide.
To create the metrics example Create the dataset reports

1 Create a report with the Customer Count and Order Count metrics on the rows and Category on the columns. 2 Add a report filter for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and for August 2004.

The filterofon region is only to simplify the sample by restricting the amount data returned.
3 Save the report as Customer and Order Counts and close it.

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4 Create a second report with the Last Months Customer Count and Last Months Order Count metrics on the rows and Category on the columns. 5 Add a report filter for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and for August 2004. 6 Save the report as Last Months Customer and Order Counts and close it.
Create the document with two datasets

7 Create a new document using Customer and Order Counts as the dataset report. 8 Add Last Months Customer and Order Counts as another dataset.
Add and format the first Grid/Graph

9 Using the Customer and Order Counts dataset, add a Grid/Graph to the document. Notice that Category is on the rows and the metrics on the columns of the Grid/Graph. You need to swap the rows and columns to create the dashboard. 10 Double-click the Grid/Graph to enter edit mode. Red hashed lines appear around it. 11 Select Swap Rows and Columns from the Move menu. Next, remove the headers on the Grid/Graph. 12 Select Options from the Grid menu. The Grid Options dialog box opens. 13 On the General tab, clear the Show row headers and Show column headers check boxes. 14 Click OK to return to the document. 15 Press ESC to exit edit mode. Next, reduce the size of the Grid/Graph. 16 Resize the Grid/Graph by dragging the resize handles.

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Add and format the second Grid/Graph

17 Add a Grid/Graph to the document, using the Last Months Customer and Order Counts dataset. 18 Follow the instructions above to swap the rows and columns, remove the headers, and reduce the size of this Grid/Graph. 19 Align the second Grid/Graph with the first. Now that this first set of columns on the document is complete, copy them to create the next set.
Copy the Grid/Graphs

20 Select both Grid/Graphs and press CTRL+C to copy them. 21 Press CTRL+V to paste the copies, then reposition them. Next, add view filters to the Grid/Graphs. The first set displays data for the Books category only, while the second set is for Electronics only.
Add view filters

22 Add a view filter for Books to the first and second Grid/Graphs. 23 Add a view filter for Electronics to the third and fourth Grid/Graphs.
Add text fields as row and column labels

the Usetext document sample on page 332 as a guide to positioning the fields. 24 Add and position the following text fields to the left of the Grid/Graphs: Customer Count Order Count

25 Add and position the following text fields above the first Grid/Graph: Current Month Last Month Books

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26 Copy the Current Month, Last Month, and Books text fields above the second Grid/Graph, replacing the Books text field with Electronics.
Save and view the document

27 Save the document. 28 Click the PDF View icon on the toolbar. The new document is displayed.

Linking to the dataset reports of Grid/Graphs


A Grid/Graph can be linked to its dataset report, allowing MicroStrategy Web users to execute the dataset report. The dataset report is the source of the data displayed on the Grid/Graph, although the Grid/Graph may not display all of the data contained on the dataset report. The following document sample shows a Grid/Graph and its associated link in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Notice that the cursor is displayed as a hand, indicating that the text is clickable.

When the link is clicked, the dataset report for the Grid/Graph is executed. A portion of the resulting displayed report is shown below.

The dataset report opens in a new window, keeping the document open in the original window. You can instead specify that the dataset report opens in the same browser window as the document, replacing the document. Links to

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datasets are functional in all modes in MicroStrategy Web except Design Mode. Creating a drill hyperlink is as simple as right-clicking the Grid/Graph and choosing Insert Link to Dataset. A text field is created at the upper right corner of the Grid/Graph. The text field displays the dataset name. can run only the the Drill hyperlinks insert a link that dataset report ofpage,related a Grid/Graph. To displays a Web executes different report, or passes prompt parameters to the target report, create a link instead. For a brief overview, see Linking from Grid/Graphs to reports and other documents, page 347. For more details, including instructions, see Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681.
To add a link to the dataset report of a Grid/Graph

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add a Grid/Graph, if the document does not already contain one. For steps, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. 3 Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Insert Link to Dataset. A text field is created at the upper right corner of the Grid/Graph, although you can move it. The text field displays the dataset name from the Grid/Graph. 4 By default, when the link to the dataset report is clicked in MicroStrategy Web, the dataset report opens in a new window and keeps the document open. To have the dataset report open in the same browser window as the document, replacing it: a Select the text field containing the link to the Grid/Graphs dataset report. b In the Property List: Navigation section, set Open in new window to False.

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Linking from Grid/Graphs to reports and other documents


in Grid/Graphs. This section provides a brief overview of linksthem, see LinkingFor more details, including instructions to create to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681. A link is a connection from a Grid/Graph in a document to another document or a report. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to answer any prompts that are in the target. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, he can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region. The source document could also link to the underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well. be created on report as well. Links can examples and ainstructions, seeFor more information, including the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. In a document, links can: Be used from a Grid/Graph in a document (the source). grid. The Grid/Graph must be displayed as a313. For instructions, see Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid, page Be created on attributes, metrics, hierarchies, or object prompts in the Grid/Graph. Execute a report or a document (the target). Be used in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, although you can create them in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. Be used in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, if links are enabled. See Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode, page 360 for instructions. Open the target in either a new window or the same window (replacing the source). Answer prompts in the target in a variety of ways, including using existing prompt answers from the source, using the objects selected in the source, running the prompts, sending a list of elements, and others. For descriptions of these prompt answer methods, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684.
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You can create multiple links for the same object. For example, the Region attribute in a Grid/Graph can link to a yearly revenue report, which displays data for the selected region only. The same attribute can also link to a document that provides additional information about the region, such as revenue forecasts, inventory figures, store listings, employee schedules, and so on. Different objects on a Grid/Graph can have different links. For example, the Region attribute in a Grid/Graph can link to a yearly revenue report, while the Revenue metric can link to a document with revenue forecasts and other key performance indicators.

Drilling in Grid/Graphs
Drilling on a Grid/Graph in a document is similar to drilling on a report. Drilling allows users to look at specific data at levels other than that of the originally displayed Grid/Graph. It allows users to retrieve more information after the document has been executed. The new data is obtained by requerying the database at a different attribute or fact level. For a basic introduction to drilling, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. A user can drill on a Grid/Graph in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. If drilling is disabled in Flash Mode, you can enable it by allowing data manipulations, as described in Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode, page 360. drilling in Flash Whether on the documentMode is disabled or enabled by default depends template that the document was created with. In Interactive Mode and Editable Mode, users can drill down, up, or across attributes, custom groups, and consolidations displayed in a Grid/Graph. Drilling down allows access to data at progressively lower levels within a hierarchy. For example, if the attribute level displayed for the Geography hierarchy is Region, drilling down displays information at the State, City, or Store level. Drilling up to levels of data increasingly higher within a hierarchy broadens the scope of information. For example, if Time is shown at the date level, drilling up could display information at the Week, Month, or Quarter level.

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Drilling across moves from one attribute level to another, either within a hierarchy or across hierarchies. In other words, users can drill in any direction, allowing them to find specific element values.

In Express Mode, users can drill only on the default drill path of an attribute. This is defined when a drill map is created. For instructions to create a drill map, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. In Flash Mode, users can drill only to report objects within the dataset report that are not included in the Grid/Graph. If all objects within the dataset report are displayed in the Grid/Graph, no drilling options are displayed. For complete instructions to drill on a Grid/Graph, see the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help. Before a user can drill on a Grid/Graph in a document, you must enable drilling for that Grid/Graph. When you enable drilling, you can define whether users can only drill within the dataset report or drill anywhere. If you allow users to drill within the dataset, only the drill paths from the drill maps that are included in the dataset report but not already on the report grid are shown to the user. For examples, see Drilling within a dataset vs. drilling anywhere, page 350. For instructions to enable drilling, as well as descriptions of all the drilling options, see Enabling drilling on Grid/Graphs, page 349. For information on how drilling works with links and selectors in Grid/Graphs, see How links, drilling, and selectors work together, page 709.

Enabling drilling on Grid/Graphs


in This section assumes that you are familiar with drillingthereports, including enabling drilling, drill paths, drill maps, and associated terminology. For a refresher, see the Answering Questions about Data chapter of the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide and the Drill Maps chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. Before a user can drill on a Grid/Graph in a document, you must enable drilling for that Grid/Graph. While users can drill on a Grid/Graph only in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can enable drilling using either Desktop or MicroStrategy Web.

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When you enable drilling, you can specify several drilling options. These options are briefly described in the following sections: Drilling within a dataset vs. drilling anywhere, page 350 Keeping the parent attribute while drilling, page 354 Keeping thresholds while drilling, page 354 Inheriting the subtotal from the parent, page 355 Defining the drill attributes join type, page 355

When you enable drilling using the MicroStrategy Web interface, you cannot define the drill attributes join type or specify whether the
subtotal is inherited. For an expanded discussion of these options, see the Drill Maps chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. For instructions to enable drilling in Grid/Graphs in a document, see To enable drilling in a Grid/Graph (Desktop), page 356 or To enable drilling in a Grid/Graph (MicroStrategy Web), page 357. drill Grid/Graph. Drill You can also create and edit thewhen maps for thedrilled on. To work maps determine what happens an object is with drill maps, you must edit the Grid/Graph. For instructions on editing the Grid/Graph, see Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph, page 310. For more information on drill maps in general, see the Drill Maps chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Drilling within a dataset vs. drilling anywhere


By default, when you enable drilling in a Grid/Graph, users can drill anywhere. That is, the user is shown all drill paths in the drill map for the dataset report. If the dataset does not have a custom drill map, the drill paths in the project drill map are used. Drilling anywhere allows the user to view associated data, either within the same attribute or across attributes, whether at the same level, a higher level, or a lower level. Mode, only to the path, In Expressthe drillusers can drill user hoversdefault drillover theasobject defined in map. When a his cursor to drill from, a tooltip displays indicating the target of the drill. For example, a report contains Year, Quarter, Region, Category, and the Revenue metric. Execute the report in MicroStrategy Web, and note that all the attributes are underlined, indicating that drilling is available. Right-click

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Region, and select Drill. Notice that you can drill from Region down to Call Center, and from Region up to Country, as indicated below.

not underlined, it does If an attribute is rather that a default drillnot indicate that drilling is unavailable, but has not been defined. A user may still be able to drill on the attribute. Use this report as a dataset to create a document. Add a Grid/Graph containing only Year, Region, and Revenue.

Drilling anywhere
Enable drilling, and do not change the default of drilling anywhere. All drill paths in the drill map for the dataset report are shown. If the dataset does not have a custom drill map, the drill paths in the project drill map are used. Drilling anywhere allows you to view associated data, either within the same attribute or across attributes, whether at the same level, a higher level, or a lower level. When you execute the document in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Year and Region are underlined, indicating that drilling is available for each attribute. Right-click 2005, select Drill, and then select Time. Notice that you can drill from Year to Quarter, Month, Day, and Month of Year. Even though only Year and Quarter are included in the dataset, the other attributes in the

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Time hierarchy can be drilled to because the Grid/Graph allows drilling anywhere.

Month of Year is not included on the first level of drilling because it is a Low priority drill. Only High and Medium priority drills are displayed on the first level. For more information about drill priorities, see the Drill Maps chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. When you execute the document in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Year and Region are underlined. You can drill from Year to Quarter, as shown below, and from Region to Call Center.

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Drilling within the dataset report


You can change the drilling option to allow users to only drill within the dataset report. Only the drill paths from the drill maps that are included in the dataset report but not already on the report grid are shown to the user. For example, update the Grid/Graph in the previous example to allow drilling within the dataset report only. When you execute the document in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, notice that Year is underlined, indicating that drilling is available. Region is not underlined, even though you could drill from Region to Call Center in the report. Right-click 2005, select Drill, and then select Time. Notice that you can drill from Year only down to Quarter. You cannot drill further down to Day because Day is not included in the dataset.

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When you execute the document in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Year is underlined, indicating that drilling is available. You can drill from Year to Quarter.

Drilling within the dataset report can be used to reduce the paths from those that are defined in the drill map. It does not include paths that are not defined in the drill map, even if an attribute in the dataset does not have a drill path.

Keeping the parent attribute while drilling


The Keep parent while drilling option determines whether the original object (the object that the user drills on) appears in the destination report. For example, if a user drills from State to City when Keep parent is selected, State remains on the destination report. If the Keep parent option is not selected, the parent attribute is removed. The same drill would result in a destination report with City but not State. When drilling is enabled for a Grid/Graph, whether the parent attribute is kept is determined by the drill path. (The Keep parent option is set to Default.) You can change it to keep or remove the parent.

Keeping thresholds while drilling


The Keep thresholds while drilling option determines whether a threshold set in the original report is still displayed in the destination report (after the drill). For example, a threshold is defined to bold revenue values greater than $1 million. If a user drills from Store to Employee when the Keep

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thresholds option is selected, any revenue value over $1 million is shown in bold font. If the option is not selected, none of the revenue values are bolded. When drilling is enabled for a Grid/Graph, whether the thresholds are kept is determined by the drill path. (The Keep thresholds option is set to Default.) You can change it to keep or remove thresholds.

Inheriting the subtotal from the parent


The Inherit subtotals from parent option determines whether a subtotal set in the original report is still displayed in the destination report (after the drill). When drilling is enabled for a Grid/Graph, whether the subtotal is kept is determined by the drill path. (The Inherit subtotals from parent option is set to Default.) You can change it to keep or remove the subtotals. If you change it to keep the subtotals, subtotals are displayed on the drilled-to report, unless all of the following are true: The subtotals are calculated by group. The object being drilled from is the same as the group being subtotaled. The Keep parent while drilling option is not selected.

Defining the drill attributes join type


You can select the attributes that appear in the destination reports while drilling, as well as specify the join types for these attributes. The join type defines how the attributes in the destination reports are joined; it affects how data is calculated on the drilled-to report. Setting the join type allows you to place conditions on the data selected for display in the report. An inner join includes only the data common to all the elements in the join, whether that data is tables or metrics. An outer join includes all of the data in all of the elements. For details and examples showing how attribute joins affect report results, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Enabling drilling
Using either Desktop or MicroStrategy Web, you can enable drilling and configure various properties. The only difference is that you must use
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Desktop to define the drill attributes join type and specify whether the subtotal is inherited; you cannot set these properties using MicroStrategy Web. Instructions for both products follow.
To enable drilling in a Grid/Graph (Desktop)

1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 Double-click the Grid/Graph to enter edit mode. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, indicating that it is in edit mode. 3 From the Data menu, select Grid Data Options. 4 In the Categories list, expand General, and then select Drilling. 5 Select the Enable report drilling check box. 6 Select one of the following: Drill anywhere: (the default) All drill paths in the drill map for the dataset report are shown. If the dataset does not have a custom drill map, the drill paths in the project drill map are used. Drill within: Users can drill only to objects that are in the dataset report.

7 The Keep parent while drilling option determines whether the original object (the object that the user drills on) appears in the destination report. Select one of the following: Default: Whether the parent attribute is kept is determined by the drill path. Yes: Keeps the parent attribute while drilling. No: Removes the parent attribute while drilling.

8 The Keep thresholds while drilling option determines whether thresholds set in the original report are displayed in the destination report (after the drill). Select one of the following: Default: Whether the thresholds are displayed is determined by the drill path. Yes: Keeps the thresholds while drilling. No: Prevents thresholds from displaying while drilling.
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9 The Inherit subtotals from parent option determines whether the subtotal is inherited from the original report. Select one of the following: Default: Whether the subtotal is inherited from the parent is determined by the drill path. Yes: Inherits the subtotal from the parent report unless all of the following are true:

The subtotals are calculated by group.

The object being drilled from is the same as the group being subtotaled. The Keep parent while drilling option is not selected.

No: Does not inherit the subtotal from the parent report.

10 To select the attributes that appear in the destination reports while drilling, and to specify the join types for these attributes, click Drill Attributes Join Type. For more detailed instructions, see the Desktop Help. 11 Click OK to return to the document.
To enable drilling in a Grid/Graph (MicroStrategy Web)

1 Open a document in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Properties and Formatting. 3 Select Grid under the Properties category. 4 Select a Drill option from the drop-down list: No drilling: (the default) Users cannot drill from the Grid/Graph. Drill within: Users can drill only to objects that are in the dataset report. Drill anywhere: All drill paths in the drill map for the dataset report are shown. If the dataset does not have a custom drill map, the drill paths in the project drill map are used.

5 Click OK to return to the document.

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Enabling interactive Grid/Graphs for MicroStrategy Web


You can specify how a MicroStrategy Web user interacts with Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. A user can sort and pivot data in Grid/Graphs, as described in Sorting and pivoting in Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode, page 358. A user can also drill to the default drill path in Express Mode.

You can disable sorting and pivoting in all the Grid/Graphs of a specific document; for instructions, see Disabling sorting and pivoting for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode, page 360. This also disables drilling in Express Mode.

In Flash Mode, a user can manipulate data in Grid/Graphs, such as clicking links to other documents or reports, filtering by attribute elements or metrics, and grouping by attributes. For instructions, and a complete list of data manipulations, see Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode, page 360. These data manipulations are available in Flash Mode only; in Express Mode, the user can sort, pivot, drill, and use links.

sorting/pivoting and or Whether by default depends onthe pop-up menu are enabledthe disabled the document template that document was created with.

Sorting and pivoting in Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode


In Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can sort and pivot data in a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid or as both a grid and a graph. A user can: Sort data in ascending or descending order Pivot data to change:

The relative position of a row or column A row into a column A column into a row

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In Flash Mode, users sort or pivot data using a floating toolbar. This floating toolbar is displayed when a user hovers the cursor over the columns of a Grid/Graph, as shown in the image below:

The icon in the toolbar sorts the data in ascending order, while the icon sorts in descending order. These arrows pivot the data. In Express Mode, users sort or pivot data using a pop-up menu, as shown below:

For more detailed instructions to sort and pivot, see the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help. Whether sorting/pivoting is enabled or disabled by default depends on the document template that the document was created with. For instructions, see Enabling interactive Grid/Graphs for MicroStrategy Web, page 358 and Disabling sorting and pivoting for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode, page 360. Disabling sorting and pivoting also disables drilling in Express Mode. You can also enable additional interactive data manipulations to be performed in Flash Mode, such as filtering or grouping data in a grid. For more information, see Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode, page 360.

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Disabling sorting and pivoting for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode
In Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can sort and pivot data in Grid/Graphs using a toolbar (Flash Mode) or pop-up menu (Express Mode). You disable this functionality by hiding the toolbar and pop-up menu. Whether sorting/pivoting and the pop-up menu is enabled or disabled by default depends on the document template that the document was created with.

Disabling sorting and pivoting also disables drilling in Express Mode.


To disable sorting and pivoting for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and Express Mode

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select the Document category on the left. 4 Clear the Enable sorting and pivoting on grids in Express and Flash Modes check box. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode
In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, a user can sort and pivot data on a Grid/Graph by default. You can enable a pop-up menu so that users can quickly access the additional data manipulations listed below: Sorting data in a row or column Sorting data using multiple conditions (advanced sorting) Pivoting a row or column

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Filtering data:

Based on the value of a metric Based on a list of attribute elements To include only the data for a selected attribute element By excluding data for a selected attribute element

Clearing filtering conditions to display all data Moving an attribute to the first row or the first column The attribute is moved to the far left of the rows or the top of the columns on the Grid/Graph, the data is sorted by the attribute, and the row/column header cells are merged.

Adding or removing report objects to display in the Grid/Graph objects in OnlyGrid/Graph.the Grid/Graphs dataset report can be added to the

Drilling within the Grid/Graphs dataset report Drilling lets users view report data at levels other than that displayed in the Grid/Graph. A user can only drill to report objects within the dataset report that are not included in the Grid/Graph. If all objects within the dataset report are displayed in the Grid/Graph, no drilling options are displayed. For background information on drilling, see Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.

Opening a linked report or document A link is a connection in a document to another document or report. For background information on links and steps to add a link to a document, see Linking from Grid/Graphs to reports and other documents, page 347.

These manipulations are performed directly in Flash Mode and applied to Grid/Graphs displayed as grids or as both grids and graphs. If this additional interactivity is enabled, MicroStrategy Web users can access a pop-up menu when they hover the cursor over a Grid/Graph in

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Flash Mode. The pop-up menu, shown below, displays the various data manipulation options.

This pop-up menu is available in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web only; you cannot access it in Desktop. For instructions on using it in MicroStrategy Web, see the MicroStrategy Web Help or the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide. However, you can use either Desktop or Web to enable and disable the pop-up menu for all the Grid/Graphs in a particular document. Whether sorting/pivoting and the pop-up menu are enabled or disabled by default depends on the document template that the document was created with.
To enable data manipulations for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode

1 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select the Document category on the left. 4 Select the Enable sorting and pivoting on grids in Express and Flash Modes check box. 5 Select the Enable additional interactivity on grids in Flash Mode check box. This check only Enable on grids inbox is availableFlashifModes issorting and pivoting Express and selected. When Enable additional interactivity on grids in Flash Mode is selected, the

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pop-up menu replaces the sorting and pivoting toolbar in Flash Mode. 6 Click OK to return to the document.

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5
5.

DESIGNING DYNAMIC ENTERPRISE DASHBOARDS

Introduction
A dashboard is a special type of document. A dashboard is commonly only one page long, is intended to be viewed online, and usually provides interactive features that let analysts change how they view the dashboards data. By being only one page long, a dashboard makes it easy to view the entire document at the same time and see all the information. A dashboard allows interactivity from users, so each user can change how they see the data, within the limits of what the controls allow them. The designer can create more flexible data presentations with dashboards than with documents, since more users can be served with a single dashboard. Each user can interact with the dashboard to display only the subset of data they are interested in (using panels and selectors) or only specific attribute elements or metrics (using a selector). Panels and selectors are described in detail later in this chapter (see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392 and Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418). This chapter assumes that you understand the various MicroStrategy controls (such as Grid/Graphs, text fields, and so on) discussed elsewhere in this guide; understanding these controls is important to understanding panels and selectors in dashboards.
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About dashboards
This chapter describes dashboards and how to create them. The chapter includes the following sections: What is a dashboard?, page 366 Adding interactivity to dashboards, page 368 Design ideas and examples, page 376 Designing the right dashboard, page 379 Best practices for dashboarding, page 381 Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template, page 389 Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392 Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418 Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486 Enabling transition animations in Flash, page 492 Uncluttering the dashboard: Full screen mode, page 494

Another important component of dashboards is widgets. A widget is a Flash-based display of the results of a dataset report, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. For a more detailed description, including instructions and samples of the various types of widgets, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. version 10.1 is Flash Playerin Flash Mode. required to view and interact with dashboards

What is a dashboard?
A dashboard is a display of related sets of data on one screen. A dashboard is commonly used to assess company or personal performance, to take a quick status check of the company, or to monitor personal work or work group contributions to overall goals of the business. Dashboards summarize key business indicators by presenting them in visually intuitive, easy-to-read, interactive documents.

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The following dashboard presents several common dashboarding qualities:

Common dashboard characteristics in the example shown above include: The gauge, which shows corporate revenue at a glance. The two graphs, which display regional and product performance in an easy-to-understand format. The buttons at the top right (Corporate, Regional, and City), which allow a user to view different areas of the business, providing a quick status check across the company. This set of buttons is one of the interactive features of the document. Interactive features are described in Adding interactivity to dashboards, page 368.

More generally, a typical dashboard contains the following characteristics: Only one page, so that it is easy to view the entire document and see all the information. Used online rather than printed out.

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Provides interactive functionality so users can change how they see the data. For example, a user can select exactly which data to see by selecting metrics or attribute elements to be displayed in a Grid/Graph.

There is no single feature that you use to design a dashboard; you can choose selectors, widgets, panels, and other controls, to create a personalized, custom dashboard that suits your users specific needs. Various formatting options such as gradient colors and 3D effects also help you create dashboards with a style appropriate for the boardroom.

Adding interactivity to dashboards


A key aspect of a dashboard is the interactivity it allows. Interactivity lets analysts dynamically change the data displayed in Grid/Graphs or change other objects on the dashboard. You can add interactivity to your dashboards using a mix of the following features.

Analyzing specific attributes, elements, or metrics: Button bar


In the dashboard sample above, the buttons in the Subcategory Analysis grid can be used to change the product category displayed. The dashboard initially displays data for the Music category. Click the Books button to show data for that product category instead, as shown below.

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This example uses a Grid/Graph and a button bar selector. For a description of Grid/Graphs and procedures to create them, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. For a description of selectors and procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Analyzing across the company: Button bar


Another example of a button bar in this example is the buttons at the top right of the dashboard. An analyst can use them to switch views, displaying a different set of grids and graphs which show a different set of data. When you click the Regional button at the top of the dashboard, a different set of grids and graphs is displayed, as shown below:

Analyzing ranges of time: Slider


In the dashboard sample in What is a dashboard?, page 366, an analyst can use the slider along the bottom of the Regional Performance graph to change
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the length of time displayed and specific range of time covered in the graphs data. The dashboard initially displays regional performance for August 2005 to February 2006. You can move the slider to change the range of time, for example, to display March to May 2008. You can extend the length of time displayed by dragging the right end of the slider to lengthen or shorten the slider. The graph now shows performance for March to September 2008, as shown below.

This example uses a Grid/Graph and a slider-style selector. For a description of Grid/Graphs and procedures to create them, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. For a description of selectors and procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Analysis at a glance: Gauges, thermometers, cylinders, funnels


You can use objects such as gauge graphs, funnel graphs, gauge widgets, thermometer widgets, and cylinder widgets to provide document analysts with a quick view of important KPIs. These graphs and widgets are good for analyzing data at a quick glance. They are most effective when placed near the top of a dashboard document.

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The image below is an example of a gauge graph that is used at the top of a dashboard document to highlight corporate revenue and regional performance.

The image below is an example of a funnel graph that provides a quick look at current revenue projections.

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The image below is an example of a thermometer widget in a document in MicroStrategy Web. It allows a document analyst to quickly glance at the number of units sold.

The image below is an example of a cylinder widget in a document in MicroStrategy Web. A document analyst such as a regional manager can quickly glance at the cylinder to see how much revenue was produced.

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Organizing interactivity features on a dashboard


The result of a users interactive selections can affect multiple objects simultaneously. You can design this using a panel stack, which is a collection of panels, each of which can contain groups of objects. Panels help you display only those groups of data that should be seen at the same time. Additional features let the user navigate between panels, and quickly change the display of data within a panel. Each is described below.

Panels and panel stacks


A control is any selectable item in the documents Layout area. This can be a text field, line, rectangle, image, panel, panel stack, selector, or Grid/Graph object. When designing a dashboard, controls are organized together in small groups. These groups of controls are placed in a holder called a panel. Because the controls are grouped together on a panel, they can be presented to the dashboard user one group at a time. This lets the designer create several different views (or panels) of data, each view (panel) containing a logical grouping of controls that display data that is related in some meaningful way. A panel stack is a collection of individual panels, stacked on top of each other. Only one panel can be displayed at a time. An analyst can flip from panel to panel within a dashboards panel stack, displaying exactly the set of information he wants to see grouped together on the screen. The sample dashboard shown in the examples above uses a panel stack to provide the Corporate, Regional, and City views. Each view is an individual panel in the panel stack. For more information, examples, and procedures for panels and panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392.

Selectors
A selector is an element of a dashboard that allows a user to change the data he is viewing. A selector can be displayed as a button bar, a drop-down list,

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radio buttons, and so on. A selector can change panels or the focus of a Grid/Graph. Examples of selectors are shown below:

Selectors allow a user, in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, to: Flip through the panels in a panel stack to display the different panels. The selector for the panel stack in the sample dashboard is a button bar, which appears to the analyst as the view buttons. Display different attribute elements or metrics in a Grid/Graph. For example, a user can slice or filter the data on a graph by selecting specific regions or metrics. In the sample dashboard, the slider is the selector for the Regional Performance graph, while the category buttons are the selector for the Subcategory Analysis grid.

For more information, examples, and procedures for selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Title bars
A title bar is simply an area across the top of a panel stack or Grid/Graph. You can choose whether to display the title bar for each panel stack and Grid/Graph. When it is displayed, the title bar contains a title and several buttons. The title identifies the panel, panel stack, or Grid/Graph. The buttons allow users to minimize and maximize Grid/Graphs in MicroStrategy Web.

For more information, examples, and procedures, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326 and Displaying the title bar of a panel stack, page 400.

Quick switch
Quick switch is a button that allows an analyst to quickly change a Grid/Graph from Graph view to Grid view and back, with a single click. The quick switch button is available in MicroStrategy Web only; you cannot use it

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in Desktop. However, in Desktop you can determine whether quick switch is available in Web. For more information, examples, and procedures, see Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329.

Widgets
A widget is a type of Report Services control that presents data in a visual and interactive way. You can think of widgets as interactive Flash-only graphs that dynamically update when you select a new set of data to view. The dashboard user can even interact with some types of widgets to manually select a set of data to analyze. A variety of widget types, such as Gauge, Heat Map, and Stacked Area widgets, are available for use in MicroStrategy dashboards. Although each type of widget looks different and is used in a unique way, the main purpose of all widgets remains the same: to provide document analysts with a visual and interactive look into their data. For example, the Interactive Bubble Graph widget below allows document analysts to drill into each bubble in the graph by clicking it. Analysts can also use the time animation toolbar at the top of the widget to watch the bubbles appear on the graph in chronological order.

For more information, including examples and procedures, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets.

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Graph styles for dashboards


The following graph styles are particularly suitable to use in graph reports included in documents: Gauge Funnel Area Vertical stacked bar Combination: Line and horizontal bar Bubble Pie

For information about designing these types of graphs, see the Graphing chapter in the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Design ideas and examples


Additional design ideas can be found in Best practices for dashboarding, page 381. Design a dashboard that monitors individual or group contributions to overall business goals. Provide a gauge widget or thermometer widget so users can measure their progress toward goals at a glance. For example, use a widget to showcase some key metrics, such as average number of transactions per customer, or average revenue per customer. For more information on widgets, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. Design a dashboard for regional sales managers at two levels: One level shows an overview of sales in the region, and the other level contains grid reports displaying details on each account representatives individual accounts. The following two images show samples of each of these levels

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in a single dashboard. The first image shows the regional (or Territory) overview level:

The next image shows the second layer, displaying details of the accounts for each account representative:

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The layers in this dashboard were created using panel stacks and selectors. For more information, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392 and Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. Design a key performance indicators dashboard that lets users look at one or more gauges to instantly assess key performance data. Provide graphs that let users compare current performance against established targets so they can identify opportunities or issues. Include a report or two that provide supporting data so users can see what is behind the performance numbers. An example is shown below.

Design a financial dashboard that monitors all key financial statements in one screen. For example, you might include an income statement as the main feature of the dashboard, then add a smaller grid report and a graph report below it. Add a selector to the income statement and connect it to the two supporting reports. When a user selects a line item in the income statement, such as Total Operating Expenses, the supporting reports show detailed operating expenses in the grid, and actual and planned operating expenses by quarter in the graph.

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Designing a simulated portal environment


You can create a dashboard with the look and feel of a portal. To do this, add several Grid/Graph objects to the dashboard. Each one will display a grid or graph report. Then add the following functionality to each Grid/Graph: Add a title bar to each Grid/Graph. Be sure to enable the Minimize/Maximize feature on the title bar. Users can click a button to minimize any portlet window to use their screen space efficiently and to focus more easily on pertinent reports. For more information, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326. Connect one Grid/Graph to a related Grid/Graph. This means that when the user changes the data displayed in one of the dashboard reports, the connected report automatically updates to coordinate its display of the related information. For more information, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486.

Designing the right dashboard


The following table lists common goals for dashboards and provides suggestions on how to achieve them. This table can also provide ideas about what you might want to include in your dashboards.
Dashboard Goal Present a style appropriate for the executive boardroom. Features to Use on the Dashboard Use drop shadows, gradients, 3D effects, and rounded rectangles on various parts of the dashboard. For an example of rounded rectangles and a procedure to create them, see Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128. For examples and procedures for the other effects, see Chapter 2, Formatting Documents. Use 3D effects, bevels, gradients, transparency, and curved lines on graphs in the dashboard. For examples and procedures, see the Desktop Help. Enable tooltips in graphs, so that users can mouse-over graph data to see underlying data in detailed form. See the Desktop Help for instructions. Apply quick switch to Grid/Graphs so that Web users can switch between Graph view and Grid view, allowing detailed data to be seen in a table. For an example and procedure, see Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329. Use Grid/Graphs with title bars to allow an area to be enlarged to see details on complex graphs or grids. For examples and procedures, see Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326.

Instantly show details in a densely populated dashboard.

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Dashboard Goal Present many layers of data in a single dashboard, keeping the layers organized and focused. The layers, or views of the data, must be instantly available to the users. Allow users to change the context of dashboard. For example, a user can change the following for a specified set of graphs or tables: The focus of the KPI The timeframe being viewed The subject areas displayed Create dashboards in Flash that can be used even when disconnected from the network. These dashboards include full interactivity, visualization, and data content. Use interactive Flash graphs rather than static graphs to provide an engaging way to view data and understand relationships.

Features to Use on the Dashboard Use panels and panel stacks to provide the layers of data in the following ways: Multiple independent layers within a single dashboard page Multiple independent dashboard pages layered within a single document For examples and procedures, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392. Add selectors that target attribute elements so that users can change the context of the data. You can use a wide range of selectors: radio buttons, check boxes, drop-down lists, and so on. For examples and procedures, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. Define an attribute in a Grid/Graph as a selector that targets a panel stack or another Grid/Graph. Users can then click an attribute element in the Grid/Graph and initiate a context change in related Grid/Graphs on the dashboard. For examples and procedures, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. Embed Flash dashboards within Microsoft Office documents, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. For more information, refer to the MicroStrategy Office User Guide. Embed Flash dashboards within emails and distribute them. For more information on this Narrowcast Server feature, see the Narrowcast Server documentation. Use time series animation to allow users to play graphical movies, driven by data, that provide rapid insight into business trends. Users can rewind and fast forward through a time series. They can also pause the movie and drill down for more details. For an example, see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545. Use the library of visualization widgets in MicroStrategy Web to extend the display of information beyond traditional graphing. See Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. Build any visualization you need using FlexBuilder IDE integration and add it to your MicroStrategy library of visualizations. Customize any Flex-compatible visualization and add it to your MicroStrategy library of visualizations. Use the Adobe FlexBuilder integration to add MicroStrategy dashboards and reports to any Flex-compatible Rich Internet Application (RIA). For more information on MicroStrategys Visualization Framework, the FlexBuilder plug-in, and the visualization editor, see the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL) provided with MicroStrategy SDK. In particular, the Understanding the Visualization Framework section is helpful. The path to this section in the MSDL is Web SDK -> Integrating with an External Application -> Visualization Integration. To purchase MicroStrategy SDK, contact your account executive for more information.

Unlimited visualization extensibility via Flash uses MicroStrategy's integration with Adobe's FlexBuilder 2 IDE to allow you to: Expand your library of visualizations Extend the reach of your business intelligence to operational applications

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Best practices for dashboarding


The goal of most dashboards is to magnify specific points of data, making them easy for users to identify. To achieve this goal effectively, you must make certain decisions before you begin creating your dashboard. These best practices are grouped into the following sections: Choosing datasets for a dashboard, page 382 Layering information in a dashboard, page 383 Planning the dashboards outline and structure, page 384 Placing the data and visualizations onto a dashboard, page 386 Positioning and formatting the dashboard objects, page 387 Enhancing dashboard performance, page 388

For information on the objects that allow you to implement these objectives, see the following sections: Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392 Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418 Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486 Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets Enabling transition animations in Flash, page 492 Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs, page 326 Quick switch for Grid/Graphs, page 329 Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681

For general best practices related to designing a document, see Best practices for designing effective documents, page 15.

Choosing datasets for a dashboard


You can use existing reports and documents as datasets in a new dashboard. This can save you time and help avoid unnecessary duplication in your
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MicroStrategy metadata. You can also create new datasets for your dashboard. A dataset should have enough data to be useful as a rich source of analysis for many users, but it should not have extra data that is not needed on the dashboard. For example, do not include product item information when you only want to display product category information. As you gather or create datasets, focus on important indicators such as performance stakes, trends, and variances. Users typically browse a large number of reports somewhat randomly, looking for interesting trends. You can gather related reports to use on your dashboard, so that all the data is available together in a single context. Users can then locate the data more easily and analyze it more efficiently. When choosing reports to incorporate into a single layer on a dashboard (a dashboard page or panel), consider the ratio of graph to grid reports to display. Common graph:grid ratios range from 4:1 to 1:3. The average graph:grid ratio from a general sample of dashboards was approximately 2:1. Consider using a dashboard to replace 8-12 existing reports in your MicroStrategy project. You will generally use 3-5 reports on each layer of the dashboard; dashboards generally have from 1 to 3 layers (see Layering information in a dashboard, page 383). Consider using a dashboard to replace three to four existing documents in your MicroStrategy project. If you have three documents that contain data from a related subject area, you can use each document as a single layer (or panel) of your dashboard. Having all this related information in one dashboard can provide a more productive analysis experience for your users. For example, you have three documents for your human resources department. Each document is related to salaries and other benefits, headcounts, or hiring. Create a dashboard with a panel stack sized to take up the entire screen. Add two more panels so you have three panels in the panel stack. Then re-create the first document on the first panel of the dashboard, the second document on the second panel, and so on. Add a selector of three tabs (buttons) at the top of the panel stack. Users can tab

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between the layers of human resources data, depending on whether they are interested in headcounts, hiring, or salaries. The image below shows a sample of this dashboard:

Layering information in a dashboard


Plan to have from one to three layers for your dashboard. You can visualize these layers as pages of your dashboard; analysts will see one page at a time. Multiple layers allow you to design a dashboard that contains much more information overall, but presents only a reasonable subset of that information in the layer currently being displayed.

Create layers by adding a panel stack to your dashboard. Size the panel stack so it is large enough to take up the entire screen. Then place enough panels on the panel stack to equal the number of layers needed in your dashboard. Each panel becomes one layer of your dashboard. Finally, create a set of tabs above the panel stack by adding a button or link bar selector, with one tab (button) for each layer (panel).

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Consider grouping data by layers according to subject areas or business dimensions, with one subject area or business dimension per layer. For example, one layer might show income at the corporate level, while a second layer might also show income but at a departmental level or a regional level. The final layer might show detailed income data. This lets you serve diverse user communities without overwhelming users, as they can each flip to and work with the dashboard layer that specifically interests them. Consider grouping data by layers according to regions of the country or regions of the world, so that, for example, sales metrics can be displayed within a given regional context.

Planning the dashboards outline and structure


Use Microsoft Excel, Paint, PowerPoint, or another tool to create a mock-up of the dashboard. The mock-up should convey a clear vision of the information, structure, layout, and formatting. Send the mock-up to your user community to gather feedback on its usefulness. This can save time creating and formatting a complex, finished dashboard that may need to be redone. The Quick switch feature lets users toggle between grid display and graph display without requesting data from the server. The Quick switch feature can therefore help improve response time for users. To minimize the amount of data passed between the web server and the web browser:

Use the grouping feature and/or incremental fetch, for documents designed to be viewed in MicroStrategy Web. See Grouping records in a document, page 260 and Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch, page 769. Use selectors for attributes and metrics if a document will be viewed in DHTML mode in Web. This is not necessary if users will be viewing dashboards in Flash mode, because all dashboard data is downloaded to the web browser when the dashboard is executed.

Group related reports so they can be placed in a small panel stack, each panel displaying a single report. As users flip through the panels, they will be flipping through the related reports. The reports in a panel stack should not be reports that a user might want to see side by side in a dashboard; rather, the reports should show different levels of detail about the same or closely related data.

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Plan to provide visualizations. These can include any of the available widgets, such as a gauge, thermometer, heat map, and so on, which can help users understand data at a glance. so many graphical objects that Do not addis no longer the data. Too manythe focus of thecan dashboard visualizations detract from the importance of the data.

Plan to provide interactivity. This can include any of the available selectors, such as tabs, buttons, and sliders, which let users change a reports metrics, attribute elements, and filters, or interactive widgets. Interactive features let users customize the display of data without needing a developer or designer to perform any work. Consider common user workflows when designing a dashboard. Think about how analysts are going to move through the dashboard, what links they will want to click, and so on. Try to embed this workflow directly into the dashboard. Do this by placing objects so that data can be interpreted from the top left to the bottom right. Granularity should increase from top to bottom on a dashboard. For example, place objects that display key performance indicators at the top of the dashboard. These objects might include large graphs such as a funnel graph (also called a pipeline), a pie graph, widgets such as a gauge, and so on. Allow users to drill within the dashboard to determine the level of detail that they need to display. Use pre-defined drill paths to direct the users' analysis. Drilling can provide more details and more information without interrupting the workflow. Use links to other dashboards, documents, or prompted reports to provide the drilling paths. Decide which objects on the dashboard should share the same formatting styles, and which objects should be physically aligned with each other. These decisions are important time-savers if you make them before you spend a lot of time actually formatting objects and fine-tuning object placement. Use effects for trends, summaries, and other high-level data. If users want to analyze details in a report, too many effects can make it difficult to understand more detailed data.

For example, if you apply the curved effect to the line in a line graph, the exact points where the line hits the graph are adjusted so that the line can be curved smoothly. This looks nice, but users who rely on seeing every detail will have difficulty. If you want to apply the curved

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effect, you can also provide a grid report alongside showing exact values. An alternative is adding tooltips which display actual values for points on the graph when you move the cursor over the graph.

Placing the data and visualizations onto a dashboard


Place reports into appropriate areas on the dashboard, and then resize them as needed to achieve your planned appearance. Placement should take into account the user workflow and granularity discussions above. Also, a user usually looks to the upper left first, and the bottom right last. Large graphics grab a users attention, no matter where they are placed. Keep the number of objects on the screen to a minimum, to achieve a clean look. Use graphical objects sparingly. Make use of abbreviated text in text fields as appropriate, to make the best use of space. You can add a tooltip (a mouseover) to explain any abbreviations that may not be clear to all users. For any graph or widget, provide a tooltip (a mouseover) so that users who are interested in specific details can see the actual values behind the general trends displayed by graphic visualizations. This is an excellent way to support two sets of users who need widely differing levels of information on the same subjects. Provide a quick switch capability for all graph reports, so users can switch with a single click between the graphical display of data and its corresponding grid report showing individual cells with specific values. Provide a title bar on reports (Grid/Graphs) on the dashboard so users can maximize and minimize the individual reports. This ability to minimize and maximize reports provides users with a portal-like environment, with each report behaving like a portlet window. This allows users to control how space is used on their screens, and to focus on the data they are interested in. If you have a panel stack on the dashboard, add a selector so users can flip between the panels on the panel stack. Sliders are best used on graphs that specify a date range. Sliders can not only change the time frame of the data displayed in a report or set of reports, they can also change the span of time being analyzed. If you have related reports on a dashboard layer, add a selector to one of the reports and connect it to the related report. When users choose to see a certain aspect of the first report, the second report automatically changes to display the related data. When the user clicks on one grid or

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graph, his selection serves as a filter for the related grid or graph. For example, in a pie graph showing revenue for all products, a user clicks a slice of the pie graph representing electronics revenue. The connected report below the pie graph, displaying detailed sales numbers, automatically updates its data to reflect the users selection, displaying sales numbers for various electronic products. Add selectors to different parts of the dashboard so users can customize the data they see at many levels. For example, add a selector at the top of the dashboard itself, so users can switch between layers of the dashboard. Then add a selector at the top of an individual layer, so users can change metrics, for example, to change the focus of that layer of the dashboard. Finally, add a selector to each of the reports on that layer, so users can focus the details of their analysis on a specific area.

Positioning and formatting the dashboard objects


Use the color palette to match your corporate standards, or create any other color desired. Consider the following best practices:

Colors are especially effective when used as a background that visually groups a set of reports or other related objects. Contrasting colors support quick comparisons between two measurements, such as actual vs. forecasted values.

To make visual analysis easy, use drop shadows, rounded edges, geometric lines and shapes, color gradients, transparency, and borders to visually link related sets of data. For example, group related sections of information under the same title bar and use the same background color to tie them together visually. Include text fields as needed. For example, a concise text field explaining a set of buttons can make the difference between users who are confused by a busy layout, and users who know exactly what to select so that the data displayed provides the information they need. Edit titles as necessary to make sense of your final display. Improve readability for grid reports by adding special formatting, such as background colors or a drop shadow, to alternating or important rows so those rows stand out. Add thresholds to any important grid report data. A threshold is special formatting that is applied automatically when a value in a cell reaches a certain number. For example, if any of your regions returns sales

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numbers that fall below a specified low mark, the appropriate cell of the grid is automatically formatted, perhaps with a red background and bold numbers, to alert you to the condition. For details on applying thresholds to grid and graph reports, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. If there are other reports or documents that cover analysis areas related to data on your dashboard, consider adding one to three link bars, which are links from the dashboard directly to the separate report or document. You may find it helpful to ask your users what common investigative paths they might follow after using the dashboard. Links can help make that transition easy. If a grid report takes up too much room, make it smaller and add a scrollbar. The data will remain accessible but the report itself will use less space on the total dashboard area. Display your finished dashboard in the same format your users will be viewing it infor example, HTML, PDF, Excel, or printedand ensure that the display is effective for your planned output.

Enhancing dashboard performance


Use as few datasets as possible when designing the dashboard. For example, one dataset report with 1000 rows displays faster than ten smaller dataset reports. However, be aware that combining dataset reports can create a Cartesian join, which inflates the size of the combined dataset and results in slower performance. Having all the data in the rows negatively impacts the rendering time for Editable Mode and Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. A selector with many items (for example, the buttons or check boxes) increases the time it takes for the dashboard to execute. For example, if you increase the number of items by a factor of ten, server execution times can increase up to 50%. In essence, a larger number of items translates into a larger dataset. Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web provides better performance when selectors have many targets (that is, the Grid/Graphs and/or panel stacks affected by the selectors). A selector that controls attributes displayed on a Grid/Graph performs faster than a selector that controls attributes that are not displayed on a Grid/Graph.

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Nesting panel stacks (that is, placing a panel stack on a panel) increases client rendering time. To reduce that time, include data in both panel stacks, not just the nested panel stack. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, after the dashboard is initially loaded, manipulations such as choosing a selector item are executed on the client machine. In contrast, such manipulations in Interactive Mode send additional requests from Web Server to Intelligence Server. Since Flash Mode uses minimal server resources after the initial load is complete, system overhead is reduced for multiple users concurrently manipulating their dashboards. Therefore, Flash Mode has faster response times for manipulations, regardless of the number of users accessing the dashboard. However, these same users must accept longer document execution times due to the initial loading of Flash. In MicroStrategy Web, graphs perform better in Flash Mode than in Editable Mode and Interactive Mode.

Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template


A document template provides a predefined structure to help you create a new document. For more information on templates, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27. The Blank Dashboard template helps you create the look and feel of a dashboard with the key features described below: A dashboard is commonly only one page long, so the Blank Dashboard template uses only one section. The height of the section is defined as seven inches. Grid/Graphs are formatted with a background fill and a border. Title bars are displayed for Grid/Graphs, and they use a gradient color (a two-color combination) to provide more sophisticated formatting. The Grid/Graph has a fixed width and height; if the Grid/Graph is larger, scroll bars are displayed. These defaults help you create the feel of a portal if you include several Grid/Graphs on your dashboard. A user can display all the Grid/Graphs, or minimize the ones that are not relevant at the moment to focus on a particular Grid/Graph. Panel stacks are formatted with a background fill and a title bar. The title bars, which help users identify the objects, are formatted with a gradient
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color. Again, these defaults help you create the feel of a dashboard or a portal. The following document, which is shown in Design View, was created using the Blank Dashboard template. It contains a Grid/Graph and a panel stack. Notice that the Grid/Graph is formatted with a light grey background fill (the Backcolor).

These are the default properties of the Blank Dashboard, so you can change them if necessary. For example, you can change the height of the section, display additional sections, remove title bars from a Grid/Graph, and so on. Other predefined dashboard templates provide a structure for dashboards, such as four evenly-spaced panel stacks to place contents in, one panel stack on the left side of the dashboard and two smaller ones on the right, or a text field across the top of the dashboard for a title bar with a panel stack below it.

To create a traditional document rather than a dashboard, use the Blank Document template.
For information on title bars, see Title bars, page 374. For information on Grid/Graphs in general, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. For information on panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392.

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To open a blank dashboard

1 From the File menu, point to New, and then select Document. The New Document dialog box opens, showing a selection of pre-generated document templates. 2 Select Blank Dashboard and click OK. A new dashboard document opens.

Designing a dashboard with the Blank Document template


You can create a dashboard using the standard MicroStrategy document template, which is named the Blank Document; all the standard document sections are displayed by default. However, you can hide or display sections to help you create a dashboard document. For information, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27 and Hiding and displaying document sections, page 36. For more information on document templates in general, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.

Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks


You can display different controls (that is, objects that can be placed on a document, such as Grid/Graphs, text fields, shapes, and so on) in a dashboard or document so that users can navigate them as if they were pages or subsets of the larger document. These pages or layers of data are called panels, and a group of panels is referred to as a panel stack. Panel stacks allow a designer to create several different views (panels) of data, with each view (panel) containing a logical grouping of controls that display data that is related in a meaningful way. Panels are essential building blocks for interactive dashboards, which summarize key business indicators in easy-to-read interfaces. For an in-depth explanation of dashboards, see What is a dashboard?, page 366.

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Use panel stacks to provide interactive data layering. You can create: Stacks of analytic layers on a single dashboard page by creating two panels, each containing a different Grid/Graph. In Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, a user can flip between the panels, quickly replacing one Grid/Graph with the other. Using panels in this fashion permits many independent layers of data within a single dashboard page. Multiple layers of dashboards by adding multiple controls to each panel of a panel stack. This creates layers of complex dashboards. An Information Window, to display additional information about an attribute element. A user clicks an element in a grid or graph. The Information Window pops up over the element, displaying an additional visualization, based on the element. Information Windows are displayed in Express Mode and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, and in MicroStrategy Mobile for iPad. For an example and instructions to create an Information Window, see Defining Information Windows for an iPad document, page 824.

The first two methods are described in the examples that follow, Example: Layering Grid/Graphs on panels, page 393 and Example: Layering multiple dashboards in a single document, page 394.

Example: Layering Grid/Graphs on panels


For example, you can stack two panels, each containing a different Grid/Graph. In Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, a user can flip between the panels, quickly replacing one Grid/Graph with the other. In the following image, a Grid/Graph is displayed on a panel. Notice the name of the panel, in the title bar at top of the panel: Employee Info by Region. Notice also that the Grid/Graph is the only control on the panel.

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Above the Grid/Graph is a list box containing the names of the panels in the panel stack: Employee Info by Region and Category Sales Report. When you select the Category Sales Report, the other panel is displayed. Notice the name of the panel in the title bar: Category Sales Report. Also, notice that this panel includes a text field in addition to the Grid/Graph. The text field reads Forecast based on 2002-2004 data.

Using panels in this fashion allows many independent layers of data within a single dashboard page. You can also layer dashboards in a single document with the use of panels, as described in the next example. a The list box istheselector, a type of control which allows a user to interact with panel stack. While selectors are discussed briefly throughout this section, more details on creating them and examples of their various options are provided in Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Example: Layering multiple dashboards in a single document


The example above placed only one or two controls (Grid/Graphs and a text field) on each panel. However, you can add multiple controls to each panel of a panel stack, creating layers of complex dashboards. For example, the following dashboard contains a gauge for corporate revenue, a bubble graph for category analysis, a line graph for regional performance, and a grid report for subcategory analysis. A button bar labeled Select View is displayed at the

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top left of the dashboard, and the Corporate button is currently selected. This dashboard provides a company-wide view of revenue and performance.

If you click Regional in the Select View button bar, another dashboard is displayed. As shown below, this dashboard contains an area graph for daily revenue, a grid report for category analysis, and a bar graph for subcategory

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revenue. This dashboard provides a more detailed view of information, at the regional and daily level.

Each of these dashboards is on a panel, and the Select View button bar is a selector that allows you to switch between the panels. Using panels to layer multiple dashboards in the same document can organize related information and provide increasing levels of detail on different dashboards .

Defining the parts of a panel stack


The panel stack is the holder for a group of panels. You must add a panel stack before you can insert more panels (a new panel stack already contains one panel). The panels contain the controls (Grid/Graphs, text fields, and so on) that display the data, such as metrics and graphs, that a user sees. The border of the panel stack is visible to the user. The border properties include 3D borders, drop shadows, and rounded corners (displayed in Flash Mode only), as well as standard border options such as color and style. The

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background color comes from the individual panel; you can format each panel to have a different background color. Most of the properties that control a group of panels are set in the panel stack. These properties include whether a title bar or pop-up text is displayed, as well as size and position information. The title bar, when displayed, is an area across the top of the panels that shows the title. You can choose whether the title bar displays the name of the panel stack or of the panel currently being displayed. By default, the title bar also displays Next and Previous arrows to allow users to change panels, although you can hide these arrows. For an example of the arrows, see Panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 402. The current panel is the panel currently displayed in Design View. This panel is displayed on the panel stack when the document is viewed in PDF View or in MicroStrategy Web. If a panel stack contains more than one panel, a user needs a way to change panels. By default, the title bar displays arrows that allow users to move through the panels. If you choose to hide the arrows or hide the title bar, you need to add a selector, such as a radio button or pull-down list, to allow users to display the different panels of a panel stack. When a user switches to PDF View or to Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, whichever panel was current becomes the only panel displayed, as well as the only panel that can be printed. The user cannot change to a different panel in PDF View or Express Mode. In Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, a user can click the selector to switch panels.

A selector is not part of a panel stack, unlike the other items described in this section. A selector is a different type of control and is added to the document separately. The title bar, for instance, is an area of the panel stack, and each panel is contained in the panel stack. However, a selector is an important and necessary addition to a panel stack because a selector allows the user to switch panels. The selector can also display the names of the different panels, so that a user can tell at a glance which panel he wants to view. The default arrow selectors on the title bar do not display the panel names. For more information, including examples and procedures, about selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. The following diagram shows a panel stack and the selector that targets it, in Design View. The panel is the light gray area containing the text fields Region and Revenue. The title bar is the darker gray area at the top, labeled Panel1. The panel stack border is displayed as a thick black line; note that it
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surrounds the entire panel, including the panel and the title bar. The selector (labeled Elements Selector), is a separate control placed above the panel stack. In MicroStrategy Web, the selector allows the user to choose the region to display.

The following diagram shows the same panel stack and selector in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The panel, panel stack, and border appear the same, except that the text fields have been replaced by data. The selector is rendered as a drop-down list of the regions. The Central region has been selected, so its data is displayed in the panel.

Panel stacks and automatic target maintenance for selectors


Selectors allow a user to display different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a panel stack (the target of the selector). Targets can be automatically maintained in a layout. This means that when you add a panel stack, the panel stack automatically becomes the target of all selectors in the same panel or document section as the panel stack. For more information about automatically maintaining targets for selectors, including

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instructions to enable and disable the functionality, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. allow a user to flip through the panels in a Selectors can also not automatically maintained for this type panel stack. Targets are of selector; you always manually define the targets for panel selectors.

Inserting and defining panels


To insert and define panels, follow the high-level steps below: 1 Insert a panel stack (the holder for the panels). A single panel is automatically added to the panel stack. For instructions, see Inserting a panel stack, page 399. 2 By default, the title bar, which displays either the panel stack title or the panel name to help identify the panel stack, is displayed. The title bar also displays, by default, arrows to allow users to flip through the panels. For instructions to hide and display the title bar, and examples of a title bar, see Displaying the title bar of a panel stack, page 400. For instructions to hide and display the arrows, and an example of the arrows, see Panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 402. (If you hide the arrows or the title bar, you should add a selector to allow users to switch between panels, as described below.) 3 Insert as many additional panels as you need to hold the layers of data. For instructions, see Inserting additional panels in a panel stack, page 404. 4 Add controls to each panel, to display the data. You can add Grid/Graphs, text fields, shapes, images, and panel stacks, just as you can to a document. For more information, see Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents and Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. 5 Panels are displayed in the order in which they were added. If you want to display them in a different order, move the panels to reorder them. For an example and instructions, see Changing the display order of panels, page 406. 6 Ensure that the correct panel will be displayed when the user initially views the dashboard. For instructions, see Choosing the panel to display initially: the current panel, page 407.

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7 Determine how to load panels in panel stacks when the document is viewed in MicroStrategy Web. All the panels can be pre-loaded, or only the first panel. For instructions, see Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web, page 408. When all the panels are pre-loaded, they display immediately when the user selects a different panel. However, if the user is unlikely to access all the panels in a panel stack, or if you want to optimize the initial load time of the document, you can specify that the panels load only when a user changes to a different panel. Note that this on-demand panel loading only occurs when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web with DHTML enabled.

8 Format the panel stack, panels, and title bar (if displayed). For examples and procedures, see Formatting panels and panel stacks, page 410. 9 (Optional) Add a selector to allow the user to switch between panels. See Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. By default, the title bar displays arrows that allow users to move through the panels. If you choose to hide the arrows or hide the title bar, add a selector, such as a radio button or pull-down list, to allow users to switch between the different panels of a panel stack. A selector can also display the names of the different panels, so that a user can tell at a glance which panel he wants to view. The arrow selectors on the title bar do not display the panel names.

Inserting a panel stack


To create panels, you must first insert a panel stack (the holder for the collection of panels) into the document. A new panel stack already shows a single panel by default. After you insert a panel stack, you can add more panels to it. The following procedure walks you through inserting a panel stack.
To insert a panel stack

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.

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2 If you used the Blank Dashboard template to create the document, only one section is displayed. If you used a different template: Expand the section where you want the panel stack by clicking the plus sign next to the section name.

section. You cannot add a panel stack in the Detailsrow of theSince controls in the Detail section are repeated once per dataset, the panel stack would be repeated on each row. 3 From the Insert menu, select Panel Stack or click the Panel Stack icon in the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the desired location in the Layout area. If you click and drag in the Layout area, you can size the panel stack. The panel stack is added to the document, with a single panel. Next, you can display a title bar (see below) or insert additional panels (see page 404).

Displaying the title bar of a panel stack


For each panel stack you can choose whether to show the title bar, which displays either the title of the panel stack or the name of the current panel to help identify what the user is looking at. By default, the name of the panel currently displayed on the panel stack is shown in the title bar, as shown below. When a user switches panels, the name in the title bar changes.

You can choose to display the same title regardless of which panel is displayed. To do this, display the panel stack title instead of the panel name,

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and then specify the title for the panel stack. The same panel stack is shown below, with the panel stack title displayed instead.

The following image shows a similar panel stack without a title bar.

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Panel selector arrows on the title bar


The title bar of a panel stack displays Next and Previous arrows to allow users to change panels, as shown below:

The arrow on the left allows a user to display the previous panel in the panel stack. The arrow on the right is grayed out because this is the last panel in the panel stack. These arrows are displayed by default, but you can hide them from users by following the steps in To hide the panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 403. Hiding the arrows also disables changing panels in iPad documents by horizontal swiping. For background information on using selectors in iPad documents, see Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents, page 823. If you hide the arrows or the title bar that they display in, you should create a selector that targets the panel stack and allows users to change panels. For instructions, see Methods to create a selector, page 426. The following procedures walk you through displaying or hiding the title bar, specifying the height of the title bar, and displaying or hiding the panel selector arrows. These procedures continue where the previous procedure, To insert a panel stack, page 399, finished. They assume you have already created a panel stack and are still in the Document Editor in Design View.
To display the title bar

1 Select the panel stack in the Layout area.

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2 In the Property List: View section, set Show title bar to True. A title bar is displayed on the panel stack in the Layout area. 3 By default, the name of the panel currently displayed on the panel stack is shown in the title bar. To display the title of the panel stack instead: Change Title bar display to Title of panel stack. The title of the panel stack is blank by default. To change it, type the desired text into the Title property.

To hide the title bar

1 Select the panel stack in the Layout area. 2 In the Property List: View section, set Show title bar to False.
To display the panel selector arrows on the title bar

1 Right-click the panel stack in the Layout area, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 2 On the General tab, select the Allow current panel to be changed without selector check box. arrows also enables changing panels in iPad Displaying thehorizontal swiping. For background information on documents by changing panels in iPad documents, see Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents, page 823. 3 Click OK to return to the document.
To hide the panel selector arrows on the title bar

1 Right-click the panel stack in the Layout area, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 2 On the General tab, clear the Allow current panel to be changed without selector check box. iPad Hiding the arrows also disables changing panels ininformation on documents by horizontal swiping. For background

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using selectors in iPad documents, see Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents, page 823. 3 Click OK to return to the document.
To specify the height of the title bar

By default, the height of the title bar is .2 inches, but you can change it. 1 Select the panel stack in the Layout area. 2 In the Property List: View section, enter the height in the Title height property.

Inserting additional panels in a panel stack


Insert as many additional panels as you need to hold the layers of data. When you add a panel, it is added after the currently displayed panel. For example, a panel stack contains Panel1, Panel2, and Panel3, in that order. Panel2 is displayed. A new panel (Panel4) is added. The order of the panels is now Panel1, Panel2, Panel4, and Panel3. That order can be changed; see Changing the display order of panels, page 406 for instructions. The new panel is now displayed on the panel stack. To continue with the example above, Panel4 is displayed instead of Panel2. It is therefore the current panel, which is displayed when a user views the document in another view. For more information about the current panel, and how to change it, see Choosing the panel to display initially: the current panel, page 407. By default, panels are named Panel1, Panel2, and so on, but you can rename them. You may want to give the panels more meaningful names since the panel name is shown in the selector (the button bar or other object that allows a user to switch panels) and can be displayed in the title bar. The following procedures walk you through inserting and renaming a panel. These procedures continue where the previous procedure, Inserting a panel stack, page 399 or Displaying the title bar of a panel stack, page 400, finished. They assume you have already created a panel stack and are still in the Document Editor in Design View. use the Property List, These proceduresbox for the same tasks.but you can also use the Properties dialog

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To insert an additional panel in a panel stack

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Insert. The new panel is added to the panel stack, after the selected panel. The new panel is displayed on the panel stack, which means that is set as the the current panel. You can do any of the following next: Add another panel Rename a panel (see below) Change the display order of the panels (see page 406) Choose the panel to display initially (see page 407)

To copy an existing panel

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and select Display Next or Display Previous to display the panel to be copied. 2 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Duplicate. The new panel is added to the panel stack, after the selected panel. The new panel is displayed on the panel stack, which means that is set as the the current panel. You can do any of the following next: Add another panel Rename a panel (see below) Change the display order of the panels (see page 406) Choose the panel to display initially (see page 407)

To rename a panel

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. 2 In the panel list, select the panel to rename. 3 Click Rename.

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4 Type the new name in the panel list, and then press ENTER. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Changing the display order of panels


The order in which you add panels to a panel stack affects the order in which they are displayed in the selector (such as a row of buttons) attached to the panel stack. For example, a panel stack contains three panels. By default, the panels are named Panel1, Panel2, and Panel3, in the order they were added. The selector attached to the panel stack is a button array. It displays Panel1 on the left, Panel3 on the right, and Panel2 in the middle, as shown below.

If this display order is incorrect, you can move the panels to change the order. See the procedure below for instructions.
To change the display order of panels

This procedure continues where the previous procedure, To insert an additional panel in a panel stack, page 405, finished. 1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. only have panels, select Move Forward or If you Backwardtwo or threeManage. Since these options move one Move instead of panel at a time, using the Properties dialog box is more efficient if you have a large number of panels.

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2 Select a panel in the list of panels, and select one of the options described below: Use Move Forward to incrementally move the selected panel forward in the panel stack. Use Move Backward to incrementally move the selected panel backward in the panel stack.

3 Click OK to return to the document. Next, you can specify the current panel, which is the panel that is initially displayed.

Choosing the panel to display initially: the current panel


You can choose which panel should be displayed on the panel stack when the document is viewed in PDF View or in MicroStrategy Web. This is referred to as the current panel. When a user switches to PDF View, the current panel is the only one displayed as well as the only one that can be printed. In MicroStrategy Web, the current panel is displayed when a user first opens the document, but the user can change to a different panel by using a selector. The panel displayed in Design View is set as the current panel. If you add a panel to a panel stack, the new panel becomes the current panel. To select a different panel for the current panel, follow the instructions below. In MicroStrategy Web, the current panel is displayed when a user first opens the document, although he can use a selector to change to a different panel. If DHTML is enabled and panels are defined to load on demand, only the current panel is downloaded when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web; other panels are loaded when the user requests them. If the panel stack is defined to pre-load all the panels, all the panels are downloaded when the document is executed. For more information about loading panels, including instructions, see Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web, page 408.

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To choose the panel to display initially

This procedure continues where the previous procedure, To change the display order of panels, page 406, finished. 1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. 2 Select the panel from the list of panels. 3 Click Set as Current to choose the selected panel to display initially. 4 Click OK to return to the document. The selected panel is displayed in the panel stack. Next, you can format the panel stack, individual panels, and (if displayed) the title bar.

Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web


In MicroStrategy Web, all the panels of a panel stack can load when the document is executed, even though only one panel is displayed to the user. This ensures that these pre-loaded panels display immediately when the user selects a different panel. However, if the user is unlikely to access all the panels in a panel stack, or if you want to optimize the initial load time of the document, you can specify that the panels load on demand. When panels are loaded on demand, only one panel is loaded when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web. Other panels are loaded only when the user selects them. The document therefore opens faster, although panels loaded on demand will take some time to load when they are selected. After a panel is loaded, it remains cached on the client until the document is closed. On-demand panel loading occurs when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web with DHTML enabled. In Desktop, only the current panel is displayed, selectors are not active, and therefore other panels are not available. On-demand panel loading does not occur in Flash View (Desktop) or Flash Mode (MicroStrategy Web). supports DHTML, DHTML is enabled If your browserWeb by default. For more information oninDHTML, and MicroStrategy instructions to enable it, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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You can define how panels are loaded at two levels: For all the panel stacks in the document (the document-level setting) For each panel stack

This allows you to easily set different panel load settings for different panel stacks. For example, a document contains multiple panel stacks. You want to pre-load all the panels of all the panel stacks, except for the panel stack that contains many panels. At the document level, define the default panel load setting to pre-load all panels. For the specific panel stack, specify that only the current panel is pre-loaded. Instructions for both levels follow.
To specify the default panel load setting for all panel stacks in a document

The document-level setting applies to all panel stacks that use the default panel load setting. You can change the panel load setting for specific panel stacks as well, as described in To specify how to load panels for a specific panel stack, page 410. applies to all layouts of a multi-layout document. For This settingof multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layouta description documents, page 714. 1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Advanced. 4 Choose one of the Pre-load options: To pre-load all panels when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, unless the panel load setting for a specific panel stack is defined differently, select All panels of all panel stacks. To load only the current panel of all the panel stacks in the document, select Current panel only of all panel stacks. Other panels are loaded when the user requests them.

demand only in MicroStrategy Web Panels are loaded onFor instructions on enabling DHTML,whenthe DHTML is enabled. see MicroStrategy Web Help. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

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To specify how to load panels for a specific panel stack

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the panel stack to modify and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select one of the following Pre-load (DHTML only) settings: To use the document-level setting, select Inherit from document. To pre-load all panels when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, select All panels. To load only the current panel when the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, select Current panel only.

demand only in MicroStrategy Web Panels are loaded onFor instructions on enabling DHTML,whenthe DHTML is enabled. see MicroStrategy Web Help. 4 Click OK to return to the document.

Formatting panels and panel stacks


When you insert a panel stack into a document or dashboard, its formatting is determined by the control default for panel stacks. Each control type (text field, selector, panel stack, and so on) has a control default, which contains a full set of formatting properties to specify the default format. For more information on control defaults, including how to apply them and how to change them, see Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196. You can change the formatting of each new panel stack as desired. You can use different interfaces to define the formatting. Which interface you use depends on your personal preference and what options you want to change. For more information on the different formatting interfaces, see Deciding which interface to use to format panels and panel stacks, page 414. For panel stacks, you can apply different formats to different parts of the control (see Defining the parts of a panel stack, page 395 for detailed

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descriptions of the various parts). The following table summarizes the formatting options available for each part of a panel stack.
Panel Stack Part Container The object that holds the actual control Formatting Options Borders, including 3D borders, drop shadows, and rounded corners (Flash only), as well as standard border options such as color and style Font Background color options, including gradients Background color options, including gradients

Title bar (Optional) Displays a title to identify the panel Individual panels The different pages or layers of information in a panel stack

Example: Formatting a panel stack


The following images contain a selector as well as a panel stack, and are displayed in MicroStrategy Web. The panel stack (the holder for the panels) contains two panels, named Panel1 and Panel2, and a title bar. The selector, which is displayed as a button bar, allows you to switch between panels. The formatting of the selector is not discussed in this section; for information on formatting selectors, see Formatting selectors, page 476. The panel stack container has a raised 3D effect, visible around the border of the panel stack, including the title bar. The title bar, which displays the text Panel2 in the sample below, is formatted grey with italicized text.

In the image above, the panel named Panel2 is displayed, and its background is white. In the image below, Panel1 is displayed. Its background uses gradient colors, blending from black to grey.

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Notice that the formatting of the border and the title bar do not change when different panels are displayed. Borders are applied to the panel stack and the title bar formatting is the same for all panels. The following procedure re-creates this example, using a variety of interfaces. Complete instructions for formatting panel stacks using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help. See also Deciding which interface to use to format panels and panel stacks, page 414 for information on formatting tasks and the interfaces to use.
To format a panel stack

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View.


Add the panel stack and selector

2 Add a panel stack. Insert a second panel (Panel2) into the panel stack. This panel becomes the current panel (the panel currently displayed in Design View). For detailed instructions, see Inserting a panel stack, page 399 and Inserting additional panels in a panel stack, page 404. 3 Create a selector linked to the panel stack (set the target to the panel stack). Use a button bar for the selector style. For detailed instructions, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. 4 Select the panel stack to begin formatting it.
To apply a 3D effect to the panel stack container

You can use either the Property List or the Format Objects dialog box to format the panel stack container. The following steps use the Property List. 5 To make the panel stack appear three-dimensional, set 3D Effect in the Property List: Appearance section to Raised. Raised outsets the panel stack like a button, as opposed to Sunken, which insets the panel stack like a pushed button. 6 Set 3D Weight to 3, to increase the thickness of the 3D line. This property is measured in points.

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To apply a color to Panel2

You can use the toolbar, the Property List, or the Format Objects dialog box to format the current panel, which is Panel2. The following steps use the toolbar. 7 Click the arrow next to the Fill icon in the toolbar and select White.
To change the current panel

Background formatting applies to the current panel only. By changing the current panel, you can format the background of each panel in the panel stack. 8 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Display previous. Panel1 is displayed and is now the current panel.
To apply a gradient color to Panel1

Gradient colors gradually change the background of the current panel from one color to another. The following steps use the Property List to apply the gradient color to the current panel. 9 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Backcolor to light grey. 10 Set Backstyle to Gradient. 11 Set Gradient color to black. 12 Set Gradient variant to Right to left, which sets the direction of the shading between the backcolor and the gradient color. The backcolor (grey) is shaded into the gradient color (black) from right to left.
To format the title bar

Use the Format Objects dialog box to format the title bar. 13 Right-click the panel stack and select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 14 In the object list on the left, click Title. 15 On the Background tab, select Grey-50% as the Fill color. 16 On the Font tab, select Arial as the Font Name. 17 Set Italic to Yes.

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18 Set Color to Blue. 19 Click OK to return to the document.

Deciding which interface to use to format panels and panel stacks


For comprehensive formatting, the Property List is the easiest interface to use, as it contains most of the options of the other interfaces on the same screen as the Layout area. However, you cannot use it to format the title bar. Use the Format Objects dialog box instead for that task. Most of the properties in the Property List apply to the panel stack (the holder for the panels). For example, if you apply a drop shadow in the Property List, all the panels in the panel stack use the same drop shadow. The remaining properties in the Property List format the current panel and determine the background. These properties are listed below: Backcolor Backstyle Gradient Color Gradient Variant

The following table presents formatting tasks and the most effective interface to use for each.
To Format.... Borders, which apply to the entire panel stack: Standard border options such as color and style 3D borders and drop shadows Rounded corners (displayed in Flash Mode only) The background of the current panel (the panel currently displayed on the panel stack) Gradient colors for the background of the current panel Use... Formatting toolbar, right-click menu, or Property List, as follows: Formatting toolbar or right-click menu Property List Property List Formatting toolbar Property List

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To Format.... The title bars font and background Different areas of the panel stack (borders of the panel stack, title bar, and background of the current panel)

Use... Format Objects dialog box (select Title in the object list) Format Objects dialog box (select Container in the object list)

You can format the background of each panel in the panel stack by changing the current panel.
This table applies to formatting panels and panel stacks in Desktop only; panel and panel stack formatting in MicroStrategy Web differs slightly. For details, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Useful formatting suggestions


The following list provides some additional formatting suggestions. For information on basic options such as formatting borders, see the Desktop Help. Make the panel stack and all the panels in it appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For an example on a panel stack, see Example: Formatting a panel stack, page 411. For details on the setting and another example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Float the panel stack and all the panels in it above the background by using a drop shadow. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. In Flash Mode, display rounded corners on the panel stack and all the panels in it. You can define the radius and select whether rounded corners are displayed for the top corners or all four corners. For an example, see Displaying rounded corners on panel stacks (Flash Mode only), page 416. Create a gradual color change by blending two colors using gradient colors. Each panel in a panel stack can have different gradient colors. For an example on a panel, see Example: Formatting a panel stack, page 411. For details on the setting, and another example, see Using gradient colors, page 159. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the panel stack in MicroStrategy Web with a tooltip. The tooltip can provide extra

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information, such as an expanded description of the panel stack. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. Display information to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop and Web) and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode on MicroStrategy Web. To do this, you hide the control that contains the information by using the Visible property. For instance, you could include a graph with additional details about the data in a panel stack. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164. Enable a transition animation for Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. A transition animation is a visual transition that occurs when a panel is first displayed in Flash Mode. Examples are Blur, Fade, and Iris. For more information, see Enabling transition animations in Flash, page 492.

Example: Formatting a panel stack, page 411 provides some formatting instructions; Displaying rounded corners on panel stacks (Flash Mode only) below contains an example of rounded corners and procedures to define them. For complete instructions for formatting panel stacks and panels using various interfaces, see the Desktop Help.

Displaying rounded corners on panel stacks (Flash Mode only)


A panel stack can have rounded corners instead of square, right-angle corners. Rounded corners are displayed only in MicroStrategy Web and only in Flash Mode. In the following document sample, shown in Flash mode in MicroStrategy Web, the panel stacks on the top have rounded corners, while the one on the bottom has straight corners.

The rounded corners properties apply to Flash Mode only. In PDF View or other Web display modes, rounded corners display as square, right-angle corners.

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You can control how rounded corners are displayed for panel stacks in Flash Mode by: Defining the radius, which sets how round the corners are. A larger radius produces a more rounded corner. The range is 1-20. Selecting whether rounded corners are displayed for all four corners or only for the top corners.

In the image above, notice that the corners of the panel stack on the upper right are more rounded than those on the upper left. The corner radius of the right panel stack is set to the maximum of 20, while the left panel stack has a radius of five. Notice also that the right panel stack has rounded corners on the top only, while all four corners of the left panel stack are rounded. The following procedure re-creates the sample. rectangles also use rounded corners. For information on Roundedrectangles, see Inserting images in a document, page 130; rounded for information on controlling how rounded rectangles are displayed, see Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode, page 178.
To display rounded corners for panel stacks in Flash Mode

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Add three panel stacks, as shown in the sample above. For a procedure to create panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392. 3 In the Layout area, select the rectangle on the bottom. 4 In the Property List: Appearance section, set Use rounded corners to False. 5 In the Layout area, select the rectangle on the upper right. 6 Set the Rounded corner radius to 20. The range for the corner radius is 1 to 20. Higher numbers produce a more rounded corner, while lower numbers produce a straighter corner.

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7 By default, all four corners are rounded. To round the top corners only, set Top corners only to True. the upper left uses The panel stack oncorners and a radiusthe default settings (roundedto corners on all four of five), so no changes need be made to it. To view the effect, open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Providing interactivity to users: selectors


Selectors provide dashboards with interactivity, allowing each user to change how he sees the data. A selector can change panels, the focus of a Grid/Graph, or dynamic text fields (a text field that is a reference to an object on a report) in a panel stack, as described below. For an in-depth explanation of dashboards, see What is a dashboard?, page 366. Selectors allow a user, in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, to: Flip through the panels in a panel stack. A panel stack is a collection of panels, which allow the user to see different predefined views of data in the same document. For example, each panel can display a different Grid/Graph, and the selector allows the user to choose which panel, and thus which Grid/Graph, to view.

The items of the selector are the buttons across the top, and the target is the panel stack. For more information on panels, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392. Display different metrics or different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a Grid/Graph.

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For example, a Grid/Graph contains Region, Call Center, Year, and various metrics, as shown in the example below. This particular selector allows the user to select which regions to display on the Grid/Graph. The user can therefore slice or filter the Grid/Graph by the selected region or regions. Similarly, a selector can allow the user to select which metrics to display. All regions and employees would be displayed, but with only the metrics chosen in the selector.

In this example, the regions listed in the selector are the items of the selector; the target is the Grid/Graph. For more information on Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. Filter data based on a metric's values. This type of selector can be either of the following styles:

A slider, which the user moves to select the minimum and maximum values to display. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Region and the Revenue, Cost, and Profit metrics. A selector displays the range of revenue values, and a user can move the slider to select the minimum and maximum revenue to display or to hide.

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A qualification, which the user completes to filter the metric's values. This type of metric condition selector allows a user to select the operator (equals, greater than, between, and so on) and to type the value to filter on. For example, given the same regional Grid/Graph described above, a user could display only the revenue values greater than $5,000,000 or only the top-ranking 5 regions in term of revenue.

If a title bar is displayed for the selector, a user can also select whether to filter on the metric values or rank. Filter another selector. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Subcategory and Item, filtered to display only the Books category. The document also includes two selectors. One selector displays the subcategories in the Books category (the Subcategory selector), while the other selector contains a list of individual books (the Item category). Both selectors target the Grid/Graph, to display data for the selected Subcategory and Item. The Subcategory selector targets the Item selector, filtering the Item selector to display only the books in the subcategory chosen in the Subcategory selector. For example, if the user selects Literature from the Subcategory selector, the Item selector is updated to display only books that fall under the Literature subcategory, instead of displaying a long list of every available book. This is shown below:

Display different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a panel stack using dynamic text fields. A dynamic text field is a text

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field populated by the dataset; it is essentially a reference to an object on a report. For example, a panel contains the dynamic text fields Region and Revenue from the Basic Report dataset. The image below shows the panel in Design View; the dynamic text fields are indicated by braces { }.

The selector allows the user to select which region to display on the panel. The following image shows the same selector and panel in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Mid-Atlantic has been selected from the drop-down list of the selector. Mid-Atlantic replaces {Region}, and the revenue amount for the Mid-Atlantic region replaces {Revenue}.

In this example, the regions listed in the drop-down list are the items of the selector; the target is the panel stack. For more information on dynamic text fields, see Adding text and data to a document, page 51. An element selector or a metric condition slider selector can include or exclude the selected data. For example, the attributes that a user chooses in the selector can display in the target, or they can be hidden. If the selector title bar is displayed, a user can change between including or excluding the selections. For an example, and instructions to define the default behavior, see Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type, page 441. For instructions to display the title bar, see Displaying title bars in selectors, page 473. A selector can target multiple objects. The same selector can control both a Grid/Graph and dynamic text fields on the same panel. As described in the "filter another selector" example above, the same selector can target both a Grid/Graph and another selector. A selector can either filter or slice the data. The selections made in a filtering selector are used to filter the underlying dataset before the metric values are

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aggregated at the level of the Grid/Graph that is displayed in the document. The selections made in a slicing selectors are used to determine which slices of data are combined and shown in the Grid/Graph. For more details on the differences, including examples, see Applying selections as filters or slices, page 435.

Initial display of a selector


For a selector that targets attribute elements on a Grid/Graph, whether a selector filters or slices data determines how the selector is first displayed in MicroStrategy Web: If it is a filtering selector, no items are selected in the selector. A drop-down list will have blank space, a button bar will not have any buttons selected, no radio buttons will be selected, and so on. This means that the target is unfiltered and therefore displays all of the available items. For example, a panel contains the dynamic text fields Region and Revenue from the Basic Report dataset. The selector allows the user to select which region to display on the panel. If the selector filters regions, when the document is first displayed in MicroStrategy Web, all the regions are displayed in the panel. If it is a slicing selector, the first item in the target is selected in the selector, and its target displays data for that item. If the selector instead slices regions, the data for the Central region is displayed when the document is first opened, since Central is the first attribute element is Central. Central is selected in the selector. These are the default settings, but you can change how a slicing selector is displayed. You can change the number of items displayed and whether they are the first or last elements. You can also opt to display all the items. Once a user makes selections in the selector and saves the document, those selections are saved and displayed when the document is executed again. For more information on these settings, including detailed examples, a description of how selectors with multiple targets use these settings, and instructions, see Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state), page 463.

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Defining a selector
When you add a selector to a document, you must define how it looks and what it controls. The following properties define a selector: DHTML style is how the items in the selector are displayed in Editable, Interactive, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. (Items are the elements, metrics, or panels, as described in the examples above.) The DHTML style options are:

Button Bar (use to create tabs in your document)

Check Boxes

Drop-down

Link Bar (use to create tabs in your document):

Listbox

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Qualification (available only for metric condition selectors; allows users to complete the metric qualification)

Radio Buttons

Slider (most effective selector for browsing data in a graph; also available for metric condition selectors)

Place the graph slider under or above the graph it will control, then specify the graph as the target of the slider selector. Next, specify one of the attributes or metrics in the graph as the selector's source. This allows an analyst to drag the slider to view different sets of data in a graph and to adjust the size of the slider to view different ranges of values in the graph. Flash Style is how the selector is displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web if it is an interactive Flash-only selector. The options are listed below:

Automatic: The default, which uses the DHTML Style (described above) for Flash Mode. Fish Eye Selector: An interactive style of selector that is displayed only in Flash Mode. It magnifies an item when a user hovers the cursor over it. This style of selector is useful because it allows a user to choose from a large list of elements without having to see all of the elements displayed at one time. Any item that a user hovers over or selects remains magnified, while the remaining items are minimized and hidden from view.

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Since a Fish Eye Selector is displayed only in Flash Mode, determine how the selector is displayed in non-Flash modes by specifying a DHTML Style (described above). For more information about creating this type of selector, and an example, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector, page 638.

Date Selection: An interactive style of selector that is displayed only in Flash Mode. It is a calendar selector that allows you to select which dates you want to see data about in a document. You are able to see all of the dates of each month in the widget, which allows you to be able to select dates more easily. Since a Date Selection widget is displayed only in Flash Mode, determine how the selector is displayed in non-Flash modes by specifying a DHTML Style (described above). For more information about creating this type of selector, and an example, see Creating a Date Selection widget, page 650.

Action Type determines whether the selector displays elements, metrics, metric conditions (such as "greater than $5,000"), or panels. Source is the attribute, custom group, or consolidation whose elements are displayed in the selector (for an element selector) or the metric whose values are qualified on (for a metric condition selector). Selection Type determines whether the selector includes or excludes the selected items from the target. It is available only for element selectors and metric condition slider selectors. For example, the attributes that a user chooses in the selector can display in the target, or they can be hidden. If the selector title bar is displayed, a user can change between including or excluding the selections. For instructions to define the default behavior, see Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type, page 441. Qualify on determines whether the selector filters metric values or rank, and is available only for metric condition selectors. The options are:

Value filters the metric's values. Rank Highest ranks the metric's values in descending order, and then filters by rank. For example, Rank Highest=2 displays the two highest values. Rank Lowest ranks the metric's values in ascending order, and then filters by rank. For example, Rank Lowest=2 displays the two lowest values.

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Rank % Highest ranks and filters by the number of metric values (or rows) in the target, in descending order. For example, if the target Grid/Graph contains eight items, the Rank % Highest =25 displays the two highest values. Rank % Lowest ranks and filters by the number of metric values (or rows) in the target, in ascending order. For example, if the target Grid/Graph contains eight items, the Rank % Lowest =25 displays the two lowest values.

If a title bar is displayed for the metric condition selector, a user can change this setting. Target(s) are the Grid/Graphs, panel stacks, and/or other selectors that the selector affects.

If targets are automatically maintained in the layout, attribute and metric selectors automatically target all Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. If targets are not automatically maintained, you must manually select the targets when you create selectors. You must always select the target for panel selectors, regardless of whether targets are automatically maintained. To choose another selector as the target of this selector, you must disable automatic target maintenance and manually select the target. You can keep automatic target maintenance if you can place the target selector on a panel in the same document section as the source selector; the source selector will automatically target that panel stack.

For instructions to disable automatic target maintenance, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of automatic and manual target selection, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443.

Methods to create a selector


You can create a selector in a variety of different ways, depending on what the target and source are, as well as personal preference for a particular interface. The following table helps you choose between the methods. Full directions for all these methods are provided in the Desktop Help. attribute If targets are automatically maintained in the layout, and paneland metric selectors automatically target all Grid/Graphs stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. You do

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not need to manually select the targets. You must always select targets for panel selectors, regardless of whether targets are automatically maintained. To target another selector, automatic target maintenance must be disabled. Alternatively, you can keep automatic target maintenance if you can place the target selector on a panel in the same document section as the source selector; the source selector will automatically target that panel stack. For more information on automatically maintaining targets, including how to enable and disable it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443.
To Create a New Selector... With a panel stack as the target. Do This... Right-click the panel stack and select Insert Panel Stack Selector. Note that you cannot use check boxes with a panel stack, since check boxes allow multiple selections and multiple panels cannot be displayed simultaneously. In Desktop, insert a selector. Change the action type of the selector to metrics, as described below this table. If targets are not automatically maintained, specify the Grid/Graph to use as the target. In Web, right-click the word Metrics on the Grid/Graph and select Create Selector Control. In Desktop, insert a selector. Specify the attribute, custom group, or consolidation to use as the source, as described below this table. If targets are not automatically maintained, specify the Grid/Graph to use as the target. In Web, right-click the attribute, custom group, or consolidation on the Grid/Graph and select Create Selector Control. Insert a selector. Change the action type of the selector to metric condition, as described below this table. Select whether to display the selector as a slider or a qualification which the user completes to filter the metric's values. Specify the metric to use as the source. Select whether to filter the metrics values, rank, or percent rank. If targets are not automatically maintained, specify the Grid/Graph to use as the target. For descriptions of these options, see Creating selectors that filter metric values, page 432. Right-click the attribute in the Datasets pane and select Create Selector. If targets are not automatically maintained, the new selector does not have a target. Therefore, you must specify the Grid/Graph or panel stack to use as the target, as described below this table.

With a Grid/Graph as the target and metrics as the source.

With a Grid/Graph as the target and elements as the source.

That filters a metrics values.

With an attribute as the source.

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To Create a New Selector... That is formatted differently in Flash Mode and becomes interactive when a user hovers the cursor over it. An example is the Fish Eye Selector, which magnifies the item that is hovered over, while the remaining items are minimized and displayed in the background of the selector. For an example, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector, page 638. That updates a dynamic text field on a panel stack.

Do This... Click the Selector icon in the toolbar, and then select Fish Eye. Next, click in the Layout area to add the selector. The default action type is Select Elements, although you can change it to select metrics or panels. If targets are not automatically maintained, the new selector does not have a target. Therefore, you must specify the Grid/Graph or panel stack to use as the target, as described below this table. The Fish Eye style is viewable only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. By default, it is displayed as the Listbox style in other modes and views; to change that, select a different DHTML style. Insert a selector. Specify the attribute for the source. If targets are not automatically maintained, the new selector does not have a target. Therefore, you must specify the panel stack to use as the target, as described below this table. Do one of the following: From the Insert menu, point to Selector, and then choose the style from the list. Click the arrow next to the Selector icon on the toolbar, and then choose the style from the list. Next, click in the Layout area to add the selector. The default action type is Select Elements, although you can change it to select metrics or panels. If targets are not automatically maintained, the new selector does not have a target. Therefore, you must specify the Grid/Graph or panel stack to use as the target, as described below this table.

With a specific style.

With the same style as the last selector you added.

Click the Selector icon in the toolbar. Click in the Layout area to add the selector. The default action type is Select Elements, although you can change it to select metrics or panels, or metric condition. If targets are not automatically maintained, the new selector does not have a target. Therefore, you must specify the Grid/Graph or panel stack to use as the target, as described below this table.

That filters another selector.

Insert the target selector (the one to be filtered by the source selector). If you want to keep automatic target maintenance, ensure that the target selector is on a panel in the same document section as the source selector (the selector that affects the target). Insert the target selector. Specify the attribute for the source. If you want to select the targets manually, disable automatic target maintenance, then select the target selector and target Grid/Graph or panel stack.

a Grid/Graph a selector You canaalso use an attribute onGrid/Graph. Ifas user clicksthat targets panel stack or another a an attribute on the first Grid/Graph, the target changes to display
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information for only that attribute. For more information, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. After you create a new selector, you can use the Property List or Properties dialog box to change any properties, such as style or action type, of the selector. For example, the default DHTML style of a new selector is a drop-down list, which may not always suit your needs. If automatic target maintenance is enabled, you cannot change the targets of the selector in either interface. In the Properties dialog box, however, you can disable automatic target maintenance for the entire layout, if you desire. For more information about automatic target maintenance, including the effects of enabling or disabling it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. The Property List is the easier method to use, as it is displayed on the same screen as the Layout area. The target selection mode, described in the next section, allows you to quickly and easily choose the target of the selector.

Selecting targets interactively (target selection mode)


Target selection mode allows you to choose targets interactively. That is, you click the Grid/Graph, panel stack, or selector to use as the target of the selector. Target selection mode is not available when targets are automatically maintained. For more information about automatic target maintenance, including instructions to disable it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443.
To select targets for a selector

(see This procedure assumes you have already created a selector are in Methods to create a selector, page 426 for procedures) and Design View in Desktop. 1 Right-click the selector and choose Select Targets. The selector is outlined in orange to indicate target selection mode is on.

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2 Click the Grid/Graph, panel stack, or selector to specify as the target. The sizing handles of the target are displayed in orange.

3 To select multiple targets, use CTRL+click, that is, hold down the CTRL key while you click each control. 4 Click anywhere in the Layout area to turn target selection mode off. The next section provides a procedure for creating and defining a selector for a Grid/Graph using the toolbar and the Properties dialog box. For procedures to create selectors with other interfaces and methods, see the Desktop Help.

Example: Creating a selector to control a Grid/Graph


The following procedure walks you through creating a selector for a Grid/Graph, similar to the first example shown in Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.
To create a selector to control a Grid/Graph

1 Create a new document in Desktop. To re-create the example, select the following report as the dataset: Reports\MicroStrategy Platform Capabilities\ Advanced Reporting Guide\01 Basic Report 2 In Design View, click the plus sign next to the section name where you want the Grid/Graph in the Layout area. This expands the section. 3 Click and drag the Grid/Graph into the section.

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Insert the selector

4 Click the arrow next to the Selector icon in the toolbar, and then choose the style of selector from the drop-down list. The style determines how the selector is displayed. For this example, choose Check Boxes. See Defining a selector, page 423 for a description and example of each style. When you move the cursor into the Layout area, the pointer changes to crosshairs. 5 Click in the desired section of the Layout area. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the selector. The selector is added to the document.
Define the selector

6 Right-click the new selector, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

You can also set these properties using the Property List.
7 Click the Selector tab, and choose Select attribute element as the Action Type. When the document is displayed in MicroStrategy Web, the selector displays a list of the elements from the attribute selected in the Source field. 8 Select the attribute in the Source drop-down list. In the example we are re-creating, Region is selected. The Source list contains all of the attributes in all of the datasets in the document. The selector displays the attribute elements of the attribute selected as the Source. 9 Select the target by doing one of the following: If the Available targets and Selected targets lists are unavailable, targets are automatically maintained. The Selected targets list contains all the Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the same document section as the selector. In this example, that is the Grid/Graph you added above. If the Available targets and Selected targets lists are available, targets are not automatically maintained and you must manually specify the target of the selector. From the list of Available targets on the left, select the Grid/Graph and click > to add it to the list of Selected targets.

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For background information on automatic target maintenance, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. 10 For Slider, Radio Buttons, Check Boxes, Link Bar, and Button Bar selector styles, the Orientation option is available. You can select whether to display the selector horizontally (on a single line from left to right) or vertically (in a single column). The example we are re-creating lists the elements vertically. 11 Click OK to return to the document.
Add a border to the selector

The example uses a border to outline the selector. Other formatting options, such as fonts and colors, are discussed in Formatting selectors, page 476. 12 Right-click the selector, point to Border, and then choose All.

Creating selectors that filter metric values


You can create a selector that allows a user to filter on a metric's values, ranks, or percent ranks. The selector can be either of the following: A slider, which the user moves to select the minimum and maximum values to display. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Region and the Revenue Metric. A selector displays the range of revenue values, and a user can move the slider to select the minimum and maximum revenue to display. In the example shown below, the selector is filtering the Revenue metric to display only those regions with Revenue between $3,343,953 and $7,983,672.

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For a slider, you can choose to either include or exclude the values from the target. This means that the values that a user chooses in the selector can display in the target, or they can be hidden. If the selector title bar is displayed, a user can change between including or excluding the selections. For examples, see Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type, page 441. In addition, if the selector title bar is displayed, a user can change whether the selector filters on metric values, ranks, or percent ranks. A qualification, which the user completes to filter the metric's values. This type of metric condition selector allows a user to:

Select whether to filter on the metric values or ranking Select the operator (equals, greater than, and so on) Type the value to filter on

For example, given the same regional revenue Grid/Graph described above, a user could display only the revenue values greater than $5,000,000 (as shown in the example below) or only the top-ranking 5 regions in term of revenue. After the user completes the qualification, he to apply the qualification. clicks the check mark

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To change whether the selector filters on metric values, ranks, or percent ranks, the user clicks the down arrow in the title bar to open the drop-down list, as shown below:

For either a slider selector or a qualification selector, the title bar contains a drop-down list to select whether to filter on metric values, ranks, or percent ranks, as described below. If the title bar is hidden, the option chosen when the selector was defined is used. For instructions to display the title bar, see Displaying title bars in selectors, page 473. Value filters the target by the metric's values. Rank Highest ranks the metric's values in descending order, and then filters by rank. For example, Rank Highest=2 displays the two highest values. Rank Lowest ranks the metric's values in ascending order, and then filters by rank. For example, Rank Lowest=2 displays the two lowest values. Rank % Highest ranks and filters by the number of metric values (or rows) in the target, in descending order. For example, if the target Grid/Graph contains eight items, the Rank % Highest =25 displays the two highest values. Rank % Lowest ranks and filters by the number of metric values (or rows) in the target, in ascending order. For example, if the target Grid/Graph contains eight items, the Rank % Lowest =25 displays the two lowest values.

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You can choose to either automatically maintain the targets of attribute and metric selectors, or manually define these targets. If targets are automatically maintained in the layout, attribute and metric selectors automatically target all Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. If targets are not automatically maintained, you must manually select the targets when you create all types of selectors.

For more information on automatically maintaining targets, including instructions to enable or disable it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. For complete instructions to create a metric condition selector, refer to the Desktop Help.

Applying selections as filters or slices


The selections a user makes in a selector affects how data is calculated and displayed in the selectors target. You can define the selector to either filter or slice the target: Filtering means that the data for the current selection is calculated only when it is requested by the user. The selections are used to filter the underlying dataset before the metric values are aggregated at the level of the Grid/Graph that is displayed in the document. If the source attribute is not included in the Grid/Graph, the metric values from all the selected elements are aggregated and shown at the level specified in the Grid/Graph.

All metric condition selectors, which filter metric values or ranks, and selectors that target other selectors are filtering selectors. You
cannot change them to slicing selectors. Slicing means that the data for each available item in the selector is calculated in advance when the document is first displayed. The selections are used to determine which slices of data are combined and shown in the Grid/Graph. Even if the source attribute is not included in the Grid/Graph, the data is still sliced at the level of the source attribute, and therefore the metric values from multiple selected items are not added together. Instead, the data for each selected element is shown separately in the Grid/Graph, the same as if the source attribute had been included in the Grid/Graph.

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For example, the dataset report of a document contains Region, Year, and the Revenue metric. A Grid/Graph displays Year and Revenue only, and is targeted by a selector with Region as its source. The selector is defined to slice the data. When Central is selected, three rows, one for each year, are displayed, as shown below:

If you select Mid-Atlantic as well as Central, six rows are displayed, two for each year, as shown below:

This occurs because the selector slices the data by region before the user selections are made, and cannot aggregate the slices for multiple regions. If you change the selector to filter rather than slice the data, the yearly revenue is aggregated across the selected regions. The yearly revenue is

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calculated by adding the Central and Mid-Atlantic values for each year, and only one row for each year is displayed in the Grid/Graph, as shown below:

Other important differences between filtering and slicing selectors are described below: Slicing allows the total to be displayed as an item in the selector. A filtering selector does not display the total as a selector item. (For background information on selector totals, see Showing totals for selectors, page 471.) Slicing allows you to specify that the selector automatically uses a default selection when other changes in the document cause the selection made by the user to return no data. Default selections are not available for filtering selectors. (For background information on default selections, see Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists, page 458.) Slicing is performed on Intelligence Server in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web and on the client in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Filtering is performed on the Intelligence Server in both modes. This means that when a user chooses different items in a selector, a call is made to the web server to update the document, except when a slicing selector is used in Flash Mode. In that case, the web server is not called, which can make the document run faster as users change selections. In contrast, a filtering selector can speed up the initial load time of a document in Flash Mode, since all the slices do not need to be initially downloaded to the client. If a selector is sliced, you can define the current state, which determines how the target is displayed when the document is executed. The target can display all the selector items, a specific number of the first items, or a specific number of the last items. If a selector is filtered, you can define the current state as unset only, which displays all the selector items. For more information on the different states, see Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state), page 463.

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Selectors in a document that is viewed off-line


When a document is viewed off-line (exported to Flash, in a subscription, or in MicroStrategy Office): If a selector is applied using filtering, only the data for the current selections are included in the document. An off-line user cannot change the selector and update the target. If a selector is applied using slicing, all the slices, and therefore all the data, are included in the document. An off-line user can change the selector and update the target.

For example, the dataset report of a document contains Region, Year, and the Revenue metric. A Grid/Graph displays Year and Revenue only, and is targeted by a selector with Region as its source. The selector is applied as a filter. Only Central is selected, and the document is exported to a Flash file to be used off-line, without using MicroStrategy. The Flash file contains only the data for Central, and no other selections can be made. If the selector is applied as a slice instead, all the data is sliced and included in the Flash file. Even if only the Central region is selected when the document is exported, you can use the selector in the Flash file and display other regions. to export dashboard to For instructionsDocument aAnalysis GuideFlash, see the Help. MicroStrategy or the Desktop

To define selectors to filter or slice


You can define whether: A specific selector slices or filters the data. See To apply selections as filters or slices for a specific selector, page 439 for instructions.

All metric condition selectors, which filter metric values or ranks, and selectors that target other selectors are filtering selectors. You
cannot change them to slicing selectors. A specific target is sliced or filtered by a selector, allowing you to filter one target and slice another using the same selector. See To apply selections as a filters or slices for a specific target, page 440. Selectors in the entire document slice or filter the data. This document-level property is used to define the behavior of new selector targets, except when the target being added is already the target of

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another selector that uses the same source. In that case, the target uses the behavior defined in the other selector. For instructions, see To apply selections as filters or slices (document-level), page 440. For example, at the document level, selectors are defined as filters.

Selector1 targets Grid/Graph1 as a filter, using Region as the source. Selector2 targets Grid/Graph2 as a slice, using the same attribute, Region, as the source. The document also contains a third Grid/Graph, which is not the target of any selectors.

Open Selector1 and add Grid/Graph2 as a target. It is automatically defined as a slice, because Grid/Graph2 is already the target of Grid/Graph2, and both use the same attribute, Region. Add Grid/Graph3 as a target to Selector1. It is automatically defined as a filter, because Grid/Graph3 is not already the target of another selector.
To apply selections as filters or slices for a specific selector

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the selector to update, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Selector tab. 4 To define how the selector is applied to all targets, do one of the following: To apply the selections as a filter, select the Apply selections as a filter check box. To apply the selections as a slice, clear the Apply selections as a filter check box.

If Apply a applied asselections asandfilter is unavailable, the selector isthe both a filter a slice for different targets. Use Type column in the Selected targets list instead, as described below.

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5 To define how the selector is applied to a specific target, change the Type in the Selected targets list. This allows you to filter one target and slice another using the same selector. 6 Click OK to return to the document.
To apply selections as a filters or slices for a specific target

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the selector to update, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Selector tab. 4 In the Selected targets list, select the Type for the target that you want to change. 5 Click OK to return to the document.
To apply selections as filters or slices (document-level)

This document-level property is applied to all new selectors that do not have a target, except when the new target is already the target of another selector that uses the same source. 1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Document in the list on the left. 4 Do one of the following: To apply the selections as a filter, select the Apply selections as a filter for all new targets check box. To apply the selections as a slice, clear the Apply selections as a filter for all new targets check box.

5 Click OK to return to the document.

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Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type


You can specify whether an element selector or a metric condition slider selector can include or exclude the selected data. (An element selector displays different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations; a metric condition slider displays a slider to filter metric values or rank.) This is the default setting for the Selection Type option. If the selector contains a title bar, then the user can change between including or excluding the selections. If the title bar is not displayed, then the default setting is used. For example, a document contains an element selector that displays regions and targets a Grid/Graph. A user can select regions and by default they are displayed rather than hidden in the Grid/Graph, as shown below.

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By clicking in the title bar, a user can switch to hiding the selected regions. Notice in the image shown below that Northeast and Northwest are now crossed out. (Only a portion of the full Grid/Graph is shown below.)

procedure assumes you have already created an Thismetric condition slider selector. For instructions,element selector or a see Methods to create a selector, page 426.
To define the default selection type

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the selector to update, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Selector tab. 4 From the Selection Type drop-down list, select either Include or Exclude. If the selector's title bar is not displayed, then this setting is used. If the selector's title bar is displayed, this is the default and a user can change between including or excluding the selections. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

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Automatically maintaining targets for selectors


If targets are enabled to be automatically maintained in a layout: All attribute, metric, and metric condition selectors automatically target all Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. You cannot change the target of an attribute, metric, or metric condition selector, except by moving controls to different document sections. You cannot choose a selector as the target of another selector. (You can, however, place the target selector on a panel in the same document as the source selector. The target selector is the selector updated by the source selector. With automatic target maintenance, the source selector will automatically target that panel stack.) Any new Grid/Graph or panel stack is automatically added as the target of all attribute, metric, and metric condition selectors in the same panel or document section.

are not panel selectors; Targetsmanuallyautomatically maintained forselectors. For you always define the targets for panel instructions, see Methods to create a selector, page 426. For example, a document has automatic target maintenance enabled. The document contains the following objects, as shown in Design View below: Grid/Graph 1 in the Document Header section Grid/Graph 2 in the Detail Header section

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Panel stack 1, which displays region, in the Detail Header

Insert a selector (Selector 1) into the Document Header, and another (Selector 2) into the Detail Header. Selector 1 automatically targets Grid/Graph 1, as shown in the Property List below, since they are both in the same document section.

Selector 2 automatically targets Grid/Graph 2 and Panel Stack 1, as shown in the Properties dialog box below, since all three objects are in the same document section. Grid/Graph 1 is not a target of Selector 2. (You can tell that automatic target maintenance is enabled, because the

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Available targets list and arrow buttons are grayed out, and the Manual Targets button is available.)

The selectors are not completely defined by the automatic target maintenance. They do not have a Source, as shown in the Property List image above. For both selectors, define the Source as Region. Open the document in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Select Mid-Atlantic in Selector 1 (the selector above Grid/Graph 1), and Central in Selector 2 (the selector above Grid/Graph 2). The document displays as shown below:

Grid/Graph 1 displays data for the region chosen in Selector 1 (Mid-Atlantic).

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Grid/Graph 2 displays data for the region chosen in Selector 2 (Central). Panel Stack 1 will display the region name chosen in Selector 2 (Central).

Insert a second panel stack (Panel Stack 2) in the Detail Header section. The new panel stack is automatically added as a target of Selector 2. Add the Region attribute to Panel Stack 2. When you view the document in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Panel Stack 2 displays the region name chosen in Selector 2, which is Central in the document sample shown below:

Insert a panel stack selector for Panel Stack 1 (right-click the panel stack and select Insert Panel Stack Selector). The new selectors target is defined as Panel Stack 1, and the selector will change which panel is displayed in the target. A panel stack selector automatically targets the panel stack that it is created for; targets are not automatically maintained for panel stack selectors. If the automatic target maintenance applied to panel stack selectors, both Panel Stack 1 and Panel Stack 2 would be targeted, since both panel stacks are in the same document section as the selector. When you view the document in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Panel Stack 1 displays the panel chosen in the panel stack selector. In the following

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example, the panel stack selector has been used to select Panel 2. Note that Panel Stack 1 now displays Panel 2, rather than a region name.

on a Grid/Graph can be a selector that targets a An attributeor another Grid/Graph. Ifused as clicks an attribute on the panel stack a user first Grid/Graph, the target changes to display information for only that attribute. Automatic selector maintenance applies to these types of selectors, as well. All the Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the same document section or panel as the selected Grid/Graph are automatically chosen as targets. For more information, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486.

Controlling targets when targets are automatically maintained


When targets are automatically maintained, you can still control what target is chosen for a selector, by placing controls in different document sections. For example, a document should have a selector that targets Grid/Graph 1 but not Grid/Graph 2. Simply place Selector 1 and Grid/Graph 1 in one document section, where they are automatically linked. Place Grid/Graph 2 in another document section, and the Grid/Graph is not targeted by Selector
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1. (You can insert additional document sections as necessary; see Inserting additional sections in documents, page 45 for instructions.) If an object is moved between panels or document sections, selector targets are updated to automatically maintain the targets. For example, Selector 1 targets Panel Stack 1, located in the Document Header section. The Detail Header section contains Selector 2, which targets Panel Stack 2 and Grid/Graph 1 which are also in the Detail Header section. If you move Panel Stack 2 from the Detail Header to the Document Header: Selector 1 now automatically targets Panel Stack 2, as well as Panel Stack 1. Selector 2 now automatically targets only Grid/Graph 1.

If you cannot move controls, you can place them in different panel stacks in the same document section. Make the panel stack invisible by using a transparent background and no borders, and hiding the title bar. For example, a document contains two Grid/Graphs, 01 Basic Report and Region-Category Inventory, in the Detail Header, as shown in Design View below.

You need a selector in the Detail Header that targets only the Basic Report. When a user selects a different region, the Basic Report should change, but never the Inventory report. Automatic target maintenance is enabled in the layout, because you want targets in other parts of the layout to continue to be automatically updated when you add new panel stacks and Grid/Graphs. If you add the selector in the Detail Header, it will target both the Basic Report and the Inventory report. Instead, create a panel stack in the Detail Header, and format it to be invisible (a transparent background, no borders, and hidden title bar). Move the Basic Report into the panel stack. Add a

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selector to the panel stack. The selector targets the Basic Report, because they are on the same panel stack. The selector does not target the Inventory report, because the Inventory Report, although in the same document section as the selector, is not on the same panel stack. The following image of the Selector tab of the Properties dialog box for the selector shows that: 1 Automatic target maintenance is enabled (the Available targets and Selected targets lists are unavailable) 2 Only the Basic Report is selected as a target

The document is shown below, in Interactive View in MicroStrategy Web. Notice that you do not see the panel stack at all.

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Click the Southeast button on the selector to display data for only Southeast in the Basic Report. The Inventory report does not change, as shown below:

Disabling automatic target maintenance to allow manual target selection


You may want to manually select the targets for attribute, metric and metric condition selectors. For example, you may want a selector to target a Grid/Graph or panel stack that is not in the same document section or panel as the selector. You may want a selector to target another selector. To allow this, disable automatic target maintenance. Targets that were automatically maintained are saved; no targets are deleted or changed. You can now define new targets, including other selectors, for existing attribute, metric, and metric condition selectors. If you create any new selectors, you must manually select the targets for them. For example, a document has automatic target maintenance enabled. The document contains the following objects: In the Document Header section:

Grid/Graph 1 Selector 1, which targets Grid/Graph 1 to display data about the selected Region

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In the Detail Header section:

Grid/Graph 2 Panel Stack 1 Selector 2, which targets Grid/Graph 2, to display data about the selected region, and Panel Stack 1, to display the selected region name Panel Stack Selector, which targets Panel Stack 1 to switch panels

Disable automatic target maintenance. The selector targets remain the same, but you can now modify them manually, as shown in the Properties dialog box below:

Add another selector to the Detail Header section. No targets are automatically defined, so you must manually define the targets.
To disable automatic target maintenance while editing a selector

This procedure assumes that you are editing the properties of a selector. 1 On the Selector tab of the Properties dialog box, click Manual Targets. A warning message opens, indicating that you will need to manually maintain targets if you disable automatic target maintenance. 2 Click OK. You are returned to the Properties dialog box. Automatic target maintenance has been disabled for all selectors in the layout.
To disable automatic target maintenance

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens.

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3 Click Layout in the list on the left. 4 Clear the Automatically maintain targets for all selectors in this layout check box. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Enabling automatic target maintenance


When you enable automatic target maintenance on a layout, the targets of all existing attribute, metric, and metric condition selectors are replaced with all the Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. However, if a selector is the target of another selector, it is not replaced. For example, a document has automatic target maintenance disabled. The document contains the following objects: In the Document Header section:

Grid/Graph 1 Selector 1, which targets Grid/Graph 1 and Grid/Graph 2 to display data about the selected Region

In the Detail Header section:

Grid/Graph 2 Panel Stack 1 Selector 2, which targets Panel Stack 1 to display the selected region name Panel Stack Selector, which targets Panel Stack 1 to switch panels

Notice that Selector 1 targets Grid/Graph 2, which is not in the same document section as the selector. Enable automatic target maintenance. The targets of all existing selectors are redefined to those Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the same document section as the selector. Now the document contains the following objects: In the Document Header section:

Grid/Graph 1

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Selector 1, which targets Grid/Graph 1 to display data about the selected Region (Grid/Graph 2 has been removed from the target list)

In the Detail Header section:

Grid/Graph 2 Panel Stack 1 Selector 2, which targets Grid/Graph 2 to display data about the selected Region, and Panel Stack 1 to display the selected region name (Grid/Graph 2 has been added to the target list) Panel Stack Selector, which targets Panel Stack 1 to switch panels (panel stack selectors are not affected by automatic target maintenance)

To enable automatic target maintenance

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Layout in the list on the left. 4 Select the Automatically maintain targets for all selectors in this layout check box. 5 Click OK to return to the document.

Allowing users to select multiple items


Recall that items in a selector are the elements, metrics, metric values, or panels that are listed in the selector. The user selects an item to change the panel, Grid/Graph, or other selector . If the style of a selector is one of those listed below, the user can choose more than one item in the selector: Slider (except for metric condition selectors) Listbox Link Bar

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Button Bar Check Boxes

Use the Allow multiple selections option to determine whether users can select more than one item in a selector. For all other styles, this option is unavailable, since those styles do not support multiple selections.

The Check Boxes style always allows multiple selections; you cannot change the Allow multiple selections option.
To allow multiple selections in a selector

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the Selector tab, select the Allow multiple selections check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document.
To disable multiple selections in a selector

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the Selector tab, clear the Allow multiple selections check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document.

Controlling how data updates: Automatically apply selector changes


Once a user chooses an item in the selector, the target immediately updates without any additional user interaction. This is referred to as automatic submission. If multiple items are selected, the target is automatically updated after each individual selection, which can take some time. Therefore, if multiple items are allowed, disable the Automatically apply selector changes option, allowing the user to choose when to update the
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target. The user can pick either a single item or multiple items, and then click Apply to update the target.

For metric condition selectors that use a qualification, the user must click the check mark to apply the qualification to the target.
The Automatically apply selector changes option is set for an entire document or dashboard, not for an individual selector. displayed only if the apply The Apply button isoption is disabled andAutomatically or selects an selector changes the user clears item in the selector.
To disable automatic submission for a document or dashboard

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the Document tab, clear the Automatically apply selector changes check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document.

Disabling simultaneous display of all items in a selector


The document in the following image is shown in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. It contains a Grid/Graph with a link bar selector. The items of the selector are the regions from the Grid/Graph. The user has

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clicked (All) in the selector, so all the regions are displayed on the Grid/Graph.

The All option is displayed by default in a selector, but you can remove it by disabling the Show option All property. The same document, with this property disabled, looks like the following:

Now a user can only display each region separately; he cannot display all regions simultaneously. option not available the selector is panel The Allsince youiscannot displaywhen the target ofsimultaneously.a It is stack, multiple panels also unavailable for metric condition selectors.
To disable simultaneous display of all items

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the selector to modify. 3 In the Property List: Data section, set Show option All to False.

You can also use the Properties dialog box to change the property.
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Renaming the All option of a selector


The All option allows a user to display all the items in the selector. For example, a Grid/Graph displays metrics for employees and regions. The user can choose which regions to display by using a selector. If the user clicks the (All) item, all the regions are displayed in the Grid/Graph. This example is shown in Disabling simultaneous display of all items in a selector, page 455. By default, this item is displayed as (All), but you can replace the text of the item. To continue with the example, replace (All) with All Regions to provide an explicit description of the item. This is shown below.

To rename the All option of a selector

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the selector to modify. 3 In the Property List: Data section, enter the new name of the item in the Alias for All property.

You can also use the Properties dialog box to rename the All option.

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Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists


A panel displays a Grid/Graph with Call Center and Region as the attributes. The panel also contains a selector that lists Call Centers and targets the Grid/Graph. Outside of the panel stack, another selector lists Regions. Its target is the panel stack and therefore the selector on that panel as well. Refer to these selectors as the regional selector and the call center selector. This document is shown below in Design View.

In Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, choose Central in the regional selector. The first Call Center, Milwaukee, is displayed in the Grid/Graph, as shown below in Interactive Mode. Notice that the call center selector automatically shows Milwaukee as selected.

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Select Fargo in the call center selector, and the Grid/Graph is updated, as shown below.

Click Central in the region selector to clear it. Since no regions, and therefore no call centers, are selected, the Grid/Graph cannot display any data. A message is displayed that no data exists, as shown below:

Select Northwest in the regional selector. The Grid/Graph displays a message that no data is returned, and no call center is selected in the call center selector. The Grid/Graph tries to return data that is both Region = Northwest and Call Center = Fargo, but no such data exists, as shown below.

To automatically display the first Call Center in the new Region instead, allow the call center selector to be automatically updated. If you follow the same path as before, when you select Northwest in the regional selector, the

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Grid/Graph is updated to display San Francisco, as shown below. Notice that the call center selector shows San Francisco as selected.

Prerequisites
Before you can allow a selector to be automatically updated, the following requirements must be met: The selector that you want to be automatically updated must be both: On a panel. A slicing selector, not a filtering selector. For a comparison of filtering and slicing selectors, see Applying selections as filters or slices, page 435. The selector that updates the automatically updated selector must target the panel stack. selectors, where one selector You can create cascadingupdates a third. To ensure thatupdates another, and the second a selection in one selector affects all its targets, you must define the selectors in the order of the attributes hierarchy. For an example, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. The following procedure re-creates the example shown above, using MicroStrategy Tutorial data.
To allow a selector to be automatically updated when no data exists Create the dataset report

1 Create a report with Call Center and Region on the rows, and the Revenue metric on the columns.

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2 Save the report, naming it Call Center Revenue by Region.


Create the document

3 Open a document in the Document Editor in Design View, selecting Call Center Revenue by Region as the dataset. 4 Insert a panel stack. For directions, see To insert a panel stack, page 399. 5 Drag the Call Center Revenue by Region dataset from the Datasets pane onto the panel.
Create the Call Center selector

6 From the Insert menu, point to Selector, then choose the Button Bar selector style. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 7 Click to the left of the Grid/Graph in the panel. Click and drag to size the selector, using the document samples in Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists, page 458 as a guide. 8 Right-click the selector and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 9 Click the Selector tab. 10 Specify Select attribute element as the Action type. 11 In the Source drop-down list, select Call Center. The Call Center elements will display as items in the selector. 12 Notice that the Grid/Graph is automatically placed in the Available targets list. The selector will change the call center displayed on the Grid/Graph.
Allow the Call Center selector to be automatically updated

13 Clear the Apply selections as a filter check box. If the selector is not a slicing selector, the Automatically update when there is no data for the current selection check box is not available. For a comparison of filtering and slicing selectors, see Applying selections as filters or slices, page 435. 14 Select the Automatically update when there is no data for the current selection check box.

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15 Notice that the Current State is defined as Use First and Number of Elements is set to 1. By default, when a slicing selector is first displayed in MicroStrategy Web, the first item in the target is selected in the selector, and its target displays data for that item (in this case, Atlanta). For a complete description of the Current State setting, including examples, see Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state), page 463. 16 Click OK to return to the document.
Create the Region selector

17 From the Insert menu, point to Selector, then choose the Check Boxes selector style. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 18 Click and drag in the Document Header section to size the selector, using the document samples in Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists, page 458 as a guide. 19 Right-click the selector and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 20 Click the Selector tab. 21 Specify Select attribute element as the Action type. 22 Select Region in the Source drop-down list. The Region elements are displayed as items in the selector. 23 Clear the Show Option for All check box. 24 Click Manual Targets, then select OK at the prompt. The Available targets and Selected targets lists are now available. 25 Select the panel stack in the list of Available targets and click > to move it to the list of Selected targets. The selector will change the region displayed on the Grid/Graph in the selector and update the call centers listed on the Call Center selector. 26 Click OK to return to the document.
Save the document

27 Save and close the document.

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To interact with the selectors, you must view the document in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, or Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state)


By default, when a filtering selector is first displayed in MicroStrategy Web, none of the selector items are selected, so the selector's target displays all of the available items (all the regions, for instance, if the selector's source is Region). If the selector slices rather than filters the data, by default the first item in the target is selected in the selector, and its target displays data for that item (for example, Central, if the source is Region). the elements that are listed in the selector. The Selectoranitems areupdate the target panel, Grid/Graph, or other user selects item to selector. A user can make selections in the selector, which updates the target. If the user does not save the document, when the document is re-executed, the selector and target are displayed according to the default (all data for a filtering selector, the first item for a slicing selector). If the user saves the document with his selections, when the document is re-executed, the selector and target are displayed according to those selections. You can change these defaults by using the Current State setting to define how a slicing selector and its target are first displayed. You can define the Current State to display all items in the target or only a specific number of items. When a user saves the document after selecting items in the selector, the Current State setting is Set to Specific Elements (the ones that the user specified). A filtering selector always displays as unset (all items are displayed) until a user saves the document after selecting items, when the Current State setting is Set to Specific Elements (user-specified). For both slicing and filtering selectors, you cannot set the Current State to Set to Specific Elements; this state only occurs when a user saves the document with updated selections. Current State only You can define the on Grid/Graphs or for selectors that target to attribute elements panel stacks (See Methods create a selector, page 426 for descriptions). Since selectors work only in MicroStrategy Web, this setting is applied only in MicroStrategy Web.

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This section contains the following information on setting the Current State: For a more detailed description of the various Current State options, see Defining the Current State of a selector, page 469. For examples of the Current State setting in a slicing selector, see Current State setting with a slicing selector, page 464. For examples of the Current State setting in a filtering selector, see Current State setting with a filtering selector, page 465. discussed Slicing selectors and filtering selectors areoptions. separately because they have different Current State For examples of the Current State settings used with multiple targets, see Current State settings and multiple targets, page 467. For a procedure to define the current state setting, see To determine how the target of a selector displays, page 470.

Current State setting with a slicing selector


For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph and a slicing selector that targets the Grid/Graph. The Region attribute is the source of the target. By default, the selector's current state is defined to display the first selector item. When the document is executed in MicroStrategy Web, the check box for the first region, Central, is selected in the selector, so the target Grid/Graph displays data only for the Central region, as shown below:

In the selector, a user selects the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast check boxes, and clears the Central check box. Now only Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are displayed in the Grid/Graph. The user closes the document without saving it, then re-executes the document. As defined by the selector's Current State setting, Central is once again selected in the selector and displayed in the target.

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As before, the user selects the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast check boxes, and clears the Central check box in the selector. Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are displayed in the Grid/Graph. This time, the user saves the document before closing it, then re-executes it. The Grid/Graph displays the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast data, with Mid-Atlantic and Northeast checked in the selector, as shown below:

When the user saved the document, the selector's state was saved and therefore it automatically changed the Current State setting to Set to specific elements. This allows the user's saved selector choices to be displayed when the document is re-executed. If desired, you can reset the Current State property of the selector, so that it once again automatically displays the first region when the document is executed. To do this, define Current State as Use first, and set Number of Elements to one. You can enter any number of elements. You can also define the Current State to display all the elements or to display the last number elements, then specify the number of elements to display.

Current State setting with a filtering selector


A document contains a Grid/Graph and a filtering selector that targets the Grid/Graph. The Region attribute is the source of the target, and the selector filters the target. By default, the selector's Current State is defined as Unset. This means that the target Grid/Graph is unfiltered and therefore displays all the regions.

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When a user executes the document in MicroStrategy Web, all of the regions are displayed in the target Grid/Graph, as shown below. Notice that none of the check boxes in the selector are selected, since the selector state is unset.

The user selects Central in the selector. The Grid/Graph updates to display the data for the Central region only. The user closes the document without saving it, and then re-executes it. The selector's Current State is still set to the default setting of Unset, which means that all the regions are displayed in the target Grid/Graph. The user then selects the Central check box again, so that the data for the Central region is displayed in the Grid/Graph. This time, the user saves the document before closing it. When the user re-executes it, the Grid/Graph

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displays the Central data, with Central checked in the selector, as shown below:

This time, because the user saved the document, the selector's state was saved and therefore it automatically changed the Current State setting to Set to specific elements. This allows the user's saved selector choices to be displayed when the document is re-executed.

Current State settings and multiple targets


If a selector has multiple targets, the selector display is affected by whether all the targets contain the same elements. If they do not, the Current State settings are applied differently. One way that target Grid/Graphs can contain different elements is if one Grid/Graph has a view filter. For example, a document contains two Grid/Graphs. The Employee Revenue Grid/Graph contains the Region attribute, Employee attribute, and Revenue metric. The Regional Revenue Grid/Graph contains the Region attribute and Revenue metric. Both Grid/Graphs are targeted by a selector. Both Grid/Graphs contain the same elements. A view filter is applied to the Regional Revenue Grid/Graph, to exclude Central. Now the Grid/Graphs contain different elements, since Employee Revenue includes the Central region and Regional Revenue does not. For a slicing selector, the default Current State displays the first element in the targets, with the first element selected in the selector. Both Grid/Graphs display data for the Central region. If the targets contain different elements, the first element for each target is displayed: Central in the Employee Revenue Grid/Graph and Mid-Atlantic in the Regional Revenue Grid/Graph.

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Because the displayed elements are different, no item is selected in the selector, as shown below:

For a filtering selector, the default Current State displays all the elements in the targets, with no element selected in the selector. Both Grid/Graphs display data for all the regions. If the targets contain different elements, each target still displays all its elements, but the Regional Revenue Grid/Graph does not contain Central, as shown below:

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Defining the Current State of a selector


The state of a selector is controlled by the Current state and Number of Elements properties, as described below: For a slicing selector, the following scenarios are possible:

The target displays the first Number of Elements (that is, selector items). For example, if the selector source is Region and Number of Elements is defined as two, the first two regions (Central and Mid-Atlantic) are displayed. To do this, set Current State to Use first and specify the Number of Elements.

The target displays the last Number of Elements (that is, selector items). For example, if the selector source is Region and Number of Elements is defined as one, the last region (Web) is displayed. To do this, set Current State to Use last and specify the Number of Elements.

The target displays data for all the items in the selector. To do this, set Current State to All.

When a user chooses items in the selector, the target displays the selected items. When the user saves the document with his selections, Current State is automatically switched to Set to specific elements. Current State is automatically defined as Set to specific elements; you cannot select this option.

For a filtering selector, the following scenarios are possible:

The target is not filtered and therefore displays data for all items in the selector. In the selector, none of the selector items is selected. A drop-down list will have blank space, a button bar will not have any buttons selected, no radio buttons will be selected, and so on. To do this, set Current State to Unset (no filter).

When a user chooses items in the selector, the target displays the selected items. When the user saves the document with his selections, Current State is automatically switched to Set to specific elements.

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Current State is automatically defined as Set to specific elements; you cannot select this option. filtering For the differences between slicing andpage 435.selectors, see Applying selections as filters or slices,

Prerequisites
The following procedure assumes that the document contains: A selector that targets attribute elements on a Grid/Graph. For instructions to create a selector, see Methods to create a selector, page 426. A Grid/Graph that is used as the target of the selector. For instructions to add a Grid/Graph to a document, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298.

To determine how the target of a selector displays

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the selector to modify and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Selector tab. 4 Select one of the following options from the Current State drop-down list: If Apply selections as a filter is cleared (that is, the selector slices data):

To display the first Number of Elements, select Use first. For example, if the selector source is Region and Number of Elements is defined as two, the first two regions (Central and Mid-Atlantic) are displayed. To display the last Number of Elements, select Use last. For example, if the selector source is Region and Number of Elements is defined as one, the last region (Web) is displayed. To display data for all the items in the selector, select All.

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If Apply selections as a filter is selected:

To display data for all items in the selector, select Unset (no filter).

has chosen items in the selector, When a userselected automatically. The targetSet to specific elements is displays the items that the user chose in the selector. This option is shown only when a user has chosen selector items, and is available for both filtering and slicing selectors. 5 If Current state is set to either Use first or Use last, type the number of elements to display in the Number of elements field. For example, if the selector source is Region, Use last is selected, and Number of elements is defined as one, the last region (Web) is displayed. 6 Click OK to return to the document.

Showing totals for selectors


Selectors that contain attribute, custom group, or consolidation elements as selector items can also include an option to display totals. The total is calculated for all the selector items. A user can choose whether to display specific elements, all of the elements at the same time, or the totals. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Region and several metrics. A selector (the check boxes on the left) targets the Grid/Graph and displays all the regions, as well as the Total option, as selector items. In the following sample, all the regions are selected, and the total is displayed:

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The All option does not have to be selected for the total to be displayed. For example, only Central, Mid-Atlantic, and Total are selected in the following sample:

Notice that the values in the Total line remain the same as in the previous samplethe total is always calculated using all the selector items (in this instance, all the regions). The following example shows a drop-down selector that targets an attribute on a panel stack. When Total is chosen in the selector, the total revenue of all the regions is displayed.

Conditional formatting on selector totals


Conditional formatting allows you to format specified data in your document depending on predefined criteria. You can use MicroStrategy Web to select whether to apply conditional formatting to metrics only, or to metrics and their corresponding selector totals. For example, a document contains the Region attribute and the Revenue metric on a panel stack. The panel stack is targeted by a selector, which allows a user to choose the region to display in the panel stack. The selector includes the option to display the total, which is calculated for all the regions. The conditional formatting on the Revenue metric displays low revenue in red and high revenue in green. The conditional formatting can be applied to

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the regional revenue values only (that is, the metric only), or to both the regional revenue values and the total value. To select metrics or metrics and totals, use the Advanced Conditional Formatting in MicroStrategy Web. When you apply a conditional format in Desktop, the conditional format is applied to the metric values only. For instructions to specify this setting, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. For instructions to create conditional formatting, see Formatting conditional data in documents, page 200.

Showing totals in a selector


To show totals in a selector

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the selector and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Selector tab. 4 Select the Show option for Total check box.

Note the following:


If the Action type is defined as Select metric or Select panel, the Show option for Total check box is not available. If Apply selections as a filter is selected, the Show option for Total check box is not available. For a comparison of filtering and slicing selectors, see Applying selections as filters or slices, page 435.

5 Click OK.

Displaying title bars in selectors


A title bar on a selector can help to identify the selector or provide instructions about using the selector. For example, the title bar can indicate which Grid/Graph or panel stack the selector targets. In the sample shown below, the title bars are used to provide instructions, as well as to identify that the top selector uses Region to update the grid and the graph, while the
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bottom selector filters just the grid on the Revenue values. Notice that the Revenue total for Northeast in the grid is $7,066,478, while the Revenue amount for Northeast in the graph is $8,554,415. This discrepancy occurs because the grid is not displaying employee revenue values below $209,634, as indicated by the slider selector, while the graph is including all revenue values for Northeast.

For a metric condition selector, which filters metric values, the title bar contains a drop-down menu that allows a user to select whether to filter on the metric values or rank, as shown below. For descriptions of the different options, see Creating selectors that filter metric values, page 432.

For an element selector or a metric condition slider selector, the drop-down menu on the title bar allows a user to select whether to include or exclude the

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selected data. (An element selector displays different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations; a metric condition slider displays a slider to filter metric values or rank.)

Note the following:


These procedures use the Properties dialog box, but you can also use the Property List to perform the same tasks. These procedures assume that the document contains a selector. For instructions to create a selector, see Defining a selector, page 423.

To display the title bar

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the selector in the Layout area, and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the General tab, select the Show title bar check box. 4 Type the text to display in the title bar in the Custom title field. If you leave this field blank, the selector's Name is displayed in the title bar, unless the selector's Action Type is defined as Select attribute element or Metric condition. In those cases, the Source of the target (such as Region or Revenue) is displayed. (For a description of the various action types, see Defining a selector, page 423.)

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5 By default, the height of the title bar is .2 inches, but you can change it: a Click the Layout tab. b Enter the height in the Title height field. 6 Click OK to return to the document. The title bar is displayed on the selector in the Layout area.

Formatting selectors
Selectors allow a user, in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, to flip through the panels in a panel stack, display different elements or metrics in a Grid/Graph, or change dynamic text fields (a text field that is a reference to an object on a report) in a panel stack. For more information on selectors in general, including examples and procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. As with any other control, when you insert a selector into a document, its formatting is determined by the control default. However, you can change any of the formatting options, such as background and border colors.

Formatting the selector container vs. title bar


A selector can have a title bar, which displays above the selector items. For instructions to display the title bar, and an example, see Displaying title bars in selectors, page 473. You can format the container (which displays the selector items) differently than the title bar. For example, if you apply a background color to the container of a selector, the title bar is not displayed in that color.

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The following table lists the various formatting options available for a container and for a title bar.
Object Formatting Option

Selector container Alignment (horizontal and vertical) Background, including: Transparency Gradient colors Selection color (background color for cells selected by a selector) Border Effects, including: 3D borders Drop shadow Font Selector title bar Alignment and padding Background, including: Transparency Gradient colors Border Font

Deciding which interface to use to format selectors


The Property List is the easiest interface to use, as it contains most of the options of the other interfaces on the same screen as the Layout area. The Property List allows you to format the selector container but not the title bar, while the Format Objects allows you to format both the container and the title bar. You can change the formatting and other properties of selectors as described below: To change most options for a selector (size, properties specific to selectors such as action type and targets, and container formatting), use the Property List. You can also specify whether the width of the selector items (for example, the check boxes or buttons in the selector) is fixed or proportional; for instructions, see Specifying proportional or fixed width for selector items, page 480. You cannot format the title bar. To quickly set basic borders for the container, use either the Formatting toolbar or the right-click menu.

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To quickly choose a single color for the background of the container, use either the Formatting toolbar or the right-click menu. To use more complex backgrounds, such as gradient (two-color) and transparent backgrounds for the container and title bar, use the Format Objects dialog box. You can also define the background color for items selected in the Drop-down, Listbox, and Link Bar selectors; for instructions, see Defining the background color for selected items in Flash Mode, page 483. To quickly set the font color of the selector items, use either the Formatting toolbar or the right-click menu. To change layout properties (such as position, selector size, and item size), you can use the Property List or the Properties dialog box. You can also set properties specific to selectors, such as action type and targets. You can also specify whether the width of the selector items (for example, the check boxes or buttons in the selector) is fixed or proportional. The main difference between the interfaces is that formatting options are available in the Property List but not in the Properties dialog box. To change the alignment, font, border, and color options, including gradient colors (two-color combinations), use the Format Objects dialog box. You can select 3D borders and drop shadows, as well as gradient colors for the background, with this interface. You can format both the container and the title bar with the Format Objects dialog box. To format the text of the selector items, use the Format Objects dialog box. Options include font type, color, and size. For a procedure, see For instructions, see Formatting the text of a selectors items, page 481. (To format the font color only, use the Formatting toolbar or the right-click menu.)

For comprehensive formatting, the Property List is the easiest to use, as it contains most of the options of the other interfaces on the same screen as the Layout area. To format the title bar, use the Format Objects dialog box. For complete instructions, refer to the Desktop Help. See Useful formatting suggestions for selectors below for descriptions of formatting options and ways they can enhance your selectors.

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Useful formatting suggestions for selectors


The following list provides some useful formatting suggestions. For information on basic options such as formatting fonts and borders, see the Desktop Help. Make the selector container appear three-dimensional, like a button, with the 3D effect. For an example, see Applying a 3D effect, page 155. Let the content behind the selector show through by setting the backstyle to transparent. You can also allow a fill color to cover what is behind the selector by setting the backstyle to opaque. For an example, see Using a transparent or opaque backstyle, page 152. Float the selector above the background by using a drop shadow. For an example, see Applying a drop shadow, page 157. Create a gradual color change in the selectors background by blending two colors using gradient colors on the selector. For an example, see Using gradient colors, page 159. By default, the background for selected items is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the selector's background. You can define the background color for items selected in Drop-down, Listbox, and Link Bar selectors. The color is displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In all other MicroStrategy Web modes, only Link Bar selectors use the selection color. For an example and procedure, see Defining the background color for selected items in Flash Mode, page 483. Display pop-up text when a user positions the cursor over the control in MicroStrategy Web with a tooltip. The tooltip can provide extra information, such as an expanded description of the control. For an example, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162. Display a selector to other document designers in Design View while hiding it from users viewing the document in PDF View (Desktop or Web), and Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Express Mode on MicroStrategy Web. To do this, you hide the control that contains the information by using the Visible property. For instance, you could prevent a user from changing panels in a panel stack by hiding the panel stacks selector. For an example, see Hiding a control, page 164. Control the sizing behavior of the selector items with the Make all items the same width property, which can be set to proportional (the default) or fixed (same width for all items). The items are the buttons or check boxes, for example, of the selector. For an example, see Specifying proportional or fixed width for selector items, page 480.

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Format the font of the text for the items in the selector, including style, size, and color. For an example, see Formatting the text of a selectors items, page 481.

These formatting options apply to all selector types, but to a Fish Eye selector only when it is displayed in non-Flash modes. In non-Flash modes, a Fish Eye selector is displayed according to its DHTML style. For information on creating a Fish Eye selector, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector, page 638; for information on formatting a Fish Eye selector for display in Flash Mode, see Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode, page 649. Complete instructions for formatting selectors using various interfaces are provided in the Desktop Help.

Specifying proportional or fixed width for selector items


You can control the sizing behavior of the selector items with the Make all items the same width property. The items are the buttons or check boxes, for example, of a selector. By default, items are sized proportionally, which means that the width of each item is proportional to the length of the text inside the item. This allows the complete text of each item to be displayed, with little wasted space. To use the same width for all the items, specify a fixed item size. In the example below, the width of the selector items (the links above the Grid/Graph) are sized proportionallyNorthwest is longer than (All), for example. This is the default behavior.

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If the Make all items the same width property is selected, the width of each selector item is the same size as the others, as shown below. In this case, the (All) item has extra space, while Northwest is cut off, displaying as Northwe instead.

The following procedure re-creates this example using the Property List. You can also use the Properties dialog box to specify proportional or fixed width for selector items; see the Desktop Help for instructions.
To specify selector item width as fixed

1 Open a document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Add the panel stack and selector as shown in the example. For information on adding panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392; for information on adding selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. 3 Select the selector. 4 In the Property List: Size section, set Make all items the same width to True.

Formatting the text of a selectors items


You can format the font of the text for the items in a selector. The items of a selector are the elements, metrics, or panels that are listed in the selector. The user selects an item to change the display of the panel or Grid/Graph.

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Font formatting options for selector items include style, size, and color. You can also align text horizontally and vertically. The following document sample shows a button bar. The size of the selector, as well as the font and alignment of the items text, has not been changed from the default appearance. The orientation of the button bar has been changed from vertical to horizontal, however.

In the following document sample, the same selector has been formatted. The button bar has been expanded to the width of the panel stack. The items text is now centered vertically and horizontally within each button. The font type, size, and color have changed, and the text is italicized.

The following procedure re-creates the formatted sample.


To format the text of a selectors items

1 Open a document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Add the panel stack and a selector as shown in the example. For information on adding panel stacks, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 392; for information on adding selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. 3 Select the button bar selector in the Layout Area, and resize it by dragging the sizing handles. Make the button bar as wide as the panel stack.

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4 In the Property List: Data section, set Style to Button Bar. Change the Orientation to Horizontal. 5 From the Format menu, select Format. The Format Selector dialog box opens. 6 Click Container in the list of objects on the left. 7 Click the Alignment tab. 8 Set Horizontal to Center and Vertical to Center. 9 Click the Font tab. 10 In the Font area, set Name to Times New Roman. 11 In the Settings area, set Size to 12. 12 Set Italic to Yes. 13 Set Color to White. 14 Click OK to return to the document.

Defining the background color for selected items in Flash Mode


By default, the background for selected items is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the selector's background. For Drop-down, Listbox, and Link Bar selectors, you can specify the color for selected items. The color is displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In all other MicroStrategy Web modes, only Link Bar selectors use the selection color. (For details on the different types of selectors, see Defining a selector, page 423.) For example, a document contains a Link Bar selector that targets a Grid/Graph. The selector's background is set to light gray, and the background for selected items is set to automatic. In Flash Mode, the background is automatically displayed in light gray, with the selected item

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(Central) automatically displayed in a lighter gray to provide contrast, as shown below:

The same document in Interactive Mode displays with a light gray background for the selector, as specified, with the selected item (Central) is automatically displayed in a blue background to provide contrast, as shown below:

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Change the selected item's background to dark red. In Flash Mode, the selected item's background is dark red, as specified, and the selector's background is still displayed in light gray, as shown below:

In all modes, an item that the cursor is pointed at is displayed in a lighter shade of the selected items background. In the Flash Mode example above, Mid-Atlantic is displayed with a pink background, while the Interactive Mode example displays Northwest in a light blue. The following procedure assumes you have added a Drop-down, Link Bar, or Listbox selector to the document. For instructions, see Methods to create a selector, page 426.
To format the background of a selected items

1 Open the document to be formatted in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Choose the selector to be formatted. 3 From the Format menu, select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 4 Select Container in the object list on the left. 5 Click the Background tab. 6 By default, Selection color is set to Automatic, which means that the color of the selected items are automatically set to contrast with the

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selector's background. To choose a specific color instead, click Selection color, and pick a color from the color palette. in The Selection color is applied in Flash Modethe MicroStrategy Web. In all other MicroStrategy Web modes, Selection color is applied only to Link Bar selectors. 7 Click OK to save your changes and return to the document.

Selector rendering in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web


You can define how a selector displays in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. This allows you to override the rendering of the selector with a custom widget selector style that you created. For more information on creating widgets, see the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL) provided with MicroStrategy SDK. To apply the custom widget to a selector, follow the procedure below. The procedure assumes you have already created a selector and a custom widget.
To specify a widget for a selector

1 Open a document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Select the selector. 3 In the Property List: Flash section, choose the widget from the Selected widget drop-down list.

Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs


In the following image, two Grid/Graphs are shown in MicroStrategy Web. The grid on the left shows revenue by region. The graph on the right shows revenue by quarter and region. Notice that the two Grid/Graphs share a

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particular attribute (Region) and that Region in the grid is underlined, indicating a link.

Click a specific region, such as Mid-Atlantic, in the grid. The graph changes to display information for that region only, as shown below:

The grid on the left is controlling the graph on the right. In other words, this scenario uses one Grid/Graph as a selector targeting another Grid/Graph. The Grid/Graph does not become a selector, but performs in a manner similar to a selector. A panel stack, rather than another Grid/Graph, can be the target of a Grid/Graph.
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By default, the background for items selected in the Grid/Graph is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the Grid/Graph's background, as shown above. For Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify the color for the selected items. For an example and instructions, see Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors, page 324. You can use Grid/Graphs as cascading selectors, where one Grid/Graph updates another Grid/Graph, and the second updates a third. For example, a document contains the following: A Grid/Graph containing the Revenue metric A Grid/Graph containing the Call Center attribute, targeting the Revenue Grid/Graph A Grid/Graph containing the Region attribute, targeting both the Call Center and Revenue Grid/Graphs A Grid/Graph containing the Country attribute, targeting the Region, Call Center, and Revenue Grid/Graphs

This document is shown below. USA is selected for Country, Southeast for Region, and Atlanta for Call Center. The Revenue metric displays the value for Atlanta. If you select Miami instead, the Revenue value changes accordingly.

To ensure that a selection in one Grid/Graph affects its targets, especially the Revenue Grid/Graph, you must define the Grid/Graphs in the order of the attributes hierarchy. In this case, define the Grid/Graph for Country, then another for Region, and finally the last for Call Center. If you define Call Center first, then Region, and then Country, the targets are not updated or return no data.

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To use a Grid/Graph as a selector

assumes created a Grid/Graph to use This procedure as well asyou have alreadyor Grid/Graph to use as the as the selector, the panel stack target. The selector and target must have an attribute or metric in common. If targets are automatically maintained, and you add a Grid/Graph or panel stack to the same document section or panel after defining this selector, the Grid/Graph or panel stack is automatically added as a target. For more information about automatic target maintenance, including instructions to disable it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. 1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Double-click the Grid/Graph to use as the selector. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 3 Right-click the attribute to use as the selector, and choose Use as Selector. The Selector dialog box opens. 4 Select the target Grid/Graph or panel stack in the list of available controls on the left, and click > to add it to the list of selected targets. You can select multiple targets. the layout, If targets are automatically maintained instacks in theyou cannot select targets. All Grid/Graphs and panel same document section or panel as the selected Grid/Graph are chosen as targets. You can disable automatic targets by clicking Manual Targets. If you do, all targets in the layout are no longer automatically maintained. For more information about disabling automatic target maintenance, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. 5 Click OK to return to the document. 6 Press ESC or click anywhere in the documents Layout area outside of the Grid/Graph to exit edit mode.

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Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors


By default, the background for items selected in the Grid/Graph is automatically chosen to provide contrast with the Grid/Graph's background, but you can specify the color for the selected items. The color is displayed in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For example, a document contains two Grid/Graphs. The one on the left, which is displayed as a grid, shows revenue by region. Region is used as a selector, targeting the Grid/Graph on the right, which is displayed as a graph. The graph shows revenue by category and region. When a region is selected in the grid, the graph is updated to display data for that region only. By default, the grid's background is set to transparent, and the background for selected items is set to automatic. In Flash Mode, the grid is displayed automatically with a white background (transparent to the section's background, which is white). The selected item (Central) is displayed in blue to provide contrast, as shown below:

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Change the grid's background for selected items to dark gray. In Flash Mode, the selected item's background is dark gray, as specified, and the grid's background is still automatically displayed in white, as shown below:

In all other modes except Express Mode, the background of the selected item is automatically defined, so it appears in blue, as shown in the first example above.
To format the background of selected items

This procedure assumes that the document contains a Grid/Graph used as a selector. For instructions on adding Grid/Graphs, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For instructions to enable the Grid/Graph as a selector, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. 1 Open the document to be formatted in the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the Grid/Graph to format. 3 From the Format menu, select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 4 Select Container in the Format list on the left. 5 Click the Background tab.

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6 Define the Selection color, which is the background color for items that are selected in the Grid/Graph. If you want to specify a color, click Selection color, and choose a color from the color palette. If you want the color to be automatically set to contrast with the Grid/Graph's background, choose Automatic from the Selection color drop-down list.

The Selection color is applied in Flash Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
7 Click OK to return to the document.

Enabling transition animations in Flash


You may notice that when controls such as Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are first displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, they fade in as they are being displayed. These visual animations are transitions that you can enable in Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. For example, you can specify whether a transition animation takes place when a user chooses an item in a selector that affects a Grid/Graph. The affected Grid/Graph can fade slowly onto the screen once a user selects an item from a selector in the document. You can select the type of transition to use and also the speed of the transition. Examples of the types of transitions include Blur, Fade, and Wipe Down. The speed can be: Very slow Slow Medium Fast Very fast

You can also set the speed to automatic; the speed is then determined by the type of transition.

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To enable a transition animation for Flash Mode (Web)

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Select the Grid/Graph or panel stack to update. 3 In the Property List: Flash section, select a type of transition animation from the Selected transition drop-down list. This is the animation that is used when users switch to Flash Mode in Web. 4 Select the speed from the Speed drop-down list. This determines how quickly the transition animation takes place for the object. If you select Automatic, the speed is determined by the type of transition.

You can also use the Properties dialog box to enable a transition animation.
To view the transition animation, you must open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Exporting dashboards to Flash for stand-alone use


After you create a dashboard, adding widgets, selectors, and other Flash content, users can view it and interact with it in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. If you export the dashboard to a Flash file, users can also view it and interact with it off-line, without a connection to MicroStrategy Intelligence Server or MicroStrategy Web Server. The Flash file is a fully interactive, stand-alone Flash dashboard. The Flash file allows HTML content, images, Flash content, and other types of information to be exported in a single file that can be opened by an Internet browser. For background information on exporting dashboards to Flash, including whether to export to an MHT file or PDF file, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide.

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To export a dashboard to Flash

1 Open the document in Design View or PDF View. 2 Switch to Flash View by clicking the Flash View icon on the toolbar. is not available, you View. If the Flash View iconSelecting the displaymust enable Flashfor For instructions, see modes available MicroStrategy Web, page 249. 3 From the File menu, select Export to Flash. Export to Flash option is unavailable, you must select If the export format. For instructions, see Selecting availableFlash as an export formats, page 252. 4 Name and save the file. Do not change the file type.

Uncluttering the dashboard: Full screen mode


You may want Web users to view a dashboard or other document without all the navigation informationtoolbars, menus, and panels such as the Datasets panelocated on the interface. Hiding the navigation information: Focuses attention on the data itself Allows easier analysis of the data by maximizing the amount of the document that can be shown at one time

This view in MicroStrategy Web is called Full Screen mode, and it is particularly helpful when analyzing a dashboard document that contains multiple Grid/Graphs, sections, and images. Full Screen mode helps you create interfaces that are easy for users to read. For example, the first image below shows a Shipping Analysis document in MicroStrategy Web. The screen area at the top is used by the various MicroStrategy Web toolbars and menus. The same document is viewed in

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Full Screen mode in the second image. More of the document is displayed in the same space.

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MicroStrategy Webs core set of toolbar buttons and the Grouping panel still appear in Full Screen mode, so the user can interact with the document as usual. The toolbar buttons allow you to quickly switch viewing modes, save, print, export, and deliver the document, among other tasks. The Grouping panel allows you to display the different groups of data in the document.

Full Screen mode is available in MicroStrategy Web only; you cannot use it in Desktop. However, in Desktop you can select whether a document automatically appears in Full Screen mode when a user opens it in Web. The following procedure shows you how to ensure a document or dashboard opens in Full Screen mode by default. For more information on working with documents in MicroStrategy Web, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9 or the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide.
To have a document or dashboard open in Full Screen mode

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the Document tab, select the Always open this document in full screen mode check box. 4 Click OK to return to the document. The next time this document is opened in MicroStrategy Web, it is displayed in Full Screen mode. Web users can switch between full screen mode and normal view by clicking the Full Screen Mode icon.

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6
6.

PROVIDING FLASH ANALYSIS AND INTERACTIVITY: WIDGETS

Introduction
A widget is a Flash-based display of the results of a dataset report, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. Widgets are sophisticated visualization techniques that can combine with rich interactivity to enable users to understand their data more effectively. You can use a variety of widget types, such as Gauge, Heat Map, and Stacked Area widgets, in MicroStrategy dashboards. Although each type of widget looks different and is used in a unique way, the main purpose of all widgets remains the same: to provide document analysts with a visual and interactive look into their data. For example, the Interactive Bubble Graph widget below allows document analysts to drill into each bubble in the graph by clicking it. Analysts can also

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use the time animation toolbar at the top of the widget to watch the bubbles appear on the graph in chronological order.

For more information on Bubble Graph widgets in particular, including a detailed description of the data structure and a procedure to enable drilling, see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531. A document designer defines widgets in Design Mode in Desktop, or Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The designer and other users can interact with widgets in MicroStrategy Web, Desktop, and MicroStrategy Mobile devices, as shown in the table below.
View or Mode Desktop Design View Flash View HTML View Empty Grid/Graph (no data) N/A Widget * Grid/Graph Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden Yes N/A N/A No N/A Widget Can Display As Interact with Widget? Save Widget Changes?

PDF View

N/A

N/A

MicroStrategy Web Design Mode Empty Grid/Graph (no data) N/A N/A

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View or Mode Editable Mode Express Mode

Widget Can Display As Grid/Graph Widget ** Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden

Interact with Widget? N/A Yes

Save Widget Changes? N/A No

Flash Mode Interactive Mode

Widget Grid/Graph Widget ** Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden

Yes Yes

Yes Yes

MicroStrategy Mobile Android Android widgets: Widget Grid/Graph All other widgets are displayed as Grid/Graphs iPad iPad widgets: Widget Grid/Graph All other widgets are displayed as Grid/Graphs, except for Date Selection widgets iPhone iPhone widgets: Widget Grid/Graph All other widgets are displayed as Grid/Graphs Exporting Export to Excel Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden Widget * Grid/Graph N/A N/A Yes (iPhone widgets only) No Yes (iPad widgets only) No Yes (Android widgets only) No

Export to Flash

Yes

N/A

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View or Mode Export to PDF

Widget Can Display As Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden

Interact with Widget? N/A

Save Widget Changes? N/A

* Except for iPhone, iPad, Android, and SDK widgets, which cannot be displayed as widgets in Flash View/Mode. ** Except for the following widgets, which cannot be displayed as widgets in Interactive Mode or Express Mode: Cylinder, Date Selection widget created as a selector, Fish Eye Selector created as a selector, Interactive Stacked Graph, Thermometer, and Time Series Slider.

For instructions to change how widgets are displayed in the various views and modes of Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.

To view and interact with widgets, Flash Player version 10 is required.


Understanding and working with widgets
The sections below describe each type of widget, its purpose, and how a document analyst can use it to analyze a specific set of data while working in MicroStrategy Web. The following list briefly summarizes each type of widget that you can use in a document. additional MicroStrategy widgets from the You can accessWidget download site, https://resource. MicroStrategy microstrategy.com/Support. Bubble Grid: Bubbles of different colors and sizes representing the values of two metrics. It can help identify important trends or anomalies in data, relative to the total contribution of accompanying data. See Defining a Bubble Grid widget, page 507 for more details and an example. Cylinder: A simple status indicator that displays a vertical cylinder with fluid in it. The level of the fluid within the cylinder is a visual representation of a single metric value. See Defining a Cylinder widget, page 510 for more details and an example.

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Data Cloud: A list of attribute elements displayed in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements. The varying sizes allow a user to quickly identify the most significant, positive, or negative contributions. See Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512 for more details and an example. Date Selection: A calendar selector that allows you to select which dates you want to see data about in a document or dashboard. You are able to see all of the dates of each month in the widget, which allows you to be able to select dates more easily. See Creating a Date Selection widget, page 650 for more details and an example. Fish Eye Selector: An interactive selector that magnifies an item when you hover the cursor over it. It allows a user to choose from a list of attribute elements, metrics, or images without having to see all of the elements, metrics, or images. Any item that a user hovers over or selects remains magnified, while the remaining items are minimized and hidden from view. This can be especially helpful when the user has to browse through a lengthy list. See Creating a Fish Eye Selector, page 638 for more details and an example. Funnel: A variation of a stacked bar graph that displays data that adds up to 100%. It allows a user to visualize the percent contribution of a metric to the whole. See Defining a Funnel widget, page 514 for more details and an example. Gauge: A simple status indicator that displays a needle that moves within a range of numbers displayed on its outside edges. An example of a gauge is a car's speedometer. See Defining a Gauge widget, page 518 for more details and an example. Graph Matrix: A group of area graphs that display actual values and line graphs that display forecasted values. It allows a user to quickly analyze various trends across several metric dimensions. See Defining a Graph Matrix widget, page 520 for more details and an example. Heat Map: A combination of colored rectangles, each representing an attribute element, that allow you to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at the same time. See Defining a Heat Map widget, page 525 for more details and an example. Interactive Bubble Graph: A conventional bubble plot that allows you to visualize the trends of three different metrics for a set of attribute elements. See Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531 for more details and an example.

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Interactive Stacked Graph: A combination of a check box list and area graph. The graph allows a user to see the contribution of various metric series to the change in value of a larger set of data. See Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, page 538 for more details and an example. Media: Video, audio, images, or website content. One of the primary purposes of the Media widget is to present supplemental information about the data on a dashboard. It can also be used for instructional content or HTML content from a website. See Defining a Media widget, page 555 for more details and an example. Microcharts: One or more compact representations of data that allow analysts to quickly visualize trends. Use a Microcharts widget to quickly visualize the trend of a metric at a glance without having to know many additional details. The bar, sparkline, and bullet microcharts used in the Microcharts widget convey information that an analyst can understand just by looking at the graph once. See Defining a Microcharts widget, page 565 for more details and an example. RSS Reader: RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a data format used to display updated Web content when you click a URL. An RSS document is called a feed, and it contains either a summary of the content from an associated website or the full text. The RSS Reader widget can help provide context to your business data. Use RSS Reader widgets on a dashboard to view and update RSS feeds as a user analyzes grids, graphs, and other objects in the same dashboard. See Defining an RSS Reader widget, page 588 for more details and an example. Thermometer: A simple status indicator that displays a thermometer set to a certain temperature level. The temperature level within the thermometer is a visual representation of a single metric value. See Defining a Thermometer widget, page 542 for more details and an example. Time Series Slider: An area graph that allows a document analyst to choose which section of the graph to view at a time. See Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545 for more details and an example. Waterfall: A group of clustered bars displayed from left to right. It highlights the increments and decrements of the values of metrics over time. The widget can help identify what is contributing to fluctuations in the metric values and can be used for what-if analyses. See Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548 for more details and an example.

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Weighted List Viewer: A combination of the data visualization techniques of thresholds and graphical weighting in a single visualization. This enables the analyst to assess the performance of a group of items. See Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 552 for more details and an example.

To successfully create a useful widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the widget can be successfully generated and display data in MicroStrategy Web. For example, a Grid/Graph that you want to display as a Gauge widget must have one attribute on the rows and one metric on the columns. These data requirements are detailed in the specific widget section below. Next, you specify a widget type, such as Time Series Slider or Bubble Grid, for the Grid/Graph. For detailed steps to add a widget to a document, see Creating widgets, page 597. MicroStrategy Web, you In Design Modeaand Editable Mode indefine it by placing reportcan add a widget to document and then objects such as attributes and metrics on it. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. The Media and RSS Reader widgets are created in different ways. For more information, see Defining a Media widget, page 555 and Defining an RSS Reader widget, page 588.

Widgets for mobile devices


You can also create widgets that display on iPhones that have MicroStrategy Mobile installed. These include: Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location Interactive Grid widget, which displays data in a compact tabular layout Map widget, which allows users to search and view information for locations on a map Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device

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RSS Reader widget, which displays and updates RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds (see Defining an RSS Reader widget, page 588) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545)

You can create widgets that display on iPads that have MicroStrategy Mobile installed. These include: Date Selection widget, which displays as a interactive event calendar on the iPad Graph Matrix widget, which displays data using a variety of graph styles, such as the line graph, bubble graph, or grid Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location Map widget, which allows users to search and view information for locations on a map Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph

You can create widgets that display on Android devices that have MicroStrategy Mobile installed. These include: Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location Interactive Grid widget, which displays data in a compact tabular layout Map widget, which allows users to search and view information for locations on a map Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph

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The Interactive Grid, Map, and Time Series widgets display as Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. You can determine how mobile device widgets display in other MicroStrategy Web modes, and when exported to PDF and Excel. For more information on the alternative display setting, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. For more information on these widgets, including instructions to create them, see Widgets for mobile devices, page 792.

SDK widgets
In addition, the following widgets are available. See the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL), part of the MicroStrategy SDK product, for information to customize and use these widgets. With the MicroStrategy SDK, you can access additional MicroStrategy widgets, add third-party widgets, and create and use custom widgets. For more information and instructions, see the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL), part of the MicroStrategy SDK product. For information on purchasing a MicroStrategy SDK license, contact your Account Executive. Google Graph Visualization: A simple chart of data. The widget is created using the Google API. Simple Grid: A simple tabular layout. Store Layout: A layout image of a retail store. Different departments in the store are displayed in different colors, depending on the conditions defined. For example, departments whose profit is less than 75% of their profit goal are displayed in red. Timeline: A timeline that displays a series of events. The timeline can be examined at the yearly, monthly, and weekly level as a series of bands. This lets users quickly spot trends, such as the times when call congestion is most likely to affect a call center. USA Map: A map of the United States, which acts as a selector to determine the data displayed in another control. For example, a user can click a region in the United States, such as Central, to display revenue data for the Central region in a target Grid/Graph.

Note the following:

If you are incorporating a custom widget into your MicroStrategy Web application and want to make multiple data providers available for the widget, see the MicroStrategy Developer Library

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(MSDL) for information to expose the Secondary Data Provider area in the Flash tab of the Properties dialog box. This allows users to select more than one data provider for the widget. If you are designing a document using a custom widget and you see the Secondary Data Provider area in the Flash tab of the Properties dialog box, contact your customization specialist for information on how to use their custom implementation.

Google Map custom widget and Google Map visualization


A Google Map custom widget is a map that displays locations as map markers, with the relationships between those locations shown as lines between the map markers. When a user clicks a map marker, an Information Window with additional information about the location is displayed. You can add a Google Map custom widget to a document or use it to display a report in MicroStrategy Web. For background information and steps to enable the Google Map widget to display in MicroStrategy Web, see the GIS Integration Help. For instructions to add the Google Map custom widget to a document or report, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. The Google Map custom widget is similar to the Google Map visualization, which is displayed in a Visual Exploration analysis. You create the customized, interactive analysis in MicroStrategy Web, and use it to explore your business data. For an overview of analyses, including how you can interact with them, see Save any changes to the document., page 784; for information on creating and working with analyses in MicroStrategy Web, including instructions and examples, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Widgets and automatic target maintenance for selectors


Selectors allow a user to control what is displayed in a widget or Grid/Graph (the target of the selector). Targets can be automatically maintained in a layout. This means that when you add a Grid/Graph or widget, the Grid/Graph or widget automatically becomes the target of all selectors in the same panel or document section as the Grid/Graph or widget. For background information on selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. For more information about automatically maintaining targets for selectors, including instructions to enable and disable the functionality, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443.

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Defining a Bubble Grid widget


The Bubble Grid widget conveys information to help an analyst identify important trends or anomalies in data, relative to the total contribution of accompanying data. In the widget, metric values are plotted as bubbles of different colors and sizes; the colors and sizes of the bubbles represent the values of two distinct metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. Each bubble is generated at the intersection of two different attribute elements. For example, in the widget below, a single bubble depicts the profit and revenue for books (an element of the Category attribute) in the South region (an element of the Region attribute).

The Bubble Grid widget is most beneficial when it is used to perform analyses involving key business ratios, such as the number of customers in a store vs. the revenue generated per customer. For example, the widget can help analysts investigate questions such as Does the number of customers that visit a certain store correlate to the amount of money each customer spends? Analysts can use the widget to answer these types of questions in the context of business attributes, such as different stores, regions, and times of the day or year. Positive correlations in the data show that stores with a large number of customers generate a large amount of revenue, and negative correlations show the opposite. When analysts detect negative correlations

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for stores in specific regions, they can investigate reasons for the issue and recommend changes such as adding more sales personnel to the stores.

Data requirements for a Bubble Grid widget


To successfully create a useful Bubble Grid widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Bubble Grid widget can be successfully generated and how the data is displayed in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Bubble Grid widget are described below: Only two attributes, custom groups, or consolidations on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. Bubbles are generated at the intersections of the elements from these objects.

Elements from the first (left-most) object are displayed on the X-axis of the widget. This object represents one of the business areas that can be analyzed in the widget. To analyze data along the X-axis relative to time, use a time-based attribute such as Hour, Day, or Month. If you use an Hour or Day attribute, apply a view filter to the Grid/Graph to limit the number of hours or days displayed in the widget at the same time. For information about using view filters on Grid/Graphs, see Using view filters on Grid/Graphs, page 331. Elements from the second attribute are displayed on the Y-axis of the widget. This attribute represents the other business area that can be analyzed in the widget.

At least two metrics on the columns. The values of these two metrics produce the bubbles in the widget, as described below:

The first (left-most) metric determines the size of the bubbles. The smaller metric values produce the smaller bubbles in the widget; the larger metric values produce the larger bubbles. The second metric determines the color of the bubbles. For example, if Profit is the second metric on the columns, the colors of the bubbles depict the range of profit values. You can determine which colors are used for minimum and maximum metric values, as described in Formatting for a Bubble Grid widget, page 509. This range of colors is depicted in the legend at the bottom of the widget, if the legend is enabled.

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Any additional metrics are displayed in tooltips when an analyst hovers the cursor over a bubble in MicroStrategy Web. These metrics do not have an effect on the size or color of the bubbles in the widget.

A Bubble Grid widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Bubble Grid widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Bubble Grid widget as a selector, page 622. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Bubble Grid widget


By default, a Bubble Grid widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in the underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Bubble Grid dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Bubble Grid widget, you can change the number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. This formatting is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can change: The color used for the bubbles representing the smallest metric values The color used for the bubbles representing the largest metric values The background and border colors The color and font for the labels text Whether the widget legend is displayed or hidden The maximum radius of the bubbles

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Defining a Cylinder widget


A Cylinder widget is a simple status indicator that displays a vertical cylinder with fluid in it. The level of the fluid within the cylinder is a visual representation of a single metric value. Like the Gauge and Thermometer widgets, this type of widget is designed to display the value of a single metric. The Cylinder widget is most useful when combined with a selector because this allows users to choose specific metric values to display in the cylinder. In the image below, the liquid level in the cylinder represents the amount of revenue generated (the Revenue metric).

Data requirements for a Cylinder widget


To successfully create a useful Cylinder widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Cylinder widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Cylinder widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. The attribute elements are displayed in the selector that you use to display different data in the widget.

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One metric on the columns. The metric values determine the amount of liquid displayed in the cylinder.

A Cylinder widget requires a selector to allow a user to interact with it. For information about selectors, including procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. It is recommended that you place the corresponding Grid/Graph beneath the selector. This allows you to see the Grid/Graph's values as you select different attribute elements from the selector and see how they change the appearance of the Cylinder widget. For instructions to insert a Grid/Graph, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Cylinder widget


By default, a Cylinder widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined in the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Cylinder dialog box in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Cylinder widget, you can change: The number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. This formatting is done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. The font of the text that appears on the side of the cylinder. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer, page 611.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can change the: Colors and shading scheme of the cylinder. Minimum and maximum values for the cylinder. By default, the values range from 1 to 100.
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If metric values on your report are larger than 100, you should change the maximum value. For example, if the metric values on the report range from 60,000 to 1,000,000, enter a number like 1,100,00 to accommodate larger values in the data. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Data Cloud widget


A Data Cloud widget displays attribute elements in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements. This type of widget is similar to a Heat Map widget in that they both allow an analyst to quickly identify the most significant, positive, or negative contributions. A Data Cloud widget is basically a list of attribute elements. The first metric on the widgets template determines the font size for the attribute elements. A bigger font for an element indicates a larger metric value. In the Data Cloud widget shown below, the size of each attribute element from the Subcategory attribute represents the amount of revenue generated by each type of book. Any additional metrics are displayed when a user hovers over a subcategory.

The Data Cloud widget displays as a widget in MicroStrategy Web and on an iPhone or iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile.

Data requirements for a Data Cloud widget


To successfully create a useful Data Cloud widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Data Cloud widget can be successfully generated and can display data.

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The data requirements for a Data Cloud widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. The elements of the first attribute are displayed in the widget. If you include additional attributes to the right of the first attribute, elements from all of the attributes are combined and displayed in the widget. One metric on the columns. This metric determines the size of the font of the attribute elements in the widget. Any additional metrics do not affect the font size, but they are displayed in the tooltips available in MicroStrategy Web. A Data Cloud widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Data Cloud widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Data Cloud widget as a selector, page 623. You may want to place the corresponding Grid/Graph below the Data Cloud widget to display the exact metric values for the attribute elements displayed in the widget. For instructions to insert a Grid/Graph, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597. You can add links to a Data Cloud widget. Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). If you add a link to a Data Cloud widget, the Links menu is displayed when a MicroStrategy Web user hovers the cursor over an attribute element in the widget. The user can click a link in the Links menu to open the target. See Linking in widgets, page 659 for instructions and examples.

Formatting for a Data Cloud widget


By default, a Data Cloud widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Data Cloud dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more detailed steps, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Data Cloud widget, you can use Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web to: Sort the attribute elements alphabetically. Align the Data Cloud widget within the borders of the widget (the options are left-alignment, center-alignment, and right-alignment). Determine the equation (square root, logarithm, or linear) of the widget:

Using the square root equation displays the data in abrupt increments. Use it if the widget has large value differences between each set of data. Using the logarithm equation displays your data in gradual, more smooth increments. Use it if the percentage data drops below 0%. Using the linear equation displays the data as a weighted average.

Change the font size of the attribute elements, by specifying the size of the smallest attribute. All other attribute elements are sized proportionally to the smallest. Specify the font colors of the attribute elements. Attribute elements in the Data Cloud widget alternate between the two font colors. Specify the background color of the widget. Specify the border color of the widget.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Funnel widget


A Funnel widget allows you to quickly analyze various trends across several metric values. It can be used for a wide variety of business purposes, including application management, click management, pipeline analyses for sales forecasts, and sales process analysis. The widget is a variation of a stacked percent bar graph that displays data that adds up to 100%. Therefore, it can allow analysts to visualize the percent contribution of sales data. It can also show the stages in a sales process and reveal the amount of potential revenue for each stage. When the widget is used to analyze a sales process, analysts can use the widget to drill down to key metrics such as deal size, profit potential, and probability of closing. The

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widget can also help identify potential problem areas in an organizations sales processes. For example, the following Funnel widget displays the percent contribution of revenue data by region. Each section of the funnel is a different region, and the size of each section is proportional to the amount of revenue that the region contributed.

Data requirements for a Funnel widget


To successfully create a useful Funnel widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Funnel widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Funnel widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. The attribute elements are displayed as separate sections in the widget. One metric on the columns. The metric values determine the size of each section of the widget.

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A Funnel widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Funnel widget


By default, a Funnel widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Funnel dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. The following table lists the formatting options that are available for a Funnel widget in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For detailed instructions to format a funnel graph, and therefore a Funnel widget, in Desktop, see the Graphing chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help.
Formatting Option Format the legend: Note: Instructions for legend formatting are available in Formatting the legend, page 616. Whether or not the legend is displayed Look tab of the Graph Options dialog box Dialog Box to Use

The position of the legend relative to the graph Look tab of the Graph Options dialog box The background fill of the legend area The line around the legend area The text of the legend The position of the markers relative to the text of the legend Note: The markers indicate the color of each series. The color of the markers Format the title: The text of the title The box around the title (the background fill and the line around it) Format Title dialog box Format Title dialog box Format Legend Marker dialog box Format Legend Area dialog box Format Legend Area dialog box Format Legend Text dialog box Look tab of the Graph Options dialog box

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Formatting Option Format the funnel name: Whether to display it The text of the funnel name

Dialog Box to Use

Display Status tab of the Graph Options dialog box Format Funnel Group Label dialog box

Format the values of the metrics displayed in the funnel: Whether or not to display them The number format Format the series (data) labels: Whether or not to display them The text of the data labels Format the funnel itself: The tilt of the funnel The base width of the funnel The size of the gap between each funnel slice The maximum number of funnels that are displayed on each row Whether to display the funnel in 2D or 3D General tab of the Graph Options dialog box General tab of the Graph Options dialog box Explode Funnel slider on the General tab of the Graph Options dialog box General tab of the Graph Options dialog box Layout tab of the Graph Options dialog box Data Labels tab of the Graph Options dialog box Funnel Data Label dialog box Data Labels tab of the Graph Options dialog box Numbers tab of the Graph Options dialog box

Before formatting a Funnel widget in Desktop, complete the following instructions: 1 Set the View mode to Graph. 2 Edit the Grid/Graph that is displaying the widget by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 3 To exit edit mode, press ESC.

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In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: Whether to show or hide the series labels Whether to display the labels outside or inside the funnel Whether to show or hide the series values Whether the series values are displayed inside or outside the funnel Whether the legend can be resized The minimum height for the funnel layer

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Gauge widget


A Gauge widget is a simple status indicator that displays a needle that moves within a range of numbers displayed on its outside edges. A real-world example of a gauge is a car's speedometer. Like the Cylinder and Thermometer widgets, this type of widget is designed to display the value of a single metric. The needle within the gauge is a visual representation of that single metric value. The Gauge widget is most useful when combined with a selector because this allows users to choose specific metric values to display in the gauge. In the image below, the location of the needle in the gauge represents the amount of revenue generated (the Revenue metric).

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Data requirements for a Gauge widget


To successfully create a useful Gauge widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Gauge widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Gauge widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. The attribute elements are displayed in the selector you use to display different data in the widget. One metric on the columns. The metric values determine the location of the needle on the gauge.

You can place any number of attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget; there is no maximum number of attributes and metrics. A Gauge widget requires a selector to allow a user to interact with it. For information about selectors, including procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. It is recommended that you place the corresponding Grid/Graph beneath the selector. This allows you to see the Grid/Graph's values as you select different attribute elements from the selector and see how they change the appearance of the Gauge widget. For instructions to insert a Grid/Graph, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Gauge widget


By default, a Gauge widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined in the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Gauge dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Gauge widget, you can change: The number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. The font of the text that appears in the gauge. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer, page 611. The minimum and maximum values (the Y1 Axis) that appear at the left and right of the gauge. For instructions, see Formatting the Y axis, page 615.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can: Show or hide the value that the gauge needle is pointing to Show or hide the title (either the series or category label) at the base of the gauge Determine whether the needles on the gauge use the default series colors from the graph, or the default needle colors from the Gauge widget

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Graph Matrix widget


A Graph Matrix widget allows you to quickly analyze various trends across several metric dimensions. You can use the widget to assess questions such as How are sales comparing vs. forecast, by time and region?. The Graph Matrix widget consists of several area graphs that display current values. Each area graph also has a line graph above it to show forecasted values. One graph is displayed for every combination of elements from the attributes on the rows and columns of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For example, in the widget below, the rows of the report contain the Category attribute elements and the columns contain the Region attribute

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elements. Twelve graphs are displayed because data exists for four regions and three categories of products.

A separate area graph is produced for each combination of region and product category. For example, one area graph focuses solely on electronics product figures in the Northeast region. Values in that graph are plotted across quarter (on the X-axis) and revenue (on the Y-axis). The line graph at the top of the area graph represents revenue forecast metric values, or the amount of revenue the company predicted it would generate.

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You can maximize a specific area graph by double-clicking it. The graph opens in a new window, as shown below.

Each area graph in a Graph Matrix widget has the following characteristics, as shown above. The X-axis provides the time scale. For example, the X-axis can represent weeks, quarters, or years. The Y-axis provides the metric values. For example, the Y-axis can represent revenue, profit, or units sold. The area graph shows the current values, allowing you to see how values changed over time. The area graph represents the values of the first metric on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. The line graph at the top of the area graph shows the predicted, or forecasted, values. The line graph represents the values of any additional metrics on the Grid/Graph. The black reference line in the area graph (not displayed above) shows the average for only the specific graph you are looking at. The red reference line in the area graph (not displayed above) shows the average metric value for all of the graphs in the same row of the Graph Matrix widget. This allows you to easily compare one graph in the widget to another.

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Data requirements for a Graph Matrix widget


To successfully create a useful Graph Matrix widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Graph Matrix widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Graph Matrix widget are described below: At least two attributes on the rows. The first (left-most) attribute on the rows, and the second, third, fourth, and so on, provide the row headers in the widget. The last (right-most) attribute on the rows provides the X-axes of the graphs. This attribute, which is generally time-based, is used to drive the time series of the graphs. At least one attribute on the columns, unless the rows contain at least three attributes. The first (left-most) attribute on the columns provides the column headers in the widget. These values are used to slice the data, or group it by the attributes on the columns. Any additional attributes on the columns produce separate line graphs within each area graph in the widget. At least one metric on the columns, to the right of or below the attribute. The first metric is depicted as the colored series in the area graphs. Any additional metrics are depicted as forecast line graphs in each area graph. A Graph Matrix widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Graph Matrix widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Graph Matrix widget as a selector, page 623. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Graph Matrix widget


By default, a Graph Matrix widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Graph Matrix dialog box in Flash Mode
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or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Graph Matrix widget, you can change: The formatting of the column and row axis headers, which display the attribute names. For instructions, see the Reports chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help. The formatting of the column and row values, which display the attribute element names. For instructions, see the Reports chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help. The color of the area graph series, which is the colored section of the area graph. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. The font and color of the area graph labels. For instructions, see the Graphing chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help. The formatting of the area graph numbers. For instructions, see the Graphing chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: Whether every area graph uses the same scale and number interval on the Y-axes (that is, a uniform axis for all graphs). Whether to display horizontal reference lines. The red horizontal reference line provides the average for all graphs in the same row; the black line provides the average for each graph. Whether to show or hide the axis labels on the area graphs. Whether to show or hide a legend for the area graphs. The legend is displayed when a user clicks an area graph to maximize it. The transparency of the background of the widget. Whether to display all series as line graphs or to display the values of the first metric as area graphs. The area graph shows the current values, allowing you to see how values changed over time. The area graph represents the values of the first metric on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget.

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For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Heat Map widget


A Heat Map widget presents a combination of colored rectangles, each representing an attribute element, that allow you to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables. Heat Maps are often used in the financial services industry to review the status of a portfolio. The rectangles contain a variety and shadings of colors, which emphasize the status of the various components. In a Heat Map, the size of each rectangle represents its relative weight and the color represents the relative change in value of that rectangle. You can hover over each rectangle to see which attribute element the rectangle represents and its metric values.

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For information on what each object is represented by on the widget, review the following example:

Some of the rectangles in the Heat Map widget above are hidden from view.
The large areas (such as the Large Blend area in the image above) represent different categories of mutual funds. These areas are generated by the first attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the

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widget. In this case, the first attribute is Mutual Fund Category. Notice that the name of each category is displayed in the headers of each of these areas. The colored rectangles (colored shades of red and blue in the image above) represent different mutual funds. These rectangles, such as the Vanguard Small Cap Index and Legg Mason Value Prim rectangles above, are generated by any additional attributes on the rows. In this case, a second attribute, Mutual Fund, is on the rows of the Grid/Graph. The size of each rectangle represents its relative weight. This is determined by the first metric on the columns of the Grid/Graph. This widget shows that Large Blend funds are weighted more heavily than Mid-Cap Blend funds in regard to net assets. In this case, the first metric on the columns of the Grid/Graph is Net Assets. The colors displayed in the widget represent different ranges of return year-to-date percentages generated by the mutual funds. (In the image above, blue denotes higher percentages, while red and purple denote lower percentages.) The colors applied to each rectangle are generated by the second metric on the Grid/Graph. (In the image above, the second metric on the report is Return YTD %.) You can define the colors used to denote these values. For steps, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Mode Mode in In Flashvariousand InteractiveHeat MapMicroStrategyisWeb, you can change aspects of the widget. This convenient because you make the changes and view the results immediately, without changing modes. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. You can choose to create a dynamic heat map that an analyst can control using a selector. This type of heat map is considered dynamic because a user can use the selector to choose a different attribute element to view on the heat map. For steps to create a dynamic heat map, see Defining a dynamic Heat Map that uses a selector, page 527.

Defining a dynamic Heat Map that uses a selector


When you use a Heat Map widget in a document, you can also add a selector to it to create a dynamic heat map. This type of heat map is considered dynamic because a user can use the selector, such as a Drop-down list, to choose a different attribute element to be displayed by the heat map. For more information on selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

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A standard Heat Map widget requires one attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph and two metrics on its columns, as described in Defining a Heat Map widget, page 525. A dynamic Heat Map widget has the same requirements; however, you must also create the selector. Set the target of the selector to the Grid/Graph that is used as a widget. The target of a selector is the Grid/Graph that the selector affects. The source of a selector is the attribute whose elements are displayed in the selector. The source of the selector must be an attribute on the dataset that is not already used on the Grid/Graph. This allows a user to switch between different attribute elements in the selector to view different information on the heat map. For example, the Heat Map widget is selected for a Grid/Graph. This Grid/Graph has Category and Subcategory attributes on its rows and one of the metrics on its columns is the Revenue metric. However, you want to use a selector to see heat maps for categories and subcategories in specific regions. In this case, create a drop-down selector, set the Region attribute as its source, and set the Grid/Graph that contains the widget as its target. The Region attribute should not be added to the Grid/Graph because then all regions will be displayed on the heat map. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, a user can use the selector to choose different regions for which to view category and subcategory data.

Data requirements for a Heat Map widget


To successfully create a useful Heat Map widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Heat Map widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Heat Map widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. This attribute is used to create the large rectangles whose names are displayed in the widget. If you add additional attributes to the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, all of the attributes will be displayed as separate rectangles within the larger rectangles. number of attributes. Attributes The widget can actually use any work best, because they are nested with a parent-child relationship within one another in the heat map.

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Two metrics on the columns. If more than two metrics are placed on the Grid/Graph, they are displayed as options in the drop-down list within the Heat Map.

The first metric on the columns determines the size of the small rectangles within the larger rectangles. Items with lower values are represented by smaller rectangles. The second metric must be placed at the bottom of the columns. It determines the color of each rectangle. It must include values in the range of -1 to 1. This range is used to provide different shadings of color in the Heat Map widget.

You can choose to create a dynamic heat map that a user can control using a selector. This type of heat map is considered dynamic because a user can use the selector to choose a different attribute element to view on the heat map. For steps to create a dynamic heat map, see Defining a dynamic Heat Map that uses a selector, page 527. You can also use a Heat Map widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Heat Map widget as a selector, page 625. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597. You can add links to a Heat Map widget. Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). If you add a link to a Heat Map widget, a Links menu is displayed when a MicroStrategy Web user hovers the cursor over an attribute element in the widget. The user can click a link in the Links menu to open the target. See Linking in widgets, page 659 for instructions and examples.

Formatting for a Heat Map widget


By default, a Heat Map widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined in the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Heat Map dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Heat Map widget, you can change the number format of the values that appear when a user hovers the cursor over a rectangle. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as

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scientific notation. This formatting is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: Whether to display a legend for the Heat Map, and the colors of the legend. Whether to display the metric valuesfor instance, revenue by statein each section of the widget. The widget is divided into sections by attributes. For example, you add Customer Region, Quarter, and Revenue to the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. The widget is then divided first into the Customer Region section, and then into Quarters within the Customer Region section. If metric values are displayed, revenue values are displayed for each Quarter in each Customer Region section. Whether to display labels in each rectangle. If labels are displayed, you can set them to be proportional, with the size of each label reflecting the size of the rectangle. Whether scale boundaries are enabled. Scale boundaries can help you focus the widget on a specific range of data from a specific metric. By default, the minimum and maximum range for the color slider is determined automatically by the data in the widget. If the data changes, then the minimum and maximum can also change. You can instead set the minimum and maximum scale range for a specific metric, so that specific colors always mean specific metric values. Outlying metric values use solid colors, rather than shaded colors. The color of the header displayed on all attributes in the widget. Whether to allow attributes to be removed from the widget. Removed attributes can be added back to the Heat Map when needed. The color of the background, which displays behind all of the object sections and the widget legend. The color of the border that outlines the entire widget.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget


An Interactive Bubble Graph widget is a conventional bubble plot that allows you to visualize the trends of three different metrics for a set of attribute elements. The data structure for an interactive bubble graph is very specific. At minimum, one attribute and three metrics are required. In the bubble graph: One bubble is displayed for each attribute element. Each bubble's position on the X-axis represents the value of the first metric. Each bubble's position on the Y-axis represents the value of the second metric. The size of each bubble represents the value of the third metric.

The Interactive Bubble Graph is interactive, unlike a standard bubble graph report. For example: Analysts can change which metric is displayed on which axis. the ability to change which displayed You can disableinformation, see Formattingmetric isInteractiveon for an which axis. For Bubble Graph widget, page 536.

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Analysts can zoom into a section of the widget to enlarge it. can disable on a section the widget. Youinformation,the ability to zoom inan InteractiveofBubble Graph For see Formatting for widget, page 536.

Analysts can drill into the components of a bubble to see the underlying data within that bubble's data. To enable drilling in the bubble graph, the designer must add an additional attribute to the left of the other attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For specific requirements, refer to Data requirements for an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 535; for more information on enabling drilling, see Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 532. Analysts can see a time-series animation that plots the bubble values through time. To enable time series animation in the graph, the designer must add an additional attribute at the far left of the rows of the Grid/Graph. For specific requirements, refer to Data requirements for an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 535.

For instructions to interact with the widget, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide.
Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget
When you use an Interactive Bubble Graph widget in a document, you can choose to enable drilling on the widget by adding one additional attribute (a second attribute) to the right of the attribute in the rows of the associated Grid/Graph. This second attribute must be a child attribute of the parent attribute already on the rows. For example, a Grid/Graph contains Call Center and Region. Call Center is the child attribute of Region. (A document sample is shown in Enabling drilling using subtotals, page 534.) To enable drilling on the graph, the child attribute must be structured in a specific way. You can create this structure by either: Enabling drilling using a custom group, page 533 Enabling drilling using subtotals, page 534

Once the Grid/Graph contains the necessary objects (either a custom group or subtotals), you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode to enable drilling within the widget. See the MicroStrategy Web Help for the procedure.

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The requirements for an Interactive Bubble Graph with drilling enabled are: A second attribute placed to the right of the first attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph.

This attribute must be the child attribute, while the first attribute is the parent attribute. This second attribute must have a specific data structure so that the first grid row displays the total for the child attribute. This can be achieved by using a custom group or subtotals, as described above.

Enable drilling on the widget in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

To enable both drilling and time series animation in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, you must have at least three attributes on the rows of the associated Grid/Graph. The attribute on the left must be an attribute associated with time, and the second and third attributes must have a parent/child relationship as described above.

Enabling drilling using a custom group


The structure that allows drilling can be created with a custom group. The data in the grid for the child attribute must be displayed so that the total for the child attribute is in the top row of data, followed by the data for the child attribute. A custom group allows you to easily ensure that this occurs. An example of this type of data in grid form is shown in the image below. In the custom group, notice that the first element within the Northeast region is Northeast. This is followed by the two child attribute elements, Boston and New York. on creating custom For informationAdvanced Reportinggroups in Desktop, see the MicroStrategy Guide.

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In the metric data, the first row represents the total (Average for the first two metrics, Sum for the third) of the other two rows. The first row must include totals for drilling to work properly.

Enabling drilling using subtotals


As an alternative to creating a custom group, you can add subtotals, without grand totals, when you create the original report. The subtotals must be calculated across the level of the child attribute and must be displayed at the top of each level. This ensures that the total for the second attribute is displayed in the top row of data, followed by the data for that attribute. Be sure to add the Grid/Graph to the document with formatting, so that this structure is used.

For instructionsato add a Grid/Graph with formatting, see Adding a Grid/Graph to document, page 298. For instructions on displaying
subtotals, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

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For example, the following report is subtotaled across the level of Call Center, which is the child attribute of Region. The subtotals are displayed at the top of each region.

Data requirements for an Interactive Bubble Graph widget


To successfully create a useful Interactive Bubble Graph widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Interactive Bubble Graph widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Interactive Bubble Graph widget are described below: One attribute on the rows.

To enable drilling on the bubble graph, add one additional attribute (a second attribute) to the right of the attribute in the rows. This attribute must be a child attribute of the parent attribute already on the rows. For detailed information on this requirement, with an example, see Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 532. To enable time series animation, add one additional attribute (a second attribute) to the leftmost side of the rows. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you must also enable the time-series analysis check box. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. To enable both drilling and time series animation, the Grid/Graph must contain a total of three attributes.

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At least three metrics on the columns. The first three metrics are displayed along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, in order from left to right, by default. For example, the metric on the top of the columns is displayed on the X-axis. The Z-axis value determines the size of the bubble. However, when viewing the widget, an analyst can change which metric displays along each axis.

An Interactive Bubble Graph widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector, page 626. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597. You can add links to an Interactive Bubble Graph widget. Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). If you add a link to an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, a Links menu is displayed when a MicroStrategy Web user hovers the cursor over an bubble in the widget. The user can click a link in the Links menu to open the target. See Linking in widgets, page 659 for instructions and examples.

Formatting for an Interactive Bubble Graph widget


By default, an Interactive Bubble Graph widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Interactive Bubble Graph dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, you can format the: Font of the text that appears on the graph. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a graph, page 612. Color of the bubbles in the graph. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614.

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The formatting listed above is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can determine: Whether to display the graph legend inside or outside the widget. How the size of the drilled-to (child) bubbles is calculated in reference to the parent bubble. Either the diameter or the area of the parent bubble can be used. Whether to display bubbles with a rounded, 3D effect or as a solid circle. The maximum size of the bubble radius. The colors of the bubbles in reference to a specific object. For instance, if you select the Brand attribute, each brand's bubble displays in a different color. Enable or disable zooming and changing the metric displayed on an axis in the widget. By default, an analyst can zoom in to a specific area of the widget, or quickly change which metrics are displayed on which axis in the widget using the drop-down lists displayed on each axis. You can enable or disable these options, which are referred to as interactive controls. Whether to display in scatter plot mode only. Scatter plot mode means that all bubbles are the same size, and only two metrics are displayed, for the X-axis and Y-axis. You can define the radius of the bubbles in the scatter plot, but it cannot be bigger than the maximum radius. Whether to enable or disable time series animation. series animation This option doesanot enable timeon the rows of theby itself. You must also place third attribute Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For more information about this specific requirement, see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531. (If time series animation is enabled) Whether the time series animation control bar is automatically hidden from view. (If time series animation is enabled) The format of the time series animation control, including the color, background opacity, and size. (If time series animation is enabled) Font formatting for the time series labels (the attribute header).

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Whether a user can click a bubble to drill to the data at the next level. option does not enable drilling by itself. You place Thisadditional attribute (a second attribute) to themust alsothe one right of attribute in the rows. For more information about this specific requirement, see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531.

(If drilling is enabled) Whether a line appears between a drilled bubble and its corresponding drilled-to (child) bubble. The line allows you to better visualize which bubbles contain related information. Whether target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers the cursor over a bubble in the widget or an item in the legend. only if the widget is a selector This option is appliedand panel stacks. Forused asinformationtoon update Grid/Graphs more how an Interactive Bubble Graph widget is used as a selector, see Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector, page 626. For instructions to use a widget as a selector, see Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector, page 621.

Whether the selection box (the lasso) automatically updates the targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks, if the widget is used as a selector. For example, when this option is selected, an analyst can drag a selection box around two brand bubbles in the widget to automatically display those brands in the targeted Grid/Graph. If the option is cleared, the analyst must click the Select icon to update the target. a selector. This option does not enable the widget to be used asGrid/GraphYou must enable attributes or attribute elements in the that contains the widget. For more information about this specific requirement, see Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector, page 626.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget


An Interactive Stacked Graph widget presents a combination of a check box list and an area graph. The graph allows a user to see the contribution of various metric series to the change in value of a larger set of data.

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By selecting individual attribute elements (for example, a list of years) using the check boxes, analysts determine what data is displayed on the area graph on the right. When all check boxes are selected, the area graph is at its maximum size because it is representing contributions from each individual element. This widget allows you to visualize total metric values as one large stacked area, and the individual pieces of that total as smaller stacked areas within the large stacked area. You can quickly analyze how the individual parts make up the whole, which is useful when making percent-to-total comparisons. To see how the individual parts make up the whole, click the name of the attribute element on the left; you can select multiple items by holding CTRL and selecting elements.

The requirements for this type of widget are as follows: One attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. This attribute is displayed on the graph's X-axis. In the image below, this is the Month of Year attribute. One attribute on the columns of the Grid/Graph. This attribute is represented by the check box list on the left. In the image below, this is the Region attribute.

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One metric on the columns of the Grid/Graph. This metric is displayed on the graph's Y-axis. In the image below, this is the Revenue metric.

Data requirements for an Interactive Stacked Graph widget


To successfully create a useful Interactive Stacked Graph widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Interactive Stacked Graph widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Interactive Stacked Graph widget are described below: Two attributes, one on the rows and one on the columns.

The attribute placed on the columns appears in the list of check boxes on the left side of the widget. For example, if you place a Category attribute on the columns and then switch to Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the list of categories is displayed on the left as check boxes. You can select each check box to show or hide that specific data on the area graph.

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Attributes placed on the columns must appear to the left of any metrics on the columns. The attributes placed in the rows appear on the X-axis at the bottom of the area graph in the widget. For example, if you place a Region attribute in the rows and then switch to Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the regions are listed on the X-axis (the horizontal graph line) at the bottom of the area graph.

Only one metric on the columns. The metric values are displayed on the Y-axis of the graph.

Metrics must appear below (or to the right of) any attributes on the columns.

You can place any number of attributes on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, but it can have only one metric. An Interactive Stacked Graph widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector, page 628. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for an Interactive Stacked Graph widget


By default, an Interactive Stacked Graph widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Interactive Stacked Graph dialog box in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, you can change the: Font of the text that appears in the graph. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a graph, page 612. Color of the check boxes on the left side of the graph. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614.

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This formatting is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify the: Color of the area graph's series. Color of the line that appears between different series. Whether target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers the cursor over the graph or legend. only if the widget is a selector This option is appliedand panel stacks. Forused asinformationtoon update Grid/Graphs more how an Interactive Stacked Graph widget is used as a selector, see Using an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector, page 628. For instructions to use a widget as a selector, see Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector, page 621. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Thermometer widget


A Thermometer widget is a simple status indicator that displays a thermometer set to a certain temperature level. The temperature level within the thermometer is a visual representation of a single metric value. This type of widget is ideal for tracking progress toward a goal. Like the Gauge and Cylinder widgets, this type of widget is designed to display the value of a single metric. The Thermometer widget is most useful when combined with a selector because this allows users to selectively choose specific metric values to

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display in the thermometer. In the image below, the thermometer level represents the number of units sold.

Data requirements for a Thermometer widget


To successfully create a useful Thermometer widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Thermometer widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Thermometer widget are described below: One attribute on the rows. The attribute elements are displayed in the selector you use to display different data in the widget. One metric on the columns. The metric values determine the temperature level within the thermometer.

You can place any number of attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget; there is no maximum number of attributes and metrics. A Thermometer widget requires a selector to allow a user to interact with it. For information about selectors, including procedures to create them, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

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It is recommended that you place the corresponding Grid/Graph beneath the selector. This allows you to see the Grid/Graph's values as you select different attribute elements from the selector and see how they change the appearance of the Thermometer widget. For instructions to insert a Grid/Graph, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Thermometer widget


By default, a Thermometer widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Thermometer dialog box in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Thermometer widget, you can change the: Number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. Font of the text that appears on the side of the thermometer. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer, page 611.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify the: Colors and shading scheme of the thermometer The minimum and maximum values of the thermometer, which appear at the bottom and top of the thermometer

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Defining a Time Series Slider widget


A Time Series Slider widget is an area graph that allows a document analyst to choose which section of the graph to view at a time. The widget consists of two related graphs, one positioned above the other. The top graph is the controller, and contains a slider. The bottom graph is the primary graph. You use the slider on the controller to select some portion of the controller, which determines the range of data visible in the primary graph. Time series datasets are often long and require analysis from both a macro and micro view. Therefore, the time series slider widget requires only one attribute, preferably one with many values. This attribute is normally time-based, but it does not have to be. The widget also requires only one metric. In the graph: The X-axis represents the attribute. In the image below, this is the Month attribute. The Y-axis represents the metric. In the image below, this is the Revenue metric.

two metrics columns of If you includewidget, a line on theis displayed the Grid/Graph that contains the graph with the area graph.

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Data requirements for a Time Series Slider widget


To successfully create a useful Time Series Slider widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Time Series Slider widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Time Series Slider widget are described below: One attribute on the rows, preferably time-based. The attribute elements are displayed along the X-axis. One metric on the columns. The metric values are displayed along the Y-axis. If you include two metrics, a line graph and an area graph are displayed together.

You can place any number of attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget; there is no maximum number of attributes and metrics. A Time Series Slider widget does not require a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can add a selector to allow users to change the attributes that are displayed in the widget. If you add a selector, it is also recommended that you include the corresponding Grid/Graph as well. This allows the user to see the Grid/Graph's values as you choose different attribute elements from the selector. For instructions, see Defining a selector, page 423 and Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. A Time Series Slider widget can be used as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Time Series Slider widget as a selector, page 630. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Time Series Slider widget


By default, a Time Series widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Time Series Slider dialog box in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Time Series Slider widget, you can change: The font of the text that appears in the graph. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a graph, page 612. The color of the area graph series. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. Whether or not the graph legend is displayed, and its formatting. For instructions, see Formatting the legend, page 616.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: Whether to display the graph legend inside or outside the graph. Whether the height of the Y-axis of the primary graph is fixed or automatically resized to the displayed data. Whether or not to view only a subset of the dataset on the graph. This data sampling option displays an equally-dispersed set of X-axis values on the graph, to provide an overall impression about the graphs value. You can specify the number of data points that are displayed. a subset only if are working with datasets You should view data points will you affect the overall meaning in which removing not of the graph. Whether or not to display all series as lines on the graph. By default, the first series in the graph is displayed as an area graph. The slider position, which determines the range of values that are displayed in the widget when the document opens. The slider can be given a default position, or return to the same position it was in when the document was last saved. Whether the slider or the primary graph is used as a selector. Target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers the cursor over either a data point in the primary graph or a range of data in the slider. only if the widget is a selector This option is appliedand panel stacks. Forused asinformationtoon update Grid/Graphs more how a Time Series Slider widget is used as a selector, see Using a Time Series Slider widget as a selector, page 630. For instructions to use a widget as a selector, see Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector, page 621.

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For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Waterfall widget


A Waterfall widget highlights the increments and decrements of the values of metrics over time. Analysts can use the widget to identify aspects of their business that are contributing to the fluctuations in the values. The widget can also be used to perform what-if analyses. The widget consists of a group of clustered bars displayed from left to right. The X-axis contains either attribute elements or metrics, depending on where the attributes and metrics are placed on the widgets template. The Y-axis displays a range of values based on the metrics on the widgets template. In the example shown below, metrics are displayed along the X-axis. The first bar represents the amount of sales revenue generated in 2006. The remaining bars in the widget represent the other metrics on the X-axis, including the Depreciation and Tax Expense metrics. These bars depict the business factors that diminished revenue and one factor (the Other Gains and Losses metric) that increased revenue. As a group, these bars highlight the contributions of various aspects of the business on total revenue from sales. This final value is represented by the last bar on the right, which represents Net Income for 2006.

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The increments and decrements in a Waterfall widget can be calculated and displayed in any of the following ways: Increments and decrements are calculated and displayed in the widget according to the metrics that are included on the Grid/Graph and the order of those metrics. It is recommended that you use this method when the metrics are on the rows of the Grid/Graph and the attributes are on the columns of the Grid/Graph. This allows you to place the metrics along the X-axis in a specific order and view the increment and decrement bars in that order. To ensure that the metrics determine how increments and decrements are calculated and displayed, select the Increments/Decrements Provided check box. For instructions on accessing this check box, which is available in the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, see Formatting for a Waterfall widget, page 550. Increments and decrements are automatically determined by the widget when it is displayed in MicroStrategy Web. They are calculated according to the metrics included on the Grid/Graph. It is recommended that you use this method when the metrics are on the columns of the Grid/Graph and the attributes are on the rows of the Grid/Graph. Using this method requires that you have placed metrics on the columns that depict the total value for each unit of time. To ensure that the widget automatically determines the increments and decrements, clear the Increments/Decrements Provided check box. For instructions on accessing this check box, which is available in the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, see Formatting for a Waterfall widget, page 550.

Data requirements for a Waterfall widget


To successfully create a useful Waterfall widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Waterfall widget can be successfully generated and can display data in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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The data requirements for a Waterfall widget are described below: At least one metric on the rows or columns. Any number of metrics and attributes can be placed on the rows and columns.

Bars based on the metric values are displayed in the widget. If attributes or metrics are placed on the rows, the attribute elements or metrics are displayed on the X-axis of the widget. If the rows contain both attributes and metrics, a combination of those objects is displayed.

the metrics on the generate If you wantand decrement barsGrid/Graph to place the the on increment in the widget, metrics the rows.

If attributes and/or metrics are placed on the columns, attribute elements and metrics are displayed in the legend. If the columns contain both attributes and metrics, a combination of those objects is displayed.

A Waterfall widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Waterfall widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Waterfall widget as a selector, page 634. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Waterfall widget


By default, a Waterfall widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its Grid/Graph. For example, the font colors and types contained in the widgets template can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Waterfall dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Waterfall widget, you can change: Whether or not the graph legend is displayed, and its formatting. For instructions, see Formatting the legend, page 616. The format of the Y axis value and manually specify the minimum and maximum values. For instructions, see Formatting the Y axis, page 615.

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The color of the bars (series). For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. The background color. The border color. Whether the data labels or titles are displayed along the X axis and Y axis. The format of the series data text. The format of the title. The number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. This formatting is done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610.

The formatting listed above is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). Instructions can be found in the Graphing chapter of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: The colors for the increments and decrements bars. By default, shades of red are used for the decrements and shades of green for the increments. You can instead select a base color for the increments and for the decrements. The first increment/decrement series uses the base color, and subsequent series are colored in a shade of the base color. If the base color is dark, additional series use lighter shades, otherwise they use darker ones. The border color. Whether or not to apply shadow effects on the bars. Whether increments and decrements are calculated by the widget or based on the metrics (that is, if the data provides the amount of increase or decrease per period). Whether the final bar is calculated by the widget or provided by the Grid/Graph data. The final bar is located on the far right of the widget. The label or name for the final bar. By default, it is displayed as Final, but you can rename it as Final Value or End of 2008, for example. This option is available only if the final bar is calculated by the widget.

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Whether to display or hide lines connecting adjacent bars of the same series. This option is only available if the widget contains a single series. Whether to show additional series in tooltips. This option is available only if the Grid/Graph contains attributes and metrics on different axes. Whether to stagger X axis labels if all the labels do not fit below the widget. By default, the labels are displayed on a single line rather than in staggered lines. If this option is selected, all the labels are displayed; none are removed from the widget. Whether to display or hide the horizontal target lines. You can specify the number of target lines, from zero to ten. When you return to Flash Mode, you can move the new target lines. Whether or not what-if analysis is enabled. What-if analysis allows users to modify the size of bars using bar handlers. Increasing or decreasing the size of a bar affects the values in the widget. A user can also review the history of his changes to the bar size, and reset the bars to their original values. Whether to display or hide bar handlers, which enable users to perform what-if analysis with the widget. If bar handlers are hidden, a user can display them by pointing to a bar. This option is available only if what-if analysis is enabled.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget


A Weighted List Viewer widget combines the data visualization techniques of thresholds and graphical weighting into a single visualization. This enables the analyst to assess the performance of a group of items. Thresholds in the widget highlight rows based on the value of the first metric on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. Specifically, rows are highlighted according to the range of values from the first metric on the Grid/Graphs columns. The rows are also ordered automatically so that metrics that are performing well are at the top and metrics that are

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performing poorly are at the bottom. A stacked bar graph is included next to the grid; it indicates the relative contribution, or weight, of each row.

In summary, the Weighted List Viewer widget has the following characteristics: A grid that provides attribute and metric values with threshold colors applied to the values from top to bottom. The color bands on the grid reflect the range of values of the first metric on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. In the example above, the top rows are green and represent the maximum value of the Order Count metric. The next rows are black, denoting neutral metric values, and gradually change into the red of the bottom rows. Red represents the minimum range of values of the Order Count metric. The green-to-black-to-red color gradient is automatically generated by the widget. You can specify whether to divide the metric values into two or three threshold color bands. (For the steps, see Formatting for a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 555.) A stacked contribution bar graph on the left that depicts the relative contribution or percent-to-total calculation of a metric. This bar reflects the values of the second metric on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget.

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Specific colors are used to depict good, neutral, and poor performance:

Green indicates good performance Black indicates neutral performance Red indicates poor performance

You can change these color settings, as described in Formatting for a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 555.

Data requirements for a Weighted List Viewer widget


To successfully create a useful Weighted List Viewer widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Weighted List Viewer widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. The data requirements for a Weighted List Viewer widget are described below: At least one attribute on the rows. The attributes elements are displayed in the grid rows of the widget. For example, if you place the Region attribute on the rows, each region is listed in the grid in the widget, with corresponding metric values on the right and a contribution graph on the left. At least two metrics on the columns. The metric data and corresponding colors displayed in the widget reflect the performance of different elements.

The first metric on the columns is the threshold metric. This metric is used to set the color of the rows. These colors are also displayed in the grid on the right side of the widget. The second metric on the columns is the weighting metric that determines the percent-to-total value for each business attribute. It is used to set the relative size of each section of the contribution graph on the left side of the widget. Additional metrics are displayed in the grid, but do not have any effect on the threshold colors or contribution graph on the left side of the widget.

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A Weighted List Viewer widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector, page 634. For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597.

Formatting for a Weighted List Viewer widget


By default, a Weighted List Viewer widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Weighted List Viewer dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Weighted List Viewer widget, you can change the number format of the metric values. For example, you can format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. This number formatting is done in Design View (Desktop) and in Design Mode and Editable Mode (MicroStrategy Web). In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can: Determine whether two or three color bands are displayed Select the band colors. These bands appear in the stacked bar chart on the left side of the widget and in the grid on the right side. Each color corresponds to good, neutral, or bad performance. Show or hide the lines on the stacked graph. Apply a glass-like effect to the entire widget.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Media widget


The Media widget allows you to present a variety of media such as video, audio, images, or website content on your dashboard. You can include media in the widget to provide background information about data or instructions
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on how to use the dashboard. You can also use the Media widget to enhance the look and feel of a dashboard. In the following dashboard, the Media widget in the top left corner shows a companys CEO addressing his employees on important trends in the latest figures.

By default, the video plays automatically when the document is opened. (This preference is determined by the document designer, as explained in Creating a Media widget, page 560). A document analyst can, at any time, pause, rewind, stop, or replay the video in the Media widget. One of the primary purposes of the Media widget is to present supplemental information about the data on a dashboard. For example, a regional manager can record a video that summarizes quarterly sales and discusses the significance of the data in a sales dashboard. Analysts can then view the dashboard in the context of this additional information and commentary. The Media widget can also be used for instructional purposes. For instance, a document designer can include audio or video files that explain how to use a dashboard. Analysts can use this information to focus on key data and take advantage of the dashboard's interactive features, allowing them to work with the dashboard more efficiently.

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Additionally, you can display HTML content from a website in the widget. For example, you can display a section of your internal corporate website that contains a business presentation. Website content that is refreshed frequently, such as numeric indicators on system usage, can also be useful media to present in the widget. To create a Media widget, you must specify the media file to play in the widget. The media file used in the widget can come from an online source or be stored locally on your machine or remotely on the corporate network. The media is presented automatically when the dashboard is loaded. It can also be displayed on demand by selecting the Play button in the widget or by selecting a specific attribute, document, or dataset. You can also configure the Media widget to play a media file based on the attribute, document, or dataset report selected in the dashboard. For example, select a quarter in the document, and a manager's video about the revenue for that quarter is displayed. Similarly, you can choose a region to play a video about the performance of the stores in that particular region. For more information about playing a media file automatically when a specific attribute is selected in the dashboard, see Viewing media related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 559. If your machine is running Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6, you must add .flv files to the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) types in IIS Manager. See Configuring IIS 6 in Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) to display Flash video, page 563 for instructions. You can export a dashboard containing a Media widget into a Flash file, so that users can view the widget and interact with it off-line, without a connection to MicroStrategy Intelligence Server or MicroStrategy Web Server. To ensure that the Media widget can play the media file off-line, the file name for the media file must be specified without a path. The media file must be stored in the same folder as the Flash file. When specified this way, the media file is not accessible when the dashboard is viewed online. For more information about Flash files and how to export dashboards, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help.

Requirements for Media widgets


Unlike some other widgets, the Media widget does not require attributes or metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, unless you define the widget as a target of an attribute selector in the dashboard. For details, see Viewing media related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 559.
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The Media widget can only play and display the file formats listed in the following table.
Media Type Video Audio Graphic Format .swf .flv .mp3 .gif .jpg .png .svg

graphic, video, or that To use athat the file has theaudio clip view is available on your network, ensure required or access privileges. Only specific HTML tags are supported by the Media widget. These HTML tags include the following: Anchor tag (<A>) Bold tag (<B>) Break tag (<BR>) Image tag (<IMG>) Italic tag (<I>) List item tag (<LI>) Paragraph tag (<P>) Underline tag (<U>)

The following HTML tags are not rendered in the widget, but content within the tags is displayed: <TABLE> <TR> <TD>

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<DIV> <FONT>

tag may The <FONT>example, be removed if it contains a CLASS attribute within it, for <font class="header">Welcome </font>. The following HTML tags and any content within the tags are not rendered in the widget. <SCRIPT> <STYLE> <SPAN>

Viewing media related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset


A Media widget can display video, audio, images, or website content related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset. For example, you can select the Northeast region from a Grid/Graph or selector to play a sales video for that region. In the video, the manager of the Northeast region discusses the sales performance of the region. If you select the West region in the dashboard, a video for the West sales region is played. You can also use this type of functionality with a store attribute. Depending on the store selected, the video recorded by that store's manager is played. Alternatively, the widget could present an audio update, show an image of the store, or display the store's home page. To play media related to a specific attribute, you must specify the name of the attribute when you specify the location of the media file. For example, several sales videos on a corporate website are devoted to different store locations; the sales videos are named East.swf, West.swf, and Northeast.swf. Specify the location of the video files in this format: http://www.example.com/videos/{[Region]}.swf. This ensures that different elements from the Region attribute, such as Northeast or West, trigger specific videos to play. Because the video's URL is dynamic, it displays a video corresponding to the attribute element you select. You can also play media files related to a document or dataset report by inserting the document or dataset report name in the URL or folder location in the following format: {[#name of document#]} or {[#name of dataset#]}.

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Follow the guidelines below to display media related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset report: Attribute names: Use the following format to specify the name of an attribute: {[name of attribute]}. For example, to display a video related to a specific marketing campaign, you can use the following format: http://www.example.com/MarketingCampaign Videos/{[Campaign]}.swf Use a + character to separate the names of different attributes or attribute elements. For example, if you are using a selector to filter the Store and Zip Code attributes, use the following format: http://www.example.com/videos/{[Store]+[ZipCode]} Document or dataset report names: Use the following format to specify the name of a document or dataset report: {[#name of document#]} or {[#name of dataset#]}

Creating a Media widget


To create a Media widget

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Insert a Grid/Graph into the document, if one is not already in the document. For a procedure, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. 3 Right-click the Grid/Graph to turn into a widget, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Widget tab. 5 From the Widget drop-down list, point to Flash, and then select Media . In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph displays as a Media widget. 6 You can change the Alternative display property, which determines how the widget looks in PDF View in Desktop, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, and when exported to Excel and PDF. The widget can display as a placeholder or as a Grid/Graph, or can be hidden. For more information, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. 7 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.
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Enable Flash Mode for Web

You must enable Flash Mode in the document so that you and other users can view the widget in Flash Mode in Web. 8 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 9 On the Document tab, in the Available display modes list, select the Flash check box. 10 You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. 11 Click OK to return to the document. 12 Save the document.
Specify the media content to display in the widget

You must specify the media content that the widget displays. You can also specify the play frequency options for the widget. 13 Open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 14 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 15 On the General tab, from the Content Type drop-down list, choose the type of media to present by selecting one of the following: Video Audio Web Content Image

specific video, audio, image file formats OnlyMedia widget. For a listandsupported formats,are supported in the of see Requirements for Media widgets, page 557.

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16 Specify the location of the content in the Default Feed field, as described below: If the media is stored on a network location or website, specify the network location of the file or websites URL using the following format: http://www.example.com/SalesVideos/South.swf

in the Folder paths cannotform of \\computer_name\videos\ South.swf be used to define a Media widget. To display media for a specific attribute, document, or dataset, specify a dynamic path that includes the name of the object. For more information and examples, see Viewing media related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 559.

Use a + character to include a space between words. For example, http://www.example.com/videos/Books+Electronics+


Music+Movies. If the Media widget will be exported to a Flash file in a dashboard, specify just the file name, without a path, such as South.swf. For more information about exporting dashboards, see the MicroStrategy Document Analysis Guide or the Desktop Help.

is specified without path, the If the file nameoff-line in a Flash fileabut cannotMedia widget can display the file access the file to play it online. 17 If you selected Web Content as the Content Type and the Web content is located on a different Web domain than the one used for MicroStrategy Web, select the Use Proxy check box. 18 Select the Play Frequency tab. 19 To display the Play button in the widget, select the Show play button control check box.

If the Play button is not displayed, the media cannot be controlled by the user.
20 To play the media file automatically when the dashboard is loaded, select the Auto Play on Start check box. 21 From the drop-down list, select Continuous Play (Loop) to play the video continuously in a loop or select Play Once to play the video only once. 22 Click OK to apply the changes.

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Define the path in Adobe Flash Player

If the Media widget will not play the media file in MicroStrategy Web after you have followed the procedure above, define the path of the media file through Adobe Flash Player, as described below: 1 Open the Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager at http://www.macromedia.com/support/ documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04. html. 2 Click the Global Security Settings tab. 3 Select Add location from the Always trust files in these locations drop-down-list. 4 Enter the path of the media file, such as http://www.example.com/SalesVideos/ or D:\media files. 5 Click Confirm to save the path.

Configuring IIS 6 in Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) to display Flash video
If your machine is running Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6, you must add .flv files to the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) types in IIS Manager. If you do not modify the MIME types in IIS, the Media widget cannot function properly in this environment. A procedure to add the flv files is included below. If your machine is operating in a different environment, this procedure is not required. discussed in the procedure below The third-partybyproduct(s)independent of MicroStrategy. is manufactured vendors MicroStrategy makes no warranty, express, implied, or otherwise, regarding this product, including its performance or reliability.

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To add .flv files to the MIME types in Microsoft IIS 6

This procedure is only required if your machine is running Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) and Microsoft IIS 6.
1 From your Windows Start menu, select Control Panel, and then select Administrative tools. The Administrative Tools window opens. 2 Double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. IIS Manager opens. 3 Expand the (local computer) folder, expand Web Sites, and then expand Default Web Site. 4 Right-click MicroStrategy, and select Properties. The MicroStrategy Properties window opens. 5 On the HTTP Headers tab, click the MIME Types button in the MIME Types area. The MIME Types dialog box opens. 6 Click New. The MIME Type dialog box opens. 7 In the Extension text field, type flv. 8 In the MIME Type text field type video/x-flv. 9 Click OK. The MIME Type dialog box closes. 10 Click OK. The MIME Types dialog box closes. 11 Click OK. The MicroStrategy Properties window closes. 12 Restart IIS.

Formatting for a Media widget


In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can specify: The tooltip text, which displays when a user hovers the cursor over the widget. This text can be used to identify the media in the widget. The background color.

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Whether to show the content as a pop-up. You can determine whether the content is displayed inline or in a new window, and you can also specify the text of the button that is displayed in the widget. Whether to display the Play button in the widget. If the Play button is not displayed, the media cannot be controlled by the user. Whether to begin playing the feed data automatically or when the Play button is clicked. Whether to play the feed data once or loop it continuously.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Defining a Microcharts widget


The Microcharts widget consists of compact representations of data that allow analysts to quickly visualize trends in data. Microcharts convey information so that a user can, at a glance, determine the trend of a metric over time or how a metric is performing compared to forecasted figures. The Microcharts widget is useful for this purpose because individual microcharts can display attribute and metric data in a small graph that would otherwise be displayed as a single value in a grid report cell. Use a Microcharts widget to quickly visualize the trend of a metric at a glance without having to know many additional details. The bar, sparkline, and bullet microcharts used in the Microcharts widget convey information that an analyst can understand just by looking at the graph once. One, two, or three microcharts can be displayed in the Microcharts widget, depending on the number of metrics used on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For example, bar and sparkline microcharts are included on the left side of the widget shown below. These microcharts convey the trend of a metric over time, from left to right. On the right side of the widget, bullet microcharts reveal the percentage of cases that were closed, in correlation

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with the goals for the regions, which are represented by the vertical lines within the bullet microcharts.

You can view these rows of microcharts in several ways: All the microcharts As a scrolling ticker that moves horizontally As scrolling rows that move vertically

For details on how to implement one of these displays, see Viewing and interacting with a Microcharts widget: operation modes, page 568. The number of rows in the widget represents the number of elements from the first attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For example, the widget above has seven rows of regional data because the Region attribute on the Grid/Graphs rows has seven different elements, or regions. Some of the metrics on the Grid/Graph are used to create the microcharts in the widget, such as a sparkline or bar chart. Each of the following

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microcharts provides a unique way to visualize your data, as described below:


Microchart Bar chart Description Bar microcharts plot a metric with respect to time using a single bar, displaying a metrics current value and historical data to visualize the shape of the trend. Sparkline microcharts plot a metric with respect to time using a line graph, displaying a metrics current value and historical data to visualize the shape of the trend. Sparkline microcharts consist of the following: A line graph that depicts the metrics value over time. A horizontal reference line, which provides a comparison point between the actual values and the reference values. Bullet chart Bullet microcharts compare the value of one metric against other metrics, typically representing a target value. One common example is comparing the year-to-date value of a metric to the annual target or the forecast of the metric. Bullet charts consist of the following: A horizontal performance measure bar. This represents the actual metric value. A vertical reference line, which is typically the target value for the metric. Colored reference bands (Band 1, Band 2, and Band 3) that indicate a numeric range in which the metrics values exist.

Sparklines

Each type of microchart needs different data requirements, as described in Data requirements for a Microcharts widget, page 581.

Showing and hiding microchart types


Prerequisite
This procedure assumes you have already created a Microcharts widget; for instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597.

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To show or hide a type of microchart

1 Use Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to open a document containing a Microcharts widget. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 From the drop-down list, select Options. 4 To show or hide bar microcharts: a Click the Bar tab. b Select or clear the Show bar graph check box. 5 To show or hide sparkline microcharts: a Click the Sparkline tab. b Select or clear the Show sparkline graph check box. 6 To show or hide bullet microcharts: a Click the Bullet tab. b Select or clear the Show bullet graph check box. 7 Click OK to save your changes.

Viewing and interacting with a Microcharts widget: operation modes


Users can view and interact with a Microcharts widget in several ways, known as operation modes. Each of these modes provides the user with a unique way of analyzing the microcharts and data within the widget.

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These modes include the following: Grid: This is the default operation mode for a Microcharts widget. In this mode, all the rows of microcharts are displayed at the same time, from top to bottom, as shown below:

While in Grid mode, if the rows of the Grid/Graph have at least three attributes, each attribute except the right-most attribute is combined and displayed as a row in the widget. For example, if Region is the first attribute and Call Center is the second attribute, rows are displayed for Northeast Boston and Northeast New York. You can specify that the widget groups and indents these rows in a hierarchical tree display. The groups can then be collapsed or expanded to show different levels of detail, with each level representing a different attribute. For an example, and steps to enable tree display, see Enabling Grid mode to view rows in a tree, page 576. Vertical Scroll: In this mode, you can view each row of microcharts as they automatically scroll from the top to the bottom. You can also manually navigate from one row to the next using the Previous and Next buttons on the right side of the widget, as shown below:

For steps to view microchart rows one at a time, see Enabling Vertical Scroll mode to view rows one at a time, page 577. Ticker: In this mode, microcharts and supplemental text are displayed in a scrolling ticker that moves from right to left, as shown below. You can add text next to each microchart to provide background information or

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highlight a trend displayed in the microchart. This text is displayed alongside the microcharts as they scroll horizontally, as shown below:

For details, examples, and steps to view microchart rows as scrolling tickers, see Enabling Ticker mode to view microchart rows as scrolling tickers, page 578.

Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode


If you are viewing the widget in Grid mode or Vertical Scroll mode, you can view key performance indicators (KPIs) by enabling KPI List mode. A KPI is a measurement that tracks progress towards a goal. In KPI List mode, a list of KPIs such as Profit Margin and Revenue is displayed, with each KPI represented by its own row of microcharts. The trend of a specific KPI is now easier to understand because all data for the KPI is presented in one row of microcharts. When KPI List mode is disabled, sparklines represent only a single metric or KPI. KPI List mode is available only if the following conditions are met: The Microcharts widget is viewed in Grid mode or Vertical Scroll mode. The rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget contain only one attribute. The attribute should be a time-based attribute, such as Month, since it controls the time series of the bar charts and sparklines in the widget.

When an analyst views the Microcharts widget in KPI List mode, he can see KPIs such as Profit, Revenue, and Cost as separate rows of microcharts in a

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compact list, called the KPI list. Each row of microcharts tracks a specific KPI over time, as shown in the image below:

After enabling KPI List mode, you must determine how many of the metrics on the Grid/Graph are used to generate each row of KPI microcharts. For example, the following Grid/Graph, which was used to create the widget shown above, contains nine metrics in its columns:

If you specify three as the number of metrics to use per KPI in this widget: The first three metrics are used to create a row of microcharts for the Revenue KPI. This set of metrics is indicated by the first circle in the image above. These three metrics produce the first row of the widget example above, labeled as Revenue. The fourth, fifth, and sixth metrics are used to create a row of microcharts for the Profit KPI, as grouped by the second circle. They produce the second row of the widget example above, labeled as Profit. The seventh, eighth, and ninth metrics are used to create a row of microcharts for the Cost KPI, as indicated by the third circle. They product the third row of the widget example above, labeled as Cost.

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The number of metrics to use per KPI also determines the types of microcharts that are displayed in the widget, as explained below. If only one metric is used per KPI, only sparkline and bar charts and their associated metrics can be displayed in the KPI list, as shown below. The horizontal reference line is not displayed in the sparklines. Notice that not all the metrics in the widget are displayed, as indicated by the scroll bar.

If two metrics are used per KPI, only sparkline and bar charts and their associated metrics can be displayed in the KPI list, as shown below. The horizontal reference line is also displayed in the microcharts, unlike if one metric is used. The entire widget is displayed below; notice that some metrics are no longer listed as individual rows.

If three to six metrics are used per KPI, any additional metrics are displayed to the right of the sparkline or bar charts and their associated metrics in the KPI list. The KPI list below uses three metrics per KPI.

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Notice that no additional metrics are displayed as individual rows in the widget.

If seven or more metrics are used per KPI, the KPI list can display sparkline, bar, and bullet microcharts. Any additional metrics are displayed to the right of the sparkline and bar microcharts. The KPI list below uses seven metrics per KPI.

widget from the Grid/Graph that in Thispreviouswas not createdGrid/Graph for this widgetwas used 21 the examples. The contains metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, so that seven metrics can be used for each of the three KPIs. For example, the first seven metrics are used to create the row of microcharts for the Revenue KPI. The following procedure describes how to view a list of KPIs as individual microcharts in the Microcharts widget.

Prerequisites
This procedure assumes that the Grid/Graph in Design Mode or Editable Mode contains only one attribute on its rows. A widget can be viewed in KPI List mode when there is only one attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For an explanation of the required configurations for a widget that supports KPI List mode, see Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570.

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This procedure assumes you have already created a Microcharts widget; for instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597.

To view a list of KPIs as microcharts

1 Use Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to open a document containing a Microcharts widget. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Microcharts Widget Properties dialog box opens. 3 From the drop-down list at the top left of the dialog box, select Mode. 4 On the Mode tab, from the Operation Mode drop-down list, select Grid or Vertical Scroll. Since the Grid/Graph that contains the widget has only one attribute on the rows, the KPI List Mode check box is selected by default.
Specifying the number of metrics to use per KPI

5 In the Metrics per KPI field, specify the number of metrics on the Grid/Graph to use to generate the rows of microcharts for the KPIs. For details about how the number of metrics to use per KPI affects the display of the widget, see the examples in Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570.
Naming the metrics associated with microcharts

You can name the column that displays the metric associated with the sparklines or bullet charts. This metric is the same as the last data point within the sparklines and bullet charts. For example, in the widget below, the last data point in the microcharts is the same value that is displayed to

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the right of the sparkline. Therefore, a name such as This Quarter is an appropriate label for the column with this associated metrics values, since the last data point is for the most recent quarter.

6 From the drop-down list at the top left of the dialog box, select Labels. 7 You can add a label for the metric associated with the sparklines to name the column that contains the metric values associated with the sparklines. To do this, on the Sparkline tab, in the Associated Metric field, type a name for the column that contains the metric values associated with the sparklines. For example, you can name this column This Quarter. This label is displayed in the column header and tooltip regardless of whether the sparklines are hidden from view. 8 You can add a label for the metric associated with the bullet charts, for example, to name the column that contains the metric values associated with the bullet charts. To do this, on the Bullet tab, in the Associated Metric field, type a name for the column that contains the metric values associated with the bullet charts. For example, you can name this column This Quarter. This label is displayed in the column header and tooltip regardless of whether the bullet charts are hidden from view. 9 Click OK to apply the changes to the widget.

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Enabling Grid mode to view rows in a tree


Grid mode displays all the rows of microcharts at the same time, from top to bottom, as shown below:

If the rows of the Grid/Graph have at least three attributes, each attribute except the right-most attribute is combined and displayed as a row in the widget. For example, if Region is the first attribute and Call Center is the second attribute, rows are displayed for Northeast Boston and Northeast New York. You can specify that the widget groups and indents these rows in a hierarchical tree display. The groups can then be collapsed or expanded to show different levels of detail, with each level representing a different attribute. In the image below, rows are grouped by the Region attribute. The Northeast group is expanded to display the elements of the Call Center attribute, with the rows Boston and New York. You can accommodate up to ten attributes in the tree display.

When the rows are displayed in the tree display, you can set the aggregation function. The aggregation function determines how the totals for the groups are calculated. For example, if a group consists of several regions, the aggregation function can be defined as Average, to average the metric values across all the regions in the group.
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Enabling tree display and specifying the aggregation function must be done in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, as described in the following procedure.
To allow users to view microchart rows in a tree display

This procedure assumes you have already created a Microcharts widget; for instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597. 1 Use Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to open a document containing a Microcharts widget. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Microcharts Widget Properties dialog box opens. 3 By default, a Microcharts widget is displayed in Grid mode. If it is not, enable Grid mode: a From the drop-down list at the top left of the dialog box, select Mode. b On the Mode tab, from the Operation Mode drop-down list, select Grid. 4 Select the Tree display check box. 5 Select the Aggregation function from the drop-down list. The options are: Sum Average Count Max Min

6 Click OK to apply the changes to the widget.

Enabling Vertical Scroll mode to view rows one at a time


Vertical Scroll Mode allows users to analyze each row of a Microcharts widget one at a time. In this mode, rows are displayed in the widget one at a time as they scroll automatically from the top to the bottom. Users can also

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manually scroll from one row to another using the Previous and Next buttons in the widget. The following procedure describes how to enable Vertical Scroll mode in Flash Mode.
To allow users to view microchart rows one at a time

This procedure assumes you have already created a Microcharts widget; for instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597. 1 Use Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to open a document containing a Microcharts widget. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Microcharts Widget Properties dialog box opens. 3 From the drop-down list at the top left of the dialog box, select Mode. 4 On the Mode tab, from the Operation Mode drop-down list, select Vertical Scroll. 5 You can enable manual scrolling from one row to another. To do this, on the Vertical Scroll tab, select the Previous/Next buttons check box to display the Previous and Next buttons. These are used to manually scroll from one microchart row to another. 6 Define the speed of the vertical scrolling by selecting an option from the Motion drop-down list. 7 Click OK to apply the changes to the widget.

Enabling Ticker mode to view microchart rows as scrolling tickers


You can highlight a trend displayed in a specific microchart or provide background information by adding text and variables next to the microchart. The content that you include is displayed in a ticker that scrolls from right to left alongside the microcharts, when the widget is viewed in Ticker mode. A ticker is a combination of text and variables. The text is static, while the values of the variables are displayed at run time. For example, a variable can alert users when profits dip below a specified target.
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You can define two tickers in a Microcharts widget. Which ticker is displayed in the widget depends on the following: Ticker 1 is displayed when the third metric (the performance metric) on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget is equal to or greater than the target value. The target value is represented by the seventh metric. Consider this when defining the text that is displayed for this ticker. Ticker 2 is displayed when the third metric (the performance metric) on the Grid/Graph is less than the target value, which is represented by the seventh metric. Consider this when defining the text that is displayed for this ticker.

The following example uses variables to define the text that appears in Ticker 2. Recall that Ticker 2 is displayed when the third metrics (the performance metric) values are less than the target values represented by the seventh metric. The text in braces contains the variables for a microchart, attribute, or metric. {&sparkline} The {Region} Region has NOT reached its profit target of {[Profit Target]} {&bullet} The resulting ticker is displayed below. When you click the text, a larger version of the ticker is displayed.

The following procedure describes how to view the rows of a Microcharts widget in a scrolling ticker that automatically moves from right to left.

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Prerequisite
This procedure assumes you have already created a Microcharts widget; for instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597.
To allow users to view microchart rows as scrolling tickers

1 Use Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to open the document containing the Microcharts widget. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Microcharts Widget Properties dialog box opens. 3 From the drop-down list at the top left of the dialog box, select Mode. 4 On the Mode tab, in the Operation Mode drop-down list, select Ticker. 5 On the Ticker tab, type a name for the ticker in the Title field. This name appears above the ticker. 6 Users can choose to manually scroll from one row to another. To allow this, select the Previous/Next buttons check box to display the Previous and Next buttons, which are used to manually move the ticker data across the screen. 7 Select or clear the Enable detail view check box to display or hide a detailed view of each row. The detail view displays a larger version of the row when you click the text within the scrolling row. This view is similar to the view in Grid operation mode. 8 Define the speed of the scrolling ticker by selecting an option from the Motion drop-down list.
Define the text that appears in the tickers

Ticker 1 is displayed when the third metrics (the performance metric) values are equal to or greater than the target values represented by the seventh metric. Ticker 2 is displayed when the third metrics values are less than the target values represented by the seventh metric.

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9 To define the text that appears in the tickers, in the Ticker 1 and Ticker 2 fields, type values for the tickers. You can use the following variables to define the text for tickers: Microcharts: Type one of the following to display specific types of dynamic microcharts at run time: {&bullet} for bullet microcharts {&bar} for bar microcharts {&sparkline} for sparkline microcharts For example, {&sparkline} is replaced by the corresponding sparkline microchart when the document is executed. Using the ampersand (&) before variables for the microcharts such as {&bullet} or {&sparkline} ensures that the variables refer to dynamic data values in the widget. Attributes and Metrics: Enter attributes and metrics in braces (that is, {}) to display dynamic attributes and metrics at run time. For example, enter {name of attribute or metric} to display the corresponding values of the attribute or metric at run time. To specify attributes or metrics that are composed of more than one word, include brackets as shown in the following example: {[Revenue Forecast]}. 10 From the Ticker 1 color and Ticker 2 color drop-down lists, select a font color for Ticker 1 and Ticker 2, respectively. 11 Click OK to apply the changes to the widget.

Data requirements for a Microcharts widget


To successfully create a useful Microcharts widget that can be used to analyze data, you must first correctly define the Grid/Graph. To do this, you must place report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph. The report objects and their placement on the Grid/Graph determine whether the Microcharts widget can be successfully generated and can display data in MicroStrategy Web. A Microcharts widget does not need a separate selector to allow a user to interact with it. However, you can use a Microcharts widget as a selector. For an example and more information, see Using a Microcharts widget as a selector, page 630.

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Each type of microchart needs different data requirements, as described in the following table:
Microchart Type Simultaneous bar, sparkline, and bullet microcharts Report Object Requirements on the Grid/Graph These requirements produce all three types of microcharts, although bar charts are hidden by default. For instructions on how to show them, see To show or hide a type of microchart, page 568. At least two attributes on the rows, unless KPI List mode is used. For requirements for KPI List mode, see Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570. The last (right-most) attribute on the rows determines the X-axis values in the bar and sparkline microcharts in the widget. The remainder of the attributes on the rows (the first, second, third, fourth, and so on) determine the total number of rows displayed in the widget. The elements from those attributes become individual rows in the widget. At least seven metrics on the columns. The first (left-most) metric on the columns determines the height of the bars in the bar microcharts and the peak points in the sparkline microcharts. The second metric creates the horizontal reference lines that are displayed in the sparkline microcharts. The third metric determines the length of the performance measure bar in the bullet microcharts. The bar represents the actual metric value. The fourth metric determines the maximum possible values in the bullet microcharts. The fifth metric determines the right-most boundary of the first color band, Band 1, in the bullet microcharts. The sixth metric determines the right-most boundary of the second color band, Band 2, in the bullet microcharts. The seventh metric determines the value of the vertical reference line in the bullet microcharts, which is typically the target value for the metric. Any additional metrics are displayed in the columns of the widget, after the microcharts and their associated metrics.

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Microchart Type Bar and/or sparkline microcharts

Report Object Requirements on the Grid/Graph Bar and sparkline microcharts are based on the same metrics and are therefore designed in a similar way. Bar microcharts are hidden by default; for instructions to display them, see Showing and hiding microchart types, page 567. At least two attributes on the rows, unless KPI List mode is used. For requirements for KPI List mode, see Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570. The last (right-most) attribute on the rows determines the X-axis values in the bar and sparkline microcharts in the widget. The remainder of the attributes on the rows (the first, second, third, fourth, and so on) determine the total number of rows displayed in the widget. The elements from those attributes become individual rows in the widget. At least two metrics on the columns. The first (left-most) metric on the columns determines the height of the bars in the bar microcharts and the peak points in the line graphs in the sparkline microcharts. The second metric creates the horizontal reference lines that are displayed in the sparkline microcharts. If you place a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth metric on the columns, the metrics are displayed as individual columns in the widget. These columns are displayed after the microcharts and metrics associated with the microcharts. If you place a seventh metric on the columns, you can produce bullet microcharts. See Viewing and interacting with a Microcharts widget: operation modes, page 568 for more information.

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Microchart Type Bullet microcharts

Report Object Requirements on the Grid/Graph These requirements produce bullet microcharts, but sparkline and bar microcharts are automatically produced as well. By default, the bar microcharts are hidden, while the others are displayed. For instructions on how to hide the sparkline microcharts as well, see To show or hide a type of microchart, page 568. At least two attributes on the rows, unless KPI List mode is used. For requirements for KPI List mode, see Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570. The last (right-most) attribute on the rows determines the X-axis values in the bar and sparkline microcharts in the widget. The remainder of the attributes on the rows (the first, second, third, fourth, and so on) determine the total number of rows displayed in the widget. The elements from those attributes become individual rows in the widget. At least seven metrics on the columns. The first (left-most) metric on the columns determines the height of the bars in the bar microcharts and the peak points in the sparkline microcharts. This applies even if you want to display only bullet microcharts. The second metric creates the horizontal reference lines that are displayed in the sparkline microcharts. This applies even if you want to display only bullet microcharts. The third metric determines the length of the performance measure bar in the bullet microcharts. The bar represents the actual metric value. The fourth metric determines the maximum possible values in the bullet microcharts. The fifth metric determines the right-most boundary of the first color band, Band 1, in the bullet microcharts. The sixth metric determines the right-most boundary of the second color band, Band 2, in the bullet microcharts. The seventh metric determines the value of the vertical reference line, which is typically the target value for the metric. Any additional metrics are displayed in the columns of the widget, after the microcharts and their associated metrics.

KPI List mode For KPI List mode, only one attribute can be included on the rows. This attribute should be time-based, since it controls the time series of the bar charts and sparklines in the widget. If only one attribute is placed on the rows, the widget can only be viewed in KPI List mode. For more information, see Viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts: KPI List mode, page 570.

For instructions to create a widget, see Creating widgets, page 597. You can add links to an Interactive Bubble Graph widget. Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). If you add a link to a Microcharts widget, a Links menu is displayed when a MicroStrategy Web user hovers the cursor over a bar chart or sparkline graph in the widget. The user can click a link in

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the Links menu to open the target. See Linking in widgets, page 659 for instructions and examples.

Formatting for a Microcharts widget


By default, a Microcharts widget automatically inherits some of the formatting contained in its underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Microcharts dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. A widget also has additional formatting specific to the type of widget. For a Microcharts widget, you can format the different types of microcharts, as well as the entire widget. Some formatting can be done in Design View in Desktop and in Design Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, while other formatting can only be completed in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The following table lists all the formatting options that are available for a Microcharts widget. For detailed instructions on formatting reports and graphs, and therefore a Microcharts widget, see the Reports and Graphing chapters of the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide or the Desktop Help. For detailed instructions to format a Microcharts widget in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.
Formatting Option Dialog Box to Use

Formatting the entire Microcharts widget Column headers Format the attribute values on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, using Desktop or in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Format the font and color of the first metrics values on the Grid/Graph, using Desktop or in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Format the first metrics values on the Grid/Graph, using Desktop or in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Attribute element names

Metric values Note: You cannot format individual metric columns. Transparency of the background of the widget

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Formatting Option Display the metrics for microcharts that are hidden from view

Dialog Box to Use Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For example, even if bullet microcharts are disabled in the widget, you can choose to display the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth metrics for the bullet charts in the widget. Mode tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Note: Hiding the column headers is convenient if you plan to use text fields above the widget.

Display or hide the column headers

Hide columns that contain attributes or text, such as metric columns in KPI List mode

Mode tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Note: Hiding text columns is similar to removing attribute column headers in a grid report. It is often convenient to hide text columns if you plan to include multiple microcharts next to one another that share the same attributes. Mode tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Lock the layout, which ensures that the following tasks cannot be performed in the widget: Sorting the data within columns Reordering columns Changing the size of columns

Formatting the bar microcharts Show or hide the bar microcharts Show or hide the minimum and maximum values for the bar microcharts Adjust the color of the bars (series) in the bar microcharts Add a descriptive column header name above the bar microcharts Bar tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bar tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bar tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bar tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Formatting the sparkline microcharts Show or hide the sparkline microcharts Show or hide the markers on the line graph in the sparkline microcharts Bar tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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Formatting Option Show or hide the horizontal reference line or sparkline background (reference area) Show or hide the metric column and values associated with the sparkline microcharts Color of the fluctuating line (series) in the sparkline microcharts Color of the horizontal reference line or sparkline background (reference area) Display a descriptive column header name above the sparkline microcharts Formatting bullet microcharts Show or hide the bullet microcharts Show or hide the vertical reference line or color bands Show or hide the legend for the bullet microcharts Show or hide the metric column and values associated with the bullet microcharts Color of the performance bar (positive and negative values) Color of the vertical target line Color of the reference bands Display a descriptive column header name above the bullet microcharts Display descriptive band names in the legend Display the bullet microchart from left to right, or right to left (inverted)

Dialog Box to Use Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Sparkline tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Bullet tab of the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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Defining an RSS Reader widget


RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a data format used to display updated web content when you click a URL. An RSS document is called a feed, and it contains either a summary of the content from an associated website or the full text. The RSS Reader widget helps provide a 360-degree view of your business by allowing you to compare and contrast data in your dashboard with information from external news feed sources. The RSS Reader widget in the example below retrieves news from an RSS news feed, which can be displayed alongside the other components of your dashboard. The RSS feed is automatically reloaded to display the most up-to-date news about a variety of topics that you specify. When an analyst selects a news item from the list, the beginning of the article is displayed in the details section at the top. Clicking the articles text opens the full article in a new window. An analyst can refresh the list of news articles by clicking the Refresh icon at the top left of the widget. He can also navigate to and from different pages of news articles by using the arrows at the bottom.

Analysts can use RSS Reader widgets on a dashboard to view and update their favorite RSS news feeds as they analyze grids, graphs, and other objects in the dashboard.

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For example, you are viewing a dashboard with sales figures for some of your local customers. You can configure the RSS Reader widget to display up-to-the-minute news about those customers. This allows you to view both sales data and news information about the same customers in one place. Consider another example. One of your reports provides sales figures for a group of stores in northern California. Using an RSS feed, you can display local industry news for that specific region, which can provide valuable background information about those sales figures. To extend this relationship between your business data and recent news, you can configure an RSS feed to be connected to specific attributes in your document. For example, you can click a customer's name on a report to view updated RSS news information about that customer. For more information on displaying news related to an attribute on your dashboard, see Viewing news related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 591. You can display the RSS Reader widget as a widget in MicroStrategy Web, or on an iPhone with MicroStrategy Mobile. You can format how the RSS Reader widget is displayed on the iPhone, including how news items are displayed, which URLs are used to provide RSS feeds for the widget, and so on. For a complete list, see Formatting RSS Reader widgets for the iPhone, page 810. For more information on widgets for mobile devices, see Widgets for mobile devices, page 792.

The RSS widget supports both RSS 1.0 and RSS 2.0 formats.
Static vs. dynamic RSS feeds
You can configure an RSS widget to display one of the following types of RSS feeds: Static RSS Feeds: Static feeds display a default set of news about a general topic, such as business or technology. These feeds are considered static because their URLs are pre-configured to display information on a single topic. The following are some examples of static RSS feeds: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/business http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/world http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/rss/business/ index.xml

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http://feeds.reuters.com/reuters/businessNews

these The URLs forrelated feeds can be modified to display specific information to data on your dashboard, as discussed below. Dynamic RSS Feeds: Dynamic feeds are URLs that have been modified to display information about a specific topic. You can use these versatile analysis tools in the RSS Reader widget to view:

News related to a specific topic. To create a dynamic feed that displays news about a specific topic, you must specify the topic in the RSS feed's URL and modify other parameters. For additional details and an example, see Viewing news related to a specific topic, page 590. News related to a specific MicroStrategy attribute, document, or dataset. To create a dynamic feed that displays news about the object, you must specify the object in the RSS feed's URL and adjust other parameters. For details and steps, see Viewing news related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 591.

Depending on a feeds RSS provider, you can create a dynamic RSS feed by either modifying a static RSS feed's URL or using a new, dynamic URL. The method to use depends on the provider of the RSS feed. Regardless of the method that you use, you must enter appropriate parameters in the RSS feeds URL to retrieve and display news on a specific topic. These parameters include a query parameter, which defines the topic you are searching for, as well as language and country parameters.

Viewing news related to a specific topic


The RSS Reader widget can automatically display news related to a specific topic. For example, you can display news about a specific company as you analyze related data in the dashboard. To display news about an attribute element, you must use a dynamic RSS feed URL in the widget. For example, to use a Yahoo! RSS feed to search for and display news related to MicroStrategy, you must use a URL such as the following: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=mstr&ei=UTF-8 &fl=0&x=wrt

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This URL includes the necessary p= query parameter, as well as the URLs Universal Transformation Code (UTF) encoding and language properties. such the one above, parameter for UTF. Some URLs,specifyasthis parameter ininclude ause UTF-8 encoding.If you have to a URL, Similarly, to search on retail sales, you can modify the URL as follows: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=Retail+Sales& ei=UTF-8&fl=0&x=wrt

Use a + character to include a space between words.


The query and language parameters used in a dynamic feed URL differ depending on the RSS feed you are using. Consult your RSS news provider's website for information about the parameters and syntax to use in the RSS feed's URL.

Viewing news related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset


The RSS Reader widget can automatically display news related to any attribute in your dashboard. For example, if the name of a digital music player is selected from the Item attribute in a report, news related to that digital music player is retrieved from the RSS news source and displayed in the widget. To display news about an attribute element, you must use a dynamic RSS feed URL in the widget. For example, if you are using a Yahoo! RSS feed and want to display news for any category selected from the Category attribute, you must define the RSS feed's URL as follows: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p={[Category]}& ei=UTF-8&fl=0&x=wrt This URL includes the necessary p= query parameter, as well as the URLs Universal Transformation Code (UTF) encoding and language properties. such the one above, parameter for UTF. Some URLs,specifyasthis parameter ininclude ause UTF-8 encoding.If you have to a URL, The other requirements for displaying news about an attribute element are listed below:

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The RSS widgets template must contain the attribute. The attribute must be enabled as a selector. The RSS widget must be set as a target of the attribute.

For the Category attribute example above, this means that the Category attribute on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget must be enabled as a selector. Also, the widget must be set as the target of this attribute selector. This ensures that when an attribute element is selected from the Category attribute, news related to that category of products is displayed in the widget. Consider the following example. A Grid/Graph in a document displays sales information for a store in Delaware, which is an element of the Customer State attribute. You want to display local news on your dashboard so that a document analyst can correlate sales numbers to industry news for a particular state. To do this, set the RSS Reader widget as the target of the Customer State attribute. Use a dynamic RSS feed URL and a data field in the widget to ensure that the RSS Reader widget displays news related to the state selected in the document. A data field is dynamic text that is populated by the actual name of a report object (in this case, an attribute) at run time. For this example, the attribute data field to use in the RSS feed's query parameter is {[Customer State]}. For more information on data fields and instructions to create them, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53. A complete URL can look like the following: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p={[Customer State]}&ei=UTF-8&fl=0&x=wrt Consider another example. You want to view news about a customer when you select that customer's name from a selector in your dashboard. To achieve this, you must set the RSS Reader widget as a target of the selector. You must also insert a data field for the Customer attribute in the RSS feed's URL. When a customer is chosen from the selector, the widget displays news about that customer. For this example, the attribute data field to use in the RSS feed's query parameter is {[Customer]}. A complete URL may look like the following: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p={[Customer]}& ei=UTF-8&fl=0&x=wrt You can also display news related to a document or dataset report by inserting the document or dataset name in the query parameter of the RSS feed's URL. To do so, use either of the following formats in the RSS feed's URL:

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q={[#name of document#]} q={[#name of dataset#]}

Guidelines to specify URLs for attributes, documents, and datasets


Follow the guidelines below when specifying the URL for a dynamic RSS feed: Attribute names: Use this format to specify the query parameter in the RSS feed's URL: {[name of attribute]}.

Use a + character to separate the names of different attributes or attribute elements. For example, if you are using a selector to filter the Store and Zip Code attributes, type {[Store]+[ZipCode]}.

Document or dataset names: Use this format to specify the query parameter in the RSS feed's URL: {[#name of document/ dataset#]}.

Data requirements for an RSS Reader widget


An RSS Reader widget does not require attributes or metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget, unless the widget is a target of an attribute selector. For more information, see Viewing news related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 591.

Creating an RSS Reader widget


To create an RSS Reader widget

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Insert a Grid/Graph into the document, if one is not already in the document. For a procedure, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. 3 Right-click the Grid/Graph to turn into a widget, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Widget tab.

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5 Select RSS Reader from the Widget drop-down list. In MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph displays as an RSS Reader widget. 6 You can change the Alternative display property, which determines how the widget looks in PDF View in Desktop, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, and when exported to Excel and PDF. The widget can display as a placeholder or as a Grid/Graph, or can be hidden. For more information, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. 7 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.
Enable Flash Mode for MicroStrategy Web

You must enable Flash Mode in the document so that you and other users can view the widget in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 8 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 9 On the Document tab, in the Available display modes list, select the Flash check box. 10 You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. 11 Click OK to return to the document. 12 Save the document.
Specify the RSS feed to display in the widget

Specify the RSS feed to which the widget will connect. You can also specify the number of news articles that are displayed, the refresh frequency of the news articles, and other options. 13 Open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 14 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 15 Select the General tab. 16 To create a title that appears at the top right of the widget, enter the title text in the Feed Title field.

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17 Type a URL, as described below, in the RSS Feed URL field. You can type only one RSS feed. For static RSS feeds, type the RSS feed's URL. For example, to view news from the Yahoo! Business News RSS feed, enter the following: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/business. For dynamic RSS feeds, specify the base URL, any language or country parameters, and one of the following: To display news about a specific topic, insert the topic into the URLs query parameter. For example, to display MicroStrategy-related news using the p= query parameter in the Yahoo! RSS feed, enter the following: http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=mstr&ei= UTF-8&fl=0&x=wrt. For additional details and an example, see Viewing news related to a specific topic, page 590. To display news related to an attribute, document, or dataset, insert an auto code for the object in the URLs query parameter. To display news for an attribute, you must also set the Grid/Graph that contains the widget as the target of the attribute selector. For details, examples, and complete steps, see Viewing news related to a specific attribute, document, or dataset, page 591. 18 Specify the rate at which news items are automatically refreshed. Type this value in minutes in the Default Refresh Frequency field. 19 Type a number in the Items shown at a time field to specify the maximum number of news items that a user can see at a time. The default value is 10. 20 Select or clear the Open full article when clicked check box to determine whether a news article is opened in a new window when it is selected in the widget. 21 If the RSS feed is accessed through a proxy server, select the Use Proxy check box. 22 Click Save to apply the changes. To view and interact with the widget, you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web. You can then format and adjust the widget; for more information, see Formatting for an RSS Reader widget, page 596 and the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Formatting for an RSS Reader widget


Use Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web to specify: Whether or not a title, which you specify, is displayed at the top right of the widget. The background color of the widget. The border color of the widget. The frequency that the widgets content is refreshed. The number of RSS feed items to show on one page of the widget. The amount of area that the list of news items occupies. Whether or not the news items scroll automatically. If you select automatic scrolling, you can specify the direction and speed of the scrolling. The formatting of the text of the news items. The color of the news items. You can select different colors for the background, roll-over background, font, and roll-over font. You can also choose to display the news items in alternating colors. Whether to display read news items in a different color, which you specify. The formatting of the text in the news detail section. The background color of the news details section. Whether or not the details of the first news item are displayed when the widget is opened. Whether or not to open the entire article in a new window when an RSS item is clicked in the widget. Whether or not the time and date of a news item are displayed when a user hovers the cursor over the news item.

For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Creating widgets
To create a widget in Desktop, you must first insert a Grid/Graph into a document and add report objects such as attributes and metrics to it. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the name of a dataset from the Datasets pane to the Layout area. Each type of widget requires a specific number, type, and arrangement of report objects on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For example, a Grid/Graph that you want to display as a Gauge widget must have one attribute on the rows and one metric on the columns. For the requirements for a specific type of widget, refer to the section that describes the widget in this chapter. For an overview of all of the types of widgets, see Understanding and working with widgets, page 500.

Note the following:

Unlike other widgets, the RSS Reader and Media widgets do not require attributes or metrics on their Grid/Graphs, unless the widget is a target of an attribute selector in the dashboard. For instructions on how to create a RSS Reader widget, see Creating an RSS Reader widget, page 593. For instructions on how to create a Media widget, see Creating a Media widget, page 560. For information on customizing and using the following SDK widgets. see the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL), part of the MicroStrategy SDK product:

Google Graph Visualization Simple Grid Store Layout Timeline USA Map

After you add the required objects to the Grid/Graph, you select a widget type. In MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph is displayed as a widget, and users can interact with it. For example, a user can choose what section of the graph to view in a Time Series Slider widget. A user can drill into the components of a bubble on an Interactive Bubble Graph widget to view the underlying data within that bubbles data. This interaction also includes some formatting aspects of widgets. Some widget formatting can be done in either Desktop or Editable Mode in

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MicroStrategy Web, while other formatting must be done in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For a complete list of formatting options for a specific type of widget, refer to the section describing that widget. and Editable Mode in In Design Modethen define it by placingWeb, you can add a widget to a document and report objects such as attributes and metrics on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. You can also turn any existing Grid/Graph in your document into a widget that is displayed in MicroStrategy Web, as long as the Grid/Graph meets the data requirements for the selected type of widget. For example, your document contains a Grid/Graph with the Region attribute on the rows and the Profit Margin metric on the columns. You can assign a Gauge widget to this Grid/Graph. When you open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph is no longer displayed as a Grid/Graph but rather as a Gauge widget. Viewing the widget in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web allows you to better visualize the metric data in the Grid/Graph. In Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph connected to the widget is always displayed. In Design View in Desktop and Design Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph is also displayed, but without data. You can determine how the widget is displayed in other Desktop views and Web modes. The widget can display as: The widget itself (Express Mode and Interactive Mode in Web only) A placeholder Empty space The Grid/Graph connected to the widget

For details and instructions, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.

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To turn a Grid/Graph into a widget

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Insert a Grid/Graph into the document, if one is not already in the document. For a procedure, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. Grid/Graph that you turn widget must the data The template requirements forinto atype of widget.followexample, a and that For Gauge widget requires one attribute on the rows and one attribute on the columns. Therefore, any Grid/Graph that you want to turn into a widget must have the same objects on its Grid/Graph. If it does not, the Grid/Graph is not displayed correctly as a widget in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For the requirements for each type of widget, refer to the section that describes that widget. 3 Right-click the Grid/Graph to turn into a widget, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Widget tab. 5 Select the type of widget from the Widget drop-down list. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph displays as this type of widget. 6 You can determine how the widget is displayed in different Desktop views and MicroStrategy Web modes, as outlined in the steps below. For details, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. a To determine how the widget is displayed in HTML View and PDF View in Desktop, as well as when exported to PDF and Excel, select one of the following from the Alternative Display drop-down list: Show grid or graph to display the Grid/Graph to which the widget is attached. Show placeholder to display an empty Grid/Graph placeholder instead of the widget.

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Hide grid or graph to hide the widget and display nothing.

b By default, the widget is displayed as a widget in Flash. To display it as a Grid/Graph instead, clear the Flash check box in the Display Widget As column. This setting affects the display of the widget in Flash View in Desktop, Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, and when exported to Flash. c By default, an iPhone widget is displayed as a widget on the iPhone. To display it as a Grid/Graph instead, clear the iPhone check box in the Display Widget As column.

d By default, an iPad widget is displayed as a widget on the iPad. To display it as a Grid/Graph instead, clear the iPad check box in the Display Widget As column. e By default, a widget is displayed as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. To display it according to the Alternative Display setting, clear the DHTML check box in the Display Widget As column.

7 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.


Enable Flash Mode for Web

You must enable Flash Mode in the document so that you and other users can view the widget in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 8 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 9 In the Available display modes list on the Document tab, select the Flash check box. 10 You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in MicroStrategy Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. 11 Click OK to return to the document.
Format the widget

12 By default, many widgets automatically inherit some of the formatting of the underlying graph report. For example, the font colors and types defined for the graph report can be displayed in the widget. If you do not want the widget to inherit this formatting, clear the Inherit graph formatting check box in the Properties dialog box in Flash Mode or

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Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. 13 Each type of widget also has additional formatting specific to it. For example, the numbers of a Bubble Grid widget can display as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific notation. For a complete listing of all formatting available for a specific type of widget, see the section on that widget. Some widget formatting can be done in Desktop or in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, while other formatting must be done in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information and instructions for formatting widgets in Desktop, see Formatting widgets in Desktop, page 609. For instructions to format widgets in MicroStrategy Web, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. 14 Save the document. To view and interact with the widget, you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web and switch to Flash Mode if the document does not initially open in Flash Mode. You can then format and adjust the widget; for more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. also be displayed as Most widgets canMicroStrategy Web. widgets in Interactive Mode and Express Mode in For instructions, see Determining how a widget is displayed below.

Determining how a widget is displayed


The following table summarizes how widgets can be displayed in the various modes of MicroStrategy Web and views of Desktop. Details for each display view/mode are provided below the table, along with steps to determine how a widget is displayed.
View or Mode Desktop Design View Flash View HTML View PDF View Yes * Yes (without data) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Widget Grid/Graph Placeholder Hidden

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View or Mode MicroStrategy Web Design Mode Editable Mode Express Mode Flash Mode Interactive Mode MicroStrategy Mobile Android See Widgets for mobile devices, page 792 for a list of Android widgets iPad See Widgets for mobile devices, page 792 for a list of iPad widgets iPhone See Widgets for mobile devices, page 792 for a list of iPhone widgets Exporting Export to Excel Export to Flash Export to PDF

Widget

Grid/Graph

Placeholder Hidden

Yes (without data) Yes Yes ** Yes * Yes ** Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Android widgets only

Yes

iPad widgets only

Yes

iPhone widgets only

Yes

Yes Yes * Yes Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

* Except for mobile device widgets and SDK widgets, which cannot be displayed as widgets in Flash View/Mode. ** Except for the following widgets, which cannot be displayed as widgets in Interactive Mode or Express Mode: Cylinder, Fish Eye Selector created as a selector, Interactive Stacked Graph, Thermometer, and Time Series Slider.

Widgets in Flash
In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web and Flash View in Desktop, the widget is displayed by default, and a user can interact with it. The changes can be saved in Flash Mode (Web), but not in Flash View (Desktop).

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You can specify that the widget displays as its underlying Grid/Graph instead. For example, you may want to display the same data as both a widget and a Grid/Graph, to allow users to see information at a glance with the widget, and to see in-depth details with the Grid/Graph. SDK widgets and widgets for mobile devices cannot be displayed as widgets in Flash. They are displayed as Grid/Graphs in Flash.

Widgets in Editable Mode and Design Mode/View


In Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the Grid/Graph connected to the widget is always displayed. In Desktop's Design View and Web's Design Mode, the Grid/Graph is also displayed, but without data.

Widgets in HTML View and PDF View


You can determine how widgets are displayed in Desktop's HTML View and PDF View, by setting the Alternative Display. The widget can: Display the Grid/Graph to which the widget is attached. Display an empty Grid/Graph placeholder. The container of the Grid/Graph is shown, with the border and background formatting. In Interactive Mode and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the following message is displayed within the container: Flash Widgets cannot be rendered in this display. For information on formatting the container of a Grid/Graph, see Formatting Grid/Graphs, page 319.

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An empty placeholder could look like the following in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, if the container of the Grid/Graph has a background color of red and a fixed size.

Hide the Grid/Graph so that nothing is displayed. If you choose to hide the Grid/Graph, you can display a message in place of the widget. To do this, add a text field behind the widget. This text field is displayed only when the widget is hidden. For an example and a procedure, see Displaying a message behind a widget, page 607.

Widgets in Interactive Mode and Express Mode


You can also determine how the widget is displayed in Web's Interactive Mode and Express Mode. The widget can: Display as a widget. Display according to the Alternative Display setting described above.

The following widgets cannot be displayed as widgets in Interactivea Mode or Express Mode: Cylinder, Date Selection widget created as
selector, Fish Eye Selector created as a selector, Interactive Stacked Graph, Thermometer, Time Series Slider, and widgets for mobile devices.

Exporting widgets
A widget exported to Excel or PDF displays according to the Alternative Display setting described above.

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A widget exported to Flash displays as either a widget or a Grid/Graph, depending on the Flash setting. SDK widgets and widgets for mobile devices are always exported to Flash as Grid/Graphs.

Widgets in MicroStrategy Mobile


For MicroStrategy Mobile, you can determine whether the following widgets are displayed as widgets or Grid/Graphs in the iPhone: Image Viewer widget Interactive Grid widget Map widget Photo Uploader widget RSS Reader Time Series widget

These widgets display as widgets on the iPhone; all other widgets are displayed as Grid/Graphs. For MicroStrategy Mobile, you can determine whether the following widgets are displayed as widgets or Grid/Graphs in the iPad: Graph Matrix widget Image Viewer widget Map widget Photo Uploader widget Time Series widget

These widgets display as widgets on the iPad; all other widgets are displayed as Grid/Graphs. For background information on iPhone and iPad widgets, see Widgets for mobile devices, page 792.

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To determine how a widget is displayed in non-Flash views

1 Open the document that contains the widget using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph containing the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Widget tab. 4 To determine how the widget is displayed if it cannot be displayed as a widget, select one of the following from the Alternative Display drop-down list: Show grid or graph to display the Grid/Graph to which the widget is attached Placeholder to display an empty Grid/Graph placeholder instead of the widget Hide grid or graph to hide the widget and display nothing

5 For each mode/view, do one of the following: To display the widget as a widget, select the check box for that mode/view. The Will render as column updates to list how the widget is displayed in that mode/view. To display the widget as specified in the Alternative Display option described above, clear the check box for that mode/view. The Will render as column updates to list how the widget is displayed in that mode/view.

Note the following:

Widgets can be displayed only as widgets or as Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode or on the iPhone or iPad. If you specify another Alternative Display option, such as Placeholder, the Will render as column for those modes does not change from Show grid or graph. Only iPhone widgets can be displayed as widgets on the iPhone. For all other widgets, the iPhone check box is disabled. Only iPad widgets can be displayed as widgets on the iPad. For all other widgets, the iPad check box is disabled.

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The following widgets cannot be displayed as widgets in DHTML (that is, Interactive Mode and Express Mode): Cylinder, Fish Eye Selector created as a selector, Interactive Stacked Graph, Thermometer, and Time Series Slider. This property is unavailable for custom widgets, which are created in the MicroStrategy SDK product, or if custom visualizations have been disabled. For more information and instructions, see the MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL), part of the MicroStrategy SDK product. For information on purchasing a MicroStrategy SDK license, contact your Account Executive.

6 Click OK to save your changes.

Displaying a message behind a widget


A widget can be displayed only in MicroStrategy Web, and a user can interact with it only in MicroStrategy Web. For PDF View in Desktop, you can select what is displayed to replace the widget. (For more information on the display options, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.) If you choose to hide the Grid/Graph to which the widget is attached, you can display a message rather than blank space. This message can indicate to users that the missing widget cannot be displayed in the current mode, or provide other information. Use a text field to display the message, which is displayed in place of the widget in PDF View in Desktop. For example, the following thermometer widget is displayed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web:

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However, in Interactive Mode, the following message is displayed in a text field:

Notice that the selector is still displayed, because it is separate from the widget. In Design View in Desktop, as well as in Editable Mode and Design Mode in Web, the Grid/Graph connected to the widget is displayed. If the Grid/Graph does not completely cover the text field, the text field is displayed as well.
To display a message behind a widget

1 Open the document that contains the widget using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph containing the widget, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select the Widget tab. 4 Select Hide grid or graph from the Alternative Display drop-down list. 5 Select the check box next to DHTML in the Display widget in column. This indicates that the widget should be displayed according to the Alternative Display setting. 6 Click OK to save the change and return to the document. 7 Add a text field; for steps, see Adding text and data to a document, page 51. 8 Right-click the text field, point to Order, and then select Send to Back. 9 Save the document.

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Ensure that the size of the text field is no larger than the widget, and that the text field is placed so that the widget covers the entire text field. This is easiest to do in MicroStrategy Webuse Editable Mode or Design Mode to position the text field and Flash Mode to check whether the widget covers the text field.

Formatting widgets in Desktop


Some widget formatting can be done in Desktop or in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, while other formatting must be done in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The following procedures cover some of the widget formatting that is available in Desktop and in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For a complete listing of all formatting available for a specific type of widget, see the section on that widget. Change the number format of the metric values on Bubble Grid, Cylinder, Gauge, Waterfall, and Weighted List Viewer widgets. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. Change the number format of the values that appear when a user hovers the cursor over a rectangle in a Heat Map widget. For instructions, see Changing the number format of the metric values, page 610. Change the font of the text on the cylinder of a Cylinder widget, the gauge of a Gauge widget, or the side of the thermometer in a Thermometer widget. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer, page 611. Change the font of the text that appears on the graph of an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, Interactive Stacked Graph widget, or Time Series Slider widget. For instructions, see Formatting the text on a graph, page 612. Specify the color of the area graph series in a Graph Matrix widget or Time Series Slider widget. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. Specify the color of the bars in a Waterfall widget. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. Specify the color of the bubbles in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614.

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Specify the color of the check boxes in an Interactive Stacked Graph widget. For instructions, see Formatting the color of the bar risers, page 614. Format the values that are displayed along the Y axis of a Gauge widget or Waterfall widget. You can also manually specify the minimum and maximum values for the Y axis, instead of allowing them to be calculated from the data. For instructions, see Formatting the Y axis, page 615. Display or hide the legend of a Funnel widget, Time Series Slider widget, or Waterfall widget. If it is displayed, you can format it. For instructions, see Formatting the legend, page 616.

In addition, you can format various widget properties for the entire document. These include properties that affect the graph axis labels, pie graph labels, and selectors. These properties must be formatted in Desktop; you cannot format them in MicroStrategy Web. For details and instructions, see Formatting widgets at the document level, page 619.

Changing the number format of the metric values


This formatting is available for: Bubble Grid widgets (see Defining a Bubble Grid widget, page 507 for an example) Cylinder widgets (see Defining a Cylinder widget, page 510 for an example) Gauge widgets (see Defining a Gauge widget, page 518 for an example) Heat Map widgets (see Defining a Heat Map widget, page 525)

The number format applies to the values that appear when a user hovers the cursor over a rectangle in a Heat Map widget.
Waterfall widgets (see Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548) Weighted List Viewer widgets (see Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 552 for an example)

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To change the number format of the metric values

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Grid. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 5 From the Format menu, select Metrics or a specific metric, then choose Values. The Format Cells dialog box opens. 6 Select the Number tab. 7 Choose a Category. The Settings and Sample sections of the dialog box change depending upon the category selected. 8 Use the Settings area to make your number formatting selections. For example, if you select Date as your category, the Settings area allows you to choose which date format to use, such as 4/12/03, April 12, 2003, 4/7/2003, and so on. If you select Fixed as the category, you can determine the number of decimal places to be displayed, whether you want numbers to be separated every three digits, and whether negative numbers are allowed. After you select a setting, the Sample area updates to provide you with an example of your selection. 9 Click OK to apply the number formatting. 10 To exit edit mode, press ESC.

Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer


You can format the font of the text on the cylinder of a Cylinder widget, in the gauge of a Gauge widget, or the side of the thermometer in a Thermometer widget. The text is saved as the Y1 axis label.

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This formatting is available for: Cylinder widgets (see Defining a Cylinder widget, page 510 for an example) Gauge widgets (see Defining a Gauge widget, page 518 for an example) Thermometer widgets (see Defining a Thermometer widget, page 542 for an example)

To format the font on a cylinder or gauge

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Graph. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 5 From the Graph menu, select Formatting, and then Y1 Axis Label. 6 On the Font tab, format the font of the label. Options include color, size, font type, italics, and so on. For a full listing and descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 7 Click OK to save the changes. 8 Press ESC to exit edit mode.

Formatting the text on a graph


You can format the font of the text that appears on the graph of certain widgets. The text is saved as the X axis label and the Y1 axis label. This formatting is available for: Interactive Bubble Graph widgets (see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531 for an example)

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Interactive Stacked Graph widgets (see Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, page 538 for an example) Time Series Slider widgets (see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545 for an example)

To format the font on a graph

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Graph. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode.
Format the X Axis label

5 From the Graph menu, select Formatting, and then X Axis Label. The Formatting dialog box opens. 6 On the Font tab, format the font of the label. Options include color, size, font type, italics, and so on. For a full listing and descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 7 Click OK to save the changes.
Format the Y Axis label

8 From the Graph menu, select Formatting, and then Y1 Axis Label. The Formatting dialog box opens. 9 On the Font tab, format the font of the label. Options include color, size, font type, italics, and so on. For a full listing and descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 10 Click OK to save the changes. 11 Press ESC to exit edit mode.

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Formatting the color of the bar risers


You can specify the color of the: Area graph series in a Graph Matrix widget (see Defining a Graph Matrix widget, page 520 for an example) or Time Series Slider widget (see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545 for an example) Bars in a Waterfall widget (see Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548 for an example) Bubbles in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget (see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531 for an example) Check boxes in an Interactive Stacked Graph widget (see Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, page 538 for an example)

The area graph series, bars, bubbles, and check boxes are the bar risers of the widgets.
To format the color of the bar risers

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Graph. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph that contains the widget by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 5 For each series in the graph, do the following: Right-click the series in the graph and select Format Bar Riser. The Format Bar Riser dialog box opens. On the Fill tab, format the color of the bar riser. For a full listing and descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. On the Line tab, format the color, style, and thickness of the line around the bar riser.

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Click OK to save the changes.

6 Press ESC to exit edit mode.

Formatting the Y axis


You can format the values that are displayed along the Y axis. You can also manually specify the minimum and maximum values for the Y axis, instead of allowing them to be calculated from the data. This formatting is available for: Gauge widgets (see Defining a Gauge widget, page 518 for an example). In a Gauge widget, the minimum and maximum appear on the left and right of the gauge. Waterfall widgets (see Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548 for an example)

To format the minimum and maximum values for the Y Axis

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Graph. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode.
To specify the minimum and maximum values

5 From the Graph menu, select Grids and Scales. The Numeric Axis Grids and Scales dialog box opens. 6 Click the Y1 Axis tab on the left of the dialog box. 7 Click the Scales tab at the top of the dialog box.

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8 To specify the maximum value: a Select the Use Manual Setting for Maximum Value check box. b Enter the value in the Maximum Value field. 9 To specify the minimum value: a Select the Use Manual Setting for Minimum Value check box. b Enter the value in the Minimum Value field.
To format the Y axis values

10 Click the Numbers tab at the top of the dialog box. 11 From the Category drop-down list, select a number format, such as Currency or Fraction. The remaining options vary depending on the Category that is selected. Specify your options, and click OK to save the changes.
To format the font of the Y axis values

12 Right-click the Y axis label and select Format Y1 Axis Label. The Format Y1 Axis Label dialog box opens. 13 On the Font tab, format the font of the Y axis. Options include color, size, font type, italics, and so on. For a full listing and descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 14 Click OK to save the changes.
To exit edit mode

15 Press ESC.

Formatting the legend


You can choose to display or hide the legend of certain widgets. If it is displayed, you can format it, which includes: The position of the legend relative to the graph The background fill and line around the legend area Formatting the text of the legend

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The position of the markers relative to the text, and the color of those markers (markers indicate the color of each series)

This formatting is available for: Funnel widgets (see Defining a Funnel widget, page 514 for an example) Time Series Slider widgets (see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545 for an example) Waterfall widgets (see Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548 for an example)

To format the legend

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy You can also use Designsee the MicroStrategy Web Help. Web. For instructions, 2 Select the Grid/Graph containing the widget. 3 In the Property List: Appearance section, set View mode to Graph. 4 Edit the Grid/Graph by double-clicking it. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode.
To show or hide the legend

5 From the Graph menu, select Graph Options. The Graph Options dialog box opens. 6 On the Look tab, do one of the following: To hide the legend, clear the Show Legend check box, then click OK. Press ESC to exit edit mode. You are now finished with this procedure. To show the legend, select the Show Legend check box.

To specify the position of the legend relative to the graph

7 From the Layout drop-down list, select one of the following options: Legend on Right Size Legend on Left Size
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Legend Below Chart

To specify the position of the markers relative to the legend text

The markers indicate the color of each series. 8 From the Markers and Text drop-down list, select the position of the markers, such as to the right of or above the text of the legend. 9 Click OK.
To format the legend area (background fill and line)

10 Right-click the legend area and select Format Legend Area. The Format Legend Area dialog box opens. 11 On the Fill tab, select the background color for the legend area. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 12 On the Line tab, format the line around the legend area. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 13 Click OK.
To format the text of the legend

14 Right-click the legend text and select Format Legend Text. The Format Legend Text dialog box opens. 15 On the Font tab, format the font of the text. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 16 On the Line tab, format the line around the legend. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 17 On the Fill tab, select the background color for the legend. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. 18 Click OK.

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To format the color of a legend marker

19 Repeat the steps below for each legend marker: a Right-click a legend marker and select Format Legend Marker. The Format Legend Marker dialog box opens. b On the Fill tab, select the background color for the legend marker. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help. c On the Line tab, format the line around the legend marker. For descriptions of all the options, see the Desktop Help.

d Click OK.
To exit edit mode

20 Press ESC.

Formatting widgets at the document level


You can format various widget properties for the entire document. These include properties that affect the graph axis labels, pie graph labels, and selectors. For descriptions of each property, and instructions, see: To format the graph axis labels of widgets, page 619 To format the pie graph labels of widgets, page 620 To format the selectors of widgets, page 621

These properties must be formatted in Desktop; you cannot format them in MicroStrategy Web.
To format the graph axis labels of widgets

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Flash in the category list on the left.

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4 To determine whether category labels are staggered (displayed on more than one row), select one of the following: To stagger the category labels on multiple rows, select the Allow staggered axis labels check box. To display all category labels on the same row, clear the Allow staggered axis labels check box.

5 To determine whether category labels can be dropped, select one of the following: To drop category labels so that fewer labels are displayed, select the Use optimal number of labels for category axis to fit the available space check box. To display all category labels, clear the Use optimal number of labels for category axis to fit the available space check box.

6 To determine whether numeric axes (X1, Y1, and so on) labels can be dropped, select one of the following: To drop numeric axis labels so that fewer labels are displayed, select the Use optimal number of labels for numeric axis to fit the available space check box. To display all numeric axis labels, clear the Use optimal number of labels for numeric axis to fit the available space check box.

7 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.


To format the pie graph labels of widgets

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Flash in the category list on the left. 4 To define the maximum space that the pie labels can occupy, use the arrows to select a value between 0 and 100 for the Maximum space allocated for pie labels (%).

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As labels increase in size, the pie chart shrinks. For example, a value of 30 means that the labels can use up to a maximum of 30% of the space that the pie chart and data labels share. 5 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.
To format the selectors of widgets

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click Flash in the category list on the left. 4 To determine whether or not the button bar selector is padded with ten pixels, select or clear the Enable padding for button bar selectors check box. 5 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.

Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector


An attribute, metric, custom group, or consolidation on a Grid/Graph can be used as a selector, as explained in Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. Since widgets are created using Grid/Graphs, you can also use report objects on the widget's template as selectors. In Interactive Mode or Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, this allows a user to select which elements to display in other Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. In other words, the widget is used as a selector targeting a Grid/Graph or panel stack. The widget performs in a manner similar to a selector, but does not actually become a selector object. For a more detailed description of selectors, including examples, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. You can create selectors from the following widgets: Bubble Grid, page 622 Data Cloud, page 623
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Graph Matrix, page 623 Heat Map, page 625 Interactive Bubble Graph, page 626 Interactive Stacked Graph, page 628 Microcharts, page 630 Time Series Slider, page 630 Waterfall, page 634 Weighted List Viewer, page 634

In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode, a user can select elements from each of these widgets in a unique way. When you choose an element in the widget, data related to that element is displayed in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. For example, clicking a bubble for the Southeast region in an Interactive Bubble Graph updates all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks with Southeast data. The following sections describe how to use selectors in Flash Mode and Interactive Mode for each type of widget. Before you can use a widget as a selector, you first choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop or in either Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For the detailed steps to create widgets used as selectors, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Bubble Grid widget as a selector


You can enable the bubbles of a Bubble Grid widget as selectors, so that clicking a bubble displays data related to it in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For general information on Bubble Grid widgets, including examples and instructions to create them, see Defining a Bubble Grid widget, page 507. For example, an attribute on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget is enabled as a selector. The elements of that attribute are displayed as bubbles in the widget. An analyst can click a bubble to update target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the dashboards. You can also enable the data labels along the X and Y axes of a Bubble Grid widget as selectors, by enabling the All option to be displayed.

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For steps to enable a Bubble Grid widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Data Cloud widget as a selector


The attribute elements displayed in a Data Cloud widget can be defined as a selectors. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can interact with the widget to control targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For general information on Data Cloud widgets, including examples and instructions to create them, see Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512. If you use a Data Cloud widget as a selector, a user can click an attribute element in the widget to display related data in target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. If an attribute element can be used as a selector, the cursor changes to a hand pointer. For example, if the Region attribute is defined as a selector, the elements Northeast and Southeast can be used as selectors. For steps to enable a Data Cloud widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Graph Matrix widget as a selector


A Graph Matrix widget consists of several attributes and elements in its column and row headers, and corresponding graphs at the intersection of those objects. You can enable these attributes, elements, graphs, and attribute names displayed in column headers as selectors. This allows an analyst to select an attribute, an attribute element, or a graph, and then view specific data related to it in grid and graphs in the document. An analyst can also view data related to elements from different attributes simultaneously by clicking those elements. For general information on Graph Matrix widgets, including examples and instructions to create them, see Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 552. The following scenarios describe how Graph Matrix widgets can be used as selectors: When you hover the cursor over an attribute name or attribute element that is enabled as a selector, the attribute name or element becomes a hyperlink. If you select the attribute name or element, all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks display data related to it.

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For example, the Electronics category and Southeast region are selected in the Graph Matrix widget below. Therefore, data related to the Southeast region and Electronics category is displayed in the target Grid/Graph on the right.

cannot attribute. If You select anselect multiple elements from the samecorresponding you attribute name from the headers, all attribute element selections are cleared. For example, if you select Category in the widget above, the Electronics category is no longer highlighted and data for all categories is displayed in the target Grid/Graph on the right. The Category and Region attributes in the Graph Matrix widget can be used as selectors because they are enabled as selectors in Editable Mode, as shown below. Notice that all categories and regions are hyperlinked because they are enabled as selectors.

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When you hover the cursor over a graph in the widget, the cursor is displayed as a hand pointer to indicate that the graph is a selector. If you click the graph, the two corresponding attribute elements in the headers are automatically selected. Therefore, all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks display data related to those two elements. For example, if you select the graph at the intersection of the Mid-Atlantic region and Electronics product category, all data for Electronics sales in the Mid-Atlantic region is displayed. When you hover the cursor over a graph and click a specific data point in the graph, all data related to that data point is displayed in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks only if the time-based attribute on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget is enabled as a selector. You can also perform this task after maximizing a graph.

For steps to enable a Graph Matrix widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Heat Map widget as a selector


Report objects in a Heat Map widget can be defined as selectors, as described in Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can interact with the widget to control targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For more information on Heat Map widgets, see Defining a Heat Map widget, page 525. You can use any related area headers or rectangles in the widget as selectors. A user can hover over and select a header or rectangle in the widget to display related data in target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. If a rectangle or header can be used as a selector, the cursor changes to a hand pointer. For example, if the Category attribute is defined as a selector, the Category header can be used as a selector. If an additional attribute such as Region is also enabled as a selector, individual rectangles can be used as selectors. All data in target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks is updated after a user selects the header or rectangle. To use a widget as a selector, you first choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop. You can also do this in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For details and procedures, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

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Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector


Report objects in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget can be defined as selectors, as described in Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can interact with the widget to control targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For more information on Interactive Bubble Graph widgets, see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531. The following parts of an Interactive Bubble Graph widget can be used as selectors to display data in Grid/Graphs and panel stacks: The bubbles in the widget can be used as selectors if their corresponding attributes are enabled as selectors in the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. For example, in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode, a user can click a Northeast region bubble to display Northeast data in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. or Interactive Mode, a user can double-click In FlashtoMode down to the child elements of that bubble anda to bubble drill display data in the dashboard related to the bubble. To display data related to the drill-to element, a user can click the child bubble. All target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated with data related to the selection. For more information about drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, see Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 532. The attribute elements in the legend can be used as selectors if the columns of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget have an attribute that is enabled as a selector. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode, a user can click an attribute element in the legend. Only one item in the legend can be selected at a time. For example, a user can click the legend item for the Central region to display data for the Central region in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. When a user hovers the cursor over these selectable parts of the widget, the cursor turns into a hand, indicating that it can be selected. For example, the Region attribute in the Interactive Bubble Graph widget below is enabled as a selector. When you select a region bubble from the

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widget, the target graph at the bottom is updated with data related to that region.

A user can also select multiple bubbles, by dragging a selection box (or lasso) around the bubbles. For example, a user drags a selection box around the two Electronics and Books bubbles in the middle of the widget. If the selection box is set to automatically update the target, the target graph displays data related to those bubbles. Otherwise, the user must click the Select icon in the button bar to update the target graph. To use a widget as a selector, you first choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop. You can also do this in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can ensure that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers over a bubble or an item in the legend, instead of clicking it. For details and steps for these two procedures, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector


Report objects in an Interactive Stacked Graph widget can be defined as selectors, as described in Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can interact with the widget to control targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For more information on Interactive Stacked Graph widgets, see Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, page 538. The following parts of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget can be used as selectors to display data in Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document: The attribute elements in the legend on the left can be used as selectors if one or more of the attributes on the columns of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget are enabled as selectors. A user can choose only one attribute element to update the target panel stacks and Grid/Graphs. element is only the If more than one is displayedchosen,targetdata related toand last element selected in the panel stacks Grid/Graphs. The area graphs can be used as selectors if the attribute used to generate the graph series is enabled as a selector. A user can select only one graph at a time.

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For example, the Region attribute in an Interactive Stacked Area widget is enabled as a selector. When a user selects a region from the widget, the target grid is updated with data related to that region.

To use a widget as a selector, you first choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop. You can also do this in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For an Interactive Stacked Graph widget, you must then switch to Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to determine which part of the widget is enabled as a selector. In Flash Mode, you can also ensure that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers over the graph or legend, instead of clicking it. For details and procedures, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

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Using a Microcharts widget as a selector


The Grid/Graph that contains a Microcharts widget often consists of several attributes in the row headers and the elements of those attributes in the rows. You can enable these attributes and elements as selectors to allow analysts to select an attribute or element and view specific data related to it in other Grid/Graphs in the document. When an analyst hovers the cursor over an attribute element that is enabled as a selector, it becomes a hand pointer to indicate that a link exists. When the link is clicked, all target Grid/Graphs on the dashboard are updated with a set of data related to the attribute element that was clicked. For example, if you click Southeast, all data related to the Southeast region is displayed in the target Grid/Graphs on the dashboard. Each attribute element in the Grid/Graph, including the attribute names in the row headers, can act as a selector. When you click an attribute name displayed in a row header, all elements of that attribute are selected. This overrides the selection of any of the individual attribute elements. The background color of the attribute in the row header appears in gray to indicate that the attribute is selected.

Note the following:


Metric columns cannot be used as selectors. When multiple attributes are set as selectors, the selections occur independently of each other.

You can also use the sparklines and bar charts in the widget as selectors by enabling a time-based attribute, such as Month, on the Grid/Graph as a selector. When you hover the cursor over a sparkline or bar chart, and then click a specific data point, all data related to that data point is displayed in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For steps to enable a Microcharts widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Time Series Slider widget as a selector


Report objects on a Time Series Slider widget can be defined as selectors, as described in Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can then interact with the widget to control targeted Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For more

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information on Time Series Slider widgets, see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545. In Desktop, or in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you must define one or more of the objects on the Grid/Graph that contains the widget as selectors. Next, switch to Flash Mode to use the primary graph at the bottom of the widget as a selector. A user can hover over and select an individual data point in the graph to display related data in the target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. For example, a user can select the data point for January 2006 revenue, and all data in the target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks is updated. The following document is shown in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Revenue data related to the last data point in the Time Series Slider widget, in this case December 2009, is shown in the grid report below the widget.

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If you click the data point for January 2009, the grid report displays the revenue data related to that date, as shown below.

This example uses the primary graph as the selector, but you can change it to use the slider instead. Instead of clicking a single data point (in this case, a single month) you can instead select a range of months. In the following

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example, the slider is set to January 2009 through June 2009, and the grid report displays the data for that time frame.

To change from using the primary graph as the selector to using the slider, you must format the properties of the widget in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. While the widget in this example targets a Grid/Graph, it could target multiple Grid/Graphs, a panel stack, or multiple panel stacks instead. To use a widget as a selector, you first choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop. You can also do this in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, you can ensure that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers over a data point in the primary graph, instead of clicking the data point. For details and steps for these two procedures, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

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Using a Waterfall widget as a selector


You can enable the bars of a Waterfall widget as selectors. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, users can click a bar or a section of a bar to display data related to it in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the document. For general information on Waterfall widgets, including examples and instructions to create them, see Defining a Waterfall widget, page 548. For example, an attribute is placed on the columns of the Grid/Graph that contains the widget. This attribute is then enabled as a selector. The elements of that attribute are displayed in the widgets legend in Flash Mode or Interactive Mode. An analyst can select items from the legend to update target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the dashboard. Metrics on a Waterfall widget can also be used as selectors. For steps to enable a Waterfall widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Using a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector


The grid in a Weighted List Viewer widget often consists of several attributes in the column headers and the elements of those attributes in the rows. You can enable these attributes and elements as selectors. This allows an analyst to select an attribute or an element, and then view specific data related to it in grids and graphs in the document. For general information on the Weighted List Viewer widget, including examples and instructions to create them, see Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget, page 552. When you click an attribute element that is enabled as a selector, any targeted grids and graphs are updated with a set of data related to the attribute element. For example, if you click Southeast, all data related to the Southeast region is displayed in the grids and graphs on the dashboard. You can select elements from different attributes simultaneously by clicking those elements. However, you cannot select multiple elements from the same attribute. Each column in the grid, including the column headers, can act as a selector. When you click an attribute name displayed in a column header, all elements of that attribute are selected. This overrides the selection of any of the individual attribute elements within the column. The background color of

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the attribute changes to a lighter shade to indicate that the attribute is selected. widget When two or more attributes in theof each are set as selectors, both of the selections occur independently other. The stacked contribution bar graph on the left side of the widget can also be used as a selector. When you hover the cursor over the graph, the cursor is displayed as a hand pointer to indicate that the graph is a selector. Since each section of the graph represents a row in the grid, the graph can be used to trigger all of the selectors enabled in the widget. Clicking a section of the stacked graph updates the Grid/Graphs within the dashboard with a set of data related to the attribute element you clicked. If only one attribute is set as a selector in the stacked graph, when you click that section in the graph, the dashboard displays data for only that attributes elements. For steps to enable a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector, see Defining the widget used as a selector, page 635.

Defining the widget used as a selector


Before a widget can be used as a selector, you must choose the target Grid/Graph and/or panel stack in Desktop. You can also do this in Design Mode or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For steps, see To use a widget as a selector, page 636. For Interactive Stacked Graph widgets, you must then switch to Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to determine which part of the widget is enabled as a selector. This second step must be completed for Interactive Stacked Graph widgets only. For instructions, see To determine which part of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget is enabled as a selector, page 637. In Flash Mode or Interactive Mode, you can also ensure that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers the cursor over: A data point in the primary graph of a Time Series Slider widget. A bubble or an item in the legend of an Interactive Bubble Graph widget. The graph or legend of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget.

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For instructions, see To ensure that targets are updated when a user hovers the cursor over the widget, page 638. in document To access Flash ModeForMicroStrategy Web, the modes, seemust have Flash Mode enabled. steps to enable display Selecting the display modes available for MicroStrategy Web, page 249.
To use a widget as a selector

This procedure assumes that:

You have already created a widget that contains the report objects to use as selectors. The widget must be a Bubble Grid, Data Cloud, Heat Map, Interactive Bubble Graph, Interactive Stacked Graph, Time Series Slider, or Waterfall widget. For instructions, see To turn a Grid/Graph into a widget, page 599. You have created the panel stack or Grid/Graph to use as the target. For instructions, see To insert a panel stack, page 399 and To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. The selector and target must have an attribute in common.

1 Open a document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Double-click the Grid/Graph containing the widget. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, indicating that edit mode is enabled, and the menu options and toolbar change. 3 Do one of the following: Right-click the attribute, custom group, or consolidation in the Grid/Graph to use as the selector, and choose Edit Control. The Template Control dialog box opens. Right-click the Metrics column in the Grid/Graph, and choose Edit Control. The Template Control dialog box opens.

4 Select the target Grid/Graph or panel stack in the list of available controls on the left. Click > to add it to the list of selected targets on the right. You can select multiple targets. The attribute, custom group, or consolidation you selected in the Grid/Graph is the source, and the selected Grid/Graph is the target. The Action Type of the selector is set to Select Element.

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5 To ensure that the user can select more than one element in the widget, select the Show option for All check box.

Note the following:


The data labels along the X and Y axes of a Bubble Grid widget can be used as selectors if the Show option for All check box is selected. The attribute names in the headers of a Graph Matrix widget, Microcharts widget, or Weighted List widget can be used as selectors if the Show option for All check box is selected. A user can select more than one element from the checklist in the Interactive Stacked Graph widget if the Show option for All check box is selected. The attribute elements in the legend of a Waterfall widget can be used as selectors if the Show option for All check box is selected.

6 To ensure that the element displayed in the selector changes if an element is chosen in another selector, select Allow selection to be updated by other selectors. 7 Click OK to apply the changes and return to the document. 8 Press ESC to exit edit mode. For Interactive Stacked Graph widgets, you must determine which part of the widget is enabled as a selector. This step must be completed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For procedures, refer to To determine which part of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget is enabled as a selector, page 637.
To determine which part of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget is enabled as a selector

Complete this procedure for Interactive Stacked Graph widgets only.


1 Open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box for the widget opens. 3 From the Selectable Area drop-down list, select Graph or Legend.

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4 You can ensure that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers over the cursor over the graph or legend. To do so, select the Change Selection on Mouse Over check box. 5 Click OK to apply the changes.
To ensure that targets are updated when a user hovers the cursor over the widget

The following procedure ensures that target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks are updated when a user hovers the cursor over: A data point in the primary graph of a Time Series Slider widget. A bubble or an item in the legend of an Interactive Bubble Graph widget. The graph or legend of an Interactive Stacked Graph widget.

1 Open the document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. 2 Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box for the widget opens. 3 Select the Change Selection on Mouse Over check box. 4 Click OK to apply the changes.

Creating a Fish Eye Selector


The Fish Eye Selector magnifies an item when a user hovers the cursor over it in Flash Mode, Interactive Mode, or Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Any item that a user hovers over or selects remains magnified, while the remaining items are minimized and displayed in the background of the

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selector. A Fish Eye Selector in Flash Mode is shown below, targeting a Grid/Graph.

For a Fish Eye Selector defined as a widget, you can use MicroStrategy Web to select whether or not a Fish Eye Selector displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. If it does not display as a widget, it displays as a Grid/Graph. For instructions to define its DHTML display, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. The same dashboard is shown below in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The Fish Eye Selector is defined to not display as a widget in DHTML. The Fish Eye Selector was created using a widget, so the selector is now displayed as a Grid/Graph. (Widgets are created with Grid/Graphs, as discussed in Understanding and working with widgets, page 500.) All the employees are not shown in this sample, because the list is so long. Notice that the previous selection, Jack Kieferson, is far down the list. Because the

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list is so long, names even further down the list may not appear in the same screen as the graph, which is why the Fish Eye Selector is so useful.

In non-Flash modes, the widget can instead be hidden or displayed as an empty Grid/Graph placeholder. For examples, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. If the Fish Eye Selector was created as a selector rather than a widget, in Interactive Mode the dashboard looks like the sample shown below. The Fish Eye Selector displays as a standard selector. You can set the style of the selector, which in this example is Button Bar. Again, all the employees are not shown, because the list is so long. Notice that the selection shown in

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Flash Mode, Jack Kieferson, is not even shown in this image, because he is so far down the list.

These examples target a Grid/Graph, but a panel stack can also be the target of a Fish Eye Selector. However, a Fish Eye Selector created as a widget cannot switch panels on a panel stack. The table below summarizes the differences between a Fish Eye Selector created as a widget and as a selector.
Widget Display in Flash Mode Display in non-Flash modes Fish Eye Selector Selector Fish Eye Selector

Can be any of the following: Selector displayed in the closest Grid/Graph used as a selector DHTML style Empty Grid/Graph placeholder Hidden Fish Eye Selector Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Target panel stacks and Grid/Graphs Switch panels on a panel stack Replace selector item text with images

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Widget Target of another selector Yes

Selector Only if the selector is on a panel stack (see Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists, page 458) Create a selector

Method of creating

Create Grid/Graph and turn it into a widget

For instructions to create a Fish Eye Selector as a widget, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a widget, page 643. For instructions to create a Fish Eye Selector as a selector, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a selector, page 646.

Replacing the selector items of a Fish Eye Selector with images


The Fish Eye Selector can display a series of images from which analysts can choose. These images can replace any element, metric, or panel names in the selector. When an image is selected, any target panel stacks or Grid/Graphs are updated with related data. In the example below, the Fish Eye Selector on the left displays a collection of flags from various countries. Each flag represents an attribute element from the Country attribute, which is the attribute used to define the Fish Eye

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Selector. An analyst can select a flag to see relevant data in the target Grid/Graph on the right.

To view images related to a specific attribute element, metric, or panel, you must specify its name when you specify the location of the image. In the example above, images of countries are named the same as the elements of the Country attribute. You specify the image when you format the Fish Eye Selector; for a complete list of the formatting options, see Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode, page 649.

Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a widget


If a Fish Eye Selector is created as a widget, the selector can be displayed as a Grid/Graph, which still functions as a selector, in non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web. A Fish Eye Selector created as a widget can target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks, but cannot switch panels on a panel stack. (For more information on Grid/Graphs controlling panel stacks or other Grid/Graphs, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other

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Grid/Graphs, page 486.) If you want the Fish Eye Selector to switch panels or display as a standard selector such as a listbox or button bar in non-Flash modes, create it as a selector instead. For instructions, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a selector, page 646. Flash Mode as widget. A Fish Eye Selector always displays inwhether or not aaFish EyeYou can use MicroStrategy Web to define Selector displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. For instructions, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.
To create a Fish Eye Selector (using a widget)

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Insert the Grid/Graph to be used as a selector into the document, if one is not already in the document. For a procedure, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299. 3 Select the Grid/Graph to turn into a widget. 4 In the Property List: Flash section, choose Fish Eye Selector from the drop-down list in Widget. 5 Create the Grid/Graph or panel stack to be used as the target, if it is not already in the document. For instructions, see To add a Grid/Graph, page 299 or Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391.

The selector and target must have an attribute or metric in common.


6 Double-click the Grid/Graph to use as the selector. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 7 Right-click the attribute or metric to use as the selector, and choose Edit Control. The Template Control dialog box opens. 8 Select the target Grid/Graph or panel stack in the list of available controls on the left, and click > to add it to the list of selected targets. You can select multiple targets. 9 Click OK to return to the document.

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10 Press ESC or click anywhere in the documents Layout area outside of the Grid/Graph to exit edit mode.
Specify the non-Flash display

11 Right-click the Grid/Graph, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 12 Click the Widget tab. 13 You can change the Alternative display property, which determines how the widget looks in PDF View in Desktop, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, and when exported to Excel and PDF. The widget can display as a placeholder or as a Grid/Graph, or can be hidden. For more information, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. 14 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.
Enable Flash Mode for Web

You must enable Flash Mode in the document so that you and other users can view the Fish Eye Selector in MicroStrategy Web. 15 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 16 In the Available display modes list on the Document tab, select the Flash check box. 17 You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. 18 Click OK to return to the document. 19 Save the document. To view and interact with the Fish Eye Selector, you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web and switch to Flash Mode if the document does not initially open in Flash Mode. In Flash Mode, and in Interactive Mode if the Fish Eye Selector is displayed as a widget, you can format the Fish Eye Selector; for a list of the available formatting options, see Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode, page 649.

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Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a selector


If a Fish Eye Selector is created as a selector, the selector can be displayed as a standard selector such as a listbox or button bar in non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web. If you want to display the Fish Eye Selector as a Grid/Graph or a widget, or hide it completely, in non-Flash modes, create it as a widget instead. For instructions, see Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a widget, page 643. A Fish Eye Selector created as a selector can switch the panels of a panel stack, unlike a Fish Eye Selector created as a widget. You can create a Fish Eye Selector from scratch or by applying its style to an existing selector. The following procedure creates it from scratch. To apply the style to an existing selector, set the Flash style property (found in the Property List or the Properties dialog box) to Fish Eye Selector. For more detailed instructions, see the Desktop Help.

A Fish Eye Selector always displays in Flash Mode as a widget.


To create a Fish Eye Selector (using a selector)

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Expand the document section where you want the selector by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 Click the Selector icon in the toolbar, and then select Fish Eye. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the desired section of the Layout area. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the selector. The selector is added to the document. 5 Right-click the new selector, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

You can also change these properties using the Property List.
6 Click the Selector tab. 7 Select an Action Type from the drop-down list: Select attribute element: The selector displays a list of the elements from the attribute selected in the Source field, when the document is displayed in MicroStrategy Web.

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Select metric: The selector displays a list of the metrics available in the Grid/Graphs selected as the Target, when the document is displayed in MicroStrategy Web.

text fields within the target listed Metrics in is displayed. For example, aare notstack iswhen the as a document panel selected Target and contains a metric in a text field. That metric is not shown as an item in the selector. Select panel: The selector displays a list of the panels available in the panel stack selected as the Target, when the document is displayed in MicroStrategy Web.

set Panels If DHTML style is youto Check Boxes, Selectpanels is unavailable, since cannot display multiple simultaneously. Select a different DHTML style to display panels. 8 If you chose Select attribute element as the Action Type, select a Source from the drop-down list. The Source drop-down list contains all of the attributes in all of the datasets in the document. The selector displays the attribute elements of the attribute selected as the Source. 9 From the list of Available targets on the left, select Grid/Graph(s) and/or panel stack(s) and click > to add them to the list of Selected targets. If the Action Type is set to Select panel, you can only select a single panel stack. The panels in this panel stack are displayed in the selector. If the Action Type is set to Select attribute element or Select metric, you can select single or multiple Grid/Graphs or panel stacks, or any combination of Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. The target Grid/Graph displays the attribute elements or metrics that the user chooses in the selector.

10 The Fish Eye Selector is viewable only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. By default, it is displayed as the Listbox style in all other modes and views; to change that, select a different DHTML style. The styles are listed below: Drop-down Slider Listbox

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Radio Buttons Check Boxes Button Bar Link Bar

For an example of each style, see Defining a selector, page 423.


11 For Slider, Radio Buttons, Check Boxes, and Button Bar selector styles, the Orientation option is available. You can select whether to display the selector horizontally (on a single line from left to right) or vertically (in a single column). 12 By default, the selector shows the All option, which allows the user to display all the attribute elements or metrics in the Target at the same time. To disable the All option, clear the Show option for all check box.

This option is not available if either of the following is true:


The Action Type is set to Select panel. The DHTML style is set to Slider and the Allow multiple selections check box is selected. 13 By default, the All option is displayed as (All) in the selector. You can overwrite this by entering text into the Alias for All field.

This option is available only if Show option for All is selected.


14 By default, the Allow multiple selections option is cleared for the Slider, Listbox, Link Bar, and Button Bar styles. To allow the user to choose multiple items in the selector, select the Allow multiple selections check box. The Allow multiple selections check box allows the user to choose more than one item in the selector. For all other styles, this check box is unavailable and the option is disabled, since those styles do not support multiple selections. The one exception is Check Boxes, where the option is enabled. 15 Click OK to return to the document. 16 Save the document. To view and interact with the Fish Eye Selector, you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web and switch to Flash Mode if the document does not initially open in Flash Mode. In Flash Mode, you can format the Fish Eye
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Selector; for a list of the available formatting options, see Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode, page 649. also format the Fish Eye Selector for display You canYou can format the selector in either Desktopin non-Flash modes. or in MicroStrategy Web. For information and instructions, see Formatting selectors, page 476.

Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode


You can format the following aspects of a Fish Eye Selector: The color of highlighted and selected items in the selector. Whether the spacing, scale, and animation speed of the selector is automatically determined. The space between the items in the selector. The scale of the items, which is how large or small the items in a selector can become. The speed of the magnification effect for items in the selector. Whether the selector items are displayed as text or images.

These formatting options are applied when the Fish Eye Selector is displayed as a widget. A Fish Eye Selector always displays in Flash Mode as a widget. When it is not displayed as a widget, how the selector displays is determined by how it was created: If the Fish Eye Selector was created as a widget, it can be hidden or displayed as a Grid/Graph, a placeholder, or a widget. For directions and examples, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. If the Fish Eye Selector was created as a selector, it is displayed using the DHTML style and formatting. For information and instructions, see Defining a selector, page 423 and Formatting selectors, page 476.

For instructions to format Fish Eye Selectors for Flash Mode using MicroStrategy Web, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Creating a Date Selection widget


A Date Selection widget is a calendar selector that allows you to select which dates you want to see data about in a document. You are able to see all of the dates of each month in the widget, which allows you to be able to select dates more easily. For example, the Date Selection widget is useful if you are working with a dashboard that displays data from Q4 2007 and you want to view data from a date before that. You can select the date that you want to see and the data for that date will display on the dashboard, as shown below:

You can use MicroStrategy Web to define whether or not a Date Selection widget displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. If it does not display as a widget, it displays as either a Grid/Graph (if it was created as a widget) or as a standard selector such as a listbox or button bar (if it was created as a selector). For instructions to define its DHTML display, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. The same dashboard is shown below in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The Date Selection widget is defined to not display as a widget in DHTML. The Date Selection widget was created using a widget, so the selector is now displayed as a Grid/Graph. Notice the scroll bar at the left: all the dates are not shown in this sample, because the list is so long. Because

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the list is so long, dates even further down the list do not appear in the same screen as the graph, which is why the Date Selection widget is so useful.

In non-Flash modes, the widget can instead be hidden or displayed as an empty Grid/Graph placeholder. For examples, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. If the Date Selection widget was created as a selector rather than a widget, in Interactive Mode the dashboard looks like the sample shown below. You can set the style of the selector, which in this example is left as the default,

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Listbox. Again, all the dates are not shown, because the list is so long. The scrollbar allows the user to view and select dates further down in the list.

These examples target a Grid/Graph, but a panel stack can also be the target of a Date Selection widget. However, a Date Selection widget created as a widget cannot switch panels on a panel stack. The table below summarizes the differences between a Date Selection widget created as a widget and as a selector.
Widget Display in Flash Mode Display in non-Flash Mode Date Selection widget Selector Date Selection widget

Can be any of the following: Can be either: Grid/Graph used as a selector Selector displayed in the closest DHTML style Empty Grid/Graph placeholder Date Selection widget Hidden Date Selection widget Yes No Yes Yes

Target panel stacks and Grid/Graphs Multiple selections

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Widget Target of another selector Method of creating Yes Create a Grid/Graph and turn it into a widget

Selector Only if the selector is on a panel stack Create a selector

For instructions to create a Date Selection widget as a widget, see Creating a Date Selection widget as a widget, page 653. For instructions to create a Date Selection widget as a selector, see Creating a Date Selection widget as a selector, page 655.

Creating a Date Selection widget as a widget


If a Date Selection widget is created as a widget, the selector can be displayed as a Grid/Graph, which still functions as a selector, in non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web. A Date Selection widget created as a widget can target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks, but cannot switch panels on a panel stack. (For more information on Grid/Graphs controlling panel stacks or other Grid/Graphs, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486.) If you want the Date Selection widget to display as a standard selector such as a listbox or button bar in non-Flash modes, or to allow multiple selections, create it as a selector instead. For instructions, see Creating a Date Selection widget as a selector, page 655. For examples of the differences between the two, see Creating a Date Selection widget, page 650. Flash Mode as widget. A Date Selection widget always displays inwhether or not aaDate You can use MicroStrategy Web to define Selection widget displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.
To create a Date Selection widget (using a widget)

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 Insert the Grid/Graph to be used as the Date Selection widget into the document, if one is not already in the document. For a procedure, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298.

The Grid/Graph must contain the Day attribute in the rows.


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3 Select the Grid/Graph to turn into a Date Selection widget. 4 In the Property List: Flash section, choose Date Selection from the drop-down list in Widget. List pane is not displayed, click If the Propertythe panel on the left. If the panel Property List atat the bottom of is not displayed all, select Property List from the View menu. 5 Create the Grid/Graph or panel stack to be used as the target, if it is not already in the document. For instructions, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298 or Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391. Grid/Graph The targetQuarter. or panel must contain a date attribute, such as Day or 6 Double-click the Grid/Graph to use as the Date Selection widget. A red hashed border displays around it, indicating that the Grid/Graph is in edit mode. 7 Right-click the attribute or metric to use as the selector, and choose Edit Control. The Template Control dialog box opens. 8 Select the target Grid/Graph or panel stack in the list of available controls on the left, and click > to add it to the list of selected targets. You can select multiple targets. 9 Click OK to return to the document. 10 Press ESC or click anywhere in the documents Layout area outside of the Grid/Graph to exit edit mode.
Specify the non-Flash display

11 Right-click the Grid/Graph, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 12 Click the Widget tab. 13 Change the Alternative display property, which determines how the widget looks in PDF View in Desktop, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, and when exported to Excel and PDF. The widget can display as a placeholder or as a Grid/Graph, or can be hidden. For more information, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.

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14 Click OK to save the changes and return to the document.


Enable Flash Mode for Web

You must enable Flash Mode in the document so that you and other users can view the Date Selection widget in MicroStrategy Web. 15 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 16 In the Available display modes list on the Document tab, select the Flash check box. 17 You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. 18 Click OK to return to the document. 19 Save the document. To view and interact with the Date Selection widget, you must open the document in MicroStrategy Web and switch to Flash Mode if the document does not initially open in Flash Mode. In Flash Mode, you can format the Date Selection widget; for a list of the available formatting options, see Formatting Date Selection widgets for Flash Mode, page 658.

Creating a Date Selection widget as a selector


If a Date Selection widget is created as a selector, the selector can be displayed as a standard selector such as a listbox or button bar in non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web. If you want to display the Date Selection widget as a Grid/Graph, or hide it completely, in non-Flash modes, create it as a widget instead. For instructions, see Creating a Date Selection widget as a widget, page 653. A Date Selection widget created as a selector allows multiple selections, unlike a Date Selection widget created as a widget. You can create a Date Selection widget from scratch or by applying its style to an existing selector. The following procedure creates it from scratch.

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To apply the style to an existing selector, set the Flash style property (found in the Property List or the Properties dialog box) to Date Selection. Flash Mode as widget. A Date Selection widget always displays inwhether or not aaDate You can use MicroStrategy Web to define Selection widget displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Prerequisite
The following procedure assumes that you have already created the target Grid/Graph or panel stack, which must contain a date attribute, such as Day or Quarter. For instructions, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298 or Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391.
To create a Date Selection widget (using a selector)

1 Open a document in the Document Editor. 2 Expand the document section where you want to place the selector by clicking the plus sign next to the section name. 3 Click the Selector icon in the toolbar, and then select Date Selection. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 4 Click in the desired section of the Layout area. If you click and drag in the section, you can size the selector. The selector is added to the document. 5 Right-click the new selector, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

You can also change these properties using the Property List.
6 Click the Selector tab. 7 Select Select attribute element from the Action Type drop-down list.

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8 Select a Source from the drop-down list. The Source drop-down list contains all of the attributes in all of the datasets in the document. The selector displays the attribute elements of the attribute selected as the Source. 9 From the list of Available targets on the left, select Grid/Graph(s) and/or panel stack(s) and click > to add them to the list of Selected targets. You can select single or multiple Grid/Graphs or panel stacks, or any combination of Grid/Graphs and panel stacks. The target Grid/Graph displays the attribute elements that the user chooses in the selector. 10 The Date Selection style is viewable only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. In modes and views other than Flash, the default display is the Listbox style; to change that, select a different DHTML style. The DHTML styles are listed below: Drop-down Slider Listbox Radio Buttons Check Boxes Button Bar Link Bar

11 For Slider, Radio Buttons, Check Boxes, and Button Bar selector styles, the Orientation option is available. You can select whether to display the selector horizontally (on a single line from left to right) or vertically (in a single column). 12 By default, the selector shows the All option, which allows the user to display all the attribute elements or metrics in the Target at the same time. To disable the All option, clear the Show option for all check box. This option is not available set to Slider Allow multiple selections if the Styleisisselected. and the check box 13 By default, the All option (described in the previous step) is displayed as (All) in the selector. You can overwrite this by entering text into the Alias for All field.

This option is available only if Show option for All is selected.


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14 By default, the Allow multiple selections option is cleared for the Slider, Listbox, Link Bar, and Button Bar styles. To allow the user to choose multiple items in the selector, select the Allow multiple selections check box. The Allow multiple selections check box allows the user to choose more than one item in the selector. For all other styles, this check box is unavailable and the option is disabled, since those styles do not support multiple selections. The one exception is Check Boxes, where the option is enabled. 15 For List Box (when Flash View is enabled), you can allow an item to be selected if the user hovers the mouse over it without clicking. By default, the user must select an item to change the target of the selector. To change this behavior, select the Change selection on mouseover property. If the user points the mouse away from the selector without clicking an item, the target reverts to its previous state. 16 Click OK to return to the document.

Formatting Date Selection widgets for Flash Mode


You can format the following aspects of a Date Selection widget: The background color of the calendar. The border color of the calendar. The color displayed when a user rolls over a date on the calendar. The color displayed when a user chooses a date on the calendar. The day to display as the first day of the week on the calendar. Whether the current date is highlighted. The font of different areas in the calendar. Font properties include type, size, color, italic, and bold. You can format the following areas of the calendar differently:

Month+Year (the calendar header) Day (the names of the days) Day number (the date)

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These formatting options are applied when the Date Selection widget is displayed as a widget. A Date Selection widget always displays in Flash Mode as a widget. You can define whether or not a Date Selection widget displays as a widget in Interactive Mode and Express Mode. For instructions, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. When it is not displayed as a widget, how the widget displays is determined by how it was created: If the Date Selection widget was created as a widget, it can be hidden or displayed as either a Grid/Graph or a placeholder. For directions and examples, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. If the Date Selection widget was created as a selector, it is displayed using the DHTML style and formatting. For information and instructions, see Defining a selector, page 423 and Formatting selectors, page 476.

For instructions to format Date Selection widgets for Flash Mode using MicroStrategy Web, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. For information on the differences between creating a Date Selection widget as a widget or as a selector, see Creating a Date Selection widget, page 650.

Linking in widgets
Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). For example, you can link a widget displaying sales information by customer region to a related document, such as the top ten employees by profit. In MicroStrategy Web, the user can click the link in the widget to view this document and compare data. overview of linking. focuses This section provides only aninstructions to createItthem. Foron links in widgets, with examples and background information on linking in general, see Chapter 7, Linking from Documents. If a link is added to an attribute in the widget's Grid/Graph, the name of the target report or document displays in the tooltip associated with the attribute when the widget is displayed. In the image below, two documents have been added as links to the Region attribute. When the user hovers the cursor over

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the Web region, the Links menu is displayed. The user can select a linked document from the menu to open it.

in (in all modes Links are functional onlyyouMicroStrategy Web both Desktop except Design Mode), although can create them in and MicroStrategy Web. You can add links to the following widgets: Data Cloud Heat Map Interactive Bubble Graph Microchart

linking from each type of the For examples ofReport Services Documentwidget, seeGuide. MicroStrategy Analysis

Specifying how prompts are answered in the target


For each prompt in the target (the report or document being executed from the link), you must select a prompt answer method, which is how to answer the prompt. You also specify how to answer any other prompts that are not listed. These can be prompts that are created as the result of an answer to one of the original prompts in the target, such as a prompt-in-prompt answer. They can also be prompts added to the target later, after the link is

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created. These prompts are listed as the Any other prompt option in the list of prompts in the interface. The prompt answer methods are briefly described in the table below. See Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684 for an expanded description of each method, with an example.
Prompt Answer Method Answer with the same prompt Prompt user Default answer Dynamically Requirements Same prompt in the target and source None None Attribute element prompt in target Value prompt in target (available only in MicroStrategy Web Target prompt must not be required Attribute element prompt in target Hierarchy prompt in target Hierarchy prompt in target Prompts in the Target Are Answered By... The prompt answer from the source The user (prompts are displayed when the target is executed) The default prompt answer for the target prompt The object selected in the source (for example, the attribute element that the user clicked on)

Empty answer Static element list

Nothing (no prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted) List of elements created by the link designer Used to pass attribute elements from conditional metrics to the target The object selected in the source (for example, the attribute element that the user clicked on) Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source

Current unit All valid units

Creating links in widgets


Before creating links, you should: Create the source and target documents and reports. Create a Data Cloud, Heat Map, Interactive Bubble Graph, or Microcharts widget in the target document. For instructions, see Creating widgets, page 597.

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Know what types of prompts the targets require and how they will be answered. The following table describes prerequisites for different prompt answer methods.

Prompt Answer Method Prerequisite Answer with the same prompt Default answer Dynamically The same prompt is used in the target and the source. The target prompt contains a default answer. The target prompt is an attribute element prompt or value prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. Note: To select Dynamically for value prompts, you must use MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. Static element list Empty answer Current unit The target prompt is an attribute element prompt. The prompt should not be required. The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. All valid units The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object(s) that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt.

To add a link from a widget

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 Double-click the widget Grid/Graph to enable edit mode. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, and the menu options and toolbar change. 3 Right-click the attribute to use as link, and then select Edit Links. The Link Editor opens.
Define the link

4 If this is not the first link created for the object, click New. If it is, continue with the next step.

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5 Click ... (the browse button) to find and select the target report or document.
Apply prompt answers

6 Select a prompt in the Target prompts list. 7 Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list (unless otherwise indicated, each method is available for all prompt types): Answer with the same prompt. The same prompt answers that were used to execute the source are used in the target. To use this method, the target and the source must use the same prompt. Prompt user. The user is prompted to provide answers manually when the target is executed. Default answer. The prompt is answered by the default prompt answer for the prompt in the target report. Empty answer. The prompt in the target is ignored, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted to provide answers. If the prompt is required, the prompt is still executed when a user clicks this link, since a prompt answer must be provided. Dynamically. The prompt is answered using the object selected in the source. Available for attribute element prompts and value prompts only. To select Dynamically you must use MicroStrategy Web. Forfor value prompts,the MicroStrategy instructions, see Web Help. Static element list. This method overrides the prompt answers from the source with a list of elements. Once you select this method when you are creating the link, the Element List area becomes available, allowing you to select the elements that will be passed as answers to the element list prompt in the target. Available for attribute element prompts only. Current unit. Similar to the Dynamic prompt answer method, where the prompt is answered using the object selected in the source. Available for hierarchy prompts only.

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All valid units. Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source is used as the prompt answer for the target. In other words, this method passes all the selections made on the source, rather than just the selection made for the link. Available for hierarchy prompts only.

each of methods, see For examples of promptsthe prompt answerthe target, page 684. Specifying how are answered in For a list of prompt types, see the Building Query Objects and Queries chapter in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. 8 Repeat the above steps, starting with Apply prompt answers, page 663, for each prompt in the target.
Specify the prompt answer method for any other prompts

Any other prompts are those prompts that are not in the target when you are creating the link, such as prompts added to the target later. By default, the Prompt user method is selected for these prompts, but you can change the method. For more information on how these prompts occur, including examples, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684. 9 Select Any other prompt in the Target prompts list. 10 Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list; only these methods are available for the Any other prompt option: Answer with the same prompt Prompt user Default answer Empty answer

See the previous list of prompt answer methods for brief descriptions of each.
Rename the link

11 By default, links are named Link1, Link2, and so on. To rename the link, click Rename, and replace the name with new text. You can help identify the link for analysts by using the name of the target report and/or describe how its prompts are answered.

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Create another link on the same object

12 To create additional links from the same object, continue with the steps below. Otherwise, continue with Specify whether a new window is used, page 665. For an example of multiple links, see Linking from a document to multiple targets, page 676. 13 Click New, and define the link as described above, starting with Define the link, page 662. 14 By default, the first link that is created is set as the default link, which is used when a user clicks the object in MicroStrategy Web or double-clicks it in Desktop. To set a different link as the default, select it in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Set as default. For details on default links, see Specifying the default link when multiple links are available, page 684. 15 You can set the order that the links are displayed in the right-click menu. Select a link in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Move Up or Move Down to re-order the links.
Specify whether a new window is used

For all the links on an object, you can specify whether the target opens in the same window as the source (replacing the source) or in a new window when a user clicks the link. 16 By default, the target report or document opens in the same window as the source. To have the target open in a new window, which allows both the source and the target to be visible simultaneously, select the Open in a new window check box. 17 Click OK to close the Link Editor. 18 To exit edit mode, press ESC. You are returned to the source document.

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7
7.

LINKING FROM DOCUMENTS

Introduction
A link is a connection in a document to another document, a report, or a web page. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, he can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region. This is a form of drilling, where the user has drilled from region to store. The source document could also link to the underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well. The source could link to a web page that contains economic information about the region.

About links
Linking documents is a tool to present investigative workflows. You can use links to navigate from data at one level to different levels of aggregation. For example, a document contains data about salaries and bonuses at the departmental level. One link on department can display a document with information about individual employees, while a second link displays
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information for the various business units. Another link executes a breakdown by the projects that the department is currently working on. Or you can use an object (such as an attribute element) on a document to trigger the execution of another document or a report that is substantially different from the original document. For example, a user viewing an Employee detail document can click a link to execute a Regional Sales Breakdown document, or click a link on a Profit and Loss report to view a Departmental Summary dashboard. Different objects on a document can have different links. For example, the Region attribute in a regional revenue document can link to a yearly revenue document, while the Revenue metric can link to a document with revenue forecasts and other key performance indicators. A link can also connect a text field or an image to a web page. When the document is viewed as a PDF or on the Web, a user can click the link to navigate to the links target, which opens in a new window. If you prefer, you can define the link so that the target opens in the same window as the document, effectively replacing it. functional only Links areMode), although in MicroStrategy Web (all modes except for Express you can create them in both Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. To allow a user to link from a text field or an image to a web page in PDF View in Desktop, as well as in all nonFlash modes in MicroStrategy Web, define the control as a hyperlink. For details and examples, see Defining hyperlinks in documents, page 706. Links can: Be created on a text field or image (the source) Be created from an attribute, metric, hierarchy, or object prompt on a Grid/Graph (the source)

The Grid/Graph must be displayed as a grid.


Be created from an attribute on a widget Execute a report, a web page, or another document (the target)

You can execute a web page from a text field or image only.

Open the target in either a new window or the same window (replacing the source) Answer prompts in the target in a variety of ways, including using existing prompt answers from the source, using the objects selected in the source, running the prompts, sending a list of elements, and others
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Linking from Documents

Are functional in MicroStrategy Web, although you can create them in Desktop and MicroStrategy Web

This chapter explores the many options exposed by links and how they can be used to create new opportunities for guided analysis. The following table describes different options that allow a user to interact with a document. The table helps you to decide what to create to achieve your goals.
To: In: Create: A text field or image that is defined as a hyperlink.

Link to a web page MicroStrategy Web

PDF View in Desktop A user can click a hyperlink on an image or a text field to open a web page. Hyperlinks work in PDF View in Desktop and in Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. See Defining hyperlinks in documents, page 706. Link to a web page MicroStrategy Web A link. A user can click a link on an image or a text field to open a web page. Links work in all modes, except Express Mode, in MicroStrategy Web. See Linking to a web page, page 677. Link to a report or a document MicroStrategy Web A link. A user can click a link on an image, a text field, or an object in a Grid/Graph (displayed as a grid or a widget) to run another document or a report. Links work in all modes, except Express Mode, in MicroStrategy Web. See Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681. Link to a report or document & pass context MicroStrategy Web A link containing prompt information. This is the same as the link described above, except that the target document/report contains a prompt and the link contains information to answer that prompt. Information can therefore be passed from the source document to the target. See Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684. Link on a Grid/Graph (not an object on a Grid/Graph) MicroStrategy Web A link to the dataset. You can link a Grid/Graph to its related dataset report. This type of link creates a text field, separate from the Grid/Graph, that executes the dataset report. See Linking to the dataset reports of Grid/Graphs, page 345.

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To: Drill on a Grid/Graph

In: MicroStrategy Web

Create: Enable drilling in the Grid/Graph. (A new object or link does not have to be created.) You can drill on a Grid/Graph in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. You can drill down, up, or across attributes, custom groups, and consolidations displayed in a Grid/Graph, if drilling is enabled. See Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.

Interact with panel stacks

MicroStrategy Web, and especially Flash Mode

Selector. A selector allows the user to: Change panels in a panel stack Display different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a panel stack using dynamic text fields Selectors are functional in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. See Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418 and Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391.

Display different objects on a Grid/Graph

MicroStrategy Web, and especially Flash Mode

Selector. A selector allows a user to display different metrics or different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a Grid/Graph. Selectors are functional in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. See Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Email, export, or MicroStrategy Web subscribe to a document or report

Link URL using the object ID and link syntax. When you manually construct the link URL, rather than using the Link Editor, a user can email, export, or subscribe to the target. However, you need to know and understand the link syntax and find the object ID. See Emailing, exporting, and subscribing to documents and reports, page 711.

For information on how these various options work together, see How links, drilling, and selectors work together, page 709.

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Prerequisites for working with links


This chapter assumes that you are familiar with creating reports, documents, and prompts. For resource material, see the following: For information on creating reports and prompts, including descriptions of the different prompt types, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. For information on creating documents, see Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents. For information on drilling, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. For information on drill maps, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. For information on hierarchies and how they are structured, see the chapter on hierarchies in the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide.

Terms used in links


Before you begin creating links, it is helpful to know and understand the following terms: Link: A connection in a document to another document, a report, or a web page. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. Links are functional in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Default link: Is used when a user clicks the linked object. If the object has multiple links, the user can right-click the linked object to access the other links. Hyperlink: A connection in a document to a web page. In contrast to a link, a hyperlink is functional in PDF View in Desktop and in Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Linking in a document: Examples


Links can connect a document to a web page, another document, or a report. You can link from a text field, an image, or an object on a Grid/Graph (displayed as a grid). While you can create links in both Desktop and

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MicroStrategy Web, links are functional only in MicroStrategy Web (all modes except for Express Mode). Hyperlinks allow you to link to a web page and are functional in PDF View in Desktop as well as in non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web.

Linking a document to a web page


You can link a text field or an image in a document to a web page. When the document is viewed in MicroStrategy Web, a user can click the link to navigate to the links target web page. For example, you can define a link on a logo. When a user hovers the pointer over the logo, it changes to a hand to indicate the link, as shown below:

When a user clicks the logo, your home page is displayed. For more information on links that open a web page, including a more detailed example and instructions, see Linking to a web page, page 677.

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Linking from a text field


The underlined text in the following document, which is shown in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, indicates the links. Note that both the revenue data (indicated by the hand pointer in the image) and the metric headers (the text 2005 Revenue, 2006 Revenue, and 2007 Revenue) are linked.

complete Theall regionsdocument is not shown; the full document contains data for and all categories. If you click the link indicated by the hand pointer, the following report is executed. It provides data for the selected Region (Central), Category (Books), and Year (2006).

If you click the link on the text 2006 Revenue instead, the following report is executed. It is the same report as the previous, but contains all regions and

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all categories, but only 2006 data. (Only a portion of the report is shown below.)

The source document is shown below in Design View. Text fields on the source document provide the metric data and the header labels. They are underlined to indicate the links, even in Design View.

The metric text fields have been expanded so that you can read the entire text.
For a more detailed explanation of the links on this document, see Passing metric conditions: Using the Static element list prompt answer method, page 692.

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Linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph


The following document, which is shown in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, links the Region attribute in the Grid/Graph to a report called Revenue Rank with Region prompt. The links are indicated by the underlined region names. When you hover over a region, the hand pointer appears and the name of the link is displayed in a pop-up, as shown below.

When you click Southwest, the Revenue Rank with Region prompt report is executed, as shown below. (This report, unlike other reports and documents in this section, is reproduced in its entirety.) Notice that only employees in the Southwest are included in the report.

This is because the Revenue Rank with Region prompt report includes a prompt on Region. The link answers the prompt dynamically, meaning that the object selected in the source (Southwest in this case) is passed to the target report as the prompt answer.

Linking from an attribute in a widget


The following document, which is shown in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, links the Region attribute in the widget to a report called Revenue Top 2 Employees by Call Center. When you hover over a region, a tooltip

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appears with information from the widget and a Links option, which lists the available links, as shown below.

When you click Top 2 Employees by Call Center, that report is executed, as shown below. (This report, unlike other reports and documents in this section, is reproduced in its entirety.) Notice that only call centers in the Mid-Atlantic are included in the report.

This is because the Top 2 Employees by Call Center report includes a prompt on Region. The link answers the prompt dynamically, meaning that the object selected in the source (Mid-Atlantic in this case) is passed to the target report as the prompt answer. For more information on linking from widgets, including examples and instructions, see Linking in widgets, page 659.

Linking from a document to multiple targets


Continuing the example above, the following document is the same as the original source, except that an additional link has been specified for Region.

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If you right-click a region and point to Links, a list of all the links for that object is displayed, as shown below.

The Revenue rank within region link was used in the previous example. If you choose Quarterly report for region instead, a different report is displayed, as shown below. Note that Southwest has been passed in the link because the report is filtered on Southwest.

Linking to a web page


You can link a text field or an image to a web page. When the document is viewed in MicroStrategy Web, a user can click the link to navigate to the links target web page, which opens in a new window. If you prefer, you can define the link so that the target opens in the same window as the document,

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effectively replacing it. Links are functional in the following modes in MicroStrategy Web: Editable Flash Interactive

in hyperlink Links are not functionalthatDesktop. Useina PDF View instead, which is similar to a link except it functions in Desktop, as well as in all non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions and examples, see Defining hyperlinks in documents, page 706. For example, you can define a link on a logo in the Document Header. When a user clicks the logo, your home page is displayed. For images of this example, see Linking a document to a web page, page 672. You can also link a text field to a web page. In the following example, Region is linked to a dummy web site, www.example.com. The various regions are underlined, indicating that a link exists. When a user hovers the cursor over a region, the pointer changes to a hand, also indicating a link. This is shown below, in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

When a user clicks a region, the www.example.com website is displayed. For instructions to re-create this example, see Creating a link to a web page, page 680. the You can add pop-up text to display information aboutor a link. In the above examples, the pop-up text can display the URL description of the website. For instructions, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162.

Naming links
When you create a link, you can name it. By default, the first link is named Link1, the second Link2, and so on, but you can change the names. Since the name appears in the link, it should be descriptive and informative to help

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users identify the target of the link. Instructions to name the link are included in Creating a link to a web page, page 680.

Multiple links on the same object


You can create multiple links on the same object. That is, the same object can be linked to different web pages, or even to reports and documents. (For more information on linking to reports and documents, see Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681.) One of the links is designated as the default; when a user clicks the linked object, the default link is used. To access other links, the user can right-click the linked object to choose from a list of links. The list of links is available in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode, but not in Flash Mode. The default link works in all of these modes. for Grid/Graphs in Flash You can allow users to view the list of links instructions, see Enabling Mode by enabling data manipulations. For filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode, page 360. In the example shown on page 678, the regions are underlined, indicating that a link exists. If you do not want the links to be underlined, clear the default link. The links will still work, but are not underlined when viewed in MicroStrategy Web. For an example of multiple links, see Linking from a document to multiple targets, page 676. For more information about default links, including instructions on setting and clearing the default link, see Specifying the default link when multiple links are available, page 684.

Dynamic text in links


The target URL can include dynamic text, which changes the URL depending on the data in the document. For example, your company has a website with pages for each region. The link can access the specific page for each region. To do this, include the Region attribute in the URL, as in http://www.example.com/{Region}.htm. Recall that dynamic text must be typed within braces (that is, { }). Dynamic text can be either: A data field (a metric, attribute, and so on) providing data from the dataset

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An auto text code providing information on a property of the document or dataset, such as the document name or a prompt answer

For more information on the syntax of dynamic data fields, see Inserting a blank text field and typing an object name, page 57. For more information on the syntax of auto text codes, see Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes, page 59.

Creating a link to a web page


The procedure below re-creates the example shown on page 678, where Region is linked to the www.example.com web site.
To create a link to a web page

1 Create a document in Design View in the Document Editor, in either Desktop or MicroStrategy Web. MicroStrategy Tutorial, select 01 Basic Report, If you are usingRegion, Employee, and the Revenue metric as which contains shown in the example, as the dataset report. This report is saved in the Reports\MicroStrategy Platform Capabilities\ Advanced Reporting Guide directory. 2 Add Region, Employee, and the Revenue metric to the Detail section. 3 Right-click {Region} in the Layout area, and select Edit Links. The Link Editor opens. 4 By default, the Navigate to this URL option is already selected. 5 Type the target URL in the box below the Navigate to this URL option. The sample uses www.example.com. Notice that http:// is automatically filled in for you. 6 By default, in MicroStrategy Web, the target opens in the same window as the source. To have the target open in a new window, which allows both the source and the target to be visible simultaneously, select the Open in a new window check box. applies to Region This settingyou selectedalltolinks defined forEditor). (that is, the object that open the Link

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7 Click OK to return to the Document Editor. 8 Create text fields in the Detail Header section containing the following text. This serves as the header for the document. Region Employee Revenue

9 Save the document. To use the link, open the document in MicroStrategy Web, in any mode except Design Mode or Express Mode.

Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling)


You can link from: To: Another document A report A web page A text field An image An attribute, metric, hierarchy, or object prompt on a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid An attribute on widget

The link connects an object in one document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). The only difference between linking to a document or report and to a web page is that you can answer prompts when

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you link to a document/report. Answering prompts allows the link to pass information from the source document to the target.

For moretoinformation on creating and using links to a web page, see Linking a web page, page 677.
Links can provide drilling in documents, when you define the links to navigate from data at one level to different levels of aggregation. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional revenue, he can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the call centers in that region. Essentially, the user has drilled down from Region to Call Center. The original document is shown below, in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

After the user clicks the link on Central, this document is executed:

The drilling is accomplished by linking to a prompted document and passing prompt answers in the link. For details on passing prompt information, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684. A second link on region in the source (that is, the first document) can take the user from the regional sales document to another document that displays sales by country. The user has then drilled up from Region to Country. In the following sample, the user has drilled from Central to all countries.

Links do not have to simulate drilling; they can also connect to reports and documents that are not different levels. The same regional document could contain another link to the underlying dataset report, which displays profit

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and cost values as well sales, all at the regional level. Another link can execute a document with additional information about the selected region, such as employees, market saturation, and so on. While you can create links in Desktop and in MicroStrategy Web, they are functional only in MicroStrategy Web, in all modes except Design Mode and Express Mode.

In previous versions, linking or drilling to reports and documents was accomplished with drill links.
Components of a link
When you create a link, you specify the following components: The name of the link. By default, the first link is named Link1, the second Link2, and so on, but you can change the names. Since the name appears in the link, it should be descriptive and informative to help users identify the target of the link. The target of the link. The target is the report or document that is executed when a user clicks the link. The prompt to be answered and how to apply prompt answers to it, if the target contains prompts. A list of the prompts in the target is provided. For each prompt, select a prompt answer method. For example, a prompt can use the existing prompt answers from the source, can be run so that the user must answer it, or can be answered with the object selected in the source. Other prompt answer methods exist; see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target, page 684 for a full listing, with descriptions. The list of prompts contains an option named Any other prompt, which controls any prompts that are not in the target when the link is created. These can be either:

Prompts added to the target after the link is created Prompts that are created as the result of an answer to one of the original prompts in the target, such as a prompt-in-prompt answer

For more information about the Any other prompt option, see Specifying prompt answers for any other prompts not listed, page 699. If you create multiple links for the same object, you specify the default link, which is used when a user clicks the object. To choose any of the other links,

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the user must right-click the object. In Flash mode, the default link is the only link that is available. See Specifying the default link when multiple links are available, page 684 for more details on how the other links are displayed. For an example of multiple links, see Linking from a document to multiple targets, page 676. For all the links on an object, you can specify whether the target opens in the same window as the source (replacing the source) or in a new window. By default, the target opens in the same window as the source, effectively replacing it. You can instead choose to open the target in a new window, which allows both the source and the target to be visible simultaneously.

Specifying the default link when multiple links are available


You can create multiple links for a single object in the source, which provides additional report and document selections to analysts. However, one link must be specified as the default, which allows a user to click an object to execute the default target. To access all other links, the user can right-click the object and select the link from the list that is displayed. This list is available only in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode; only the default link is available in Flash Mode. For an example of multiple links, see Linking from a document to multiple targets, page 676. The first link that you create for an object is defined automatically as the default link. After you create another link for the same object, you can change the default link. To do this, select the link in the Link Editor and click Set as default. The default link is indicated by a small triangle displayed next to the link name in the Link Editor. You can also clear the default link for an object. If a particular object does not have a default link defined, the object is not underlined when viewed in MicroStrategy Web, but the links still function. To do this, select the default link in the Link Editor and click Clear Default.

Specifying how prompts are answered in the target


For each prompt in the target (the report or document being executed from the link), you must select a prompt answer method, which is how to answer the prompt. You also specify how to answer any other prompts that are not listed. These are prompts that are created as the result of an answer to one of the original prompts in the target, such as a prompt-in-prompt answer. They can also be prompts added to the target later, after the link is created. These

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prompts are listed as the Any other prompt option in the list of prompts in the interface. The prompt answer methods are briefly described in the table below. An expanded description of each, with an example, follows the table.
Prompt Answer Method Answer with the same prompt Prompt user Default answer Dynamically Requirements Same prompt in the target and source None None Attribute element prompt in target Value prompt in target (available only in MicroStrategy Web) Target prompt must not be required Attribute element prompt in target Hierarchy prompt in target Hierarchy prompt in target Prompts in the Target Are Answered By... The prompt answer from the source The user (prompts are displayed when the target is executed) The default prompt answer for the target prompt The object selected in the source (for example, the attribute element that the user clicked on)

Empty answer Static element list

Nothing (no prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted) List of elements created by the link designer Used to pass attribute elements from conditional metrics to the target The object selected in the source (for example, the attribute element that the user clicked on) Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source

Current unit All valid units

prompt types, see For a listinofthe MicroStrategy the Building Query Objects and Queries chapter Basic Reporting Guide. For a more extensive description of each prompt type from an analysts perspective, with images of each prompt as it appears to users, see the Answering Prompts and Refreshing Data chapter of the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. Answer with the same prompt. The same prompt answers that were used to execute the source are used in the target. For example, the Regional Revenue document links regions to another document called Yearly Revenue. The dataset reports of the documents contain the same prompt, which prompts the user to select the regions. In Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web, execute the Regional Revenue document and select Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast when

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prompted. Click Mid-Atlantic to execute the link. The Yearly Revenue document displays data for all three regions, although only one region was selected in the link. For an expanded description of this example, with samples, see Answering target prompts with the source prompt answers, page 688. Prompt user. When the target is executed, the user is prompted to provide answers manually. For example, the Regional Revenue document links regions to a report called Yearly Revenue, which is prompted for regions. Click MidAtlantic on the Regional Revenue document to execute the link to the Yearly Revenue report. The regional prompt is displayed, although a region was selected on the source document. The Prompt user prompt method does not pass information to the target, so the user must answer the prompts manually. Default answer. The prompt is answered by the default prompt answer for the prompt in the target. If the target prompt does not have a default answer, the Empty answer method is used. That is, the prompt is not answered, unless it is required, in which case the user is prompted. For example, continue with the same Regional Revenue document and Yearly Revenue report described above. This time, however, the Default answer prompt method is used in the link, and the regional prompt has a default answer of Central. When you click Mid-Atlantic on the Regional Revenue document, the Yearly Revenue report displays data for Central. Dynamically. The object selected in the source is passed to the prompt in the target. If this object does not answer the target prompt, the Empty answer method is used. That is, the prompt is not answered, unless it is required, in which case the user is prompted. Available for attribute element prompts and value prompts only. prompts, To select the dynamic prompt answer method for valuethe you must use MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see MicroStrategy Web Help. For example, a document contains Employee, Region, and various metrics. Region is linked to a report called Revenue Rank with Region prompt. If a user clicks the Southwest region to run the link, Southwest is passed to the target to answer the prompt on region. The report displays data for the Southwest region only. If the user clicks Northwest instead, Northwest is passed to the target and the report displays data for the Northwest region only. Linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph, page 675 shows samples for this example of the Dynamic prompt answer method.

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Empty answer. The prompt in the target is ignored, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted to provide answers. prompt after the Thelink, the must notisbe required, otherwise,answereduser clicks the prompt executed and must be before the target can execute. The Empty prompt answer method, when used in conjunction with the dynamic prompt answer method (described above), allows a source document to answer one prompt in a target with the user selection, while ignoring any other prompts. For example, a source document contains a Grid/Graph, which has Region in the rows, and Category and Revenue in the columns. Both Region and Category link to the same target report, which prompts for Region and Category. If you click Central in the source document, the target report is executed, with data for all categories for the Central region. If you click Books in the source, the target is executed, with data for all regions for the Books category. The prompt for the selected attribute is answered using the dynamic prompt answer method, while the prompt for the other attribute is ignored, using the Empty answer prompt method. No prompt answer is provided to the target, but the user is not prompted, either. For a more detailed explanation of the Empty answer prompt answer method, including samples, see Ignoring target prompts: Using the Empty answer prompt method, page 689.

Static element list. This method answers the target prompt with a list of elements. This allows you to pass fixed conditions to the target. Once you select this method when you are creating the link, the Element List area becomes available, allowing you to select the elements that will be passed as answers to the element list prompt in the target. Available for attribute element prompts only. Use Static element list when you link from a conditional metric. Conditional metrics are filtered by attribute elements, and this prompt method allows you to pass those elements to the target. For an example, and more details on this method, see Passing metric conditions: Using the Static element list prompt answer method, page 692.

The prompt answer methods listed below are available for hierarchy prompts only. The source document used in these examples contains Year, Region, and Revenue. The source report links Region to the target report, which

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contains the Geography hierarchy and Revenue, with a hierarchy prompt in the report filter. Current unit. Similar to the Dynamic prompt answer method, where the prompt is answered using the object selected in the source. If the user selects an attribute header rather than a specific attribute element, the Empty answer method is used. That is, the prompt is not answered, unless it is required, in which case the user is prompted. For example, if the link uses this prompt answer method, when the user clicks Central in the target document, the target displays all the revenue for the Central region. The report is filtered on Region only. All valid units. Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source is used as the prompt answer for the target. In other words, this method passes all the selections made on the source, rather than just the selection made for the link. If the user does not select any valid objects (for example, the user selects an attribute header rather than a specific attribute element), the Empty answer method is used. That is, the prompt is not answered, unless it is required, in which case the user is prompted. For example, if a user selects Central in the target report, a year is also selected (see Prompt answer methods for hierarchy prompts, page 695 for the image). When the user clicks Central in the source, if the link uses this prompt answer method, the target report displays the revenue from the Central region, but only for the year that was selected in the target. The report is filtered on Region and Year. For a more detailed comparison of these two methods, including samples, see Prompt answer methods for hierarchy prompts, page 695.

Answering target prompts with the source prompt answers


When you select the Answer with the same prompt method, the existing prompt answers from the source are used in the target. To use this method, the target and the source must use the same prompt. If the same prompt does not exist in the source and in the target, the user is prompted when the target is executed. For example, the regions in the Grid/Graph in the Regional Revenue document have links to another document called Yearly Revenue. The dataset reports of both documents contain the same prompt, which prompts the user to select the regions to display. Execute the Regional Revenue document and select Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast when prompted. The results are shown below, in Interactive Mode in
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MicroStrategy Web. Notice that when you hover over a region, the link name is displayed (Yearly Revenue in this case).

Click Mid-Atlantic to run the link. The Yearly Revenue document displays data for all three regions, as shown below, although you clicked only one region.

Ignoring target prompts: Using the Empty answer prompt method


When you select the Empty answer prompt method, the prompt in the target report or document is ignored. This means that the prompt is not answerednot by the selections made on the source, by the default prompt answer, or by prompting the user. You must ensure that the prompt is not required, however, because in that case the user is prompted when the target is executed from the link in the source. The Empty prompt answer method, when used in conjunction with the dynamic prompt answer method, allows a source document to answer one prompt in a target with the user selection, while ignoring any other prompts.

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For example, the following document contains a Grid/Graph. The Grid/Graph has Region on the rows, and Category and Revenue in the columns. Region contains a link, as shown in the following image:

When you click Central, the following report is displayed:

Note that only the selected region (Central) is displayed in the target. All categories are also displayed. Note also that the document is linked to a report, rather than another document. Return to the source document, which contains a link on Category as well, as shown in the following image:

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When the selected link is run, the following report is displayed:

This is the same target report as the other link, however, only the selected category (Books) is displayed. All the regions are displayed. How does this work? The target report contains two prompts, one for Region and one for Category, but the user makes only one selection (a region or a category), yet is not prompted for the other. This is because the prompts in the link definition use different prompt answer methods. The link on region uses the following prompt answer methods: Region prompt: Dynamic Category prompt: Empty answer

This passes the selected region to the target, to answer the region prompt, and ignores the category prompt. Likewise, the link on category uses the following prompt answer methods: Region prompt: Empty answer Category prompt: Dynamic method

This passes the selected category to the target, to answer the category prompt, and ignores the region prompt. required for either of these prompts when Prompt answers cannot beanswer method is used. If they are, the the Empty answer prompt prompts must be answered by the user when the target report is executed, even if the prompt answer method is Empty Answer.

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Passing metric conditions: Using the Static element list prompt answer method
When you use the Static element list method, you select the elements that are passed as answers to an element list prompt in the target. This allows you to pass the elements from a conditional metric in the source to the target. For example, a source document contains Region, Category, and metrics for 2005 Revenue, 2006 Revenue, and 2007 Revenue. The document links from the conditional metric headers (the text 2005 Revenue, 2006 Revenue, and 2007 Revenue) to a target report, as shown below in Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Note that only a section of the document is shown below; the document contains data for all regions.

The name of the link (2006 Revenue Data) implies that the condition from the selected metric (in this case, Year = 2006) is passed to the target. The target report executes and displays as shown below. Notice that the report is filtered for 2006. You can confirm that by comparing the revenue amounts. Revenue for Books in the Central region in the target is $83,697, which is the same as the 2006 Revenue amount in the source document for the same region and category. Notice also that Last Years Revenue for Books in the

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Central region is $64,368, matching with the 2005 Revenue amount in the source document.

Note that the complete report is not shown; the full report contains data for all regions. If the link from the 2007 Revenue metric on the source document is chosen instead, the same target report is executed, but with different results, as shown below:

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The target report is filtered by the condition on the conditional metric (Year = 2007), and the data has changed accordingly. Last years revenue for books in the Central region is $83,697, matching the figure in the original document. Again, only a portion of the report is shown in the sample; all regions and categories are included in the report. How does this work? You cannot pass the elements in the condition of a conditional metric directly to the target; you instead add those elements to a static element list in the link. If you do any elements to the Empty method isnot addThat is, the prompt iselement list, theunless it answer used. not answered, is required, in which case the user is prompted. In this example, the target report is prompted for Year. The header for each conditional metric in the source document contains a link to the target. In the link, the Year prompt uses the Static element list prompt answer method. For the link from the 2005 Revenue metric, the list contains 2005. For the link from the 2006 Revenue metric, the list contains 2006, and so on. Next, prompts for Region and Category are added to the target report. To retain the scenario shown above, the new Region and Category prompts must use the Empty answer prompt method. The prompts are not answered; no data about Region or Category is passed from the source to the target. The region and category selections can be passed to the target if the Dynamic prompt method is used for these prompts instead, as in the links on the metrics in the following document. Note that the links on the metrics are new, and that the link name reflects that the region and category information is passed to the target. The link name is very important to help a user understand what the target report will contain.

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Note that only a portion of the source document is shown; all regions and categories are included on it. When you select the link, the target report is displayed. This report is shown in its entirety.

Only the Region (Central) and Category (Books) selected in the source document are included on this target report. The report is also filtered by Year, as before.

Prompt answer methods for hierarchy prompts


Links can pass only a single element of any attribute, but they can pass elements from different attributes at the same time. For example, with the links between the Revenue by Employee and Region document and the Revenue Rank with Region prompt report described earlier in this chapter, the selected region is passed to the target when the dynamic prompt answer method is used. (See Linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph, page 675 for the document and report samples.) Only the one region is passed, regardless of any other selections on the source document, because that answers the attribute element prompt in the target report. In contrast, a hierarchy prompt allows users to select prompt answers from one or more attribute elements from one or more attributes. This prompt gives users the largest number of attribute elements to choose from when they answer the prompt to define their filtering criteria. The All valid units prompt answer method passes selections made on the source document, rather than just the selection made for the link, to the target. To restrict the prompt answer to just the selected attribute element, use the Current unit

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prompt answer method. Like the Dynamic method, only the attribute element that is selected is passed to the target. For example, the following document is used as the source. It contains Year, Region, and Revenue. As shown below, Region contains two links, one that passes the current region only (using the Current unit prompt answer method) and another that passes the selected year and region (using the All valid units prompt answer method).

The source report contains the Geography hierarchy and the Revenue metric. It is filtered by a hierarchy prompt on Geography. Notice that 2005 and Central are selected in the image above. If you select the Current Year and Region link, 2005 and Central are passed to the target as the prompt answers. This is confirmed in the report filter details, as shown in the report sample below. Only Central is returned, with a revenue amount ($1,823,715) that matches the revenue amount in the source report.

If you click the Current Region Only link instead, although 2005 and Central are still selected, only Central is passed as a prompt answer to the target report. The report is filtered by Central only; all years are included. The

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revenue amount is therefore much higher ($6,912,934 instead of $1,823,715), as shown below.

The valid units for the All valid units prompt are any elements that are to the left of or above the user selection in the source. For example, add Call Center and Employee to the right of Region in the source report, as shown below.

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If you select the Current Region Only link, only Central is displayed on the target report, with the same revenue amount ($6,912,934) as in the previous scenario.

If you select the Current Year and Region link instead, Central is returned, with 2005 revenue only (again, the same as in the previous scenario), as shown below.

The link could be on Call Center instead, as shown in the source report below.

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If you click the Year, Region, and Call Center Revenue link, the target report is filtered by these attributes (the selection and the attributes to the left of it), as shown below. Note that the revenue amount ($1,498,233) is less than the amount ($1,823,715) displayed in the previous report that filtered for 2005 and Central. The difference of $325,481 is Call Center Fargos 2005 revenue contribution, as shown in the document above.

Note that throughout this section, the target report has not changed, although the last report shown above displays Call Center, while all the other target report samples displayed Region. This is because the target report contains the Geography hierarchy; the lowest attribute from that hierarchy that is passed in the prompt is displayed on the report. In this case it is Call Center; in the others it was Region. on hierarchy prompts For more informationReporting Guide. in general, see the MicroStrategy Basic

Specifying prompt answers for any other prompts not listed


Any other prompts are those prompts that are not in the target when you are creating the link. These can be either: Prompts added to the target after the link is created Prompts that are created as the result of an answer to one of the original prompts in the target, such as a prompt-in-prompt answer

These prompts are listed as the Any other prompt option in the list of prompts in the Link Editor. You can choose any of the following prompt answer methods for the Any other prompt option: Answer with the same prompt Prompt user

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Default answer Empty answer

By default, the Any other prompt option uses the Prompt user method. For more information on each method, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target. For example, a Regional Revenue document contains a link to another report called Yearly Revenue (the target). When the link was created, Yearly Revenue contained only a prompt for Region. The link uses the Dynamic prompt answer mode to answer that prompt, so the region that the user selects to access the link answers the prompt. The user is not prompted when the target is executed. However, after the link was created, a second prompt, for Category, is added to the Yearly Revenue report. Now a user selects Central in the Regional Revenue document, and clicks the link for Yearly Revenue. The report does not execute immediately, but instead the Category prompt appears. The user must select a category to continue or, since the prompt is not required, can include all categories by clicking Finish. In the sample shown below, the user answered the prompt with the Book and Movie categories.

Because the Category prompt was added after the link was created, the prompt uses the prompt answer method assigned to Any other prompt. Since the creator of the link did not change that method, it is still defined as the default of Prompt user. If you edit the Yearly Revenue link in the Regional Revenue document now, the Category prompt is displayed in the list of prompts. Its prompt answer mode is defined as Prompt user, although you can change it. You can also select a different prompt answer mode for Any other prompt.

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Change the Category prompt to Empty answer. Change the Any other prompt option to Default answer. Create a prompt on Subcategory, and add the following as default answers: Literature Cameras Comedy Rock

Add the new Subcategory prompt to the Yearly Revenue report. Re-execute the Regional Revenue document. Right-click Central, point to Link, and then select Yearly Revenue. You are not prompted at all. The target is filtered by Region and Subcategory, but not Category, as shown below.

The Region prompt is answered dynamically (by your selection of Central). The Category prompt is ignored and therefore does not show up in the report filter. The Subcategory prompt uses the default answers defined in the prompt (Literature, Cameras, Comedy, and Rock).

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Creating links to documents and reports


Prerequisites
Before creating links, you should: Create the source and target documents and reports. Know what types of prompts the targets require and how they will be answered. The following table describes prerequisites for different prompt answer methods.
Prerequisite The same prompt is used in the target and the source. The target prompt contains a default answer. The target prompt is an attribute element prompt or value prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. Note: To select Dynamically for value prompts, you must use MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. Static element list Empty answer Current unit The target prompt is an attribute element prompt. The prompt should not be required. The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. All valid units The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object(s) that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt.

Prompt Answer Method Answer with the same prompt Default answer Dynamically

To create a link

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor, in either Desktop or MicroStrategy Web.

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2 Open the Link Editor: To create a link from a text field or image, right-click the object and select Edit Links. To create a link from an object on a Grid/Graph or widget, right-click a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid, and select Edit Grid (in MicroStrategy Web, you only have to click the Grid/Graph). Rightclick an object in the Grid/Graph and select Edit Links.

You can create links from the following objects on a Grid/Graph:


Attributes Hierarchies Metrics Object prompts displayed as a Grid/Graph For a widget (which islinks from attributes only. in Design View), you can create 3 If this is not the first link created for the object, click New. If it is, continue with the next step.
Define the link

4 Select Run this report or document. 5 Click ... (the browse button) to find and select the target report or document.
Apply prompt answers

6 Select a prompt in the Target prompts list. 7 Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list (unless otherwise indicated, each method is available for all prompt types): Answer with the same prompt. The same prompt answers that were used to execute the source are used in the target. To use this method, the target and the source must use the same prompt. Prompt user. The user is prompted to provide answers manually when the target is executed. Default answer. The prompt is answered by the default prompt answer for the prompt in the target report.

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Empty answer. The prompt in the target is ignored, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted to provide answers.

required, the still executed when If the prompt issince a promptprompt ismust be provided. a user clicks this link, answer Dynamically. The prompt is answered using the object selected in the source. Available for attribute element prompts and value prompts only. You to for valuemust use MicroStrategy Websee select DynamicallyWeb prompts. For instructions, the MicroStrategy Help. Static element list. This method overrides the prompt answers from the source with a list of elements. Once you select this method when you are creating the link, the Element List area becomes available, allowing you to select the elements that will be passed as answers to the element list prompt in the target. Available for attribute element prompts only. Current unit. Similar to the Dynamic prompt answer method, where the prompt is answered using the object selected in the source. Available for hierarchy prompts only. All valid units. Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source is used as the prompt answer for the target. In other words, this method passes all the selections made on the source, rather than just the selection made for the link. Available for hierarchy prompts only. answer methods, see For examples of each of the prompttarget, page 684. For aSpecifying how prompts are answered in the list of prompt types, see the Building Query Objects and Queries chapter in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. 8 Repeat the above steps, starting with Apply prompt answers, for each prompt in the target.
Specify the prompt answer method for any other prompts

Any other prompts are those prompts that are not in the target when you are creating the link, such as prompts added to the target later. By default, the Prompt user method is selected for these prompts, but you

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can change the method. For more information on how these prompts occur, including examples, see Specifying prompt answers for any other prompts not listed, page 699. 9 Select Any other prompt in the Target prompts list. 10 Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list; only these methods are available for the Any other prompt option: Answer with the same prompt Prompt user Default answer Empty answer

list See the previouseach.of prompt answer methods for brief descriptions of
Rename the link

11 By default, links are named Link1, Link2, and so on. To rename it, click Rename, and replace the name with new text. You can help identify the link for analysts by using the name of the target report and/or describing how its prompts are answered.
Create another link on the same object

To create additional links from the same object, continue with the steps below. Otherwise, continue with Specify whether a new window is used, page 706. For an example of multiple links, see Linking from a document to multiple targets, page 676. 12 Click New, and define the link as described above, starting with Define the link, page 703. 13 By default, the first link that is created is set as the default link, which is used when a user clicks the object in MicroStrategy Web or double-clicks it in Desktop. To set a different link as the default, select it in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Set as default. For details on default links, see Specifying the default link when multiple links are available, page 684. 14 You can set the order that the links are displayed in the right-click menu. Select a link in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Move Up or Move Down to re-order the links.

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Specify whether a new window is used

For all the links on an object, you can specify whether the target opens in the same window as the source (replacing the source) or in a new window when a user clicks the link. 15 By default, the target report or document opens in the same window as the source. To have the target open in a new window, which allows both the source and the target to be visible simultaneously, select the Open in a new window check box. 16 Click OK to return to the source document.

Defining hyperlinks in documents


A hyperlink connects a text field or an image to a web page (the target). When the document is viewed as a PDF or in MicroStrategy Web, a user can click the control to navigate to the target, which opens in a new window. If you prefer, you can define the hyperlink so that the target opens in the same window as the document in MicroStrategy Web, effectively replacing it. In Desktop, the target always opens in a new window. Hyperlinks are functional in Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web, as well as in PDF View in Desktop. in the Link Editor) also connect text fields and images Links (createdHowever, links do not work in PDF View. For examples to web pages. of links to web pages, and instructions to create them, see Linking to a web page, page 677. For example, you can define a hyperlink on a logo in the Document Header. When a user clicks the logo, your home page is displayed. In PDF View, with the cursor over the logo, the link displays as pop-up text to show the URL. This is shown below.

does MicroStrategy Web, Thisapop-up textdisplaynot displayorinany other information.but you can add tooltip to the URL The tooltip also displays as pop-up text, but only in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162.

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Dynamic data fields in hyperlinks


You can insert dynamic data fields in the hyperlink. These data fields are interpreted when the document is run. This way, you can create URLs that are dynamic according to the data in the dataset. For example, if you have an intranet website with pages for each region, add a data field for the region name. Set the hyperlink to include the Region attributerecall that data fields must be typed within braces (that is, { }) and must match either the name of an object in a dataset or its alias. For more information on the syntax of dynamic data fields, see Inserting a blank text field and typing an object name, page 57. Users viewing the PDF can then click the link and view the intranet page for that region. In the Northeast region on the document it could display as Region: Northeast and link to that URL, and for Mid-Atlantic, it could display as Region: Mid-Atlantic and link to that URL. A sample is shown below:

The procedure below re-creates this example of dynamic text fields, while the second procedure (To define a hyperlink on an image, page 708) re-creates the hyperlinked image shown at the beginning of the section.
To define a hyperlink that uses dynamic text fields

1 Create a new document in the Document Editor, choosing the 01 Basic Report as the dataset report. This report is saved in the Reports\MicroStrategy Platform Capabilities\Advanced Reporting Guide directory. 2 Drag and drop Region from the Datasets pane to the Grouping panel. (This is not required for hyperlinks; it just re-creates the sample.) 3 Drag and drop Region from the Datasets pane to the Region Header section. 4 Right-click the Region text field in the Layout area, and select Edit Text.

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5 Type the following before {Region}: Region: 6 Type a space, and then press ENTER. 7 Drag and drop Revenue from the Datasets pane to the Detail section, next to the Region text field. 8 Right-click the Region text field in the Layout area, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 9 Select the Is hyperlink check box. 10 In the Hyperlink field, type the following: www.example.com/{Region} Notice that http:// is automatically filled in, so do not delete it. 11 By default, the target of the hyperlink opens in the same window as the current document in MicroStrategy Web, effectively replacing the current document. To have the target open in a new window in MicroStrategy Web, select the Open in new window check box.

In Desktop, the target always opens in a new window.


12 Click OK to return to the document. Notice that the text field is now underlined, indicating that it is a hyperlink. To view and use the hyperlink, switch to PDF View in Desktop, or to Express Mode, Interactive Mode, or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
To define a hyperlink on an image

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Add an image. For instructions, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. 3 Select the image. 4 In the Property List, select True from the Is hyperlink drop-down list. 5 Type www.microstrategy.com in the Hyperlink field. Notice that http:// is automatically filled in for you, although you can delete it if necessary.

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6 By default, the hyperlink opens in the same window as the current document in MicroStrategy Web, effectively replacing the current document. To have the target open in a new window, set the Open in new window property to True.

In Desktop, the target always opens in a new window.


To view and use the hyperlink, switch to PDF View in Desktop, or to Express Mode, Interactive Mode, or Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

How links, drilling, and selectors work together


When an attribute element in a Grid/Graph is underlined, such as Northeast in the example below, a user can click it.

Northeast can be underlined because it is any of the following: A link (to another document or a report) A selector (that displays a different attribute element in a Grid/Graph) A drill (to another level of aggregation, as defined by a drill path) Any combination of these possibilities

If Northeast is a link, a selector, and a drill, what happens when the user clicks it? It functions as a selector, because you can access the link and the drill from the right-click menu, unlike selectors. When a user clicks

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Northeast in the example shown above, the graph on the right displays the values for Northeast, as shown below:

If Northeast has a default link and a drill, the link is executed when Northeast is clicked, as shown below. By definition, a default link is the action that occurs when the link is clicked, so it takes precedence over the drill. In this case, the target document is executed, displaying information about employees in the Northeast region.

For more information, including instructions and examples, on each of these, see: Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681 Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418 Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348

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Emailing, exporting, and subscribing to documents and reports


A user can click a link on a document in MicroStrategy Web and, rather than executing the target of the link, the target can be emailed, exported, or subscribed to. You cannot use the Link Editor to create these kinds of links; you must manually create the link URL using the object ID and link syntax. The Link Editor is more user-friendly and provides easy access to the most common drill functionality. Another benefit is that you do not need to find the object ID of the target. Use the Link Editor to:

Create multiple links for the same object Run a report or document Access a web site Open the target in a new window Answer prompts

For more information, including examples and instructions, see Linking to a web page, page 677 and Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling), page 681. You can manually create a link URL that performs any of the actions available in the Link Editor. This method also allows the following additional functionality:

Execute a report by supplying a template and a filter Subscribe to the target Email the target Export the target

However, you need to know and understand the link syntax and find the object ID. For instructions and examples, see Appendix F, Creating Links Manually.

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8.

ADVANCED DOCUMENTS

Introduction
This section describes more advanced things you can do with MicroStrategy Report Services documents. This includes: Creating multi-layout documents, page 714 Using datasets in documents, page 730 Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources, page 754 Using prompts in documents, page 766 Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch, page 769 Caching documents, page 775 Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects, page 778

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Creating multi-layout documents


A multi-layout document contains multiple documents, each in its own layout, creating a book of documents. Each layout functions as a separate document, with its own grouping, page setup, and so on, but the layouts are generated into a single PDF document. For example, each member of a team of document designers creates complex documents for his own department, such as human resources or finance. The documents must be worked on simultaneously, so that they are finished at the same time. But the documents must be presented as a single document. The solution is to create a multi-layout document, which means that each document is placed into its own layout within the same document. This creates a book of documents. Each layout functions as a separate document, with its own grouping, page setup, and so on, but the layouts are generated into a single PDF document. The pages can be sequentially numbered through all the layouts, and the table of contents shows all the layouts. In the table of contents shown below, the first-level headings are the different layouts. Each was a separate document that was imported into a single multi-layout document. Note that the pages are numbered sequentially, from the beginning of the document to the end. For instructions on importing existing documents into a multi-layout document, see Importing layouts into a document, page 725.

table PDF file, not in Theentire of contents is shown as alayouts, you mustPDF View. To see the table of contents for all export the document to a PDF. PDF View does not show entries for all layouts.

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Advanced Documents

In another example, two documents must be sent as one PDF. The first document contains a wide Grid/Graph that must be printed in landscape view. The second document, which uses a different dataset report, is a narrower document that should be printed in portrait. If you put them into the same document, extra blank pages are printed, as shown in the diagram below.

A multi-layout document solves this problem, by combining the two documents into a single document. Each layout has a separate orientation, so that the wider layout can be set to display in landscape, while the narrower layout can be set to display in portrait.

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In Design View, the layouts are displayed as tabs, as shown below, so that you can easily switch between layouts. Tabs are also displayed in all modes in MicroStrategy Web.

a layout in a document, tabs are If you do not createchanges in the way the documentnot displayed and you do not see any works. In PDF View, the layouts are also displayed as tabs, as shown below.

You can also create a cover page for a document. The cover page does not display a page number or any of the information from the following pages (which are placed into a second layout). The cover page could display the title of the document, print date, and other information. To print the page numbers and document title on the remaining pages, place the information in the second layouts Layout Footer or Layout Header. This section includes more information about and examples of multi-layout documents, specifically in the following areas: Properties for each layout, page 717 Properties for the document, page 719 Creating layouts, page 721

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Importing layouts into a document, page 725 Renaming, moving, deleting, and switching between layouts, page 726 Exporting multi-layout documents, page 727

Properties for each layout


Each layout is as powerful as a single document. You can edit the contents of each layout separately, without affecting the contents on other layouts in the document. For each layout, the following properties can be set independently of other layouts in the document: Grouping and sorting dataset If you add more datasets to a document, whether or not the document contains multiple layouts, you designate one dataset as the grouping and sorting dataset. You can group and sort only by this dataset. Each layout can have its own grouping and sorting dataset. For instructions on changing the grouping and sorting dataset, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748. For more information on working with datasets in general, including instructions to add datasets, see Using datasets in documents, page 730. Grouping Grouping the data sets up a type of hierarchy within the document, and an inherent or implied sort order for the data. Each layout can be grouped differently. For more information on grouping in general, including instructions, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. Sorting A document's data is first sorted according to its groupings, but you can control how the records in the Detail section, for example, is sorted. For instructions, and more information on sorting in general, see Sorting records in a document, page 290. Layout tab Each layout has its own tab. Use them to switch between layouts, rename layouts, and change the order of the layouts. For instructions on each of these tasks, see Renaming, moving, deleting, and switching between layouts, page 726.

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Document Headers and Footers When you add a layout, the Document Header and Document Footer sections are replaced by the Layout Header and Layout Footer. The Layout Header/Footer prints at the beginning/end of the layout. For more information on the different sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34.

Which sections are displayed and which are hidden in Desktop and in MicroStrategy Web You can hide or display sections in different views or in all views for a specific layout. The same section in other layouts is not changed, allowing you to hide and display different sections for different layouts. For more information, see Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document, page 181.

Border and background color You can choose the border and background color for each layout. If the document contains only one layout, the border and background is applied to the entire document. For instructions, see Formatting the border or background of a document or layout, page 213.

Incremental fetch Incremental fetch divides large layouts into pages, thereby loading the data in batches (or blocks) rather than all at the same time. This improves the usability and performance of a large document or layout, by reducing the load and overall memory usage on the web server. If the document contains only one layout, the incremental fetch settings are applied to the entire document. For instructions and examples, see Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch, page 769.

Paper size, margins, page orientation, scaling, and horizontal fit/overflow These page setup options allow you to modify the document's appearance before printing to ensure that the end result (the printed document) appears as desired. Each layout can have different settings; for example, one layout can print landscape while another prints portrait. For details on each option and instructions to modify them, see Modifying page setup options, page 231.

Autostyles An Autostyle is a collection of formatting properties saved for various control types (text fields, lines, and so on). It is applied only to the current layout, not the entire document. If the Page Header/Footer is shared

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among layouts, any formatting changes applied to those sections are applied throughout the document. See Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles), page 215 for more information on Autostyles; see Applying an Autostyle to a document, page 216 for instructions on applying an Autostyle to a document. Automatic maintenance of selector targets When targets are automatically maintained, all attribute and metric selectors in the layout automatically target all Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. Any new Grid/Graph or panel stack added to the layout is automatically defined as the target of all attribute and metric selectors in the same panel or document section. You cannot change the target of an any attribute or metric selector in the layout. For more information, including instructions to enable and disable it, see Automatically maintaining targets for selectors, page 443. For background information about selectors in general, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.

Properties for the document


A multi-layout document shares the following with all the layouts it contains: Document name PDF properties, which include graph resolution, whether to show bookmarks, embedded fonts, and interactive tables of contents For instructions and more information on PDF properties, see Changing graph resolution in PDFs, page 239, Font embedding in PDFs, page 237, Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240, and

Bookmarks,a which are links to areas of the PDF, are created by default for multi-layout document.
Excel exporting properties, such as how to display images in Excel For instructions on defining the Excel exporting properties, see Specifying default export options, page 253.

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General exporting options, such as whether to export all layouts or only the current layout For information on how multi-layout documents are exported, see Exporting multi-layout documents, page 727. For instructions on defining the export properties, see Specifying default export options, page 253.

Datasets All the datasets used in any layout in the document are displayed in the Datasets pane, allowing you to use objects from any dataset in any layout. If you delete a dataset, it is deleted from the entire document, not just the current layout. For more information about datasets in general, see Using datasets in documents, page 730.

Watermarks A watermark, which can be text or an image, typically identifies or decorates pages. It is a faint design appearing in the background of all pages of all layouts in a document. For instructions and examples, see Adding watermarks to documents, page 217.

Default grid Autostyle A default grid Autostyle defines the default formatting for new Grid/Graphs added to a document. The grid Autostyle is a pre-defined report style and applies to all layouts in the document. For instructions on using them, see Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196.

Whether conditional formatting is displayed Conditional formatting, which is similar to thresholds in reports, formats specific controls depending on predefined criteria. A user can show or hide all of a document's conditional formatting using a toolbar icon. This applies to all layouts in the document, not just to the current layout. For instructions, see Showing and hiding conditional formatting, page 208. For more information on conditional formatting in general, including examples, see Using prompts in documents, page 766.

Page Headers and Footers By default, Page Headers and Page Footers are shared for all layouts, although you can change this setting to have separate page sections for each layout. For more information, see Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout, page 725.

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Creating layouts
To create a multi-layout document, you simply add a layout to a document. For example, you need to create a document that contains a Grid/Graph displayed across the page in landscape view, followed by several pages printed in portrait view. This multi-layout document is shown below as a PDF.

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The following procedure walks you through creating this multi-layout document. It uses data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial, specifically the Revenue vs. Forecast report, located in the Public Objects\ Reports\Subject Areas\Sales and Profitability Analysis

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folder, and the Employee Headcount by Region report, located in the Public Objects\Reports\Subject Areas\Human Resources Analysis folder. The procedure does not include formatting steps, as that is beyond the scope of this section.

You can also import an existing documents layouts into another document; for more information, see Importing layouts into a
document, page 725.
To create the multi-layout document example

1 Create a new document, using Revenue vs. Forecast as the dataset report. (The reports location in the Tutorial sample project is provided above.) 2 Hold down the SHIFT key while dragging and dropping Revenue vs. Forecast from the Datasets pane to the Detail Header. This adds the Grid/Graph with the original formatting. 3 In the Page Footer, add a page number. To do this: a Click in the Page Footer section to make it active. b Point to Auto Text on the Insert menu, and then select Page Number. The auto text code {&PAGE} is placed in a text field. c Edit the {&PAGE} field to add Page: and a space before the code. The text field should look like the following: Page: {&PAGE} 4 In the Document Header, add a text field containing the following, to label the Grid/Graph: Revenue vs. Forecast 5 To set the page orientation, select Page Setup from the File menu. The Page Setup dialog box opens. 6 Select Page. 7 Select Landscape for the Orientation. 8 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

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9 Select Layout from the Insert menu. The New Document dialog box opens. 10 Click the General tab. 11 Select the Blank Document template and click OK. Two tabs are added, with the default names of Layout1 and Layout2. Layout2 is active. tabs, see Renaming, For information on renaming thelayouts, page 726. moving, deleting, and switching between 12 To add the dataset for Layout2, select Add Dataset from the Data menu. The Select a report dialog box opens. 13 Select the Employee Headcount by Region report in the Subject Areas\Human Resources Analysis folder. 14 Right-click Employee Headcount by Region in the Datasets pane and select Set as Grouping and Sorting Dataset. This allows you to group the layout. 15 Drag Region from the Datasets pane and drop it onto the Grouping panel. 16 In the Layout Header, add text fields containing the following, to label the layout and the data fields: Employee Headcount Region Headcount

17 Drag and drop Region and Employee Headcount from the Datasets pane to the Region Header. 18 To check the page orientation of this layout, select Page Setup from the File menu. The Page Setup dialog box opens. Note that this layout is set to the default orientation, which is Portrait. Click OK to return to the document. 19 Expand the Page Footer, if it is not open. Notice that the page information from Layout1 is duplicated here, since by default the Page Header and Page Footer are shared. You can change this setting; see Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout, page 725 for information.

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20 Click the Layout1 tab. Notice that the section containing the words Revenue vs. Forecast is now called Layout Header. It was called Document Header before you added a layout. 21 Save the document. 22 Switch to PDF View. Accept the default answers for the prompts. The document should resemble the sample shown on page 722.

Importing layouts into a document


You can import the layouts of one document into another document. The layouts of the imported document are added to the other document, and datasets that are part of the imported document are copied into the other document.
To import layouts into a document

1 Open a document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Select Import Document from the File menu. The Select a Document dialog box opens. 3 Select the document to import, then click Open. You are returned to the document, which now contains the imported layouts and datasets.

Using a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout


By default, the Page Header and Page Footer sections are shared for all layouts in the document. In Design View in Desktop, this is indicated in the name of the Page Header, as shown below.

You can instead choose to use different page sections for each layout, as described in the following procedure. When the page sections are shared, you can edit them in any layout. When they are not shared, any edits you make in a particular Page Header or Page Footer affect only the current layout. Also,

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the word (shared) does not appear in the name of the document section, as shown below:

If you choose to use a separate Page Header and Page Footer for one layout, other layouts still use the shared Page Header and Page Footer. For example, a document contains three layouts, which share the Page Header and Page Footer by default. You can specify that Layout1 uses its own Page Header and Page Footer. Layout2 and Layout3 still share the Page Header and Page Footer. Alternatively, you can specify that all three layouts have their own Page Headers and Page Footers.
To use a separate Page Header and Page Footer for a layout

1 Click the tab of the layout to have a separate Page Header and Page Footer. 2 Select Document Properties from the Format menu. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Layout. 4 Clear the Use shared page header/footer check box. 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

Renaming, moving, deleting, and switching between layouts


Each layout has its own tab, similar to the tabs used for spreadsheets in a Microsoft Excel workbook. Use the tabs to switch between layouts in any view (Design, PDF, and all MicroStrategy Web views). The tabs are also used as bookmarks in PDF View. You can rename the layouts (and therefore the tabs), change the order of layouts within the document, and delete layouts using the right-click menu. The procedures that follow describe how to work with the layout tabs.

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To switch between layouts

1 In Design View or PDF View, click the tab to switch to.


To rename a layout

1 In Design View, right-click a layout tab and select Rename. 2 Type the new name, and then press ENTER.
To change the order of the layouts

1 In Design View, right-click the layout tab to move, and select either Move Left or Move Right.
To delete a layout

1 In Design View, right-click the layout tab to delete and select Delete. The selected layout is removed, although the dataset it used is still in the Datasets pane. If only one layout remains, the Document Header/Footer replaces the Layout Header/Footer.

Exporting multi-layout documents


Exporting allows you to send data to other applications. You can either send data to an Excel spreadsheet or open the current PDF in a separate window outside of the Document Editor. In a PDF, each layout starts on a new page. In an Excel file, each layout is placed into a worksheet. into one worksheet. Use In Excel 2000, all layouts are exported export layouts to separateExcel 2003, Excel XP, and newer versions to worksheets. If you are exporting layouts in MicroStrategy Web, change the User Preference for Excel Options to Excel XP, Excel 2003, and newer versions. For more information and detailed instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Before you export, set the export options to control how the document is exported. If you allow users to be prompted when they export a document, they can choose to export all layouts or only the current layout. options, including All export the document. Forwhether to export all layouts, apply to all layouts in detailed descriptions of those options, see Specifying default export options, page 253. Exporting to Excel all the layouts of the multi-layout example created previously (see page 722 for the sample) creates the following Excel spreadsheet:

Only a portion of the spreadsheet is shown. Notice that the worksheets are named for the document, not the layouts. The name of the document and the Excel spreadsheet (shown at the top of the image) is multilayout example; the names of the worksheets are multilayout example, 1 of 2 and multilayout example, 2 of 2, as shown in the tabs at the bottom of the image. You can choose to export only the current layout, instead of all layouts. (The current layout is the layout selected in PDF View.) If you export the current

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layout to Excel, the name of the single worksheet is the name of the document. Exporting a multi-layout document to PDF works similarly. By default, the layouts are displayed as bookmarks, whether you export all layouts or only the current layout. You can choose whether or not to include bookmarks in the PDF; for instructions, see Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs, page 240. If the PDF will be viewed on a Kindle or Nook, you should expand all layouts so that the Kindle or Nook user can view all the data. of a multi-layout document that You can create a tabletotalcontents forpages. For examples, see The displays an accurate number of table of contents in a multi-layout document: Example, page 245 and The table of contents in a grouped multi-layout document: Example, page 246. The following procedure specifies the export options so that all the layouts are exported, and also exports both layouts to Excel, as shown above. For instructions on setting the default export options for Excel, see Specifying default export options, page 253.
To export all layouts of a multi-layout document to Excel

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. 3 Click Export. 4 Select Export All layouts. on the other export For detailsfor export, page 250.options, see Formatting a document 5 Click OK to return to the document. 6 Click PDF View on the toolbar. 7 From the File menu, select Export to Excel. 8 If the Export to Excel dialog box opens, ensure that Export All layouts is selected.

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9 Click OK. The document opens as an Excel spreadsheet. Be sure to save it before exiting Excel.

Using datasets in documents


Datasets contain the warehouse data and the MicroStrategy objects that are displayed in a document. Datasets are based on MicroStrategy reports, which define what information Intelligence Server should retrieve from the data warehouse (or cache) and make available to use in the document. Dataset information can include objects such as attributes, custom groups, consolidations, or metrics. These dataset objects include all of the objects from the report that the dataset is based on (the dataset report), regardless of whether they are displayed on the report itself. For example, if a metric is in the reports set of Report Objects but is not displayed on the reports grid, that metric is still part of the dataset and is listed as a dataset object. it is A report that displays only a subset of the objects that define these called an OLAP Services report. For more information about subset reports, see Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset, page 749. For basic information on MicroStrategy reports in general, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. When you create a new document, you can choose the MicroStrategy report or reports to use as datasets for the document. Query Builder Freeform SQL reports,the Import Datareports, MDX cube reports, and reports created using feature can be used as datasets in documents. For information on Freeform SQL and Query Builder reports, see the Advanced Reporting Guide. For information on modeling MDX cube sources into MicroStrategy to be used as datasets, see the MDX Cube Reporting Guide. For information on using Import Data to include data in your MicroStrategy project from various sources, see the Project Design Guide. For a document with only one dataset, the number of rows in the dataset determines the number of rows that display in the documents Detail section. That is, anything in the Detail section is repeated once per row in the dataset. This explains why Grid/Graphs cannot be placed in the Detail section, since the Grid/Graph would be repeated on each row.

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For example, the following report contains four rows.

The same report is used as a dataset in a document, and each of its objects are used in the Detail section. The document contains four rows as well.

Working with multiple dataset reports


You can create a document with multiple dataset reports, and you can add more dataset reports after you create a document. One dataset must be defined as the grouping and sorting dataset; you can group and sort only by the objects on this dataset. If the document contains multiple layouts, each layout can have its own grouping and sorting dataset. For instructions on changing the grouping and sorting dataset, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748. was referred to as The grouping and sorting datasetcan now set the jointhe primary dataset in previous releases. You behavior separately from the grouping and sorting behavior, as described below. You can define the join behavior of each dataset as either primary or secondary. This functionality allows you to control which datasets determine the attribute elements that appear in the document results. All of the elements from the primary datasets are displayed in the results.

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Elements from the secondary datasets are displayed only if they also appear in a primary dataset.

Grid/Graphs. An a These rules do not affectGrid/Graph even ifelement fromalsosecondary dataset is displayed in a it does not appear in a primary dataset. Datasets are joined following these rules: If a document contains one primary dataset, then all secondary datasets are joined to the primary dataset using left outer joins. If a document contains at least two primary datasets, all primary datasets are joined using compound joins. The results are used to left outer join all secondary datasets. If a document does not contain any primary datasets, all datasets are joined using inner joins.

For examples, see Defining a dataset as primary or secondary, page 733. For a compound join, Intelligence Server joins the data in the datasets as described below: If the datasets have any of the same attributes, the common attribute elements are matched. Then beginning with the first row of each dataset and continuing to the last, it creates a row in a virtual datasetthe complete set of joined rows held in memoryconsisting of all attributes, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics. You can determine whether sections that do not have metric data are displayed and whether grouping elements that contain null values are displayed. For examples and instructions, see Displaying grouping elements that contain null values, page 750 and Removing sections that do not have metric data, page 752.

Metrics come from their respective datasets and exist only at the level of that dataset. The compound join saves memory space and processing time on the Intelligence Server executing the document. For examples of joining datasets, see Defining a dataset as primary or secondary, page 733 and Joining multiple datasets: Examples, page 738. also pull A document canand Querydata from any number of MDX cube, Freeform SQL, Builder reports, which facilitate joining data across multiple sources.

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Defining a dataset as primary or secondary


If a document contains multiple dataset reports, you can define the join behavior of each dataset as either primary or secondary. This functionality allows you to decide which datasets determine which attribute elements appear in the document results, as described in Working with multiple dataset reports, page 731.

Primary and secondary datasets examples


For example, consider the following three datasets: Dataset 1 contains Region and the Revenue metric, filtered for Central, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast

Dataset 2 contains Region and the Profit metric, filtered for Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Northwest, and South

Dataset 3 contains Region and the Customer Count metric, filtered for Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest

A document contains all three datasets. The Detail section contains Region and the three metrics. By default, all three datasets are primary datasets.
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Since the datasets are joined together using compound joins, all of the elements from all three datasets are therefore displayed in the seven rows of results. A metric value is displayed only when that region appears in the dataset report that contains the metric. For example, Southwest shows a value only for Customer Count because Southwest appears only in Dataset 3 (the Customer Count dataset). Similarly, Mid-Atlantic shows values for all three metrics because Mid-Atlantic is the only region included on all three datasets.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 and Dataset 2 = primary Dataset 3 = secondary

Dataset 1 and Dataset 2, as primary datasets, are joined with compound joins, and all their regions are displayed on the document. Those results are left outer joined with Dataset 3, so the only regions from Dataset 3 that appear in the document are the regions that also appear in one of the

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primary datasets. In this case, Southwest appears only in Dataset 3, so it is not displayed in the results. Only six rows are displayed, as shown below:

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 and Dataset 3= primary Dataset 2 = secondary

Again, only six regions are displayed, but now Southwest is shown instead of South, since South is available only in Dataset 2.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 = secondary Dataset 2 and Dataset 3 = primary

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This time, Central does not appear because it is available only on Dataset 1, a secondary dataset.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 = primary Dataset 2 and Dataset 3 = secondary

Since the document has only one primary dataset, all the other datasets are joined to the primary dataset with left outer joins. Only the four regions from the primary dataset are displayed in the document. Those are the regions that have Revenue values, since Revenue is the metric in Dataset 1. South, which is only in Dataset 2, and Southwest, which is only in Dataset 3, are not displayed. Northwest is in both Dataset 2 and Dataset 3, but since it is not in the primary dataset, it is not displayed.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 and Dataset 3 = secondary Dataset 2 = primary

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Since Dataset 2 is primary, only the four regions that are in that dataset are displayed.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1 and Dataset 2 = secondary Dataset 3 = primary

Similarly, since Dataset 3 is primary, only the four regions that are in that dataset are now displayed. Notice that these regions all have values for the Customer Count metric, since that is the metric in that dataset.

Change the join behavior: Dataset 1, Dataset 2, and Dataset 3 = secondary

Since the document does not contain any primary datasets, all datasets are joined using inner joins. Only the one region (Mid-Atlantic) that is in all the datasets is displayed.

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To define the join behavior of a dataset

1 From the Document Editor in Design View, make sure that the Datasets pane is displayed. (If it is not displayed, press F8 or select Datasets from the View menu.) 2 Right-click the dataset in the Datasets pane, point to Join Behavior, and select either Primary or Secondary.

Joining multiple datasets: Examples


To illustrate how datasets are joined, we begin with a simple example and build upon it with others that are more complex. Example 1: Same attributes in both datasets, different metric, and same filter (same element values). Result: Acts as one dataset. (See Example 1: Same attributes, same filter, page 738) Example 2: Same attributes with different element values. Result: Acts mostly as one dataset, but missing values are blank. (See Example 2: Same attributes, different filter, page 740) Example 3: Dataset with attributes that are a superset of attributes in other datasets. Result: All Detail is at a level combining all attributes. (See Example 3: Dataset with a superset of attributes that are in another dataset, page 741) Example 4: Different attributes. Result: All Detail is at a level combining all attributes. (See Example 4: Different attributes, page 743)

Example 1: Same attributes, same filter


This example explains how a document behaves with multiple datasets that have the same attributes and the same report filter. The result is that the Detail, Group Header, and Group Footer sections behave as if the document has only one dataset. Two sample dataset reports are executed as standard MicroStrategy reports displayed in grid view. Both datasets contain the same Region and Year

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attributes. Dataset 1 (the grouping and sorting dataset) contains the metrics Revenue and Units Sold, while dataset 2 contains the metric Profit.

A document contains these two reports as datasets. When the document is executed, it creates a virtual dataset by joining the two datasets. In this case, because the attributes and the filter are the same, the result displayed in the Detail section has the same number of rows as the original reports, but it can display all three metrics together, as shown below.

Each Grid/Graph in the document shows the data from its respective dataset, with no impact from the other datasets. For example, if we add Year to the Grouping panel and add a grid for each of the datasets to the Year Header, the grids display a summary of the year values, as shown below:

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Example 2: Same attributes, different filter


This example explains the behavior of a document that contains multiple datasets having the same attributes but different report filters or prompt answers. The result is that the Detail, Group Header, and Group Footer sections behave as if the document has only one dataset, but with some data missing. The following example has a document with two datasets. Dataset 1, which is the grouping and sorting dataset, has information for the Year 2002 and Dataset 2 has information for the Year 2003 because of the different filters or prompt answers. The Detail section displays a combination of both datasets and has empty cells where the data does not exist.

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If you group by Year, you see the following:

Example 3: Dataset with a superset of attributes that are in another dataset


In a document, if the attributes in one of the datasets are a superset of the attributes in the other datasets, the Detail section of the document is at the same level as in the superset dataset. For example, consider the following scenario: Dataset 1, the grouping and sorting dataset, contains Region, Year, and Category. Dataset 2 contains Region and Year. Dataset 3 contains Region and Category.

The grouping and sorting dataset contains all of the attributes that are in the other datasets, so the grouping and sorting dataset contains a superset of the attributes in the other datasets.

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The following image shows the Revenue metric supplied by the grouping and sorting dataset for Region, Year, and Category. In this example, the following was selected for all three datasets: Year: 2002 and 2003 Region: Mid-Atlantic Category: All

The Detail section of the document is calculated at the level of Region, Year, and Category with the metrics coming from the respective datasets. In this example, each metric comes from a different dataset. Since the Revenue metric is from the grouping and sorting dataset, it is calculated at the Region-Year-Category level. The Profit metric originated in Dataset 2, so it is calculated at the Region-Year level. Finally, the Cost metric is from Dataset 3 and is calculated by Region-Category. This is shown in the following image. Notice that there are eight rows in the Detail sectionone row for each combination of Region, Year, and Category.

Metrics are never displayed at a level of greater detail than the level in the dataset report that they come from. The value for the Profit metric repeats for all four categories, because Dataset 2 contains only two values for Profit.

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If you group by Year, you see the following:

Example 4: Different attributes


If the datasets in a document do not have any of the same attributes, the Detail section of the document represents a compound join of the attributes in all of the datasets. For example, consider the following scenario: Dataset 1, the grouping and sorting dataset, contains Year Dataset 2 contains Region

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Dataset 3 contains Category

The datasets are shown below.

The Detail section is at the level of Region, Year, and Category with the metrics coming from the respective datasets. Because no relationship exists between the attributes, they cannot be joined in a meaningful way, as shown below.

The holes in the data occur because metrics cannot be any more detailed than in their datasets. So, Revenue cannot be calculated for the South region because that level of granularity does not exist in the grouping and sorting dataset, which is the origin of the Revenue metric. Since the grids in this document are meaningful and predictable, they can be used for data reporting. If the same document is grouped by Year, eight rows of data are still returnedone row for each Year, with the remaining six rows, which do not have a Year attribute, placed in a separate grouping section. Again, the data cannot be joined in a meaningful way because no relationships exist between the attributes.

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Adding a dataset report to a document


After you create a document, you can add other datasets to access more objects to use on the document. add a it to populate an You can alsoin one dataset and useinformation and aempty see Grid/Graph step. For more procedure, Adding a dataset to a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 304.
To add a dataset to a document

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Data menu, select Add Dataset. The Select a report dialog box opens. 3 Locate and select the dataset report that you want to add. 4 Click Open.

Removing a dataset report from a document


When you delete a dataset from a document, all Grid/Graphs associated with it are removed from the document. When the PDF is generated, any data field from the deleted dataset is displayed as static text. For example, the metric Revenue from the 01 Basic Report is added to the Layout area, where it displays as {Revenue}. If the 01 Basic Report dataset is removed from the document and a PDF is created, the control displays in the PDF as {Revenue}, rather than numeric data. This occurs because a data field is a reference to a dataset object. delete a a If youthe entiredataset fromnotmulti-layout document, it is deleted from document, just the current layout. In addition, if you delete the grouping and sorting dataset, the editor removes any grouping fields, including the corresponding Group Header and Group Footer sections, all of their contents, and the grouping sort keys. (For background information on the grouping and sorting dataset, see Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document, page 748.)

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To remove a dataset from a document

1 From the Document Editor in Design View, make sure that the Datasets pane is displayed. (If it is not displayed, press F8 or select Datasets from the View menu.) 2 In the Datasets pane, right-click the dataset that you want to remove and select Delete From Document. A dialog box opens asking you to verify that you want to remove it. 3 Click Yes to proceed.

Editing a dataset report used in a document


You can access the Report Editor to change the dataset report settings while you are using the Document Editor. in documents in well-labeled location minimize Save reports used modified reportsaand documents. This istobecause conflicts between editing a dataset report affects the MicroStrategy report that the dataset is based on. Likewise, if a report used as a dataset report is edited outside of the Document Editor, those changes will affect the document. For example, if an object referenced by a documents data field is removed from the report, the data field becomes static text when the document PDF is created.
To edit a dataset report

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. Make sure the Datasets pane is displayed. Datasets not If the menu, or pane isF8. displayed, select Datasets from the View press 2 In the Datasets pane, right-click the dataset that you want to edit and select Edit. The Desktop Report Editor opens. 3 Make necessary changes, then save and close the report. You are returned to the Document Editor.

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For more information on editing a report, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document


When a document contains multiple datasets, one dataset is designated as the grouping and sorting dataset. The document can be grouped and sorted only by the objects in this dataset. If the document contains multiple layouts, each layout can have its own grouping and sorting dataset. For example, a document contains two datasets. Dataset 1, which is designated as the grouping and sorting dataset, contains the Region and Call Center attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. Dataset 2 contains the Region and Category attributes, as well as the Revenue metric. You can group the document by Region and Call Center, but not by Category. You can sort the Detail section of the document by Region or Call Center.

For more information on how toingroup or sort data, see Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records a Document.
When you change the grouping and sorting dataset of a document, all the grouping fields (the attributes that the document is grouped by) that are associated with the old grouping and sorting dataset but do not exist in the new one are removed. These items are also removed from the corresponding headers and footers. For example, if the document described above is grouped by Region and Call Center, the document has a Region Header, Region Footer, Call Center Header, and Call Center Footer sections. If you change the grouping and sorting dataset from Dataset 1 to Dataset 2, the document is no longer grouped by Call Center, because Dataset 2 does not contain Call Center. It is still grouped by Region, however, since that attribute exists in both datasets. The Call Center Header and Call Center Footer are removed from the document, but not the Region Header or Region Footer.
To change the grouping and sorting dataset

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View and make sure the Datasets pane is displayed. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, click the tab of the layout to modify.

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3 In the Datasets pane, right-click the dataset and select Set As Grouping and Sorting Dataset. The name of the new grouping and sorting dataset in the Datasets pane is bolded.

Using Intelligent Cubes as datasets


After you create an Intelligent Cube, you can use it as a dataset in a document. An Intelligent Cube is a multi-dimensional cube (sets of data) that allow you to use OLAP Services features on reports, as well as share sets of data among multiple reports and documents. Intelligent Cubes also reduce access to the data warehouse. For background information on Intelligent Cubes, including instructions to create them, see the MicroStrategy OLAP Services Guide. A document can have one Intelligent Cube as a dataset; you cannot add another Intelligent Cube or any reports as datasets. You must remove the Intelligent Cube as a dataset before you can add a report or another Intelligent Cube. data Intelligent Cubes in a single To have thecreatefrom multipleconnect to the Intelligent Cubes, and document, reports that use those reports as the datasets in the document. However, if both dataset reports use the same nested prompt (for instance, a prompt that filters the number of elements with an attribute element list prompt), the potential prompt answers are not filtered, and the entire list of elements is displayed. If the document should show only the filtered list of elements, remove the prompt from one of the dataset reports.

Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset


When you work with reports, you can create a subset report by moving objects from the grid of a report to the Report Objects pane, by using a view filter, or by creating a derived metric. The original report before you made these modifications is referred to as the base report. The new report is called the view or subset report. If you use that subset report as a dataset report for a document, all the information on the base report is available in the

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document. All the objects from the base report are displayed in the Datasets pane.

Creating a subset report requires MicroStrategy OLAP Services.


How you add a Grid/Graph to a document impacts whether the base report or the subset report is used: If you add the Grid/Graph without formatting, the base report is used. The view filter is ignored, so all the data from the base report is displayed on the Grid/Graph. All objects from the report are displayed in the Grid/Graph, whether or not they were moved to the Report Objects pane of the report.

If you add the Grid/Graph with formatting or as a shortcut, the subset report is used. The view filter is applied. Only objects on the grid of the report are displayed in the Grid/Graph.

create view filters in as the Grid/Graph You canshortcut. These view Grids/Graphs, as longdocument, that is, is not a filters are local to the they do not affect the report results, only the Grid/Graph defined in the document. For more information about view filters in documents, see Using view filters on Grid/Graphs, page 331. For more information on Grid/Graph shortcuts, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306. For more information on creating Grid/Graphs, see Adding a Grid/Graph to a document, page 298. For more information on view filters and report objects in reports, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Displaying grouping elements that contain null values


A cross join between datasets can result in rows that contain null values. For example, a document contains two dataset reports. Dataset 1 contains Region and Revenue, filtered to display Northeast and Northwest only. Dataset 2 contains Year and Profit. Data for three years (2007-2009) is

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available. The document contains Region, Revenue, Year, and Profit in the Detail section. As shown below, the document contains three rows:

Now, group the document by Region. When you execute the document, only two regions, Northeast and Northwest, are displayed in the page-by options. When you select Northeast, only the row for Northeast is shown, as displayed below:

If you select All for the page-by, two rows are displayed, as shown below:

One of the rows from the original document is missing, the one containing the data for 2009. You are grouping by region and that row does not contain any information about regions. The row for 2009 is not displayed, because it contains null values for Region and by default, groups that contain null elements are removed. To see the information for 2009, clear the Remove the groups that contain null elements check box. The page-by options are now Northeast, Northwest, NULL, and All. When All is selected for the page-by, the document displays with three rows, as shown below:

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To display grouping elements that contain null values

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Advanced. 4 By default, the Remove the groups that contain null elements check box is selected. To display any grouping elements sections that contain null elements, clear this check box. 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

Removing sections that do not have metric data


A cross join between datasets can result in rows or Group Header/Footer sections that do not have metric data. For example, a document contains two dataset reports. Dataset 1 contains Year and Revenue, with data for three years (2007-2009). Dataset 2 contains Year and Profit, filtered to return data for only two years (2008 and 2009). If you place Year and Profit in the Details and execute the document, it displays three rows, although no profit data exists for 2007. This is a product of the cross join between the two datasets.

You do not want to see the blank line for 2007 since it does not give you any data for profit. You can select the Trim the sections for which no data was available (this applies only to metric values) check box. This removes the

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row for 2007, since no metric data for Profit is available for 2007. The results are shown below:

define Dataset 2 as a primary dataset An alternative solution is to instructions and details, see Defining and Dataset 1 as secondary. For a dataset as primary or secondary, page 733. In another example, a document contains two dataset reports. Dataset 1 contains Region and Revenue, filtered to display Northeast and Northwest only. Dataset 2 contains Year and Profit. Data for three years (2007-2009) is available. The document contains Region and Revenue in the Detail section. You want to display: A Grid/Graph that contains three years of Profit in the Document Header A row for each region, with year and profit information

You do not want to group the document by region. The document looks like the following:

The Grid/Graph contains the three rows of yearly profit data. The document contains three rows, one of which is blank, a product of the cross join between the two datasets. Since you want only a row for each region, and the blank row is not providing any information about region or revenue, it can be removed. To do this, select the Trim the sections for which no data was

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available (this applies only to metric values) check box. The resulting document is shown below:

To remove sections that do not have metric data

1 Open the document using the Document Editor in Design View. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Advanced. 4 Select the Trim the sections for which no data was available (this applies only to metric values) check box. 5 Click OK to return to the Document Editor.

Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources


MicroStrategy Transaction Services lets you embed write-back functionality into documents and dashboards for the purposes of decision-making or initiating a transaction. A document designer can create a Transaction Services-enabled document to allow analysts to approve requests, track business activity, and execute business decisions by editing their business data in the document and sending those interactions back to the data sources.

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For example, an analyst can view a list of employees with time off requests, choose to accept or reject each request, then update their data to display the new status of each request. In a document displaying a list of products that need to be restocked for a store, an analyst can change the quantity to reorder for each product, then submit their changes. Analysts can use Transaction Services-enabled documents to interact with the data in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, and when viewed on an iPhone, iPad, or Android with MicroStrategy Mobile. You must have the Transaction Services product to create and use Transaction Services-enabled documents. Detailed steps to create a transaction-enabled document or dashboard in MicroStrategy Web are below.

Creating a transaction-enabled document


You create a transaction-enabled document by performing the following high-level steps in MicroStrategy Web: 1 Link a Grid/Graph or the text fields on a panel stack (called a field group) to a Transaction Services-enabled report. Data from the input objects defined in the Transaction Services report is displayed in the Grid/Graph or text fields for users to edit. 2 Link each input object on the Transaction Services report to an attribute form or metric (for Grid/Graphs) or a text field (for text fields on a panel stack). 3 Determine what type of input object control is displayed to users when they view the Transaction Services-enabled document. Analysts use these input object controls to edit the data displayed in a document. For example, users can type text in a text field, turn a switch on and off to specify a numeric value, select a value from a list, and so on. 4 Add an action selector button or link as you design the document. The button or link targets the Grid/Graph or panel stack. When the document is viewed, users can click the button or link to submit, update, or discard their changes to the data. Action selector buttons and links are only displayed in Design, Editable, and Express Mode. Detailed steps to create a transaction-enabled document are below.

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Prerequisites
You must have the Transaction Services product. You must have the Web Configure Transaction privilege. This procedure assumes that the Transaction Services report that you want to link to the Grid/Graph or text fields has already been created. This report must contain the input object for each value that you want to allow users to change. For steps to create a Transaction Services report, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. This procedure assumes that you have already created a document or dashboard with the following:

A Grid/Graph that contains a separate attribute form or metric to link to each input object on the Transaction Services report. Each attribute form that you want to link to an input object must be visible in the Grid/Graph. To choose the attribute forms displayed for an attribute in the Grid/Graph, right-click the header of the attribute, point to Attribute Forms, then select the attribute forms to display. For steps to add a Grid/Graph to a document/dashboard, click Help in MicroStrategy Web. To allow users to edit the values of attribute forms in a grid, you must place only attributes on the grids rows, and only metrics on the grids columns.

To enable transactions for a document/dashboard

1 In MicroStrategy Web, open the document in Design or Editable Mode. 2 Do one of the following, depending on which type of control that you want to use in the document: To link a Grid/Graph to the Transaction Services report, right-click the Grid/Graph, then select Configure Transaction. The Configure Transactions Editor opens. To link the text fields on a panel stack (called a field group) to the Transaction Services report, right-click any text field in the panel stack, then select Configure Transaction. The Configure Transactions Editor opens.

3 Select a Transaction Services report. To do this, click ... (the browse button). Navigate to and select the Transaction Services report to link to.

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4 You can choose to automatically recalculate subtotals and derived metrics when a user edits a value in the document, or refresh the values only when the user manually chooses to recalculate the data. This option is only available for Grid/Graphs linked to a Transaction Services report. Do one of the following: To automatically recalculate the subtotals and derived metrics, select the Automatically recalculate values after data change check box. To recalculate the subtotals and derived metrics manually, clear the Automatically recalculate values after data change check box.

5 You can display a row of check boxes beside each row of data in a grid, to allow the user to choose which rows of data to update using the Transaction Services report. This option is only available for grids. This option is only applied to grids in which all attributes are on the rows and all metrics are on the columns. Do one of the following: To allow users to select rows of data using the check boxes, select the Mark rows for selection (tabular grids only) check box. To display data in the grid without the check boxes, clear the Mark rows for selection (tabular grids only) check box.

6 You can choose to display an indicator next to grid cells or text fields displayed in the document, to mark the values that the user has changed. Do one of the following: To display an indicator next to the changed values, select the Flag cells/fields with modified data check box. To display the changed values without an indicator, clear the Flag cells/fields with modified data check box.

7 A list of each input object in the Transaction Services report is displayed in the Transaction Input column. Perform the following steps for each input object: a Do one of the following, depending on which control type to link the report to: To link a Grid/Graph to the Transaction Services report, from the Grid Object drop-down list, select the attribute form or metric to link to the input object.

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To link the text fields in a panel stack to the Transaction Services report, from the Field drop-down list, select the text field that you want to link to the input object. b Choose whether users can edit the value of each input object. Do one of the following: To allow the user to edit the value of the input object, select the Editable check box. To prevent the user from editing the value of the input object, clear the Editable check box. c From the Control Style drop-down list, select the type of control to use to display and edit the value of the input object. Select one of the following: available options may vary depending on type Theinput object. For information on how eachthe data is of the control displayed in Web or on a mobile device, see the table in Input object controls that support transactions, page 763 below. To allow users to type a single line of text in a text field, select Text Field. To allow users to type multiple lines of text in a text box, select Text Area. To allow users to turn a switch on or off to specify a numeric value, select Switch. To allow users to choose a specific time, select Time Picker. To allow users to select a date from a calendar, select Calendar. To allow users to choose a value from a list, select List. You can automatically generate the values displayed in the list, display the elements of an attribute (for a document viewed in Web or on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile), or manually specify the values. To allow users to choose a value on a slider, select Slider. To allow users to click a button to choose an image, select Toggle. d To specify the display options for the input object control, click the Control Properties icon next to the Control Style drop-down list to expand the Control Properties, then select the appropriate options to

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format the control. The table in Input object controls that support transactions, page 763 below contains a list of the options available for each type of control, and steps to format them. 8 Repeat the appropriate steps above to define and format the control that you want to display for each input object. 9 Click OK to save your changes and return to the document.
To create the action selector button or link

10 From the Insert menu, point to Selector, then select one of the following: To allow users to click a button to recalculate, discard, or submit their changes, select Action Selector Button. To allow users to click a link to recalculate, discard, or submit their changes, select Action Selector Link. You can create a custom selector button by using the link option above, and then placing the link text over an image. For steps to add an image, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

11 Click the section of the Layout area in which you want to place the selector. Right-click the selector, then select Properties and Formatting. The Properties and Formatting dialog box opens. 12 From the left, click General, then type the text you want to display on the button or link in the Display Text field. 13 By default, a descriptive title bar is displayed for the selector. You can determine whether or not to display the title bar. Do one of the following: To display the title bar, select the Show Title Bar check box and type the title to display in the field. To display the selector button or link without the title bar, clear the Show Title Bar check box.

14 From the left, click Selector. From the Action Type drop-down list, select one of the following: To allow the user to submit the changes that they have made to the data in the document, select Submit.

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To allow the user to recalculate the values of derived metrics and subtotals, reapply number and date formatting, and update other values calculated by the Analytical Engine, select Recalculate. does not support button or link MicroStrategy Webmetrics displayedusing a fields. To allowto recalculate derived in text users to recalculate the values of derived metrics in your Transaction Services-enabled documents, consider displaying your data in a Grid/Graph.

To allow the user to discard their changes and display the values of the input objects from when they were last submitted, select Discard Changes.

15 You can choose to display a message asking for confirmation when a user clicks the action selector button or link. This option is only available if the Action Type is set to Submit or Discard Changes. Do one of the following: To display the confirmation message, select the Require confirmation check box. To submit or discard changes without displaying a confirmation message, clear the Require confirmation check box.

16 You can determine which action MicroStrategy Web performs after a user submits his changes. This option is only available if the Action Type is set to Submit. Select one of the following under Subsequent Actions: To return to the document without performing any additional actions, select the No subsequent action option. To refresh the display of the document, select the Refresh the current document option. To run a specific report or document, select the Run a new report or document option. Click ... (the browse button), navigate to and select the report or document you want to run, and click OK.

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17 If you have chosen to have a report or document automatically run after the user submits his changes, you can specify whether the report or document will be executed using data cached on the mobile device. If you choose to have the report or document run without using data cached on the mobile device, the report or document will automatically be executed using data cached on the Intelligence Server, if available. If no cached data is available on the mobile device or Intelligence Server, the report or document will be executed against the data source. This option is only available if the Action Type is set to Submit and the Run a new report or document option is selected. Do one of the following: have the report or automatically You can choose tothe data source eachdocument run, ensuring that executed against time it is the report or document displays the most recent data. To do so, you must disable caching for the report or document. For steps, as well as background information on caching reports and documents displayed on mobile devices, see the Mobile Design and Administration Guide. To run the report or document without using data cached on the mobile device, select the Force Live Execution check box. To run the report or document using data cached on the mobile device, clear the Force Live Execution check box.

18 You can display a custom confirmation message to the user after his changes are submitted. This option is only available if the Action Type is set to Submit. Do one of the following: To display a custom message, select the Display message after submit check box, then type a confirmation message in the field. To apply the users changes without displaying a custom message, clear the Display message after submit check box.

19 A Transaction Services-enabled document that is pre-cached is run in the background, and its results are stored on the mobile device on which it is executed, improving the speed with which the document is run. You can choose to update document results cached on a mobile device after the user submits his changes, by using the Invalidate Mobile Device Cache setting to mark a documents results as in need of updating. If the document is defined to be pre-cached, the document will be automatically pre-cached each time the user submits his changes. If the document is not defined to be pre-cached, the document will be automatically executed using data cached on the Intelligence Server the next time the document is run, or executed against the data source if no

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cached data is available. For background information on pre-caching, see the Mobile Design and Administration Guide. This option is only available if the Action Type is set to Submit. Do one of the following: To have document pre-cached each time the user submits their changes, select the Invalidate Mobile Device Cache check box. To allow the user to submit their changes without marking the data cached on the mobile device as in need of updating, clear the Invalidate Mobile Device Cache check box.

20 By default, the selector button or link automatically targets (updates) each Grid/Graph and panel stack in the section in which the button or link is placed. You can choose the targets of the selector manually instead. To do so, select Click here, then use the right arrow to move the Grid/Graph or panel stack to target from the Available list to the Selected list. For detailed steps, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. 21 Click OK to save your changes and return to the document. 22 Repeat the appropriate steps above to define each action selector button or link that you want to add to the document.

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Input object controls that support transactions


The table below contains a list of each input object control that you can add to a document, and steps to format it. For steps to navigate to where you can select the following options, see Creating a transaction-enabled document, page 755.
Control Style Text Field The Text Field control displays as a text field in Web, or on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device Text Area The Text Area control displays as a text field in Web, or on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device Steps to Format 1 To specify the maximum number of characters that can be typed into the text field, type the number of characters in the Maximum Length field.

1 You can choose to replace the control with an image and display the control only when the user clicks the image. Select the Show icon when collapsed check box. 2 To display a preview of the text in the Text Area control, select the Preview check box, then type the number of characters to display in the field. This option is only available when the Show icon when collapsed check box is cleared. 3 To specify a width for the control, type the width in inches in the Width field. 4 To specify the maximum number of characters that can be typed into the text field, type the number of characters in the Maximum Length field. 1 To specify the value used for the input object when the switch is in its off position, type the value in the Off Value field. 2 To specify the value used for the input object when the switch is in its on position, type the value in the On Value field.

Switch The Switch style displays as: A check box in Web or on an Android device An on/off switch on an iPhone or iPad Time Picker The Time Picker style displays as: An interactive clock in Web A wheel-style prompt on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device

Warning: Users must have a browser with HTML5 support to view the Time Picker control as an interactive analog clock display. On browsers without HTML5 support, the control is displayed as a digital clock. 1 Type the time interval to display between each value in the Interval field, in minutes. For example, if the interval is 5, users can select 2:00, 2:05, 2:10, and so on.

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Control Style Calendar The Calendar style displays as: A calendar in Web Dates on a selectable wheel on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device List The List style displays as: A drop-down list in Web A wheel on an iPhone A list on an iPad or Android device

Steps to Format 1 To specify the earliest date a user can choose in the calendar, select the Minimum value check box, click the calendar, and then select the date. 2 To specify the latest date a user can choose in the calendar, select the Maximum value check box, click the calendar, and then select the date.

1 You can display the list automatically when the document is viewed, or display the list only when a user selects its grid cell or text field. Do one of the following: To display the list automatically, select the Show by default check box. To display the list when its grid cell or text field is selected, clear the Show by default check box. 2 To specify a width for the list, select the Width check box. In the field, type the width in inches. 3 You can automatically generate the values displayed in the list, or manually determine the values. If determined manually, you can specify the text displayed for each choice that is presented to the user, and the value to use to update, insert, or delete data. Select one of the following under Input type: To display automatically generated values, select Calculated. - Specify the lowest and highest selectable values in the list by typing a value in the Minimum value field and the Maximum value field. - To specify the interval displayed between each value in the list, type a value in the Interval field. For example, if the minimum value is 0 and the interval is 10, users can specify 0, 10, 20, 30, and so on. To use manually entered values, select Manual. Perform the following steps for each value: - In the Value field, type the value to use when the choice is selected. - In the Label field, type the text to display for the choice. - To add choices to the list, click the Add icon. - To delete a choice from the list, click the Delete icon next to the choice. - By default, when the text field or grid cell of the list is set to a value for which no label is defined in the Control Properties, the list is displayed as blank and no value is selected. You can specify text to display in the list instead. To do so, type the text you want to display in the first field in the Label column, next to the word Unset. To use attribute elements from a selected attribute, select Dataset. List controls containing attribute elements can be displayed in a document viewed in Web or an iPhone or iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile. - From the Source drop-down list, select the dataset report that contains the attribute you want to use to display the list control. - From the Attribute drop-down list, select the attribute whose elements you want to display as options in the list. - From the Writeback Form drop-down list, select the attribute form to use to update your data. The value of this form will be supplied to the Transaction Services report when a user selects an attribute element from the list control.

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Control Style Slider The Slider style displays as a slider in Web, or on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device

Steps to Format 1 You can display the slider automatically when the document is viewed, or display the slider only when a user selects its grid cell or text field. Do one of the following: To display the slider automatically, select the Show by default check box. To display the slider when its grid cell or text field is selected, clear the Show by default check box. 2 To specify a width for the slider in inches, select the Width check box, then type the width in the field. This option is only available if the Show by default check box is cleared. 3 To specify a width for the slider as a percentage of the text box or grid cell it is defined on, select the Label Width check box, then type a percentage in the field. This option is only available if the Show by default check box is selected. 4 You can automatically generate the values displayed in the slider, or manually determine which values are displayed. If determined manually, you can specify each value displayed. Select one of the following under Input type: To display automatically generated values, select Calculated. - To specify the lowest and highest selectable values, type a value in the Minimum value field and in the Maximum value field. - To specify the interval displayed between each value in the slider, type a value in the Interval field. For example, if the minimum value is 0 and the interval is 10, users can specify 0, 10, 20, 30, and so on. To use manually entered values, select Manual. Type each value in the Enter values column. Click the Add icon to add fields, or click the Delete icon to delete a value. 1 In the Value field, type the value you want to use when the image is selected. 2 Type the location of the image to display in the Image Source field. You can specify the location as: An http reference to a central web server machine, such as http://microstrategy/Test/myimage.jpg. Intelligence Server and Desktop must both be able to access the machine. A full path to the image on a shared network drive, such as \\my_computer\shared\myimage.jpg. All users, Intelligence Server, Desktop, and the web server must be able to access the drive. A partial path, such as Images\myimage.jpg. The image must be copied in all of the following folders: Desktop\Images, Intelligence Server\Images, and Web\Images. 3 To add images to the toggle button, click the Add icon. 4 To delete an image from the toggle button, click the Delete icon next to the image to delete. 5 Repeat the appropriate steps above for each image you want to add to the toggle button. 6 By default, when the text field or grid cell of the toggle button is set to a value for which no image is specified in the Control Properties, the toggle button is displayed as a blank space and no value is selected. You can specify an image to display for the toggle button instead. To do so, type the location of the image (as described above) in the first field in the Image Source column, next to the word Unset.

Toggle The Toggle style displays as a button in Web, or on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device

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Using prompts in documents


If the dataset in a document has a prompt in it, such as Region or Year, you are prompted for an answer when you view the PDF document for the first time. The prompts, which contain the default answers, are displayed as in any standard MicroStrategy report. After the prompts are answered, the document executes and displays the information according to the answers. Even if the same prompt object is used in multiple datasets on a document, you are prompted only once. For example, if you use the prompt named Select Region in both Dataset1 and Dataset2, you can see the prompt only once. However, if the prompt Select Region is used in Dataset1 and Copy of Select Region (an identical copy, except for the name) is used in Dataset2, you see two prompts. When you save a document after answering prompts, you can set whether your current prompt answers are saved as part of the document definition. A document does not itself contain prompts, but a document can include datasets that have prompts. The prompt answers are saved in the document definition and not in the report definition. That is, the prompt answers used in the document do not affect the report when the report is executed. When the document is re-executed, one of the following scenarios occurs, depending on which option was selected: Prompts are displayed with the saved answers shown as the defaults. Prompts are displayed and the user is required to answer them. Prompts are not displayed and the saved answers are used to resolve the prompts.

Prompts in documents act as filters and limit the data that is displayed. These value prompts affect the number of rows of data that are displayed but they do not determine which objects are returned from the data warehouse. This is because the prompt answers are not available in the Design Viewthat is, the creator of the document does not know the objects that the user will select. You cannot use a prompt directly on a document or put a prompt into a Grid/Graph on a documentonly attributes, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics can be used as data fields from the dataset. Object prompts on

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templates, which allow a user to select which objects to include in a dataset report, are not supported, unless you add the Grid/Graph as a shortcut. shortcut used, prompt does Even when a pane; youiscannotthe objectthe document notaappear in the Datasets add it to as separate object. When the document is executed, the object prompt is displayed and its answers are shown in the document results. This occurs just as if you had executed the dataset report as a stand-alone report. For instructions to add a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306. For more information on creating prompts, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

Prompt order in documents


You can change the order that prompts are presented when the document is executed. For example, your document contains datasets with Region and Call Center prompts, and you want to answer the prompts in that order. Use the Prompt Ordering dialog box to specify that order.

To re-create this example, create the following before beginning the procedure:
A filter definition prompt on Region A filter definition prompt on Call Center A report with Region and the Revenue metric, filtered by the Region prompt A report with Call Center and the Revenue metric, filtered by the Call Center prompt A document including both reports as datasets, with Region, Call Center, and the Revenue metric in the Layout area

To order prompts in a document

1 Open a document containing at least one prompt in the Document Editor. To re-create the example, open the document including both reports as datasets.

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2 From the Data menu, choose Prompt Ordering. The Prompt Ordering dialog box opens. 3 Select the prompt to modify and click the up or down arrows to change its order. 4 Once the prompts are in the correct order (for the example, the order is Region and Call Center), click OK to return to the Document Editor. When you execute the document, the prompts are displayed in the order selected.

Default prompt order


If you do not modify the order of the prompts, the default prompt order is used, as described below. If multiple reports are used on the document: 1 The prompts in the first dataset report are displayed to the user, then the second, and so on. 2 If a prompt is contained in more than one report, the prompt is displayed on the first dataset report only. Within each dataset report, an ordered list of prompts is constructed using the following rules: 1 All non-prompt application objects (attributes, metrics, and so on) are ordered so that each object appears before its dependents. 2 Each object is replaced with any prompts that it contains. 3 If a prompt contains prompts, those prompts are added to the list immediately above the original prompt. (Prompts within another prompt must be answered before the original prompt can be answered.) 4 The previous step is repeated until each prompt in the report is listed.

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5 Any duplicated prompts are eliminated. Each prompt is displayed only one time, and when it first occurs on this list of prompt.

Note the following:


If prompts are moved within the report filter after the report is first saved, the prompt order is not changed. The order that the prompts are initially saved is used for the default prompt order.

If the order of the reports in a document is changed, even after the document is first saved, the prompt order is affected. The prompts in the first dataset report are displayed to the user, and then the second, and so on.

Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch


Incremental fetch divides large documents or layouts into pages, thereby loading the data in batches (or blocks) rather than all at the same time. This improves the usability and performance of a large document or layout, by reducing the load and overall memory usage on the web server.

You can define the incremental fetch options in both MicroStrategy Web and in Desktop, but incremental fetch is applied only when the
document is executed in Editable Mode, Interactive Mode, or Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Desktop does not apply incremental fetch to documents. The blocks of data are defined by the number of objects (the block size) to return at a certain level. If the document or layout is grouped, you can select any group as the level. If it is not, then the block size is applied to the Detail section. For example, each row in the Detail section of a document contains the Item attribute and several metrics. Incremental fetch is applied, with a block size

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of ten. In Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, only ten rows of items are displayed on a single page, as shown in the document sample below:

Notice that the bottom of the document contains page numbers, so that you can navigate to another page to display more information. The document has 36 pages in all. Group the document by Call Center. You can now apply incremental fetch at the level of Call Center. This time, define the block size as five. In Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web, select All for the grouping, and then the incremental fetch is employed. Data for five Call Centers is displayed on a single page. The following image shows only a portion of the first page of the

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document, including the end of the first call center and the beginning of the next. Notice that the document now contains only three pages, not 36.

If the group is displayed as a single element only, that group cannot be used as the fetch level, since the document must be displayed with all the grouping elements. You can still apply incremental fetch to the document, but only to the detail section, not to the group. If the document contains another group, which does allow all elements to be displayed, you can apply incremental fetch using that other group. For more information about grouping options, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. or layout is not grouped, If the documentthe Detail section. incremental fetch can be applied only to You can also apply incremental fetch to a specific Grid/Graph. For more information, see Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch on Grid/Graphs, page 772.

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To apply incremental fetch to a document

1 Open the document in the Document Editor. 2 If the document contains multiple layouts, select the layout to apply incremental fetch to. 3 From the Format menu, choose Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 4 Select Incremental Fetch. 5 Select the Enable Incremental Fetch check box. 6 From the Fetch Level drop-down list, select the object to be counted for the incremental fetch level. If the document or layout is grouped, the groups are displayed in the drop-down list. Groups that are displayed as a single element only are not shown on this list. If the document or layout is not grouped or all the groups are displayed as single elements only, the only option is the Detail section.

7 Enter the Block Size, which is the number of objects (of the Fetch Level) that are returned in each block. 8 Click OK to return to the document. To see the results of the incremental fetch, run the document in MicroStrategy Web in Editable Mode, Interactive Mode, or Express Mode.

Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch on Grid/Graphs


Incremental fetch divides large Grid/Graphs into pages, thereby loading the data in batches (or blocks) rather than all at the same time. This improves the usability and performance of a large Grid/Graph, by reducing the load and overall memory usage on the web server. Only a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid can be split into rows and therefore incrementally fetched. This

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includes the grid portion of a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and a graph simultaneously.

This property applies only to the rows, not the columns, of the Grid/Graph.
You can define the incremental fetch options for Grid/Graphs in either MicroStrategy Web or in Desktop, but incremental fetch is applied only when the document is executed in Editable Mode, Interactive Mode, or Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Desktop does not apply incremental fetch to Grid/Graphs. The blocks of data are defined by the number of rows to return at a time. For example, a Grid/Graph on a document contains 360 rows. Incremental fetch is applied, with the number of rows per page set to 25. In MicroStrategy Web, only 25 rows are displayed on a single page of the Grid/Graph. Users can click the page numbers at the bottom of the screen to display more information. The document is shown below in Interactive Mode in MicroStrategy Web:

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You can also apply incremental fetch to the entire document. For more information, see Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch, page 769.

Incremental fetch in repeating document sections


Whether the group and detail sections repeat in a document affects how incremental fetch is applied to Grid/Graphs in that section, as described below: If all the elements of a grouping field are displayed simultaneously, the Group Header, Group Footer, Detail Header, and Detail Footer sections repeat, once for each element in the group. Only the first page of data from the Grid/Graph is displayed. Users cannot navigate to another page. If only one element is displayed at a time, these sections appear only once. A Grid/Graph placed in one of these document sections does not repeat, and users can navigate to other pages. If the document is not grouped, the Detail Header and Detail Footer sections appear only one time. A Grid/Graph placed in one of these document sections does not repeat, and users can navigate to other pages. If the document is not grouped, the Group Header and Group Footer are not displayed. Although the Detail section repeats, a Grid/Graph cannot be placed in it, so the Grid/Graph incremental fetch setting does not apply.

For background information on document sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34. For instructions to group the document, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. For instructions on displaying individual grouping elements or all the elements, see Using page-by on a document, page 286 (page-by interactively displays groups on separate pages).
To apply incremental fetch to a Grid/Graph

1 Open a document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 Right-click the Grid/Graph to apply incremental fetch to, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 Click the Advanced tab.

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4 Select the Enable incremental fetch on grid check box. 5 Enter the Maximum number of rows per page. 6 Click OK to return to the document. To see the results of the incremental fetch, run the document in MicroStrategy Web in Editable Mode, Interactive Mode, or Express Mode.

Caching documents
A cache is the stored results of a document query that has already been executed. When the document is executed again, the system can quickly access the cache to display the data, rather than putting a load on the system to re-run the request to the data source. Enable document caching to generate the document only oncethe first time that you execute a document in a specific mode (such as Express Mode or Interactive Mode) in MicroStrategy Web. Subsequent document executions in the same mode use the cache. Disable document caching to submit the document query to your data warehouse every time that you execute the document in a different mode. define the Youcached onlydocument caching options in Desktop, but documents are when they are executed or exported in MicroStrategy Web. Desktop does not cache documents. The benefits of document caching include: Faster single-user response times. The ability to support more concurrent users accessing complex documents. Lower total memory and CPU consumption for the same workload.

You can use the default project-level which is set the Project Configuration Editor. Forbehavior instead, instructions,in information and see the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide. You can select which formats to cache. Formats include: Excel (when the document is exported to Excel in MicroStrategy Web)

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HTML (when the document is exported to HTML View in MicroStrategy Web) PDF (when the document is exported to PDF in MicroStrategy Web) XML (when the documents mode is changed, as from Express Mode to Interactive Mode, in MicroStrategy Web)

By default, a cache is not created for every page-by combination that can be run, since that can use much of the memory allocated to caches. For more information, see Caching and page-by, selectors, and widgets, page 776.
To enable document caching

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Caching. 4 Select Enable document caching. 5 Select the formats to cache. 6 Choose whether to Create cache when page-by selections are modified. If this check box is selected, a new cache is created each time a user selects a different page, chooses a different selector item, or interacts with a widget. For more details on this type of caching, see Caching and page-by, selectors, and widgets, page 776. 7 Click OK to save your changes.

Caching and page-by, selectors, and widgets


By default, a cache is not created for every page-by combination that can be run, since that can use much of the memory allocated to caches. For example, for a document paged by Region, a separate cache would be created for each region. You may want to create a cache for the region that is used most frequently, or for the default region. The Create cache when page-by selections are modified setting allows you to do this. When this check box is selected,
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caches are also created when a different item is chosen in a selector or when a user interacts with a widget. For background information on these objects, see Using page-by on a document, page 286, Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418, and Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. To use document caching in this way, you: 1 Enable page-by caching before executing the document. 2 Select the page, item, or widget view that you want to cache. 3 Disable page-by caching. Detailed instructions follow.
To enable document caching for page-by Enable document caching

1 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 2 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 3 Select Caching. 4 Select Enable document caching. 5 Select the formats to cache. 6 Select the Create cache when page-by selections are modified check box. 7 Click OK to return to the document. 8 Save the document.
Cache the information

9 Open the document in Interactive mode or Express mode in MicroStrategy Web. 10 Select the page, item, or widget view that you want to cache.

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11 Save the document.


Disable page-by caching

12 Open the document in Design View in the Document Editor. 13 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 14 Select Caching. 15 Clear the Create cache when page-by selections are modified check box. 16 Click OK to return to the document. 17 Save the document.

Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects


A portable document contains all the design of the document without the data, allowing you to copy documents between projects, even when the projects do not have the same metadata. When you import the document into the replacement project, you map the document to the new project (referred to as reconciling the document). can portable; A dashboardusedalso be madethis sectionfor simplicity, the term and document is throughout to refer to documents dashboards. Portable documents separate document definition from the dataset reports that provide the data, allowing: Documents to be reused across projects, creating a library of reusable documents. The document designer and the data architect to work simultaneously, rather than sequentially. That is, the document designer can work on polishing the design of a document (the layouts, panel stacks, and other non-data objects) at the same time that the data architect is preparing the

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data (the metrics, reports, and other MicroStrategy objects) that will populate the document. When both are finished, the document is reconciled with the dataset reports. Out-of-the-box documents can be deployed to your project by reconciling the documents content to your own project objects. For example, you can use a document or dashboard from the MicroStrategy Tutorial project or any of the Analytical Modules in your own project.

Use the Document Editor to create the document to be reused across projects. For instructions to create a document, see Creating documents, page 22.

How the document reconciliation process works


All the parts of a document whose definition explicitly references a dataset report need reconciliation. These include the dataset reports and the dataset objects on those reports. Dataset objects include metrics, attributes, consolidations, and custom groups. original project is the you Thereplacement project isproject thatthat export the document from; the the project you import the document into. Document reconciliation has the following stages: Stage 1 reconciliation: dataset reports You map each original dataset report to a replacement dataset report. Stage 2 reconciliation: dataset objects For each dataset report, you map each dataset object on the original report to a replacement dataset object on the replacement dataset report. An original dataset object that exists in the replacement report is automatically mapped, but you can select another replacement object. Objects are matched by GUID, then by name. Stage 3 reconciliation: attribute forms (Attribute form reconciliation occurs only in certain cases, depending on the documents design.) For each attribute, you map each attribute form (such as Region Name and Region ID for the Region attribute) from the original dataset report to the attribute form on the replacement dataset report. An ID or DESC

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attribute form in the original is automatically mapped to an ID or DESC form in the replacement, but you can select another replacement attribute form, as long as it is an ID or DESC form. A custom attribute form in the original can be mapped to any custom attribute form in the replacement.

Reviewing after reconciliation


After reconciliation, you should review the resulting document to ensure that it works as you expect it to. Potential additional work that you may need to perform includes: For Interactive Grid widgets and Time Series widgets for mobile devices, properties that refer to dataset objects in the underlying Grid/Graphs are not updated. An example is the interval properties of the Time Series widget. Images are not included in the portable document. You must copy any image files to the following folders:

Intelligence Server Web ASPx\asp Desktop

The original attribute in attribute element qualifications in thresholds and view filters is replaced by the replacement attribute, but attribute elements are not updated. After reconciliation, edit the threshold or view filter to ensure that the correct attribute form is used.

Copying documents between projects


To copy a document between projects, follow the high-level steps below. See To copy a document between projects, page 781 for a detailed procedure. 1 In the original project, create the document to be used as a portable document. 2 Export the document from the original project. Exporting creates a package file with the extension .pkg.

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3 Import the document into the replacement project. The document is automatically checked to see if it needs to be reconciled. If it does, you are guided through the reconciliation process.

Prerequisites
You have created the document that will be used as the original document, following these requirements:

The document must be created in a project that was created with MicroStrategy version 8.0.1 or later. The document cannot contain derived metrics, derived elements, or drill maps.

To export the document, you must have browse and read access to the document. To import the document, you must have the Use Document Editor privilege, and browse and use access on all replacement objects.

To copy a document between projects Export the portable document from the original project

1 In MicroStrategy Desktop, log in to the original project (the project that contains the document to export). 2 Select the document to use as the original document. 3 From the Tools menu, select Export Document Template. The Browse for Folder dialog box opens. 4 Navigate to the folder to save the file in, name the file, and then click OK. Integrity checks are run to ensure that the document meets the prerequisite requirements. If the integrity checks fail, a message appears. Click OK to return to Desktop. The document is not exported. Review the prerequisite requirements listed above and edit the document so that it meets those requirements. If the document passes the integrity checks, the document, named document_name.pkg, is saved in the selected folder.

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5 Log out of the project.


Import the portable document into the replacement project

6 In MicroStrategy Desktop, log in to the replacement project (the project that you want to import the document to). 7 From the Tools menu, select Import Document Template. The Select a Package dialog box opens. 8 Navigate to and select the portable document to import. 9 Click Open. 10 The document is automatically reviewed to see if it needs reconciliation. If the document needs reconciliation, the Document Reconciliation Editor opens. A status message indicating how many replacement reports or objects need to be reconciled is displayed. Follow the Reconcile steps on page 782. If the document does not need reconciliation, the Document Reconciliation Editor opens with blank fields and a blank status message. One way that this can happen is if the document does not contain any dataset reports. Skip to the Save steps on page 784.

Reconcile

The Document Reconciliation Editor lists: The dataset reports in the original document The dataset objects on those reports How many replacement reports or objects need to be reconciled (the status message)

11 Map an original dataset report to a replacement dataset report by following these steps: a Click Select in the Replacement Report column of the original dataset report row. The Select a Report dialog box opens. b Navigate to and select the replacement dataset report.

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Click Open. If the replacement dataset report does not match the original dataset report (for example, the original report contains two attributes but the replacement has only one), a message is displayed. Click OK, and select a different report. The Replacement Report column now displays the name of the replacement dataset report to map to, and the Replacement Objects column displays the objects on the replacement dataset report.

replacement If a suitableto use, withoutreport does not exist, you can create a new report closing the Document Reconciliation Editor. If the Select a Report dialog box is open, click Cancel to close it. Return to Desktop without closing the editor (for example, you can use ALT+TAB to select Desktop), and then create the report and save the report. Return to the Document Reconciliation Editor (for example, using ALT+TAB), and then begin mapping the replacement report again, at this step. 12 If an original dataset object exists in the replacement report, it is automatically mapped to that object. Objects are matched by GUID, then by name. If you want to change an automatic mapping or an object is not mapped, follow the steps below: a Select the replacement dataset object in the Replacement Objects column. Cells in the Replace With column that can be mapped to the replacement object are highlighted. (For example, if you select an attribute, all attribute cells are highlighted.) b Drag the replacement dataset object to the matching Replace With cell. For example, if Employee in the original and EE in the replacement are equivalent, drag Employee to EE. c Repeat these steps for each dataset object on the original dataset report.

13 ID and DESC attribute forms in the original are automatically mapped to ID or DESC forms in the replacement, but you can select another replacement attribute form, as long as it is an ID or DESC form. You can map a custom attribute form in the original to any custom attribute form in the replacement. If you want to change an automatic mapping or an attribute form is not mapped, follow the steps below: a Select the replacement attribute form in the Replacement Objects column. b Drag the replacement attribute to the matching Replace With cell. For example, if Employee Number in the original and EE# in the replacement are equivalent, drag Employee Number to EE#.

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Repeat these steps for each attribute form on the original dataset report.

reconciliation in Attribute formthe documentsoccurs onlythiscertain cases, be depending on design, so step may not required. 14 Repeat these Reconcile steps until all original dataset reports, original dataset objects, and original attribute forms are mapped to the replacement. Once this is complete, the status message, which displays the number of reports or objects to be reconciled, disappears.
Save

15 Select Save from the File menu. 16 Navigate to the folder to save the document in, and then click OK. A message appears indicating the document was saved. 17 Click OK. The Document Reconciliation Editor closes, and you are returned to Desktop.
Review

18 After importing the document, review the resulting document to ensure that it works correctly. Follow the suggestions in Reviewing after reconciliation, page 780. 19 Save any changes to the document.

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9.

DOCUMENTS FOR MOBILE DEVICES

Introduction
MicroStrategy Mobile is an application for mobile devices that allows analysts to view, refresh, and analyze MicroStrategy reports and Report Services documents. With MicroStrategy Mobile, you and other business users receive the same reports and documents on your Apple iPhone or iPad, as well as on your Android devices, as you do in MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Office, or MicroStrategy Desktop. You can then analyze the reports and documents on your mobile device by sorting data, repositioning objects, grouping data by page, and more. This chapter discusses features specific to documents created for mobile devices, which include: Widgets for mobile devices. A widget is a Flash-based display of the results of a dataset report, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. Widgets are sophisticated visualization techniques that can combine with rich interactivity to enable users to understand their data more effectively. A widget can be displayed in a document on a mobile device, and a report can be displayed as a widget on a mobile device. For lists of the widgets that can be displayed on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, as well as examples, see Widgets for mobile devices, page 792.
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Links that interact with applications installed with mobile devices, such as email or text messaging. For example, a document can send addresses to Google Maps for directions or can link to a video. For examples and more details, see Opening mobile applications in documents, page 815. Links to reports and other documents. A link lets the user execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. For examples and more details, see Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device, page 818. Formatting documents specifically for mobile devices, to ensure that the documents display correctly on mobile devices. You can use:

Display properties for the mobile device, such as optimizing the layout for display on a mobile device, and whether or not the page-by bar is displayed. For descriptions of these properties, see Formatting documents for display on mobile devices, page 820. Templates for the iPhone and iPad. These templates help you design a document sized correctly for display on the iPhone or iPad. For more information, see Document templates for iPhone and iPad, page 828.

overview of the various Mobile This chapter provides aninstructions to create documentsfeatures, including examples. For for MicroStrategy Mobile, including procedures to create widgets, links, and the other features, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. For instructions to work with documents in Mobile, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Analyst Guide.

Best practices for designing documents for mobile devices


When designing documents for display on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, it is important to keep factors such as screen size and performance in mind. To achieve this goal effectively, you must make certain decisions before you begin creating your report or document. The best practices described below are grouped into the following sections: Planning the document, page 787 Adding interactivity to a document, page 788 Enhancing readability, page 789

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Enhancing performance, page 790 Designing documents for an Android device, page 790

Planning the document


Because screen space is limited on an iPhone or Android phone, content that could be displayed in a single dashboard in MicroStrategy Web needs to be divided among multiple documents when displayed on an iPhone or Android phone. There are many ways to divide existing reports and documents as well as many ways a user could navigate between the resulting documents. A useful exercise, before development starts, is diagramming the documents and links that need to be created. This allows the developer to identify: The order in which documents must be built. Links must be created after the document that they target has already been created. Where duplicate functionality exists. If two documents display different data with the same formatting, it is often possible to create one document, duplicate it, and change the datasets to save development time. You can also define a document template to use to create multiple documents with the same formatting. (See Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27 and Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects, page 778.) What datasets are needed. One dataset can supply data to multiple documents, which can speed up development and reduce cache sizes on the Intelligence Server.

When building a document for the iPhone or iPad, one factor to consider is the size of the devices screen: The iPad has a screen size of 1024x768 pixels, of which 1024x704 pixels are available to display dashboard content. Creating a dashboard of exactly this size will allow all content to be displayed on one screen. If more data needs to be displayed than will fit on one screen, consider using panel stacks to arrange the data in a way that the user can navigate by swiping or using selectors. (See Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391.) Consider using a predesigned template when creating iPhone or iPad documents. iPhone and iPad templates allow you to start with a predefined structure when you create a new document, and are designed to take the size of the device screen into account. (See Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.)
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Create dashboards with only the necessary attributes or metrics that need to be displayed to improve performance times when viewing a document on a mobile device. Reports with fewer metrics also require less scrolling, and are easier for users to read.

See also the general best practices outlined in Best practices for designing effective documents, page 15 and Best practices for dashboarding, page 381.

Adding interactivity to a document


When designing a document for mobile devices, consider making use of interactive features, such as the following: Links: You can add a link to a text field or image in a document to let users perform common tasks when the link is selected on a mobile device, such as sending an email, or executing a related report or document. (See Opening mobile applications in documents, page 815 and Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device, page 818.)

Make sure that interactive objects and links in a document are not too small, or too close together for a user to select when rendered on the iPhone screen. In general, objects the user can click on should be at least 40 pixels wide and 40 pixels tall.

Widgets: A widget is a type of control that presents data in a visual and interactive way. For example, you can insert a widget into a document to let users view data in a line graph. Users can then change their view of the data by selecting the time period over which the data is displayed. (See Widgets for mobile devices, page 792.) Group-By: You can choose to group large amounts of data into logical subsets. Users can then choose the subsets of the data that they want to view on the mobile device. (See Grouping records in a document, page 260 and Using page-by on a document, page 286.) Prompts: A prompt is a question that the system presents to a user when a report is executed. Data is displayed on the report depending on what answers the user provides. Consider creating prompts specifically designed for use on a mobile device, such as the Slider, Stepper, Wheel, or Geo Location prompts. (See the Advanced Reporting Guide.) Images: You can add dynamic images to a document. Dynamic images allow different images to be displayed depending on the data in the dataset. You can use attributes and metrics to determine the file name of
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the image. For example, a document is paged by Region. For each region, a map for that particular region must be displayed. (See Using dynamic images, page 133.)

Enhancing readability
The following best practices list ways to enhance the readability of documents displayed on a mobile device: You can choose to optimize a document layout for display in a mobile device application. This prevents users from performing actions such as zooming in or out of the document, and allows you to better control the users interaction with the document. (See Formatting documents for display on mobile devices, page 820.) You can specify how to display documents on mobile devices by creating Mobile Views. Mobile Views allow you to quickly and easily determine how the elements of a document are displayed when the mobile device is rotated, or when the document is displayed on mobile devices with different screen sizes. For a more detailed description, see Displaying documents when the mobile device is rotated: Mobile Views, page 830; for steps to create Mobile Views, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. When designing a grid report that will be displayed as a Grid/Graph:

Add padding around data cells to make the data more legible. Use contrasting colors for the data and the background of the grid report. When using thresholds, consider using colors in conjunction with symbols. This can help users who have difficulty distinguishing colors understand the data.

When designing a graph report that will be displayed as a Grid/Graph:

When displaying graphs on a mobile device, tooltips can be displayed to provide additional information about data points in the graph. You must enable tooltips using the Properties dialog box before they can be displayed. Maximize the graph's size by moving the legend below the graph. If your Y graph axis displays values in the thousands or millions, you can assign axis abbreviation to avoid clutter on the graph axis. By default, when users view a graph in a portrait or landscape view by rotating the mobile device, the graph does not fill the entire screen. To
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make sure the graph fills the entire screen in both views, create a document with two layouts, one for each orientation, then add the graph and position it to fill the screen. (See Creating multi-layout documents, page 714 and Formatting documents for display on mobile devices, page 820.)

For general information about designing reports, see the Advanced MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide and MicroStrategy
Reporting Guide. You can enable a panel stack to be displayed as an Information Window. When a user selects an item in a selector that targets the panel stack, an Information Window is displayed, providing additional information on the selector item. (See Defining Information Windows for an iPad document, page 824.)

Enhancing performance
The following suggestions can enhance the performance of reports or documents displayed on mobile devices: Use Intelligent Cubes to provide historical or trend data on a mobile device. For more information on Intelligent Cubes, see the Advanced Reporting Guide. Group data in a document to let users display subsets of data instead of prompts. Accessing a cached document or report with multiple pages is faster than changing prompt answers and resubmitting the job to the Intelligence Server.

Designing documents for an Android device


When designing documents to be displayed on an Android device, as well as other mobile devices, you can have the document automatically sized to fit the mobile device's screen while maintaining the relative height and width of the document (aspect ratio). For steps to use the Fit Page or Fit Width setting to size a document, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help. If you are modifying a document originally designed to be displayed on other mobile devices to make sure it is compatible with an Android device, you can use the Fit Page and Fit Width settings and manually resize the columns in grids without affecting how the document is displayed on the other mobile devices.
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Documents for Mobile Devices

By default, when the document is displayed on an Android device, any area not used to display by the document will be rendered as the same color as the background color defined for the document. To ensure a smooth color transition from the edges of the document to the remainder of the mobile device's screen, consider one of the following:

Set the document's background color to match the background color of the rest of the document content. For steps, see Formatting the border or background of a document or layout, page 213. Specify an image watermark for the document layout. For steps, see Adding watermarks to documents, page 217.

You can display a document on an Android device using a black background color to fill any space on the screen that is not taken up by the document, similar to how documents are displayed on the iPhone and iPad. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help. You can choose to display documents using tabs, or allow users to change between layouts in a document with a horizontal swipe gesture using the Layout bar style option. The following graph types are supported on Android devices:

Vertical Area Horizontal Area Vertical Bar Horizontal Bar Vertical Line Horizontal Line Pie Scatter Bubble Gauges Pareto

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You can add selectors to a document to allow users to change the data displayed in a grid, panel stack, or text field. For general information about selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. The following selector types are supported on Android devices:

Drop-down List Redo Button Check Boxes Link Bar Button Bar

Widgets for mobile devices


A widget is a Flash-based display of the results of a dataset report, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. Widgets are sophisticated visualization techniques that can combine with rich interactivity to enable users to understand their data more effectively. The following widgets can be displayed on an iPhone that has the MicroStrategy Mobile application: Data Cloud widget, which displays a list of attribute elements displayed in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements (see Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512) Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create an Image Viewer widget) Interactive Grid widget, which displays data in a compact tabular layout (see Displaying data in rows and columns on a mobile device: Interactive Grid widget, page 799) Map widget, which allows users to search and view information for locations on a map (see Displaying geographical data on a mobile device: Map widget, page 801)

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Multimedia widget, which displays a list of available files, such as text files, PDF files, and images, that users can download and view (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Multimedia widget) Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Photo Uploader widget) RSS Reader widget, which displays and updates RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds (see Defining an RSS Reader widget, page 588 for an example and instructions to create an RSS Reader widget; see Formatting RSS Reader widgets for the iPhone, page 810 for a list of iPhone display options, including how news items are displayed, which URLs are used to provide RSS feeds for the widget, and so on) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget, page 814)

All other widgets display as Grid/Graphs on the iPhone. For information on other widgets, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. each document layout. One iPhone widget can be displayed oneach iPhone widget in a To display multiple iPhone widgets, place separate layout. For instructions to create multiple layouts, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. The following widgets can be displayed on an iPad that has the MicroStrategy Mobile application: Data Cloud widget, which displays a list of attribute elements displayed in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements (see Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512) Date Selection widget, which displays as a interactive event calendar on the iPad (see Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget, page 795) Graph Matrix widget, which displays data using a variety of graph styles, such as the line graph, bubble graph, or grid (see Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization, page 797) a Graph Matrix widget, you create a Visual Insight To createwith a Graph matrix visualization, then convert the analysis analysis to a document.

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Heat Map widget, which allows users to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at one time (see Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad, page 799) Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create an Image Viewer widget) Map widget, which allows users to search and view information for locations on a map (see Displaying geographical data on a mobile device: Map widget, page 801) Multimedia widget, which displays a list of available files, such as text files, PDF files, and images, that users can download and view (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Multimedia widget) Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Photo Uploader widget) Timeline widget, which allows users to track changes in the status of multiple business assets, as well as important events affecting each asset (see Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad, page 812) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget, page 814)

All other widgets display as Grid/Graphs on the iPad. For information on other widgets, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets. The following widgets can be displayed on an Android device that has the MicroStrategy Mobile application: Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create an Image Viewer widget) Interactive Grid widget, which displays data in a compact tabular layout (see Displaying data in rows and columns on a mobile device: Interactive Grid widget, page 799)

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Documents for Mobile Devices

Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create Photo Uploader widget) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget, page 814)

requirements to support the For information on theto the MicroStrategy Readme.Map widget on Android devices, refer Widgets for mobile devices display as Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. You can determine how the widgets display in other MicroStrategy Web modes, and when exported to PDF and Excel. For more information on the alternative display setting, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. You can add a widget to a document or create a report that displays as one of these widgets. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. You can determine whether to size a widget in a document layout to take up the full screen when displayed on an iPhone or Android device, or display all grids, graphs, or widgets in the layout, using the Full Screen setting in the Properties and Formatting dialog box. For a list of the widget settings available in the Properties and Formatting dialog box, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget


The Date Selection widget allows users to display an interactive event calendar on an iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile. Users can display a list of events in the calendar by month, week, and day, display events using different colored headers based on the event category they belong to, and search for events using the Search field. You can display events in the calendar using different colors depending on the event's category. For example, release dates for movies are displayed as events in the calendar, and the movies are divided into categories based on the rating of the movie. You can display movies rated PG in green, movies

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rated PG-13 in yellow, and movies rated R in red, as shown in the image below.

You can choose to automatically assign a color to the each category, or assign a specific color to each category. For example, if colors are automatically assigned and the movies displayed in the calendar above are filtered to only display movies with an R-rating, R-rated movies may be displayed in green instead of red. Instead, you can define the color to display for each category, to make sure R-rated movies are always displayed in red, PG-13 movies are always displayed in yellow, and so on. A Date Selection widget displays by default as: An interactive event calendar on the iPad A Date Selection widget in Flash Mode, Interactive Mode, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web (see Creating a Date Selection widget, page 650 for an example)

You can change how the widget is displayed on the iPad, and in different display modes when viewed in MicroStrategy Web. For example, you can choose to display the widget as a grid or graph report when viewed on the mobile device, or as a placeholder when viewed in Express Mode. For steps, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601. You can have the widget display additional information about an event in an Information Window when a user taps the event on the mobile device.

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You can add a Date Selection widget to a document; for instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization


The Graph Matrix visualization is a powerful, interactive visualization that allows you to display your data using a variety of graph styles, such as the line graph, bubble graph, or grid, then customize it to suit users' needs. For example, you can: Organize the data displayed in the graph based on a specific attribute. For example, a bar graph contains units sold data for several regions. You can choose to display a different bar for each individual store within each region. Color graph elements (such as bubbles, lines, or bar risers) by an attribute or a metric. For example, you can choose to display a different color for each element in an attribute. You can choose to have graph elements automatically colored based on the value of a metric, with the darkest colors being displayed for the largest metric values. Automatically size graph elements based on the value of a metric, with the largest elements being displayed for the largest metric values. Slice your data, by displaying a graph for each combination of attribute elements in the rows and columns of the Graph Matrix visualization. For example, you can display the revenue data for each Region as a separate line graph, or display a bar graph containing store sales for each year. a visual of the data in a A visualization issuch as arepresentation A Visual InsightVisual Insight analysis, grid or graph. Analysis allows you to create customized, interactive analyses that you can use to explore your business data. For an overview, see About Visual Insight: Analyses, page 13. An example of a Graph Matrix visualization is displayed in the image below. The data in the visualization is shown as a series of bar graphs, with a separate bar riser displayed for each Call Center. The bar riser for each Call Center is displayed in a different color. Finally, the data is sliced to display a

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separate graph for the revenue and profit data for each product category by quarter.

To create a Graph Matrix widget to display on an iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile, you create a Visual Insight analysis with a Graph Matrix visualization, then convert the analysis to a document. For an overview of analyses, see About Visual Insight: Analyses, page 13. For instructions to create an analysis, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad


The Heat Map widget for the iPad displays elements as rectangles and lets users quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at one time. An example of a Heat Map widget on an iPad is shown below:

In a Heat Map widget: The size of each rectangle represents its relative weight. The color of each rectangle represents its relative value. Large areas (displayed with thicker borders) represent groups of related data. Smaller rectangles represent individual elements.

For instructions to create a Heat Map widget for the iPad, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Displaying data in rows and columns on a mobile device: Interactive Grid widget
The Interactive Grid widget allows you to display data in a compact tabular layout on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device with MicroStrategy Mobile. Attributes and metric values are displayed in columns in the widget's grid, as

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shown below. If a column contains more than one metric, users can toggle the metric displayed in the column to customize their display.

An Interactive Grid widget displays as a: Widget on a mobile device Grid or graph report in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web Grid or graph report or a placeholder, or can be hidden, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, PDF View in Desktop, and when exported to PDF or Excel. For more information on the alternative display setting, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.

You can display a report as an Interactive Grid widget or add an Interactive Grid widget to a document. The widget is displayed when the report or document is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile. For instructions to create an Interactive Grid widget, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. You can allow users to directly edit the data displayed in the interactive grid using a mobile device. For example, you create a widget to display a list of time off requests. A user can tap a button next to each request to display a check mark for approved requests and an X for rejected requests, then submit his changes to his data source. To enable users to edit the data displayed in the widget, you must link the widget's Grid/Graph to a Transaction Services report. For detailed steps to link a grid in a document to a Transaction Services report, see Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources, page 754.
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You can allow users to perform an action when they tap an attribute or metric in the widget on a mobile device. For example, several customer regions are displayed in an Interactive Grid widget. The Customer Region attribute is enabled as a selector and targets a panel stack in the document. You can allow users to tap the name of a customer region to display data in the panel stack only for the selected region. To perform an action when the user taps a value on a mobile device, you must enable the action on the widget's Grid/Graph in Web. Only one action can be performed for each attribute or metric displayed in the widget. If more than one action is enabled for an attribute or metric, the action with the highest priority is performed. You can enable the following actions for a value in the widget, in order of highest to lowest priority: Allow users to edit data for the attribute or metric, by displaying the attribute or metric as an input object control in a Transaction Services-enabled document. For detailed steps, see Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources, page 754. Use an attribute or metric on the widget's Grid/Graph as a selector. For steps, see Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs, page 486. Add a link to a report or document. For steps, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. Allow drilling on an attribute element in the Grid/Graph. For steps, see Enabling drilling on Grid/Graphs, page 349.

You can select a default action to perform for attributes and metrics that have no action defined on the widget's Grid/Graph, by selecting an attribute that already has an action defined for it. This action will automatically be performed when a user taps the value in the widget. Steps to select a default action for the widget can be found in the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Displaying geographical data on a mobile device: Map widget


The Map widget allows users to search and view information based on locations on a map. Locations on the map are displayed using map markers when the widget is displayed on an iPhone or iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile. Selecting a map marker displays an Information Window with additional details about the selected location.

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For example, in the image below, stores are displayed as markers in the Map widget. When a user selects a marker, an Information Window for the store is displayed, with the store's name, address, and distance from the current location of the user.

You can use static images as map markers in the widget, or display the map markers as dynamic bubbles. The size of each dynamic bubble is automatically determined based on the value of the metric on the columns of the widget, with the largest bubbles being displayed for the largest metric values. You can format a Map widget to: Define a custom Information Window to display in the widget, instead of displaying the default Information Window. For examples of custom and default Information Windows, see Displaying Information Windows for Map widgets, page 805. Enable a list of locations in the widget (called a List layout), and use it to display information for each location in the list. For an example, see Displaying a list of locations in a Map widget, page 807.

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Display lines representing relationships between locations in the widget when displayed on the iPhone or iPad, such as flight connections between airports or delivery connections between shipping centers. For steps, see Using lines to display relationships between locations in Map widgets, page 807.

The following table describes how Map widgets can be displayed in different MicroStrategy Web modes and Desktop views. For instructions to change the display of widgets, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.
View/Mode Design View/Mode Editable Mode Flash Mode Express and Interactive Mode All Desktop views except Design Exported to PDF or Excel iPhone or iPad Display Options Empty grid or graph report Grid or graph report Grid or graph report Placeholder Hidden Widget Grid or graph report

You can display a report as a Map widget or add a Map widget to a document. The widget is displayed as a map when the report or document is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile. The report must meet certain requirements to display correctly. For instructions to define a report to display as a Map widget and to add a Map widget to a document, including the report requirements, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. After you create the Map widget, use MicroStrategy Web to format the Map widget, including displaying lines between map markers (see Using lines to display relationships between locations in Map widgets, page 807 for an example) and specifying the total number of map markers that can be displayed at one time. For widget formatting instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

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Displaying thresholds in Map widgets


If you define a threshold on a metric in the widget: The color of dynamic bubbles in the widget can change automatically, based on the value of a metric. For example, the widget can display green dynamic bubbles for locations with profit data greater than $1,000,000. To do this, you must define a threshold on the metric to change the font color in which metric values are displayed, then enable threshold formatting to be displayed in the widget. When the widget is displayed on the mobile device, the threshold color is used to override the default color of the dynamic bubbles for locations that meet the threshold condition. The image markers can be replaced automatically with different images based on the value of a metric. For example, the widget can display a red flag for stores with revenue data less than $500,000. To do this, you must define a threshold on the metric to replace metric values with an image for locations that meet the threshold condition. When the widget is displayed on the mobile device, the image is used to replace the map markers. The images should be 50 x 60 pixels, with 72 dpi. Steps to apply threshold formatting to a Map widget are included in the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Filtering locations in Map widgets


You can filter the locations displayed on a map to view only those locations that meet certain criteria. For example, if store locations are displayed on a map, you can use a Geo Location prompt to use the current location of the mobile device, to display only those stores within the current city, state, or zip code. You can also create a filter or prompt to display data only for locations within a specific distance from the current location of the mobile device. For an example, see Filtering data based on geographical distance from a mobile device, page 808. You can filter the locations displayed on a Map widget to view only those locations that meet certain criteria. For example, if store locations are displayed on a map, you can limit the map display to include only those stores that have free wireless service. For examples of filtering by

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geographical location, see Using the Geo Location prompt in a Map widget, page 809.

Displaying Information Windows for Map widgets


When a user selects a map marker in a Map widget, an informational window with a default layout is displayed. This Information Window provides additional details about the location, such as the location name and related metric values, as shown below:

You can create and format a custom Information Window to display, as shown in the image below:

To create a custom Information Window for: A Map widget displayed on the iPhone, you must create a document layout and enable the layout to be displayed as an Information Window. Using MicroStrategy Web, you specify the layout as the Information Window in the Map widget's properties. Layouts enabled as an Information Window are not displayed with the other layouts in a

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document, and are only displayed as Information Windows on the iPhone. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. If you define an Information Window in a separate document, you can import the document when creating a new layout. This allows you to reuse the Information Window layout in multiple documents. For instructions on importing layouts, see Importing layouts into a document, page 725. To define an Information Window for a Map widget displayed on the iPad, you must create a panel stack, and enable the location attribute on the rows of the widget's Grid/Graph as a selector. For instructions, see MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Once you have created the layout or panel stack to use to display the Information Window, you can add content to this layout or panel stack to be displayed in the widget. You can add any controls to the layout or panel stack, including text fields, Grid/Graphs, images, shapes, and so on. For an overview of controls that can be added, see Creating documents, page 22. The container that displays the Information Window on the iPhone is 1.5 inches wide. Its height is defined to fit to the content, with a maximum height of 1 inch. The following are suggestions for controls to add to an Information Window: Images, such as corporate logos or buttons. For instructions, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. Data fields to display information about attributes and metrics in the documents, or other details. For example, you can add the {Store@Name} data field to an Information Window. When the store location is selected in the widget, as shown in the image above, the Information Window displays the name of the store. For instructions, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53. Links to mobile device applications, such as a link to call the phone number of a selected store. For more details, see Opening mobile applications in documents, page 815. Links to other documents and reports. For more details, see Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device, page 818.

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Displaying a list of locations in a Map widget


The Map widget allows users to search and view information based on locations on a map. In addition to the map display, you can view a list of locations (called a List layout) in the widget, with information about each location, as shown in the image below. To enable this list, you must define a template for the List layout, to specify what information is displayed for each location in the list. In the image below, the List layout has been designed to display the name of each store in the list, as well as the address, profit margin, and distance from the current location of the mobile device.

Using lines to display relationships between locations in Map widgets


Once you create a Map widget, you can show relationships between locations on the map when the widget is displayed on an iPhone or iPad. To do this, you display lines between the map markers. You can choose to display these lines using different thicknesses or colors depending on the relationship between locations. For example, in the image below, a series of airports is displayed in a widget. The flights between the airports are displayed as lines, with thick lines

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representing flights with many passengers, and thin lines representing flights with few passengers.

To display lines between markers in a Map widget in a document, you must provide a total of two Grid/Graphs, as follows: A Grid/Graph used to display the Map widget: This Grid/Graph contains the attributes and metrics used to display the map markers in the widget. A Grid/Graph used to display lines in the widget: This includes the metrics used to determine the color and thickness of lines between map markers, and attributes containing the IDs of the starting and ending locations of each line. The IDs provided must correspond to the IDs used to identify map marker locations in the first Grid/Graph.

Filtering data based on geographical distance from a mobile device


You can filter data in a report to display information based on the distance between a location on the report, and the current location of a mobile device. For example, in the image below, a report displays a list of stores.

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When the report is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile, the user can choose to display only stores within a ten-mile radius, as shown below:

If the report is displayed as a Map widget, only map markers for stores within a ten-mile radius are displayed, as shown below:

For instructions to filter data based on the distance from a point of interest to a mobile device, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Using the Geo Location prompt in a Map widget


The Geo Location prompt lets users answer a mobile device prompt by using the current geographical location of the mobile device. In a Map widget, a Geo Location prompt is typically used to filter data in the widget. For example, a Map widget displays several locations as markers on the map

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display. You can choose to display only those map markers that are in the mobile devices current state. a prompt directly to a document; You cannot addcustom groups, and metrics can beonly attributes,fields consolidations, used as data from the dataset. Prompts on the dataset reports are displayed for users to answer. For more information on prompts in documents, see Using prompts in documents, page 766. You can: Define value prompts with the display style set to Geo Location to automatically use the current longitude and latitude of the mobile device to filter the widgets results. You must define two value prompts, one for latitude and one for longitude. The prompts are then automatically answered and do not require an answer from the user. Define an attribute element prompt with the display style set to Geo Location to filter an attribute element list using the current geographical location.

Geo Location prompts are created in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help or the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. geographical location features of the To use thehave location data stored in your dataGeo Locationa prompt, you must source. For procedure to develop a list of geographical locations, see the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide.

Formatting RSS Reader widgets for the iPhone


You can add an RSS Reader widget to a document, then display the widget when the document is viewed on an iPhone with MicroStrategy Mobile. Users can select an RSS feed to display a list of news items (as shown in the

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first image), then select an item to display from the list (as shown in the second image).

For instructions to create an RSS Reader widget, see Defining an RSS Reader widget, page 588.

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You can format how the widget is displayed when viewed on the iPhone. For example, you can change the color in which the titles of RSS feeds are displayed, or the background color used for news items that are selected in the widget. You use MicroStrategy Web to format the RSS Reader widget to display on the iPhone. The following list suggests formatting ideas; for procedures, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. Color of the RSS feeds' titles Background and border color of the widget Background and font color of news items Background and font color for news items when a user hovers the cursor over the item Background and font color for selected news items Font color for news items that have been read

Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad


A user can track changes in the status of multiple business assets, as well as important events affecting each asset, using the Timeline widget for the iPad. For example, a business owns multiple airplanes, which are leased out to different airlines. During the time that the business owns an airplane, the leasing status of the airplane can change. The airplane can be loaned to a different airline or be kept on the ground without being used. Other events can occur in the lifetime of the asset, such as the airplane being sold off or an airline choosing to extend its current lease on the airplane. In the image below, each of the horizontal lines displayed in the timeline represents a different commercial jet. The lines are colored differently depending on their lease status. For example, periods in which planes are not currently leased are represented with a gray line. An icon is displayed along the line if an event has occurred to the airplane at a specific time, such as the airplane being sold or leased to a new company. Metric values are displayed at the bottom row of the widget, with a separate value displayed for each

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year. Metric values are displayed in the rightmost column of the widget, with a separate value displayed for each asset.

You can choose to display a number badge to represent periods in the timeline in which more than one event happened to an asset. For example, if an airplane's lease ran out in Q1 of 2010 and it was also sold during that time, you can design the widget to display a badge containing the number 2 instead of an event icon, as shown in the image above. You can choose to display an Information Window with additional information when a user taps the section of a timeline for a specific asset and quarter, or the name of an asset in the list of assets. For instructions to create a Timeline widget, including steps to define an Information Window for the widget, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget


The Time Series widget allows you to display data over a specific period of time. This widget is displayed as a line graph on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device with MicroStrategy Mobile. You can configure the widget to display multiple data series on the same graph. For example, the values of the Deficit Rate of Change metric for the U.S. and world over a six-month period are displayed in the image below.

You can configure the Time Series widget to provide data across multiple time intervals. For example, in the image above, data is displayed for a six-month time period. However, the widget can also display data for one day, one month, or several years. You can add intervals to a widget by configuring the widget's properties. The number of data points displayed in a Time Series widget is determined by the maximum number of rows displayed in the report or Grid/Graph on which it is based. number of rows Increasing thewhen the report orthat can be displayed may affect performance document is displayed. A Time Series widget displays as a: Widget on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile Grid or graph report in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web

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Grid or graph report or a placeholder, or can be hidden, in Interactive Mode and Express Mode (DHTML) in MicroStrategy Web, PDF View in Desktop, and when exported to PDF or Excel. For more information on the alternative display setting, see Determining how a widget is displayed, page 601.

You can display a report as a Time Series widget or add a Time Series widget to a document. The widget is displayed when the document is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile. For instructions to create a Time Series widget, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

Opening mobile applications in documents


A document displayed on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device can interact with the applications that are installed with the mobile device. For example, a document can send addresses to Google Maps for directions or open a video. These applications include: Email Phone SMS (text) Maps Video player

Only the email and maps applications are available on the iPad.
To allow users to open a mobile device application in a document, you create a hyperlink in the document. A hyperlink connects a text field or an image to a web page (the target). When the document is viewed on the mobile device , the user can click the control to navigate to the target. For example, you create a document for the regional managers for a chain of stores. This document contains information about each of the stores in the managers region. The information includes the stores address, phone number, the store managers email address, its inventory figures, and so on. When the regional manager views this document on his iPhone, he can click a link to: View a map of the stores location and get directions from his present location

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Email the store manager Call the store

When you create a hyperlink to open a mobile device application, you must use the syntax in the table below. Two examples are included for most of the hyperlinks. The first example replaces the italicized variables in the syntax with specific, static text, while the second replaces it with an attribute, so that the hyperlink can change according to the data in your document.
To Email Use This Syntax <a href="mailto:EmailAddress">Name</a> Examples: <a href="mailto:jdoe@example.com">John Doe</a> <a href="mailto:{StoreMgrEmail}">{StoreMgr}</a> where StoreMgrEmail and StoreMgr are attributes <a href="mailto:{Store@StoreMgrEmail}">{Store@StoreMgr}</a> where StoreMgrEmail and StoreMgr are attribute forms of the Store attribute <a href=mailto:EmailAddress?cc=EmailAddress&subject=SubjectLine &body=Message>Text</a> Example: <a href=mailto:jdoe@example.com?cc=msmith@example.com&subject=Greetings %20from%20MicroStrategy!&body=I%20have%20reviewed%20your%20store's%20 results%20and%20have%20the%20following%20feedback%20for%20you:>Contact John Doe</a>

Email with a subject

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To Call (iPhone only)

Use This Syntax <a href="tel:PhoneNumber">PhoneNumber</a> Examples: <a href="tel:1-555-555-5555">1-555-555-5555</a> <a href="tel:{StorePhone}">{StorePhone}</a> where StorePhone is an attribute <a href="sms:SMSNumber">Text</a> Examples: <a href="sms:1-555-555-5555">Ill be there soon</a> <a href="sms:{MgrPhone}">New Message</a> where MgrPhone is an attribute <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=City">City</a> Examples: <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chicago">Chicago</a> <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q={CustomerCity}">{CustomerCity}</a> where CustomerCity is an attribute <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Destination&saddr=Start">Text</a> Examples: <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Washington+,DC&saddr=Chicago"> Directions</a> <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr={CustomerAddress}&saddr= {StoreAddress}">Directions from {StoreName} to {CustomerName} location</a> where CustomerAddress, StoreAddress, StoreName, CustomerName are attributes <a href="http://WebURL" >Text/Image</a> Example: <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum ?i=?id=375385132"> <img height="15" width="61" alt="Tech News Today" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif"> </img> </a>

Use SMS links

Pass location to Google Maps

Get directions from Google Maps

Open a video

Link Editor are Links created using thefor iPhone, exceptnot supported in in: MicroStrategy Mobile for links created A report displayed on an iPhone A report displayed as an Interactive Grid widget on the iPhone An Interactive Grid widget on the iPhone

You must use the hyperlink properties to define links to mobile device applications. For instructions to create links to mobile device applications, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

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Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device


A link is a connection in a document to another document or a report. A link lets a user execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. You can link from a text field or an image. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, he can select a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region. This is a form of drilling, where the user has drilled from region to store. The source document could also link to the underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well. To create links in a document that is viewed on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, you must use the hyperlink properties and create the link URLs manually, that is, by using the object ID and link syntax. Links created in the Link Editor are not supported in MicroStrategy Mobile for iPhone and iPad, except for links created in: A report displayed on an iPhone or iPad A report displayed as an Interactive Grid widget on the iPhone or iPad An Interactive Grid widget on the iPhone or iPad

Examples of links created with the object ID and link syntax can be found in Examples of link URLs created manually, page 945. Note that these examples are displayed in MicroStrategy Web, but provide a similar experience to linked documents used in MicroStrategy Mobile. Once you have created a link to execute a report or document, you can add parameters to the URL to perform additional tasks, such as providing answers for prompts in the linked document, or specifying which layout to display. You can use links to do the following on an iPhone or iPad: Execute a report, specifying the page-by, prompt answers, and report view (grid, graph, or both grid and graph) Execute a document, specifying the layout, grouping, and prompt answers Reprompt a report or document

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You can use links to do the following on an Android device: Execute a report, specifying whether it is displayed as a grid, a graph, or both a grid and graph Execute a document Run a report or document from a different project or server

If you add a link to a text field, the user will only be able to open the link by selecting the link text on the mobile device. To create a link with a larger area that is easier to select, you can define a link that includes both the text and the area around it, or create an image button that users can select. To do this, you can: Create an image to use as the button and add a link to it. Insert a transparent image into the document, then enlarge and/or position it to cover the desired link area. Add a link to the transparent image. The user can then select any area covered by the image to open the link. A sample transparent image is located by default in Program Files\MicroStrategy\Intelligence Server\ images\1ptrans.gif.

To ensure that the area of the link is large enough to recognize a user selecting it, make sure it has a height and width of at least 40 pixels. For instructions to create a link for mobile devices, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide or the MicroStrategy Web Help.

Using links to navigate between pages in a document displayed on a mobile device


You can use links in a document displayed on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device to display specific pages in MicroStrategy Mobile. For example, you can add a link to display the Home screen or the My Reports folder. For the iPhone and iPad, you can create a link to: View a folder Display the Shared Reports folder Display the My Reports folder Email a screenshot of the document, as an attachment to the email

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Display the Help screen Display the Home screen Display the Shared Library Display the Reports screen Display the Status screen Display the Settings screen Display a specific Information Window Display a selection screen that allows you to specify the element to use to group data Display the Prompt Resolution screen Return to the previously viewed page Display a web page in the internal web browser By default, links to web pages open in the Safari web browser. You can choose to open the link in the internal web browser instead.

You can create a link to do the following on an Android device: Display a specific Information Window Specify the group-by element to use to group data

Formatting documents for display on mobile devices


You can ensure that a document displays correctly on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices by defining the display properties, such as the layout bar for the iPhone display and whether or not the page-by bar and re-prompt icon are displayed. You can format the display properties at the following levels: For a specific selector, for iPads only. For any selector that switches panels, you can select whether or not the selector is displayed docked to its target panel stack. By default, a selector displays as the selector style (such as buttons or links) and in the location on the document defined

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when the selector was created. If the selector is docked, then it displays as a selector bar at the bottom of the target panel stack. For an example, see Docking a selector on iPad documents, page 822. For a specific panel stack, for iPads only.

Panels on a panel stack can be switched with a horizontal swipe on the iPad. By default, they are switched instead with panel stack selectors such as buttons and links. For a more detailed description, including the impact on the panel stacks display in MicroStrategy Web, see Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents, page 823. A panel stack can be displayed as an Information Window, which provides additional information about an object. In this case, the object is in a Grid/Graph used as a selector. When an iPad user taps the object in the Grid/Graph, the Information Window is displayed as a tooltip. Information Windows are also displayed in Express Mode and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For an example, see Defining Information Windows for an iPad document, page 824.

For each document layout.

For the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, you can: Specify the orientation of the document layout (portrait or landscape) Optimize the document layout for display in a micro application Display or hide the page-by bar Display or hide the Filter button, which allows users to change their prompt answers after a document has been executed See Formatting layouts for display on mobile devices, page 826 for more detailed descriptions of each of these options.

For the iPad, you can specify whether or not to allow two-finger swipes to page through the document. For the iPhone or Android, the layout can also be used as an Information Window for a Map widget. An Information Window, which provides additional details about a location, is displayed when a user selects a map marker in a Map widget. For an example of the Information Window, see Displaying Information Windows for Map widgets, page 805.

If the document contains only one layout, the layout properties apply to the whole document.
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For the entire document, for the iPhone only. These properties determine the layout bar style and position, and whether or not tooltips are displayed. See Formatting documents for display on iPhones, page 827 for more detailed descriptions, including an example of the layout bar.

You can also create a document using an iPhone or iPad document template. These templates help you design a document sized for display on the iPhone or iPad. For more information on these templates, see Document templates for iPhone and iPad, page 828.

Docking a selector on iPad documents


A selector allows users to change the panels of a panel stack. By default, a selector displays as the selector style (such as buttons or links) and in the location on the document defined when the selector was created. For background information on selectors, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. For documents displayed on an iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile, the selector can be docked instead. A docked selector displays as a selector bar at the bottom of the target panel stack, as shown below:

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This property applies only to iPad. A row of circles, each representing a panel, is displayed in the center of the selector. The current panel is marked with a dark circle. The circle in the center of the selector has been tapped, to display a preview of the corresponding panel. To view that panel, tap the white circle. To scroll through previews of all the panels, drag your finger along the circles. You can preview all the panels, by tapping the Zoom Out icon on the bottom-right of the panel stack. The current panel zooms out, and a preview of the panels is displayed. Swipe your finger left or right to scroll through the previews. To view a panel, tap its preview. The panel maximizes to fill the panel stack completely. This property applies only to iPads that have the MicroStrategy Mobile application. For instructions to format a selector as a docked selector, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide. addition, switch Inhorizontal MicroStrategy Mobile for iPad lets you changepanelsawith with a swipe, as described in Allowing panel horizontal swipe on iPad documents, page 823.

Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents


A selector allows users to change the panels of a panel stack. By default, a selector displays as the selector style (such as buttons or links) and in the location on the document defined when the selector was created. For documents displayed on an iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile, panels can be changed with a horizontal swipe instead. Swipe right to view the next panel; swipe left to view the previous panel. This property applies only to iPads that have the MicroStrategy Mobile application. You can disable this method of changing panels. If you do disable it, panel selector arrows are no longer displayed on the panel stack in Desktop and MicroStrategy Web. These arrows allow a user to change panels. If they are disabled, a selector must be created for users to change panels. For an

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example of the arrows, and information on replacing them, see Panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 402. MicroStrategy Mobile In addition,docked selector displaysfor iPad lets you dock a panel of selector. A as a selector bar at the bottom the target panel stack. For an example of a docked selector, see Docking a selector on iPad documents, page 822.

Defining Information Windows for an iPad document


Information Windows let users view additional information about an attribute element by hovering the cursor over the element in a grid or graph. The Information Window pops up over the element, displaying an additional visualization, based on the element. An example of an Information Window in an iPad document is shown below:

In this example, the Region column in the grid is used as a selector. When a user taps an element in the column, the Information Window appears.

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The Information Window displays on iPads that have the MicroStrategy Mobile application, and in Express Mode and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The Information Window shown below is displayed in Express Mode:

In other MicroStrategy Web modes, the Information Window is displayed as a panel stack in the location that you added it to the document, not as a tooltip over the Grid/Graph. The Information Window is still interactive, controlled by the Grid/Graph. The following are suggestions for controls to add to an Information Window: Images, such as corporate logos or buttons. For instructions to add images to a document, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. Data fields to display information about attributes and metrics in the documents, or other details. For example, you can add the {Store@Name} data field to an Information Window. When the store location is selected in the widget, the Information Window displays the name of the store. For instructions to add data fields to a document, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53. Links to iPhone or iPad applications, such as a link to call the phone number of a selected store location. For steps to add a link to an iPhone or iPad application, see Opening mobile applications in documents, page 815. Links to other reports or documents. For steps, see Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device, page 818.
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Formatting layouts for display on mobile devices


A multi-layout document contains multiple documents, each in its own layout, creating a book of documents. Each layout functions as a separate document, with its own grouping, page setup, and so on, but the layouts are generated into a single PDF document. For more information, including instructions to create multi-layout documents, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714. Each layout in a multi-layout document can be defined to display on a mobile device independently of other layouts within the same document. The display properties for each layout include: The orientation of the document layout (portrait, landscape, or both). Whether the layout is optimized for display in a micro application. Optimizing the document layout prevents users from performing actions such as zooming in or out of the document, which allows you to better control the users experience and interaction with the document. Whether or not the page-by bar is displayed. When it is displayed, users can tap a button on the page-by bar to select a page-by element to display. If it is not displayed, users swipe left or right to page forward or back. Page-by displays groups on separate pages, and allows a user to dynamically select elements of a grouping field as criteria for analysis. Whether or not to display the Filter button, which allows a user to change his prompt answers after a document has been executed. For the iPad only: Whether or not to allow two-finger swipes to page through the document. If it is enabled, iPad users can use a horizontal swipe for the first page-by field, vertical for the second, and a two-finger rotate for the third.

If the document contains only one layout, the layout properties apply to the whole document.
For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

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Formatting documents for display on iPhones


You can define the following iPhone display properties for the entire document. These properties affect the entire document, including all layouts of a multi-layout document. Layout bar style: Determines the style of the layout bar that is displayed on the iPhone. The styles are:

Tabs: Displays the layout bar as selectable tabs. Swipe: Displays the layout bar in the location set in the Layout bar position. Users can swipe between pages or select an option in the layout bar to display a report or document on an iPhone.

Layout bar position: Determines where the layout bar is displayed on an iPhone. This option is only available if the Layout bar style is set to Swipe. The positions include:

Top: Displays the layout bar at the top of the iPhone. Bottom: Displays the layout bar at the bottom of the iPhone.

Enable graph tooltips: Determines whether tooltips are displayed in documents on the iPhone.

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The iPhone document below contains multiple layouts. The layout bar is displayed as selectable tabs.

Document templates for iPhone and iPad


A document template allows you to start with a predefined structure when you create a new document. The iPhone templates listed below help you create documents that are correctly sized for display on the iPhone: iPhone Portrait

Only one document section is displayed Width = 6.6 inches Height = 9.6 inches, which includes room for the iPhone status bar Supported Orientations: Portrait only Enable Graph tooltips: Yes

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iPhone Portrait Micro Application

Same as above, except Optimize layout for micro application is selected

iPhone Landscape

Only one document section is displayed Width = 10 inches (the iPhone status bar is not displayed in landscape view) Height = 6.6 inches Supported Orientations: Landscape only Enable Graph tooltips: Yes

iPhone Landscape Micro Application

Same as above, except Optimize layout for micro application is selected

The iPad templates listed below help you create documents that are correctly sized for display on the iPad: iPad Portrait

Only one document section is displayed Width = 8 inches Height = 10.2 inches, which includes room for the iPad status bar Supported Orientations: Portrait only

iPad Landscape

Only one document section is displayed Width = 10.67 inches Height = 8 inches Supported Orientations: Landscape only

When Optimize Layout for Micro Application is selected, users are prevented from performing actions such as zooming in or out of the document. This allows you to better control the users experience and interaction with the document. For details on the other iPhone and iPad properties listed above, see Formatting layouts for display on mobile

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devices, page 826. For background information on templates, see Creating a document using another document as a template, page 27.

Displaying documents when the mobile device is rotated: Mobile Views


You can specify how to display documents on mobile devices by using Mobile Views. Mobile Views allow you to quickly and easily determine how the elements of a document are displayed when the user rotates the mobile device. For example, you can enlarge the width of a graph to take advantage of the extra horizontal space when the mobile device is held in landscape orientation, or rearrange the controls on the document to accommodate the extra vertical space when the mobile device is held in portrait orientation. To do so, you must create two Mobile Views, one for portrait orientation and one for landscape orientation, as shown in the image below. When the document is viewed on a mobile device, the document is automatically displayed using the Mobile View for portrait orientation when the mobile device is held vertically, and the Mobile View for landscape orientation when the mobile device is held horizontally.

Aside from positioning, size, and other formatting options described below, controls in the document keep the same basic settings when displayed in different Mobile Views. For example, a selector containing a list of regions targets a graph displaying revenue data. If the user selects the Southeast region from the selector, revenue information for Southeast is displayed in the graph. When the user rotates the mobile device and the document is

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displayed using a different Mobile View, Southeast remains selected and the data displayed in the graph is unchanged. Once you have added a Mobile View to a document, you can: Display a preview of the Mobile View in Design Mode or Editable Mode in Web. Edit controls in the Mobile View. When you edit a control in one Mobile View by moving the control, changing its size, determining the height of the control's title bar, and so on, the change does not affect the display of the control in any other Mobile View. This allows you to edit the control in each Mobile View separately. You can edit the following options for a control independently in each Mobile View: not included Editing any option that is Mobile Viewsin the list below also edits this property for all other in the document. For example, if you change the background color of a document section to green in one Mobile View, the section is displayed as green in all other Mobile Views.

The position of the control in the document The height and width of the control The height of the control's title bar (for Grid/Graphs, panel stacks, and selectors) Whether the control is hidden. You can determine whether a control will be visible when the Mobile View is displayed on a mobile device. All controls in the document must be included in each Mobile View you define. However, you can hide a control in an individual Mobile View to prevent it from being displayed when the document is viewed on a mobile device. For steps to determine whether a control is visible, see Hiding a control, page 164. For example, you want to create two Mobile Views, but only want to display a specific grid in the Mobile View for a single mobile device. You must hide the grid in the Mobile View in which you do not want the grid to be displayed.

Whether the height and width of the control are automatically determined or are fixed at a specific size The height of a document section Whether a document section can grow or shrink to fit its contents Whether to hide a document section if it has no content

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Show or hide all controls in the document in Design Mode, regardless of whether they are shown when the document is displayed on a mobile device.

Mobile Views also allow you to design documents to accommodate mobile devices with different screen sizes, such as the iPhone and iPad. For example, you can size text to take up less room on a mobile device with a small screen in one Mobile View, or enlarge an image to fit a mobile device with a larger screen in another Mobile View. When the document is shown on a mobile device, the document is automatically displayed using the Mobile View that most closely matches the height and width (resolution) of the mobile device's screen. By default, the mobile device tries to display a document using the Mobile View that matches the exact height and width of the device's screen. If there is more than one Mobile View with the same height and width as the mobile device's screen, the first of these Mobile Views, as listed in the Manage Views Editor, is used. Otherwise, the mobile device displays the Mobile View whose width most closely matches the width of the mobile device's screen. Documents can contain multiple layouts. Once you create a Mobile View, it is automatically available to every layout in the document. For example, a multi-layout document contains three layouts. If you create a Mobile View to determine how the document is shown on an iPhone, you must edit the controls in each layout to define how the layouts will be displayed. You can use the Orientation option for Mobile Views in conjunction with the Supported Orientation option for document layouts to determine how a mobile device chooses the best Mobile View to use to display a document layout, as follows: If the Supported Orientation of the document layout is set to Both Portrait and Landscape, the document layout is displayed using the Mobile View that most closely matches the height and width of the mobile device, as well as the orientation in which the mobile device is held. For example, if the mobile device is held vertically, the mobile device attempts to display the document layout using the Mobile View, with Orientation set to Portrait or Portrait and Landscape, that most closely matches the height and width of the device. If only Mobile Views designed to be displayed in landscape orientation have been defined for the layout, the mobile device chooses the best Mobile View from among those defined and rotates the Mobile View to be displayed vertically, to match the orientation of the mobile device.

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If the Supported Orientation of the document layout is set to either Portrait Only or Landscape Only, the document layout is displayed using the Mobile View that most closely matches the height and width of the mobile device, as well as the Supported Orientation of the layout. For example, if the Supported Orientation is Portrait Only, the mobile device attempts to display the document layout using the Mobile View, with Orientation set to Portrait or Portrait and Landscape, that most closely matches the height and width of the mobile device. If only Mobile Views designed to be displayed in landscape orientation have been defined for the layout, the mobile device chooses the best Mobile View from among those defined and displays the Mobile View vertically, to match the Supported Orientation of the document layout. The Mobile View is locked to the same orientation as the Supported Orientation option, meaning that if the Supported Orientation is set to Portrait Only and a Mobile View is displayed vertically on the mobile device, the orientation of the layout as displayed on the mobile device remains the same and does not rotate regardless of whether the user rotates the mobile device. the iPhone, Supported When a document is viewed onwhich layoutthedisplayed on the Orientation option determines is mobile device. The mobile device then determines the best Mobile View to use to display the layout. For more information on the Supported Orientation setting, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

See the MicroStrategy Web Help for instructions to add a Mobile View to a document and specify options to help determine which Mobile View is displayed when the document is shown on a mobile device, such as the height, width, and orientation for which the Mobile View is designed to be displayed.

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A
A.

DOCUMENT INTERFACES IN MICROSTRATEGY

Introduction
If you are new to MicroStrategy Report Services, use this appendix to help you become familiar with the Document Editor interface. The Document Editor allows you to create, customize, and save documents to be used across the MicroStrategy platform. The Document Editor opens when you view a document in Design View. If you are already familiar with MicroStrategy, use this appendix to identify icons and other features you can take advantage of for quicker access to your most commonly used functionality.

Document Editor layout


The following image shows the Document Editor in Desktop, with the sample Basic Report added as the dataset report. The image highlights the Document Editors main sections and toolbars. More information about the editor is available in the Desktop Help. To access the Desktop Help, press F1 or click Help when using the editor.

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The Document Editor consists of the following sections, as shown above: Menu bar Toolbars (position varies according to which toolbars are currently enabled) Layout tabs (shaded area below the toolbars), which are displayed when the document contains multiple layouts Grouping panel (shaded area directly above the Layout area) Layout area (middle)

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The accordion pane at the left of the interface displays the Datasets, the Property List, or Notes. Switch between them by clicking the appropriate name at the bottom of the pane. Datasets, which contains the datasets selected for the document Property List, which displays the formatting properties of the object selected on the layout Notes, which displays the notes or comments added to the document

Each of the major sections of the editor is discussed below. For details about the other sections, see the Desktop Help.

Controls toolbar
A control is any selectable item in the documents Layout area. This can be a text field, line, rectangle, image, panel stack, selector, HTML container, or Grid/Graph object. For instance, dragging and dropping a dataset object onto the Layout area creates a control. If the dragged object is a dataset report, a Grid/Graph is created; otherwise, a text field is added to the Layout area. Use the Controls toolbar to insert new controls into the document. Use the Lock button to keep the currently selected control button turned on so that you can insert multiple controls until you unlock it. For example, you can insert three lines without needing to click the Line button three times. To do this, click the Line button, click Lock, then click in the Layout area three times to create three lines. To turn off the lock, click the Lock button again.

Toolbar icons
From the Document Editor toolbars, you can perform the following:
Name Save Icon Description Saves the document.

Cut

Cuts the currently selected objects. Use this to move or remove controls.

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Name Copy

Icon

Description Copies the currently selected objects. Use this to duplicate controls.

Paste

Pastes whatever you have cut or copied. Use this to move or duplicate controls. Deletes the currently selected object.

Delete

Undo

The last action performed is undone.

Redo

An action that was undone is redone.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view to see more of the document.

Zoom Percentage

Sets the zoom percentage.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view to focus on the details of the document.

Select Controls

Allows you to select existing controls rather than insert new controls. After you insert a new control, the Select Controls icon is enabled, unless Lock has been activated. Allows you to add the same type of control repeatedly. It keeps the currently selected control button (Text Field, Image, and so on) turned on so you can insert multiple controls. Click Lock again to turn off this feature. Inserts a text field into the document. Text fields displays text such as data from the dataset reports, static text for labels, and information about the document or dataset report. For more information, see Adding text and data to a document, page 51. Inserts an image into the document. You are prompted for the file location of the image. For requirements to ensure that the image is available when it is needed, see Inserting images in a document, page 130. Inserts a line into the document. For information, see Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128.

Lock

Text

Image

Line

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Name Rectangle

Icon

Description Inserts a rectangle into the document. Use the drop-down list to select either Rectangle (with square corners) or Rounded Rectangle (with round corners). Once you select either shape, if you click the icon again, that same shape is added to the document. For more information, see Adding shapes and lines to a document, page 128. Adds a new dataset and a Grid/Graph to the document at the same time. A Grid/Graph acts as a standard MicroStrategy report. For more information, see Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously, page 302. Inserts a Grid/Graph placeholder that displays as a grid. A Grid/Graph placeholder is an empty Grid/Graph, without a dataset to populate the Grid/Graph with data. For more information, see Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 303. Inserts a Grid/Graph placeholder that displays as a graph. A Grid/Graph placeholder is an empty Grid/Graph, without a dataset to populate the Grid/Graph with data. Use the drop-down list to select the graph style. For more information, see Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder, page 303. Inserts a panel stack, which is a collection of panels. Panels allow the user to see different predefined views of data in the same document. When you add a panel stack to a document, one panel is automatically added to the panel stack. For more information, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391. Inserts an empty HTML container, which is used to display Flash and AJAX content in the document. When viewed in MicroStrategy Web, this content displays as though it is in an HTML browser within the document. This allows a document to display Flash information when the document itself is not in Flash Mode. For more information, see Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers, page 121. Inserts a selector, which allows a user, in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, to flip through the panels in a panel stack or display different attribute elements or metrics in a Grid/Graph. Use the drop-down list to select the type of selector. For more information, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418. Switches the document to Design View so you can edit the document. (Disabled in Design View) Switches the document to PDF View, which displays the content of the document. Switches to HTML View, which displays a preview of the document as it will appear in MicroStrategy Web. If the icon is disabled, HTML View is not available for the document. You can enable it; see Selecting available export formats, page 252.

Report

Grid

Graph

Panel Stack

HTML Container

Selector

Design View

PDF View

HTML View

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Name Flash View

Icon

Description Switches to Flash View, which displays a preview of the document as it will appear in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. If the icon is disabled, Flash View is not available for the document. You can enable it; see Selecting available export formats, page 252. Shows or hides conditional formatting on the document. For more information on conditional formatting, see Formatting conditional data in documents, page 200. This icon can be disabled, to prevent users from toggling conditional formatting off and on. Disabling it can be useful if users should not see certain sections of the document that are displayed or hidden based on conditional formatting. If desired, you can enable it. For instructions, see Showing and hiding conditional formatting, page 208.

Toggle Conditional Formatting

Grouping

Displays or hides the Grouping panel, which shows the fields used to group the document. For more information on the Grouping panel, see Grouping panel, page 841. For more information on grouping, see Grouping records in a document, page 260. Displays the Datasets pane containing the objects that can be placed in the document. For more information, see Datasets pane, page 842. Displays the Property List, which displays the formatting properties of the control selected in the Layout area. For more information, see Property List, page 843. Displays the notes or comments added to the document. For more information, see Notes, page 845. Displays the ruler to help you position controls.

Datasets

Property List

Notes

Ruler

Alignment Grid

Displays the alignment grid, which helps you control the placement and alignment of controls.

Layout tabs
If the document contains multiple layouts, a tab for each layout is displayed above the Grouping panel. Use the tabs to switch between layouts. Each layout functions as a separate document, with its own grouping, page setup, and so on, but the layouts are generated into a single PDF document. For more information, see Creating multi-layout documents, page 714.

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Grouping panel
The Grouping panel lets you group information in the document in a hierarchical structure. To add a group, drag and drop any attribute, consolidation, or custom group from the Datasets pane onto the Grouping panel. This adds a corresponding pair of sections to the Layout area.

To display the Grouping panel, select Grouping from the View menu.
For more information about grouping documents, see Grouping records in a document, page 260.

Layout area
The Layout area provides the framework for precisely controlling the display section of the fields when the document is viewed as a PDF or in MicroStrategy Web. To add data, drag objects from the Datasets pane and drop them into this area. Depending on the document section that you place controls in, the controls print or display differently. For more information about each of these sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34. Page Header/Footer: prints at the top and bottom of each page. Document Header/Footer: prints at the beginning/end of the document. Group Header/Footer: for each field in the Grouping panel, prints before and after the Detail Header/Footer. Detail Header/Footer: prints immediately before and after each group of Detail sections. Detail: repeats for each row in the dataset.

You can expand and collapse a section by clicking the plus and minus signs next to its name. Expanding and collapsing a section in this way does not affect the section size in the PDF or whether controls display when the document is viewed as a PDF. It only provides you with more room on the Layout area to design the document. By default, all sections are displayed in all views (Design View, PDF View, and Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web). You can select which sections to hide or display in various views. For more information, see Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document, page 181.

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Clicking and dragging the lower boundary of the section in the Layout area increases the size of the section in both the Design View and PDF View. For more information on changing the section size, see Changing the size of a section, page 188. expands past the width If your layoutshow the page break. of a single page, a dotted line is displayed to The Layout area contains an alignment grid to help you control the placement and alignment of controls. You can align the controls automatically with reference to the grid. You can change the settings of the grid, including scale, density, and selection behavior (whether you need to fully enclose or only touch a control to include it in a selection box). For detailed instructions, see the Desktop Help.

Datasets pane
This section displays all of the datasets used in the document. It lists all attributes, metrics, custom groups, and consolidations in the existing MicroStrategy report, regardless of whether or not they are displayed on the report. For example, if the Report Objects contains a metric that is not displayed on the grid, that metric will be listed as a dataset object. For more information, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. To place an object on a document, drag it from the Datasets pane and drop it onto the Layout area. This creates a text field on the Layout area. If you drag and drop a dataset name from the Datasets pane to the Layout area, you create a Grid/Graph. For more information on creating text fields, see Adding text and data to a document, page 51. For more information on Grid/Graphs, see Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs. the To displaypaneDatasets pane, click Datasets at the bottom of the accordion or press F8. If there are multiple datasets in a document, the dataset that is displayed in bold is the grouping and sorting dataset. For more information about datasets in a document, see Using datasets in documents, page 730.

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Property List
The Property List displays the properties of the object selected on the Layout area. The properties that are listed vary depending on the type of object (text field, image, line, section, and so on) selected. For more information about the settings in the Property List and how to use them, refer to the Desktop Help. the To displaypaneProperty List click Property List at the bottom of the accordion or press F9.

Controlling how the Property List displays


By default, a drop-down object list is displayed at the top of the Property List pane. It contains all the controls and sections in the document or, for multi-layout documents, the selected layout. The Property List, with the drop-down object list displayed, is shown below:

You can instead choose to display the objects as a hierarchical tree representing the document structure. You can choose whether to display the

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document structure tree on the left of the Property List or at the top of the Property List.

When you choose an item from the list or the tree, the displayed properties change and the control/section becomes selected in the Layout area. Conversely, if you select an object in the Layout area, the Property List displays the settings for that object, and the object is selected in the tree. You can also choose to hide the object list or document structure tree, to display the properties only. In this case, to choose a different object, select the object in the Layout area. To switch between the various displays, click the appropriate button at the top of the Property List pane: Object list Document structure on left Document structure on top Properties only

Sorting the Property List


You can display the properties in the Property List sorted by category or alphabetically by property name. Click the Sort by Category or Sort alphabetically button at the top of the Property List pane.

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Displaying information about properties


You can choose whether or not to display information about a property, by selecting a property and clicking the Help button at the top of the Property List pane. The information, which displays at the bottom of the Property List pane, provides more detail about the selected property.

Notes
The Notes pane displays the notes or comments added to the document, and allows you to add your own notes. Use this area to communicate with other users about the document. The notes can include details about the document, information on how it was created, reasons to use it, queries about the data displayed, a back-and-forth conversation about designing the document, or anything useful to you and other users. The document cache is not invalidated when notes are added or modified. The Notes pane contains: A display of all the notes that have been added to the document. You must have the View Notes privilege to see any notes that have been added to the document. A text field to type new notes. Click Submit to add the new note. You must have the Add Notes privilege to add new notes, but you do not need write access control on the document.

The Submit button becomes available once you type text.


You can type up to 1024 characters in each separate note, to a maximum of 65,535 characters for all the notes in the document. If you have the Edit Notes privilege, you can change existing notes, as described below: 1 Click Edit. The text field for new notes closes, and all the existing notes become active. 2 Type over the existing text or add new text. 3 Click OK. The text field for new notes opens.

To display the Notes pane, click Notes at the bottom of the pane.
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DOCUMENT TUTORIAL

Introduction
This appendix walks you through the process of creating a sample invoice document.

Create a sample invoice document


This section contains step-by-step instructions to walk you through creating a simple invoice with data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial. Because the Tutorial does not contain the precise type of data needed for an invoice, such as Invoice Date and Due Date, we will use data from similar, related attributes as a replacement. You can use this section as a tutorial, bringing together the pieces described in the chapters of this book to create a document. are updated Dates in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project metadataimages in thisto reflect the current year. The sample documents and section, as well as the procedures, were created with dates that may no longer be available in the Tutorial project. Replace them with the first year of data in your Tutorial project.
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By following the instructions, you will create a document that provides a separate invoice for each customer. Each invoice will contain the following: Company logo Customer name, city, and state Invoice and due dates Purchase date, ID, description, and cost of each item

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The completed invoice looks like the following:

This sample has been altered to fit within the space limitations of this manual.
It may be helpful to print the document and refer to it as you create your own invoice document.

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The high-level steps for this procedure are outlined below. While each step is self-contained, they are meant to be completed in order. 1 Creating the report to use as the dataset, page 851 2 Creating the new document and selecting the dataset, page 852 3 Grouping the document by customer, page 853 4 Adding the logo image to the document, page 854 5 Resizing the image, page 855 6 Adding static text to the document, page 855 7 Formatting, aligning, and sizing the text field, page 856 8 Adding a rectangle to the document, page 856 9 Switching to PDF View, page 857 10 Adding an attribute to the Customer Header section, page 858 11 Combining text fields, page 860 12 Adding and formatting additional text fields in the Customer Header section, page 861 13 Adding a line to the Customer Header section, page 863 14 Creating the column headers in the Detail Header section, page 864 15 Ordering the controls, page 865 16 Creating the item detail in the Detail section, page 867 17 Formatting a text field as currency, page 868 18 Adding summary information to the Detail Footer section, page 869 19 Adding totals to a document, page 871 20 Saving the document, page 873 21 Creating the final PDF, page 873

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Before beginning the instructions, review Creating a document using the Document Wizard, page 25 to familiarize yourself with the various components of the Document Editor.

Measurements throughout this tutorial are given in inches.


Creating the report to use as the dataset
The data for a document is derived from a report, so the preliminary step for creating a document is to create a report. When the report is used in a document, it is referred to as a dataset. For more information on datasets, see Using datasets in documents, page 730. The dataset report for the invoice document needs all of the data for the document, such as customer and order information. The attribute Ship Date will be used to simulate both the invoice and due dates. Only two customers and one quarter are included on the report, since this information is sufficient to demonstrate various document features without creating a large dataset. document, not report, Since this example is focused on creating aare familiar withathe steps the following procedure assumes that you necessary to create a report. For details, refer to the Desktop Help or the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.
To create the report

1 On the MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Report. The Report Editor opens.

If the New Grid dialog box opens, select Blank Report as the report object template.
2 Add the following objects to the grid: Customer (from the Customers hierarchy) Customer City (from the Customers hierarchy) Customer State (from the Customers hierarchy)

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Ship Date (from the Customers hierarchy)

Ship Date stands in for the invoice and due dates on the document.
Item (from the Products hierarchy) Day (from the Time hierarchy) Cost metric (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Sales Metrics folder)

3 Add a report filter for Quarter In List (Q1 05)

AND Customer In List (Aaronson Maxwell, Ballin Stephen)

4 Save and close the report, naming it Invoice Dataset Report.

Creating the new document and selecting the dataset


Next, create the shell of the new document and select as the dataset the report you just created. Again, the dataset provides the data fields for the document.
To create the new document and select the dataset

1 On the MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Document. The New Document dialog box opens. 2 Select Empty Document and click OK. The Select a report dialog box opens. 3 Navigate to the Invoice Dataset Report and double-click it. The Document Editor opens.

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The Document Editor contains the Datasets pane on the left, the Layout area in the middle, and the Property List on the right. is Datasets from If the Datasets panethe not displayed,isselectdisplayed, selectthe View menu. Similarly, if Property List not Property List from the View menu. Notice that the Layout area is empty except for sectionsno objects have been placed on the document yet. You can expand and collapse the sections by clicking the plus sign or double-clicking the grey button next to the section name. You can drag a section's top or bottom border to make the section larger or smaller. Expanding, collapsing, or resizing a section in this way does not affect its size or whether controls in it appear or are hidden when the document is viewed as a PDF. The Datasets pane contains the Invoice Dataset Report and all the objects on that report. These objects are available for use on the document. The Property List displays the properties of the object selected on the Layout area. The properties vary depending on the type of object selected, but include font, size, alignment, position, and others. For more information, see Creating a document using the Document Wizard, page 25 and the Desktop Help.

Grouping the document by customer


Grouping by the Customer attribute allows you to create a separate invoice for each customer.
To group the document by Customer

Select Customer in the Datasets pane. Drag and drop it into the Grouping panel, which is labeled Drop Grouping Fields Here. the Grouping panel is not displayed, select Grouping from the Tip: Ifmenu. View After you add Customer to the grouping, notice that two new sections are created on the Layout area. The new sections are grouping sections and are called Customer Header and Customer Footer. For more information on grouping, see Grouping records in a document, page 260; for information on the different sections, see Understanding and working with document sections, page 34.

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To print each Customer on a separate page

1 Right-click Customer in the Grouping panel and select Grouping Properties. The Grouping Properties dialog box opens. 2 Select the Page break between groups check box. on the other settings in see For informationnumbers for each group,the dialog box, Keeping Resetting page page 281 and the data in a group together on a page, page 283. 3 Click OK to return to the Document Editor. Until you create the PDF, you will not see any changes from the page break option.

Adding the logo image to the document


Adding a logo helps to identify the company sending the invoices. The logo must appear on every page, so the appropriate place to put it is in the Page Header section. You can use any image as a logo. The image type must be .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif. For information on ensuring that the image is accessible, see Inserting images in a document, page 130.
To add the image to the document

1 On the Layout area, click the plus sign next to Page Header. This expands the section so that you can work in it. 2 Click Image on the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 3 Click the top left corner of the Page Header section. The Image Source dialog box opens. 4 Navigate to an image file to use as the logo. 5 Select the file and click Open. The image appears in the document. You can drag and drop the image to reposition it or resize it using the red handles.

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Resizing the image


The height of the image used in the sample invoice is .3 inches. If your image is larger, it will overlap the rectangle and the text below it. You can adjust the size of your image to fit the space available.
To resize an image

1 Click the image on the Layout area to select it. 2 In the Property List, set the Height to 0.3. 3 If the image is too distorted, you can also adjust the width. Enter the appropriate number in the Width property in the Property List.

Adding static text to the document


Data and text are displayed in documents in text fields. Static text does not change and serves as a label. For more information on static text and the different types of text fields, see Adding text and data to a document, page 51. On the invoice document, add the text field that displays next to the logo. This text field contains the phrase Customer Invoice. Again, since this is printed on each page, it should be added to the Page Header section.
To add a text field

1 Click Text Field on the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click in the Page Header section, next to the logo. A box is placed in the section. 3 Type the following in the text field: Customer Invoice

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The text appears in the box, although you will not see it all because the text box is too small. We will fix that problem in the next step, by setting the height and width of the text field.

Formatting, aligning, and sizing the text field


Once you add a text field to a document, you can change its appearance in a variety of ways. The procedure below changes the font of the text, aligns the text field, and resizes it. For more information on arranging and formatting text fields, see Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents.
To format, align, and size the text field

1 Click the text field on the Layout area to select it. Alternatively, you can select it from the drop-down list at the top of the Property List. 2 To format the text, click the Bold and Italic icons in the toolbar. 3 To change the font size, select 18 from the Font Size drop-down list on the toolbar. 4 To align the text field, drag and drop it in the correct position or set the Left and Top properties in the Property List. To re-create the sample invoice exactly, set Left to 4.34 and Top to .03. 5 To size the text field, you can drag the resizing handles or set the Height and Width properties in the Property List. To re-create the sample, set Height to .25 and Width to 2.4.

Adding a rectangle to the document


The final object in the Page Header section is a rectangle or box, which spans the page below the logo and its related text. This divider should be printed on each page, hence it is included in the Page Header.

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To add a rectangle

1 Click the Rectangle icon on the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click in the Page Header section to add the rectangle. 3 On the Property List, change the color of the rectangle to grey, by clicking Backcolor then the Browse button. The Color dialog box opens. Click the grey swatch, then click OK. 4 To set the rectangle to span the width of the entire page, change the Width mode property on the Property List to 100%. 5 While you can change the rectangle size using the resizing handles, set the Height and Top properties to the following using the Property List. This ensures that your document looks exactly like the sample. Height: .06 Top: .34

For more information on formatting rectangles, see Formatting shapes, page 177. Your Page Header section should now look like the following:

Switching to PDF View


It can be helpful to occasionally check your progress during the document creation process. Switch to PDF View to see what the document looks like after the PDF is generated.
To switch to PDF View

1 Click PDF View on the toolbar.

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The PDF is generated and displays like the following:

Notice that the document has only one page, although the report contains two customers and the document is grouped by customer. However, the Customer attribute has not yet been placed on the document, so the document is not really grouping yet. Also, since the only controls on the document are statica picture and the words Customer Invoicethe document in PDF View does not look much different from the document in Design View. To continue working on the document, click Design View on the toolbar. Design If you frequently switch between on yourView and PDF View, keep an instance of Acrobat Reader open machine. This helps speed up the process of switching to PDF View.

Adding an attribute to the Customer Header section


The next section on the Layout area is the Document Header. You can use the Document Header as a cover page, since this section prints once at the beginning of the document. Since this document does not contain anything like a cover page, move to the next document section, which is the Group Header, in this case, the Customer Header. If you do not need a the PDF space if controls havesection, it does not display inby defaultas empty not been added to it, since the Can shrink property is set to true. This setting automatically sets the height of an empty section to zero. If you have placed controls in the section, or the Can shrink property has been changed, set the Visible property to false. Recall that placing the Customer attribute in the Grouping panel created Customer Header and Customer Footer sections. We will add information specific to each customer to the Customer Header section. This data includes the customer name, address, and invoice information, and will print once for each customer. First add the Customer attribute, to display the name of the customer being invoiced, and a text field to label and identify the attribute. An attribute on a document is referred to as a data field, which is another type of text field. For

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more details on using data fields in documents, see Adding data fields to a document, page 53.
To add an attribute and a corresponding label

1 Click Text Field on the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click at the top of the Customer Header section. A box is placed in the section. 3 Type the following in the text field: Bill To: 4 Set the following properties in the Property List to position the text field as shown in the example invoices: Left: .34 Top: .03

5 Format the text: Bold Font size: 10

6 Drag and drop Customer from the Datasets pane to the Customer Header. A text field containing the text {Customer} is placed on the Layout area. The text will be replaced with the customer name when the PDF is generated. 7 Set the following properties in the Property List to position the data field as shown in the example invoices: Width: 2.5 Left: .11 Top: .37

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Combining text fields


You can combine different types of text fields, such as static text and data fields, in one text field. For example, to see the customers city and state separated by a comma, create a text field, insert the Customer City attribute, type a comma and space, and insert the Customer State attribute. For more information, see Combining different types of text fields in a document, page 57.
To combine text fields

1 Drag and drop Customer City from the Datasets pane to the Customer Header. A text field containing the text {[Customer City]} is placed on the Layout area. The text is replaced with the customers city when the PDF is generated. 2 Expand the size of the new text field using the resizing handles. This will allow you to more easily see what you are typing in the text field. 3 Select the new text field and press F2 to edit it. 4 Type a comma. 5 Drag and drop Customer State from the Datasets pane into the new text field. Notice that a space is added automatically before Customer State. The text field should now contain the following: {[Customer City]}, {[Customer State]}

When the outline of the text field becomes yellow, drop the object into it.
6 Press ENTER to exit edit mode. 7 Set the following properties in the Property List to position the text field as shown in the example invoices: Width: 2.5 Left: .11 Top: .54

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Adding and formatting additional text fields in the Customer Header section
Now, add the remaining text fields to the Customer Header sectioninvoice number, invoice and due dates, and the remittance address. The invoice number is the Customer ID, which is not the default attribute form. The following procedure shows you how to access a particular attribute form, as well as copy a text field. It also demonstrates selecting, formatting, and aligning multiple fields in different ways. For more information, see Arranging controls on a document, page 136 and Formatting text fields, page 166.
To add and format additional text fields

1 Add the following static text fields to the Customer Header, as shown on the sample invoice. The formatting and alignment will be described later. Invoice # Invoice Date Due Date Remit To:

2 Add the following lines as one static text field. To insert a break between the lines, press CTRL+ENTER. MicroStrategy, Inc. 1861 International Drive McLean, VA 22102 3 Drag and drop Ship Date from the Datasets pane to the Customer Header. A text field containing the text {[Ship Date]} is placed on the Layout area.
To copy a control on the Layout area

4 Right-click Ship Date on the Layout area and select Copy. 5 Right-click below Ship Date on the Layout area and select Paste. The document now contains two copies of the control, one for use as the Invoice Date and the other as the Due Date.

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To display a particular attribute form

6 In the Datasets pane, expand Customer. From the list of Customer attribute forms, drag and drop ID to the Customer Header. A text field containing the text {Customer@ID} is placed on the Layout area.
To select, format, and align multiple controls

7 Hold down the CTRL key and click the static fields Invoice #, Invoice Date, and Due Date. 8 Click Bold in the Formatting toolbar. 9 Set the Left property in the Property List to 2.63 and press ENTER. This will left align the three controls. 10 Click anywhere in the Layout area to deselect the controls. 11 Hold down the CTRL key and click Customer@ID and the two copies of Ship Date. 12 Set Left in the Property List to 3.61, thereby placing the controls along the same line. 13 In the same manner, select Invoice # and Customer@ID. Set Top in the Property List to .2. 14 Select Invoice Date and the first Ship Date. Set Top in the Property List to .37. 15 Select Due Date and the second Ship Date. Set Top in the Property List to .54. 16 Select the static text fields Remit To: and the MicroStrategy address. Set Width to 1.65.
To align controls using the right-click menu

17 To align Remit To: with Customer@ID, which you have already set with the correct Top position, select Customer@ID and Remit To:. Right-click, point to Align, and then select an option: If Customer@ID is higher than Remit To:, select Top. If Customer@ID is lower than Remit To:, select Bottom.

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18 Repeat the process with the first Ship Date and the MicroStrategy address text field. 19 Select Remit To: and set Left to 5.32. 20 To align the MicroStrategy address text field with the Remit To: control, select both controls. Right-click, point to Align, and then select an option: If Remit To: is to the left of the address, select Left. If Remit To: is to the right of the address, select Right.

Adding a line to the Customer Header section


The final piece of the Customer Header section is a double line at the bottom of the section, to separate the customer information from the invoice details.
To add a line

1 Click the Line icon in the toolbar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click at the bottom of the Customer Header section to add the line. 3 Set the following in the Property List: Line style: Double, to change it to a double line from the default of Solid Line weight: 2 Top: 1, which moves the line to the bottom of the Customer Header section Length mode: 100%, which stretches the line across the width of the page

off the Layout area, drag If the line disappearsCustomer Header section.the Detail Header down to show more of the This does not affect the size of the sections in the PDF, only in Design View. For more information on formatting lines, see Formatting shapes, page 177.

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Your Customer Header section should now look like the following:

Previewing the Customer Header


Switch to PDF View, by clicking PDF View on the toolbar, to generate the PDF and check your progress. The document, in contrast to the first preview, now looks different in PDF View and Design View. This is because you added attributes to the document, which are replaced with the actual data when the PDF is generated. Notice that the document now contains two pages, grouped by Customer, as shown in the following sample.

To continue working on the document, click Design View on the toolbar.

Creating the column headers in the Detail Header section


The next section on the Layout area is the Detail Header, which prints immediately before each group of Detail sections. In our invoice document,

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the Detail Header contains the column headers for the itemized lines of the invoice and prints once for each customer. The controls in this section are static text fields and a rectangle, used to make the text fields stand out. Since you have added static text fields and a rectangle to the document already, the following procedure is a high-level process only.
To add controls

1 Add the following static text fields to the Detail Header section and set the properties as indicated: Date: Left = .13, Top = .02 Item #: Left = 1.62, Top = .02 Item Description: Left = 3.05, Top = .02 Amount: Left = 5.69, Top = .02

2 Bold all four text fields and set their Backcolor to grey. 3 The default text field width is not long enough to display the item description without wrapping to a second line. To fix this, set the Width for Item Description to 1.25. 4 Add a rectangle to the Detail Header section and set the following properties: Backcolor: Grey Height: .25 Width mode: 100% Top: 0

The text fields disappear behind the rectangle, but we will fix that problem in the next section.

Ordering the controls


If controls overlap in a document, as the rectangle and the text fields in the Detail Header do, you can change the order of the controls, that is, move

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them forward or backward. This displays controls in front of or behind other controls.
To order controls

1 Select the rectangle, being sure not to select any of the text fields. 2 Right-click, point to Order, and then select Send to Back. Your Detail Header section should now look like the following:

Previewing the Detail Header


Switch to PDF View, by clicking PDF View on the toolbar, to generate the PDF and check your progress. Now each of the invoices has the new column headings, as shown in the following sample:

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Creating the item detail in the Detail section


The next section on the Layout area is the Detail section, which prints one row for each row of data in the documents dataset. For the invoice, one row is printed for each item bought by the customer. Therefore, you will add the detailed item information to this section. Since you have added attributes to the document already, the following procedure is a high-level process only.
To add and format attributes

1 Add the following to the Detail section: Day Item ID

you must expand Recall that to add a particular attribute form,attribute form. Thethe attribute in the Datasets pane and select the default attribute form for Item is Description, not ID. Item Cost

2 Select Item and set the Width property to 2.25. 3 Select Day and set the Top property to .05. 4 Align the other controls to Day. To do this, select the controls, right-click, point to Align, and select Top. 5 Align Day with the Date text field in the Detail Header section. To do this, select the controls, right-click, point to Align, and select Left. 6 Similarly, align Item@ID with the Item # text field and Item with the Item Description text field. 7 To align Cost with Amount, select both fields. Right-click, point to Align, and then select an option: If Cost is to the left of Amount, select Right. If Cost is the right of Amount, select Left.

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Formatting a text field as currency


Cost should be formatted as currency to accurately present the values.
To format a text field as currency

1 Right-click Cost and select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 2 On the Number tab, select Currency from the Category list. The default settings use a dollar sign and two decimal places. 3 Click OK to return to the document. Your Detail section should now look like the following:

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Previewing the Detail section


Switch to PDF View, by clicking PDF View on the toolbar, to generate the PDF and check your progress. Each invoice contains detail information on each item bought by the customer, as shown in the following sample:

Adding summary information to the Detail Footer section


The last part of the invoice contains totals and term information. Since this summary information should appear on each invoice, place it in the Detail

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Footer section. The Detail Footer section prints immediately following the Detail section, and is typically used for totals. Before creating the totals, add static text fields to label the amounts and lines to separate the sections. Again, since you have added static text fields and lines to the document, this is a high-level process, providing enough information to ensure that your invoices match the sample.
To add summary information

1 Add the following static text fields to the Detail Footer section and set the properties as indicated: Total Charge: Left = 3.51, Top = .1 Total Tax: Left = 3.51, Top = .32 Total Due: Left = 3.51, Top = .54

2 Add a double line at the top of the Detail Footer section. Set its properties as listed below: Line style: Double Line weight: 2 Top: .03 Length mode: 100%

3 Add another line, between Total Tax and Total Due, and to the far right. Set its properties as listed below: Line style: Double Line weight: 2 Left: 5.58 Top: .5 Length: 1.42

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4 Add another line, underneath Total Due. Set its properties as listed below: Left: 3.45 Top: .71 Length: 3.55

5 Add the following text field: Terms: Net 30 Days, Plus 1.5% per month after 30 days 6 Set the following properties for the Terms text field: Font: 8 Width: 3 Left: 2.06 Top: .77

Adding totals to a document


You may notice that all the dataset objects have been used, or placed onto the document. Where do the totals come from? Totals are calculated using metrics. Depending on where a metric is placed in a document, the metric is calculated differently. In this invoice document, the Cost metric is in a text field in the Detail section, where it is calculated at the level returned by the dataset report. In this case, it is calculated at the item level. When the same metric is placed in the Detail Footer, it returns a subtotal for the Detail section. Here, it adds the values from each item to compute the invoice total. For more information on totals, see Working with metrics in documents, page 95.
To add totals

1 Right-click Cost in the Detail section and select Copy.

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2 Right-click next to Total Charge in the Detail Footer section and select Paste. Although this field calculates a total, the information displayed on the Layout area is the same: {Cost}. pasting the metric from Copying andformatting (currency withthe Layout area also copies the metric's two decimal places in this case). 3 Bold the new Cost control. 4 Align it to the top with the Total Charge control. 5 Align it to the left with the Cost metric in the Detail section. 6 Drag and drop Cost from the Datasets pane to the Detail Footer, placing it to the right of Total Due.

When you drag a metric from the Datasets pane, the controlyou default formatting is used. You will see the difference when
create the PDF. For more information, see Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults, page 196. 7 Bold this second Cost control. 8 Align it to the top with the Total Due control. 9 Align it to the left with the first Cost metric in the Detail Footer. Your Detail Footer section should now look like the following:

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Saving the document


You should save your document, so that you can refer to it later.
To save a document

1 Click the Save icon on the toolbar. The Save Document As dialog box opens. 2 Navigate to a directory in which to save the document. 3 Enter a name for the document, such as Sample Invoice, in the Object name box. 4 Click Save.

Creating the final PDF


Now when you switch to PDF View, the completed invoices are created. They should look like the samples provided at the beginning of this tutorial section.

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DASHBOARD TUTORIAL

Introduction
A dashboard is a special type of document, commonly one page long and usually viewed online. Dashboards contain interactive features that allow analysts to control how they view data. Each user can interact with the dashboard to display only the data they are interested in (using panels and selectors) or only specific attribute elements or metrics (using a selector). Dashboards are often used to assess performance, to provide a quick status check, or to monitor contributions to overall goals of the business. Dashboards summarize key business indicators by presenting them in visually intuitive, easy-to-read, interactive documents. This appendix walks you through creating a dashboard that incorporates widgets in a panel stack, using data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial. You can use this appendix as a tutorial, bringing together the information described in the chapters of this book to create a dashboard.

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Before you begin


This appendix assumes that you know how to create reports and documents, and that you are familiar with the terminology and basic concepts of dashboards. For instructions on creating reports, refer to the Desktop Help or the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. For instructions on creating a document, refer to the Desktop Help or Creating documents, page 22. For background information on dashboards, refer to Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards.

To format some parts of widgets and to view the dashboard in Flash Mode, you must be able to access and log in to MicroStrategy Web. are updated Dates in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project metadataimages in thisto reflect the current year. The sample documents and section, as well as the procedures, were created with dates from 2004 to 2006.

The completed dashboard


The dashboard uses a panel stack that contains three panels. Each panel is shown below with a description.

It may be helpful to print these images and refer to them as you create your own dashboard.
Panel 1: Daily Order Count
The Daily Order Count panel contains two widgets which are based on the Daily Order Count dataset. The widgets are: A Time Series Slider widget, which is an area graph that allows a document analyst to choose which section of the graph to view at a time. This widget displays order count data at the day level. You can change the specific days which are displayed, as well as the length of time displayed. For example, you can view the data for January, for February, or for January through March.
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A Gauge widget, which is a simple status indicator, such as a car speedometer, that displays a needle that moves within a range of numbers displayed on its outside edges. This widget displays the profit margin percentage at the category level, independent of time. You can select which category to display.

Exploring the Daily Order Count panel, page 892 describes this panel in more detail, providing instructions to guide you through the various features. This section assumes you have already created the dashboard. Directions to create the panel begin in Creating the Daily Order Count panel, page 882.

Panel 2: Inventory Analysis


The Inventory Analysis panel contains one widget, a Heat Map widget. The widget is based on a dataset that calculates a Growth metric from the Beginning on Hand Inventory and the End on Hand Inventory data. The Heat Map widget shows the monthly increase or decrease in inventory for each item, weighted by the Beginning on Hand Inventory. It allows you to

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visualize the growth of inventory across time. You can choose which month to display by using the selector.

The and long Notice the scroll bars.so theheat map is tooiswide displayedto appear in the browser window, entire widget not in the image. A Heat Map widget presents a combination of colored rectangles, each representing an attribute element (Growth in this example), that allow you to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at the same time. The rectangles contain a wide variety of shades and colors, which emphasize the status of the various components. In a Heat Map, the size of each rectangle represents its relative weight and the color represents the relative change in value of that rectangle. Exploring the Inventory Analysis panel, page 902 describes this widget in more detail, providing instructions to guide you through the various features. This section assumes you have already created the dashboard. Directions to create this widget begin in Creating the Inventory Analysis panel, page 895.

Panel 3: Employee Performance


The Employee Performance panel contains one widget, a Interactive Bubble Graph widget. This widget allows you to visualize employee performance,

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animated over time, and also to drill into the components of individual bubbles to view the distribution of the underlying data. The bubbles represent custom group elements, which are created from groups of selected call centers. For example, the element Northeast consists of the Boston and New York call centers. The size of the bubbles indicates the number of units sold, while the position on the graph indicates the profit and revenue at the employee level. The color of the bubbles indicates the year, as shown on the color key at the bottom left.

Unlike the previous widgets, this widget does not use a selector. However, drilling has been enabled so if you click a bubble, the widget drills down to the call centers that comprise the custom group element. Exploring the Employee Performance panel, page 914 describes this widget in more detail, providing instructions to guide you through the various features. This section assumes you have already created the dashboard. Directions to create this widget begin in Creating the Employee Performance panel, page 905.

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High-level steps
You will create reports to be used as datasets for the document, and then use these datasets to create a dashboard. You will add a panel stack with three panels, and then add and define different widgets to the panels. You will display the dashboard in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web to interact with the widgets. The goal is to create a single dashboard that intelligently, efficiently, and interactively displays all of the data contained within the individual datasets. The high-level steps for this procedure are outlined below. While each step is self-contained, the steps are meant to be completed in order. save the reports and document in a such as My You shouldShared Reports, that can be accessedfolder,MicroStrategy Reports or from Web.

Creating the Daily Order Count panel


1 Creating the Daily Order Count report to be used as a dataset, page 882 2 Creating the new dashboard and selecting the dataset, page 882 3 Adding a panel stack and panels to the dashboard, page 883 4 Adding a selector to the dashboard, page 886 5 Creating a Time Series Slider widget, page 886 6 Adding a Gauge widget, page 888 7 Creating a selector for the Gauge widget, page 890 8 Specifying Flash Mode as the default display mode, page 891 9 Saving the dashboard, page 892 10 Viewing the Daily Order Count panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, page 892

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Creating the Inventory Analysis panel


11 Creating the Inventory Analysis report to be used as a dataset, page 895 12 Adding a dataset to the dashboard, page 895 13 Switching panels in Design View, page 896 14 Renaming and formatting a panel, page 896 15 Creating a Heat Map widget, page 897 16 Creating a selector for the Heat Map widget, page 900 17 Saving the dashboard, page 901 18 Viewing the Inventory Analysis panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, page 901

Creating the Employee Performance panel


19 Creating a custom group, page 905 20 Creating the Employee Performance report to be used as a dataset, page 908 21 Adding a dataset to the dashboard, page 909 22 Switching panels in Design View, page 909 23 Renaming and formatting a panel, page 910 24 Creating a Bubble Graph widget, page 911 25 Saving the dashboard, page 912 26 Viewing the Employee Performance panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, page 913 27 Enabling drilling and time series animation, page 913

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Creating the Daily Order Count panel


Creating the Daily Order Count report to be used as a dataset
The data for a document or dashboard is derived from a report, so the preliminary step to creating any document is to create a report. When the data from a report is used in a document, the report is referred to as a dataset. For more information on datasets, see Using datasets in documents, page 730.
To create the report

1 In MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Report. The Report Editor opens.

If the New Grid dialog box opens, select Blank Report as the report object template.
2 Add the following objects to the rows of the grid: Category (from the Products hierarchy) Day (from the Time hierarchy)

3 Add the following metrics to the columns of the grid: Order Count (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Count Metrics folder) Profit Margin (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Sales Metrics folder)

4 Save and close the report, naming it Daily Order Count Dataset Report.

Creating the new dashboard and selecting the dataset


Next, create the shell of the new document and select the report that you just created as the dataset. Recall that the dataset provides data for the document.

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To create the new document and select the dataset

1 In MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Document. The New Document dialog box opens. 2 Select Blank Dashboard and click OK. The Select a report dialog box opens. 3 To use the report that you just created as a dataset for this document, navigate to the Daily Order Count Dataset Report and double-click it. The Document Editor opens. Notice that the Layout area contains only one section, as dictated by the Blank Dashboard template. This is ideal for creating a dashboard, when all the different header and footer sections are unnecessary. For more information about the template, see Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template, page 389. You can display additional sections by selecting Sections from the View menu, and then choosing the sections to display. For a more complete procedure, see Hiding and displaying document sections, page 36. The Datasets pane contains the Daily Order Count Dataset Report and all the objects on that report. These objects, as well as the dataset itself, are available for use on the dashboard.

Adding a panel stack and panels to the dashboard


Next, create a panel stack, which initially contains one panel. A panel is a page or subset of data. A group of panels is called a panel stack. For more information about panels and panel stacks, including examples, see Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks, page 391. You will also add two more panels to the panel stack. In the dashboard, each panel contains at least one widget that offers the user a unique data visualization.

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To add a panel stack

1 From the Insert menu, select Panel Stack. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click in the Layout area to add the panel stack. 3 Right-click the panel stack and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 On the Layout tab, position and size the panel stack by setting the following properties: Left: .15 inches Top: .35 inches Height: 5.7 inches Width: 10.1 inches

To resize the height of the title bar

5 Set Title height to .2 inches. 6 Click OK to return to the dashboard.


To add panels to the panel stack

7 Next, add a panel to the panel stack. Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and select Add. 8 Add a third panel by repeating the previous step.
To rename a panel

Panel names are displayed in the title bar and in the selector associated with the panel stack, so it is important to make them meaningful. 9 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. 10 Select Panel1 in the list of panels. 11 Click Rename.

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12 Type Daily Order Count in the panel list, and then press ENTER.
To set the current panel to Daily Order Count

13 Select Daily Order Count in the list of panels. 14 Click Set as Current. 15 Click OK to return to the dashboard. Notice that the title bar of the panel stack displays Daily Order Count (you may have to scroll the Layout area to the right to view it). Since all the panels are identical right now, this is the only indication as to which panel is being displayed.
To apply a gradient color to the current panel (Panel1)

16 Right-click the panel stack and select Format. The Format Objects dialog box opens. 17 Select Container in the list of objects on the left. 18 Click the Background tab. 19 Select Gradient from the Background style drop-down list. 20 Select Sea Green from the Color 1 drop-down list (the color name appears when you hover over the color swatches). 21 Select Grey-25% from the Color 2 drop-down list.
To format the title bar

22 Select Title in the list of objects on the left. 23 Click the Font tab. 24 Set Size to 8. 25 Set Color to White. 26 Click the Background tab. 27 Select Black from the Fill color drop-down list. 28 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

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Adding a selector to the dashboard


A selector allows the user to control which panel is displayed in Interactive Mode, Editable Mode, and Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Selectors provide dashboards with interactivity, allowing each user to change how he sees the data. For more information about selectors, including examples, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.
To add a selector

1 Right-click the panel stack and choose Insert Panel Stack Selector. The selector is created above the panel stack. 2 Right-click the selector and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the Layout tab, position and size the selector by setting the following properties: Left: .15 inches Top: .05 inches Height: .3 inches Width: 5.0 inches

4 Click the Selector tab. 5 From the Style drop-down list, choose Button Bar. 6 Set Orientation to Horizontal. 7 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Creating a Time Series Slider widget


To create a widget in Desktop, you must first insert a Grid/Graph into a document and add report objects such as attributes and metrics to it. You then select a widget type for the Grid/Graph. In Flash Mode in Web, the Grid/Graph is displayed as a widget, and users can control how they view the data on it.

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A Time Series Slider widget requires only one attribute, preferably one with many values. This attribute is normally time-based, although it does not have to be. In this dashboard, only one attribute, Day, is used. The widget also requires only one metric; Order Count is used in this widget. For more information about Time Series Slider widgets, see Defining a Time Series Slider widget, page 545.
To create a Time Series Slider widget

1 Create an empty Grid/Graph by selecting Grid from the Insert menu. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click and drag in the panel stack to add the Grid/Graph. Do not worry about the size or position; you will adjust them later. 3 Drag Day from the Datasets pane and drop it on the row axis of the Grid/Graph, as shown below:

4 Drag Order Count from the Datasets pane and drop it on the column axis of the Grid/Graph, as shown below:

5 Format the Day attribute: a From the Format menu, point to Day, and then select Values. The Format Cells dialog box opens. b On the Number tab, select Date in the Category list. c In the Formatting list, select 7/19/00.

d Click OK.

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6 The Grid/Graph is in edit mode, as indicated by its red hashed border. Press ESC to exit edit mode. 7 Right-click the Grid/Graph and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 8 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the Grid/Graph: Left: 1.5 inches Top: .2 inches Height: 5.25 inches Width: 8.6 inches

9 On the Flash tab, turn the Grid/Graph into a widget: Select Time Series Slider from the Selected widget drop-down list.

10 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Adding a Gauge widget


Like creating the Time Series widget, to create a Gauge widget you must create a Grid/Graph and then turn it into a widget. A Gauge widget is designed to display the value of a single metric, in this example, Profit Margin. The needle within the gauge is a visual representation of that single metric value. The Gauge widget is most useful when combined with a selector because then users can display specific metric values in the gauge. After you create the Gauge widget, you will create a selector for it. For more information on Gauge widgets, see Defining a Gauge widget, page 518.
To add a Gauge widget

1 Create an empty Grid/Graph by selecting Grid from the Insert menu. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click and drag in the panel stack to add the Grid/Graph. Do not worry about the size or position; you will adjust them later.
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3 Drag Profit Margin from the Datasets pane and drop it on the column axis of the Grid/Graph. 4 The Grid/Graph is in edit mode, as indicated by its red hashed border. Press ESC to exit edit mode. 5 Right-click the Grid/Graph and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 6 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the Grid/Graph: Left: .1 inches Top: 2 inches Height: 1.7 inches Width: 1.3 inches

7 On the Flash tab, turn the Grid/Graph into a widget: Select Gauge from the Selected widget drop-down list.

8 Click OK to return to the dashboard.


To format the Gauge widget

You must format the Grid/Graph that is used as the Gauge widget, so that it appears correctly in Flash Mode. 9 In the Property List, set View mode to Graph. 10 Right-click the Grid/Graph and select Edit Graph. 11 From the Graph menu, select Grids and Scales. The Numeric Axis Grids and Scales dialog box opens. 12 Click the Y1 Axis tab on the left. 13 Click the Scales tab at the top. 14 Select the Use Manual Setting for Maximum Value check box. 15 In the Maximum Value field, enter 1. 16 Click the Numbers tab at the top.

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17 Choose Percent from the Category drop-down list. 18 Set Decimal Places to 0. 19 Click OK. 20 Press ESC to exit edit mode. 21 Note the name of the Grid/Graph at the top of the Property List; it should be GridGraph2. You will need to know this name to create the selector for this Grid/Graph.

Creating a selector for the Gauge widget


A Gauge widget is most useful when combined with a selector because then users can display specific metric values in the gauge. The selector for the Gauge widget allows users to choose which category to display in the gauge. For more information on selectors in general, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.
To create a selector

1 From the Insert menu, point to Selector, and then choose Link Bar. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click in the Layout area to add the selector. 3 Right-click the selector and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the selector: Left: .08 inches Top: .5 inches Height: 1.45 inches Width: 1.3 inches

5 Click the Selector tab.

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6 Set Action type to Select attribute element. 7 Select Category as the Source, so that the user can change the category. 8 Select Link Bar as the Style. 9 Select Vertical for the Orientation. 10 By default, the selector shows the All option, which allows the user to display all the attribute elements in the Target at the same time. Clear the Show option for All check box so that the all categories link is not available in the selector. 11 Clear the Allow multiple selections check box, so that a user cannot select more than one category at the same time. 12 Set the Gauge widget as the target of the selector: a Select GridGraph2 (or the name of the Grid/Graph, as noted previously) in Available targets. b Click > to move GridGraph2 to Selected targets. 13 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Specifying Flash Mode as the default display mode


Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web allows you to view and interact with the widgets you have created on the dashboard. Flash Mode is automatically available for documents created using the Blank Dashboard template. Specifying Flash Mode as the default display mode ensures that the dashboard opens in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. For more information on Flash Mode and other MicroStrategy Web display modes, see Display modes in MicroStrategy Web, page 9.
To specify Flash Mode as the default display mode

1 From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. 2 On the Document tab, select the Default radio button for Flash. The dashboard will initially open in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

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3 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Saving the dashboard


Save the dashboard in a directory that you can access from MicroStrategy Web, such as My Reports.
To save the dashboard

1 Save and close the dashboard, naming it Dashboard Sample.

Viewing the Daily Order Count panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web
To interact with the widgets, you must view the dashboard in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web. Use Full Screen Mode to maximize the amount of the dashboard that is displayed.
To view the dashboard in Flash Mode

1 Sign in to MicroStrategy Web. 2 Navigate to the Dashboard Sample document in your project, and click Dashboard Sample. The dashboard opens in Flash Mode. 3 Switch to Full Screen mode by clicking the Full Screen Mode button in the toolbar. Most of the MicroStrategy toolbars and panels are hidden, which maximizes the amount of the dashboard that can be shown at the same time.

To display the toolbarsinand panels, click the Restore Normal Screen Mode button the toolbar.
Exploring the Daily Order Count panel
The Gauge widget allows you to monitor the value of a single metric, in this case, Profit Margin. The selector for the Gauge widget displays a list of
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categories. Click Movies to change the category displayed in the gauge; note the gauge needle moves to about 10%. Click Books, and the gauge needle now points to just above 20%. Notice that the transition between the data points is animated fluidly. Notice that the date range for the bar graph (the Time Series Slider widget) runs from 9/13/06 to 12/31/06. project metadata are to Dates in the MicroStrategy Tutorialwas created with 2006updatedyour reflect the current year. The sample dates; Tutorial project may contain different dates. A Time Series Slider widget consists of two related graphs, one positioned above the other. The top graph is the controller, and contains a slider. To open the controller, hover your cursor over the down arrow at the top of the time series graph (the area graph). The bottom graph is the primary graph. Use the slider on the controller to select some portion of the controller, which determines the range of data visible in the primary graph.

The following sample shows the controller.

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The slider allows you to change the range of dates and the length of time that is displayed. For example, click and drag the bottom of the slider (which is circled in the image above) to change the range of dates displayed. The bottom graph dynamically displays the data for the dates. To change the length of time displayed, drag an edge of the slider (as indicated by the arrows in the image above). For example, the sample below displays data for the period 1/15/2005 to 5/3/2006. Notice that the length of the slider is longer than in the previous sample, indicating a longer length of time that is displayed in the bottom graph.

Notice also that the cursor is hovered over a particular day, 8/8/2005, and a pop-up displays information for that day. A series of tabs is displayed across the top of the dashboard. Daily Order Count is selected. Click Panel2. A blank rectangle is displayed, since no objects have been added to this panel. The next section of this tutorial contains the procedures to define this panel.

You can log out of MicroStrategy Web, as you will be working in Desktop again.

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Creating the Inventory Analysis panel


Creating the Inventory Analysis report to be used as a dataset
Inventory data is not included on the Daily Order Count report you created earlier. However, you can have multiple datasets on the same document. To use inventory data on the dashboard, create a report to be used as a dataset. For more information on datasets, see Using datasets in documents, page 730.
To create the report

1 On the MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Report. The Report Editor opens.

If the New Grid dialog box opens, select Blank Report as the report object template.
2 Add the following attributes to the rows of the grid: Month (from the Time hierarchy) Category (from the Products hierarchy) Item (from the Products hierarchy)

3 Add the following metrics to the columns of the grid: Begin on Hand (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Inventory Metrics folder) End on Hand (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Inventory Metrics folder)

4 Save and close the report, naming it Inventory Analysis Dataset Report.

Adding a dataset to the dashboard


Add the dataset report to the dashboard to access the inventory data.

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To add a dataset

1 If the Dashboard Sample document is not open, open it in the Document Editor in Desktop. 2 From the Data menu, select Add Dataset. The Select a report dialog box opens. 3 Locate and select the Inventory Analysis Dataset Report. 4 Click Open. The dataset and all the objects on that report are now displayed in the Datasets pane.

Switching panels in Design View


The first panel, Daily Order Count, is displayed. The inventory data needs to be added to a separate panel.
To switch panels

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then choose Display Next. Panel2 is displayed (you may have to scroll to the right to see its name on the title bar). Panel2 is a blank rectangle, without any objects. Panel2 as the you open the This also sets MicroStrategycurrent panel. Whenbe displayed initially, dashboard in Web, this panel will rather than Daily Order Count.

Renaming and formatting a panel


The default name of the panel, Panel2, is not very informative. Rename it to be more useful. Also, the white background is dull, so apply a gradient for a more professional look.

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To rename a panel

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. 2 Select Panel2 in the list of panels. 3 Click Rename. 4 Type Inventory Analysis, and then press ENTER. 5 Click OK to return to the dashboard.
To apply a gradient to a panel

1 Right-click the panel and select Format. The Formatting Objects dialog box opens. 2 Select Container in the list of objects on the left. 3 Click the Background tab. 4 From the Background style drop-down list, select Gradient. 5 Select Light Turquoise from the Color 1 drop-down list (the color name appears when you hover over the color swatches). 6 Select Light Green from the Color 2 drop-down list. 7 Click OK to return to the document.

Creating a Heat Map widget


As with the other widgets for this dashboard, to create a Heat Map widget you must first create a Grid/Graph and then turn it into a widget. A Heat Map widget must have one or more attributes on the rows of the Grid/Graph and two metrics on the columns. For an in-depth explanation of what the different objects on the widget represent, see Defining a Heat Map widget, page 525.

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The Grid/Graph used as the Heat Map widget must contain the percentage growth of inventory in a month, otherwise the heat map will not display properly. The inventory growth is computed by subtracting the beginning inventory from the ending inventory, and then dividing by the beginning inventory. While this metric is not present on the dataset, it can be calculated from the metrics on the dataset, Begin on Hand and End on Hand. A new metric created from the metrics on the dataset is called a derived metric. For more information on derived metrics in documents, including a comparison between derived metrics and calculated expressions, see Working with metrics in documents, page 95.
To create a Heat Map widget

1 Create an empty Grid/Graph by selecting Grid from the Insert menu. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click and drag in the panel stack to add the Grid/Graph. Do not worry about the size or position; you will adjust them later. 3 Drag the following from the Datasets pane to the row axis of the Grid/Graph: Category Item

4 Drag Begin on Hand from the Datasets pane and drop it on the column axis of the Grid/Graph. 5 The Grid/Graph is in edit mode, as indicated by its red hashed border. Press ESC to exit edit mode. 6 Right-click the Grid/Graph and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 7 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the Grid/Graph: Left: .04 inches Top: .4 inches Height: 5 inches Width: 11 inches

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8 Click OK to return to the dashboard.


To create a derived metric

9 Right-click Inventory Analysis Dataset Report in the Datasets pane and select New Metric. The Input Metric Formula dialog box opens. 10 Double-click End on Hand in the list on the left, to add it to the metric expression. 11 Click the minus sign (-) in the toolbar. 12 Double-click Begin on Hand in the list on the left. 13 Click the division symbol (/) on the toolbar. 14 Double-click Begin on Hand in the list on the left. 15 The metric expression should look like the following: (([End on hand]-[Begin on Hand])/[Begin on Hand]) 16 Click Validate to ensure that the expression is complete. If the expression is not valid, click Clear to delete the entire expression and start again, or modify the expression until it is valid. 17 In the Metric Name text field on the upper right, type Percent Growth. 18 Click OK to add the new metric to the document. The Input Metric Formula dialog box closes. The new metric is added to the Inventory Analysis Dataset Report in the Datasets pane. 19 Right-click Percent Growth in the Datasets pane and select Number Format. The Number Format dialog box opens. 20 In the Category list, select Percent. 21 Set Decimal places to 0 (zero). 22 Click OK to return to the dashboard. 23 Select the Grid/Graph. 24 Drag Percent Growth from the Datasets pane and drop it on the column axis of the Grid/Graph.

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25 The Grid/Graph is once again in edit mode, as indicated by its red hashed border; press ESC to exit edit mode.
To turn the Grid/Graph into a widget

26 Select the Grid/Graph. 27 In the Property List, choose Heat Map from the Selected widget drop-down list. 28 Note the name of the Grid/Graph at the top of the Property List; it should be GridGraph3. You will need to know this name to create the selector for this widget.

Creating a selector for the Heat Map widget


A dynamic Heat Map widget has a selector that targets or controls it. The selector allows a user to choose a different attribute element to be displayed by the heat map. For information on dynamic Heat Map widgets, see Defining a dynamic Heat Map that uses a selector, page 527. For more information on selectors in general, see Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.
To create a selector

1 From the Insert menu, point to Selector, and then choose Drop-down. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click in the Layout area to add the selector. 3 Right-click the selector and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 4 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the selector: Left: .1 inches Top: .1 inches Height: .25 inches

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Width: 2 inches

5 Click the Selector tab. 6 Set Action type to Select attribute element. 7 Select Month as the Source, so that the user can change the month. 8 Clear the Show option for All check box, so that the user cannot select all the months at the same time. 9 Set the Heat Map widget as the target of the selector: a Select GridGraph3 (or the name of the Grid/Graph, as noted previously) in Available targets. b Click > to move GridGraph2 to Selected targets. 10 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Saving the dashboard


Save the dashboard so that you can view the new widget in MicroStrategy Web.

Viewing the Inventory Analysis panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web


To interact with the widgets, you must view the dashboard in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
To view the dashboard in Flash Mode

1 Sign in to MicroStrategy Web. 2 Navigate to the Dashboard Sample document in your project, and click Dashboard Sample. The dashboard opens in Flash Mode.

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3 Switch to Full Screen mode by clicking the Full Screen Mode button in the toolbar. Most of the MicroStrategy toolbars and panels are hidden, which maximizes the amount of the dashboard that can be shown at the same time.

To display the toolbarsinand panels, click the Restore Normal Screen Mode button the toolbar.
Exploring the Inventory Analysis panel
The Inventory Analysis panel is displayed first. You set it as the current panel, and hence the initial panel, when you switched panels. The largest rectangles, which themselves contain more rectangles, on the heat map are generated by the first attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph. This is Category in this sample heat map. In the following image, which shows only a portion of the entire heat map, the Categories displayed are Movies, Books, and Electronics. The smaller rectangles are generated by the second attribute, Item, on the rows of the Grid/Graph.

The size of each rectangle, large or small, represents its relative weight, as determined by the first metric on the columns of the Grid/Graph, which is Begin on Hand. The portion of the heat map shown above indicates that the Movies category is weighted more heavily than Books, that is, more movies

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than books were on hand at the beginning of the month. (The entire Movies rectangle is not shown in this image.) Similarly, the smaller rectangles are also sized according to the beginning inventory. The rectangles in the first row of the Movies rectangle are larger than the rectangles in the first row of the Books rectangle. This indicates that more copies of each movie were on hand than copies of each book. The colors displayed in the widget represent the state of the individual items (positive or negative growth). In this heat map, blue denotes positive growth and green denotes negative growth. The colors applied to each rectangle are generated by the second metric on the Grid/Graph, Percent Growth. For example, all the items in the image above had negative growth during the month, since more items were sold than were added to inventory. The exception is one item in Electronics, the Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus, displayed in green in the previous image. As shown in the following image, its inventory grew 20%.

Flash Web, you the used In denoteMode in MicroStrategygrowth. Forcan changeto docolorssee to positive and negative the steps this, Formatting for a Heat Map widget, page 529. When you hover over a rectangle in the heat map, information about that rectangle is displayed. For example, in the sample above, the cursor is pointing to the rectangle representing the Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus. The information displays the metric data for that attribute element, in this case, Begin on Hand and Percent Growth. Compare the data for the Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus shown above with the data for the Beatles Anthology displayed below. Note the difference in the size of the rectangles, since the album had 320 copies on hand at the beginning of the month, compared to only 40 CD-Writers. The CD-Writer rectangle is green, representing positive inventory growth, while the album is blue-green, representing a small negative growth. The rectangles around the

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title Music are bluer than the Beatles rectangle, because their growth percentage was more negative.

The selector at the top of the panel stack allows you to choose the month to display. The previous images were calculated for January 2004. When November 2004 is selected, the data changes, so the size, position, and color of the rectangles are different. A portion of the November 2004 heat map is shown below. Note that Books is now to the left of Music and is larger than in

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January. The rectangle for the Beatles Anthology is about half the size it was in January, and is now greener since its inventory growth is positive, at 32%.

You can log out of MicroStrategy Web, as you will be working in Desktop again.
Creating the Employee Performance panel
Creating a custom group
An Interactive Bubble Graph widget is a conventional bubble plot that allows you to visualize the trends of three different metrics for a set of attribute elements. The data structure for an interactive bubble graph is very specific. At minimum, one attribute and three metrics are required. The dataset report for this widget contains Month of Year and Region, and the metrics Revenue per Employee, Profit per Employee, and Units Sold. To enable drilling on a Bubble Graph widget, an additional attribute is added to the dataset report. This attribute must be a child attribute of a parent attribute already on the rows. In this case, the child attribute is a custom group element that contains call centers, and its parent attribute is Region.

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The custom group organizes the data in a form that can be used by the Drilling Bubble Graph widget. The data in the grid for the child attribute must be displayed so that the total for the child attribute is in the top row of data, followed by the data for the child attribute. You can specify this structure in a custom group. For a more detailed explanation of these requirements, with examples, see Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 532. The following procedure guides you through creating a custom group with two elements, Northeast and Central. Northeast contains the New York and Boston call centers, while Central contains the Milwaukee and Fargo call centers. For more information about custom groups in general, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.
To create the custom group

1 In MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Custom Group. The Custom Group Editor opens. Custom Group dialog box opens, If the Newthe custom group object template.select Empty Custom Group as 2 Double-click Geography (Browsing) in the Object Browser to open the Geography hierarchy.
To create the Northeast element

3 Drag Call Center from the Object Browser and drop it in the Custom Group definition pane (which displays the message Double-click here or drag an object). The Attribute Qualification pane opens. 4 To indicate that a list of attribute elements will comprise this custom group element: a From the Qualify On drop-down list, choose Elements. b From the Operator drop-down list, choose In List.

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5 To specify the list of Call Center elements to include: a Click Add. The Select Objects dialog box opens. b In the Available objects list, select Boston and New York. c Click > to add them to the Selected objects list.

d Click OK to return to the Attribute Qualification pane. 6 Click OK to return to the custom group. 7 Right-click Custom Group Element1 and select Rename. 8 Type Northeast and press ENTER.
To create the Central element

9 Repeat steps 3 through 6 above, selecting Milwaukee and Fargo instead of Boston and New York.

Drop Call Center on the Double-click here or drag an object text, not the [Add Qualification] text.
10 Right-click Custom Group Element2 and select Rename. 11 Type Central and press ENTER.
To format the custom group elements

To ensure that the Bubble Graph widget works correctly, the custom group elements must be formatted to display data in a format that can be used by the widget. 12 Right-click Northeast and select Show Display Options. The Choose a display option dialog box opens. 13 Select Show element names, individual items within this element and also, expand these individual items if possible. 14 Click OK. 15 Repeat steps 12 through 14 for the Central element. 16 From the Custom Group menu, select Options. The Options dialog box opens. 17 Clear the Enable Hierarchical Display check box.

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18 Select the Enable Subtotals Display check box. 19 Ensure that Above child elements is selected for Custom Group Element Header Display Position. 20 Click OK.
To save the custom group

21 Save and close the custom group, naming it Call Center CG.

Creating the Employee Performance report to be used as a dataset


Employee performance data is not included on any of the dataset reports that you created earlier. To use employee performance data on the dashboard, create another report to be used as a dataset. For more information on datasets, see Using datasets in documents, page 730.
To create the report

1 In MicroStrategy Desktop, point to New from the File menu, and then select Report. The Report Editor opens.

If the New Grid dialog box opens, select Blank Report as the report object template.
2 Add the following objects to the rows of the grid: Year (from the Time hierarchy) Month of Year (from the Time hierarchy) Region (from the Geography hierarchy) Call Center CG (that you created in the previous procedure)

3 Add the following metrics to the columns of the grid: Units Sold (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Sales Metrics folder) Revenue per Employee (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Sales Metrics folder)

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Profit per Employee (from the Public Objects\Metrics\Sales Metrics folder)

4 Save and close the report, naming it Employee Performance Dataset Report.

Adding a dataset to the dashboard


To access the employee performance data, add the dataset report to the dashboard.
To add a dataset

1 If the Dashboard Sample document is not open, open it in the Document Editor in Desktop. 2 From the Data menu, select Add Dataset. The Select a report dialog box opens. 3 Locate and select the Employee Performance Dataset Report. 4 Click Open. The dataset and all the objects on that report are now displayed in the Datasets pane.

Switching panels in Design View


The Inventory Analysis panel is displayed. The employee performance data needs to be added to a separate panel.
To switch panels

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then choose Display Next.

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Panel3 is displayed (you may have to scroll to the right to see its name on the title bar). Panel3 is a blank rectangle, without any objects. Panel3 as the you open the This also sets MicroStrategycurrent panel. Whenbe displayed initially, dashboard in Web, this panel will rather than Daily Order Count or Inventory Analysis.

Renaming and formatting a panel


The default name of the panel, Panel3, is not very informative. Rename it to be more useful. Also, the white background is dull, so apply a gradient for a more professional look.
To rename a panel

1 Right-click the panel stack, point to Panels, and then select Manage. The Panels tab of the Properties dialog box opens. 2 In the list of panels, select Panel3. 3 Click Rename. 4 Type Employee Performance, and press ENTER. 5 Click OK to return to the dashboard.
To apply a gradient to a panel

1 Right-click the panel and select Format. The Formatting Objects dialog box opens. 2 Select Container in the list of objects on the left. 3 Click the Background tab. 4 From the Background style drop-down list, select Gradient. 5 Select Tan from the Color 1 drop-down list (the color name appears when you hover over the color swatches). 6 Select Dark Teal from the Color 2 drop-down list.
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7 Click OK to return to the document.

Creating a Bubble Graph widget


As with creating the other widgets for this dashboard, you must first create a Grid/Graph and then turn it into a widget. A Bubble Graph widget must have at least one attribute on the rows of the Grid/Graph and three metrics on the columns. These metrics are displayed along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis (the size of the bubble) of the widget, in order from left to right. In this widget, the X-axis is the Profit per Employee metric, the Y-axis is the Revenue per Employee metric, and the Z-axis is the Units Sold metric. To display a different color bubble (series) for each attribute element on the bubble graph, an attribute is placed above the three metrics on the columns. In this widget, that attribute is Year. For an in-depth explanation of the different objects on the widget, see Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 531. To enable drilling on the bubble graph, an attribute must be placed to the right of the attribute in the rows. This attribute must be a child of the attribute already on the rows. The custom group you created in Creating a custom group, page 905 provides the correct structure for this attribute. For detailed information on this requirement, with an example, see Enabling drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget, page 532.
To create a Bubble Graph widget

1 Create an empty Grid/Graph by selecting Grid from the Insert menu. When you move the cursor to the Layout area, the pointer becomes crosshairs. 2 Click and drag in the panel stack to add the Grid/Graph. Do not worry about the size or position; you will adjust them later. 3 Drag the following objects from the Datasets pane to the row axis of the Grid/Graph: Month of Year Region

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Call Center CG

4 Drag the following objects from the Datasets pane to the column axis of the Grid/Graph: Revenue per Employee Profit per Employee Units Sold Year

imperative these objects are It isGrid/Graphthatthe widget to workplaced in the correct order on the for properly. Year must be placed on the columns. 5 The Grid/Graph is in edit mode, as indicated by its red hashed border. Press ESC to exit edit mode. 6 Right-click the Grid/Graph and choose Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 7 On the Layout tab, set the following properties to position and size the Grid/Graph: Left: .04 inches Top: .1 inches Height: 5.3 inches Width: 8.5 inches

8 Click OK to return to the dashboard.


To turn the Grid/Graph into a widget

9 Select the Grid/Graph. 10 In the Property List, choose Interactive Bubble Graph from the Selected widget drop-down list.

Saving the dashboard


Save the dashboard so that you can view the new widget in MicroStrategy Web.
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Viewing the Employee Performance panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web


To interact with the widgets, you must view the dashboard in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
To view the dashboard in Flash Mode

1 Sign in to MicroStrategy Web. 2 Navigate to the Dashboard Sample document in your project, and click Dashboard Sample. The dashboard opens in Flash Mode. 3 Switch to Full Screen mode by clicking the Full Screen Mode button in the toolbar. Most of the MicroStrategy toolbars and panels are hidden, which maximizes the amount of the dashboard that can be shown at the same time.

To display the toolbarsinand panels, click the Restore Normal Screen Mode button the toolbar.
Enabling drilling and time series animation
The widget shows all of the parents (custom group elements) and children (call centers) together. When drilling is enabled, only the custom groups are displayed initially. Users can then drill to the call centers. an image of the widget showing the custom group elements For centers combined, see Panel 3: Employee Performance, and call page 878. The time series animation moves the bubble values through time, to provide rapid insight into business trends. A user can run through the entire animation, rewind, fast forward, or move a slider to a specific time. The time range in this widget is January through December.

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To enable drilling and time series animation

in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy enable You must betime series animation in DesktopWeb; you cannotmode in drilling and or in any other MicroStrategy Web. 1 Right-click the Interactive Bubble Graph widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 2 Select the Enable drilling check box. 3 Select the Enable time series analysis check box. 4 Click OK to return to the dashboard.

Exploring the Employee Performance panel


Now that drilling has been enabled, the bubbles represent the custom group elements only. The following image shows that the larger red bubble represents the Northeast. When you hover the cursor over a bubble in the widget, information about that bubble is displayed, as shown below.

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The color of the bubbles is derived from the attribute placed on the columns of the Grid/Graph. In this widget, that attribute is Year, as indicated by the color key at the bottom left of the widget. If you hover over a year, the related bubbles are highlighted on the widget. The metrics on the Grid/Graph determine the position and size of the bubbles, as described below: The value of the first metric on the Grid/Graph defines the position of each bubble on the X-axis. The value of the second metric defines the position of each bubble on the Y-axis. The value of the third metric determines the size of each bubble.

Double-click the January 2006 Northeast bubble to drill down to the call centers that comprise the Northeast (the children). The drilling is animated, so you can follow the bubbles as they split and separate. In the sample below, New York is highlighted. Notice that the bubbles from the earlier view remain for comparison, but are shaded to focus attention on the drilled bubbles.

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The widget can display more than one drilled-down attribute. Double-click the January 2005 Northeast bubble, and the widget drills down to the call centers that comprise the Northeast, as shown below.

To return to the original graph, click one of the child bubbles, and the drilled bubbles return to the parent attribute. The time series animation moves the bubble values through time, in this case from January to December. Note that in the preceding images, January is displayed in the upper right corner. To start the time series animation, hover your cursor at the top left corner of the widget, just below the title bar. Click the play button that appears, and notice the months changing in the upper right corner, and the bubbles moving around the graph. The time series animation moves the bubble values through time, to provide rapid insight into business trends. A user can run the entire animation, rewind, fast forward, or move a slider to a specific time. In this widget, the time range is from January through December.

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The widget in the following image shows the values for May, and also displays the time controls that allow you to interact with the time series animation.

By default, the time controls display only when you hover the cursor over the left corner, but you can choose to always display them.

You can change this setting only in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
To always display the time controls for a widget

1 In Flash Mode, right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 2 Clear the Auto-Hide time controls check box. 3 Click OK to return to the dashboard. 4 Save the document.

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D
TROUBLESHOOTING DOCUMENTS
D.

Introduction
This section provides explanations of some of the most common issues you may encounter when creating Report Services Documents, in a question and answer format. For more detailed discussions, refer to the relevant sections of this guide.

Troubleshooting during document creation


Troubleshooting Grid/Graphs
Can I save a Grid/Graph in a document as a standalone report?
No, Grid/Graphs are embedded objects within the document and they cannot be saved as a standalone report.

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My document contains a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph. I set the Width Mode and Height Mode to Fit to contents. After I saved the document, both these properties revert to the default setting of Fixed. Why?
Fit to contents is supported only when Grid/Graphs are displayed as grids.

My document contains a Grid/Graph with attributes but only one metric. The metric values do not display completely. How can I view the full column?
Before switching to PDF View, change the document layout to landscape. From the File menu, select Page Setup. On the Page tab, select Landscape as the Orientation.

When I try to create a view filter on a Grid/Graph, a message appears asking me to convert the shortcut to a local copy of the report. I do not want to convert it.
You cannot create a view filter on a Grid/Graph shortcut because the Grid/Graph is linked to the original report, allowing changes made to the original report to automatically update the Grid/Graph in the document. You have two options: If you want to create a view filter on the Grid/Graph, you must convert the Grid/Graph to a local copy. You can then create the view filter. Changes made to the original report will no longer be passed to the Grid/Graph in the document. If you want to allow changes to the original report to affect the Grid/Graph in the document, click Cancel. You cannot create a view filter.

For information on what actions are allowed in shortcuts, see Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, page 306.

I want to format the No Data Returned message that appears on a Grid/Graph in MicroStrategy Web.
You can format the message using HTML tags, for display in all Web modes except Flash Mode. 1 Right-click the project, and select Project Configuration. The Project Configuration Editor opens.

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2 Expand the Report Definition category on the left, and select Advanced. 3 Type the message into the No data returned field, using HTML tags. To change the background color, put the message into a table and set the table's background color. 4 Click OK to save the changes and return to Desktop. If the formatted message does not appear, restart IIS or the web server.

Troubleshooting selectors
I cannot change the target of a selector.
Automatic target maintenance is enabled on this layout, which means that all attribute and metric selectors automatically target all Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. You can do any of the following: Disable automatic target maintenance. This affects the entire layout, so be sure you want to do this. After you disable it, you must manually maintain selector targets. For instructions on disabling this feature, see Disabling automatic target maintenance to allow manual target selection, page 450. When targets are automatically maintained, you can control what target is chosen for a selector, by placing controls in different document sections. If you cannot move controls to different document sections, you can place them in different panel stacks in the same document section.

For more information about the last two options, including examples, see Controlling targets when targets are automatically maintained, page 447.

Selector targets have changed in my document.


Automatic target maintenance was probably enabled after you created the selectors. When automatic target maintenance is enabled, the targets of all existing attribute and metric selectors are replaced with all the Grid/Graphs and panel stacks that are in the same panel or document section as the selector. Automatic target maintenance affects all the selectors on a layout.

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For more information about the effects of automatic target maintenance, see Enabling automatic target maintenance, page 452. If this is the case, you cannot change the targets unless you disable automatic target maintenance. However, be sure that you do want to disable it. For instructions, see Disabling automatic target maintenance to allow manual target selection, page 450. When targets are automatically maintained, you can control what target is chosen for a selector by either: Moving controls to different document sections Placing controls in different panel stacks in the same document section

For more information, including examples, see Controlling targets when targets are automatically maintained, page 447.

Miscellaneous document creation troubleshooting


If I have multiple datasets with the same attributes, what data is shown in the Grid/Graph and the Detail section?
The Grid/Graph shows data from the dataset while the Detail section displays a join between all the datasets and shows all the data. For more information, see Working with multiple dataset reports, page 731.

The height of a document section is defined to grow, the height is set to 1.5 inches, and the maximum height is set to 10 inches, larger than the expected results. When I view the document in HTML View or export it to HTML, the document section is only 1.5 inches long, and therefore the data is cut off.
When exported to HTML or viewed in HTML, a document section uses the Height setting, regardless of the Height can grow or Maximum height settings, because the exact height cannot be determined during HTML rendering. To allow all the data to be displayed, specify a more accurate Height setting.

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I placed a metric on a grid and in the Document Header. The values are different. Why?
A metric is calculated differently depending on its location in the document. In this case, the value of the metric on the grid depends on the attributes, consolidations, and custom groups in the grid. The metric in the Document Header is a grand total for the document. For a complete list of how a metric is calculated in various locations within a document, see Using prompts in documents, page 766.

I cannot resize or move a control.


The control may be locked. A locked control cannot be resized or moved. You cannot modify the following properties when a control is locked: Height Left Top Width

To unlock the control, set Property List: Position: Locked to False.

Troubleshooting during document execution


I cannot open a document.
If a document has embedded Transaction Services, the document does not open. Instead, a message is displayed, indicating that transaction-enabled documents are not supported in Desktop. Open the document in MicroStrategy Web.

I executed a document and received an error about an incomplete or inconsistent object definition.
The document uses a Freeform SQL report as a dataset. Save this kind of document before you execute it.

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I have two lines with the same line weight, but they show different thicknesses in the PDF.
Typically, this viewing problem can be alleviated by using the Zoom In feature (increase the Zoom%) on the PDF. The lines display with the same thickness on the screen. This will not affect the printed output. All lines will print as defined, even if they display differently when viewing an Adobe PDF.

If I see an image in Design View, why doesnt it show up when I view the document as PDF?
Make sure the image is in .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif format. It must be accessible by both the Intelligence Server machine that runs the document and the user who is designing the document. For example, use a Web server machine to which designers have access and to which the Intelligence Server machine has access. For more information, see Inserting images in a document, page 130.

My PDF has an extra page, with a smudge on the left. What happened?
You moved your controls too far to the right. In Design View, move the controls to the left of the vertical page separator, which is represented by a dashed line.

My document contains a link to a prompted report. Answers to the prompts are passed using both the originMessageID and promptsAnswerXML parameters. When I drill on the link, I am prompted, even though the information should have been passed in the link parameters.
Your destination report must contain nested prompts, since the combination of prompt XML and message ID does not work in this case. A nested prompt is where the definition of one prompt depends on the answer to another prompt. For example, the first prompt is for category, and the second is for subcategory. The list of subcategories for the second prompt depends on the answer to the category prompt. If you use both prompt XML and message ID in this case, when you click the link, the answer to the subcategory prompt is not passed to the destination. You are re-prompted for subcategory.

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My document contains 10 reports, and the Jobs per user parameter in the Project Configuration Editor is set to 5. The document does not finish executing.
The second five reports on the document do not wait until the first five reports execute, so the document cannot finish executing. To execute a document with ten reports, set the Jobs per user and Jobs per user session parameters to at least ten. For more information on these Project Configuration Editor parameters, see the MicroStrategy System Administration Guide. not want Be cautious increasing these parameters, as you dowhich canto have multiple users running many jobs simultaneously, overwhelm Intelligence Server or your database.

An image does not display in PDF View, when exported to PDF, or in MicroStrategy Mobile.
Ensure that the image is saved in one of the image types listed below; other image types cannot be displayed in PDF View, when exported to PDF, or in MicroStrategy Mobile. bmp jpg jpeg gif

If the image file path is using an http reference to a central Web Server machine, such as http://microstrategy/Test/myimage.jpg, ensure that the URL does not contain any spaces. You can remove the space from the image name or replace the space with %20. For more information about inserting images into documents, see Inserting images in a document, page 130.

Troubleshooting common Flash Mode issues


This section describes some common issues you may encounter as you use Flash Mode while viewing a document. The issues described in this section are not necessarily issues related to defects in the software itself, but rather notes about how Flash Mode is designed to work.

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I cannot switch to Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web; it is not an option in the View menu.
To display a document in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, Flash Mode must be enabled for the document, the user, and the project, as described below. A user with the appropriate privileges can enable Flash Mode for a document using either MicroStrategy Web or Desktop. The instructions below are for Desktop. a Edit the document in Desktop. b From the Format menu, select Document Properties. The Document Properties dialog box opens. c In the Available display modes list on the Document tab, select the Flash check box.

d You can specify that this document always opens in Flash Mode when it is initially opened in Web. To do this, select the Default radio button next to Flash. Enable Flash Mode in your User Preferences in MicroStrategy Web. a Click the Preferences link at the top of the MicroStrategy Web page. b On the left, click Report Services. c Select the Enable Flash Mode check box.

In MicroStrategy Web, a project administrator can enable Flash Mode for a project, using the project default preference. Contact your project administrator to enable it.

In MicroStrategy Web, a graph displays in Interactive Mode but does not display properly in Flash Mode.
Some graph styles are not supported in Flash Mode. You may also encounter issues with other aspects of graph formatting which are not supported in Flash Mode. If issues such as these occur, you must change the graph style of the report to a supported style.

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The following graph styles are the only graph styles supported in Flash Mode:
Graph Style Vertical Bar Graph Sub-type Clustered Absolute Percent Stacked Clustered Dual-axis Clustered Absolute Percent Stacked Clustered Dual-axis

Horizontal Bar

Vertical Line Horizontal Line Vertical Area

Absolute Dual-axis Absolute Absolute Dual-axis Absolute Absolute Percent Stacked Absolute Pie Ring Pie Note: Pie graphs may appear slightly larger in Flash Mode than they do in other display modes.

Horizontal Area Pie

Stock Scatter Bubble

Hi-Low-Open-Close X-Y Scatter X-Y Scatter Dual-axis Bubble Note: The minimum, maximum, and interval settings for the Bubble graph may not be displayed in Flash Mode exactly as it does in other display modes.

Combination graphs that use a combination of only two styles of graph, as long as the graph styles used in the combination are listed in this table. All other combination graphs are not supported. Note: The alignment of the Y-axis labels may appear differently in Flash Mode than they do in other display modes.

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Other display issues include the following: Nested labels in graphs are not displayed in Flash Mode. If the graph currently uses nested labels, switch to another label type before opening the graph in Flash Mode. If a graph legend is positioned manually rather than automatically, the graph legend may not be displayed in exactly the same position in Flash Mode. Donut bevel effects for circular data markers in a graph may appear different in Flash mode. For a more consistent look across modes, consider using a different bevel effect, such as Sphere or Smooth Edge.

For more information on working with graphs, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide.

In MicroStrategy Web, an image displays in Interactive Mode but does not display in Flash Mode.
The image file path may be incorrect or unsupported in Flash Mode. The file location of the image must use an HTTP-based path, not a network or local image path. For information about adding images to documents and using the correct image path, see Inserting images in a document, page 130.

In MicroStrategy Web, a widget is not displayed in Flash Mode.


The widget may not have been designed correctly. Each widget must contain a specific number of attributes and metrics on its template. For more information on these requirements, see Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets.

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ADVANCED FUNCTIONS FOR CALCULATED EXPRESSIONS
E.

Introduction
This appendix lists the advanced functions that are supported for calculated expressions in documents. The syntax for each function is included because you must type the syntax into a text field to use an advanced function in a calculated expression. For detailed information on function syntax and examples of each function, see the MicroStrategy Functions Reference. For more information on calculated expressions, see Creating calculated expressions, page 97. Functions are grouped into the following: Internal functions, page 930 Null/Zero functions, page 930 Financial functions, page 930 Math functions, page 932 Statistical functions, page 933

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Internal functions
Function Banding BandingC BandingP Case CaseV Syntax Banding(Argument, StartAt, StopAt, Size) BandingC(Argument, StartAt, StopAt, BandCount) BandingP (Argument, Boundary1, Boundary2, Boundary3...BoundaryN) Case (Condition1, ReturnValue1, Condition2, ReturnValue2, ..., DefaultValue) CaseV (Argument, Value1, Result1, Value2, Result2, ..., DefaultResult)

Null/Zero functions
Function NullToZero ZeroToNull Syntax NullToZero(Argument) ZeroToNull(Argument)

Financial functions
Function Accrint Accrintm Coupdaybs Coupdays Coupdaysnc Coupncd Coupnum Couppcd Cumipmt Cumprinc Db Syntax Accrint <Par = 1000, Basis = 0> (Issue, FirstInterest, Settlement, Rate, Frequency) Accrintm <Par = 1000, Basis =0 > (Issue, Maturity, Rate) Coupdaybs <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Coupdays <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Coupdaysnc <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Coupncd <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Coupnum <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Couppcd <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Frequency) Cumipmt <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pv, Start, End) Cumprinc <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pv, Start, End) Db <Month = 12> (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period)

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Function Ddb Disc Dollarde Dollarfr Duration Effect Fv Intrate Ipmt Mduration Nominal Nper Oddfprice Oddfyield Oddlprice Oddlyield Pmt Ppmt Price Pricedisc Pricemat Pv Rate Received Sln

Syntax Ddb <Factor = 2> (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period) Disc <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Price, Redemption) Dollarde (FractionalDollar, Decimal) Dollarfr (DecimalDollar, Fraction) Duration <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, CouponRate, YieldRate, Frequency) Effect(NominalRate, Npery) Fv <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pmt, Pv) Intrate <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Investment, Redemption) Ipmt < FV = 0, Type = 0 > (Rate, Period, Nperiod, PV) Mduration <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, CouponRate, YieldRate, Frequency) Nominal(EffectiveRate, Npery) Nper <Type = 0> (Rate, Pmt, PV, FV) Oddfprice <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Issue, FirstCoupon, CouponRate, YieldRate, Redemption, Frequency) Oddfyield <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Issue, FirstCoupon, CouponRate, Price, Redemption, Frequency) Oddlprice <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, LastInterest, CouponRate, YieldRate, Redemption, Frequency) Oddlyield <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, LastInterest, CouponRate, Price, Redemption, Frequency) Pmt <FV = 0, Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, PV) Ppmt <Type = 0> (Rate, Per, Nper, PV, FV) Price <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, CouponRate, YieldRate, Redemption, Frequency) Pricedisc <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, DiscRate, Redemption) Pricemat <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Issue, CouponRate, YieldRate) Pv <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pmt, FV) Rate <FV = 0, Type = 0, Guess = 0 > (Nperiod, Payment, PV) Received <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Investment, Discount) Sln(Cost, Salvage, Life)

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Function Syd Tbilleq Tbillprice Tbillyield Yield Yielddisc Yieldmat Vdb

Syntax Syd < > (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period) Tbilleq(Settlement, Maturity, Discount) Tbillprice(Settlement, Maturity, Discount) Tbillyield < > (Settlement, Maturity, Price) Yield <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, CouponRate, Price, Redemption, Frequency) Yielddisc <Basis = 0> (Settlement, Maturity, Price, Redemption) Yieldmat < Basis = 0 > (Settlement, Maturity, Issue, Rate, Price) Vdb <Factor = 2> (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period)

Math functions
Function Abs Acos Acosh Asin Asinh Atan Atan2 Banding BandingC BandingP Ceiling Combine Cos Cosh Cumipmt Cumprinc Db Ddb Syntax Abs(Argument) Abs(Argument) Acosh(Argument) Asin(Argument) Asinh(Argument) Atan(Number) Atan2(x_num, y_num) Banding(Argument, StartAt, StopAt, Size) BandingC(Argument, StartAt, StopAt, BandCount) BandingP (Argument, Boundary1, Boundary2, Boundary3...BoundaryN) Ceiling(Argument) Combine(Number, Number_Chosen) Cos(Argument) Cosh(Argument) Cumipmt <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pv, Start, End) Cumprinc <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pv, Start, End) Db <Month = 12> (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period) Ddb <Factor = 2> (Cost, Salvage, Life, Period)

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Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions

Function Degrees Exp Factorial Floor Fv Int Ipmt Ln Log Log10 Mod Power Quotient Radians Randbetween Round Round2 Sin Sinh Sqrt Tan Tanh Trunc

Syntax Degrees(Argument) Exp(Argument) Factorial(Argument) Floor(Argument) Fv <Type = 0> (Rate, Nper, Pmt, Pv) Int(Argument) Ipmt < FV = 0, Type = 0 > (Rate, Period, Nperiod, PV) Ln(Argument) Log(Argument, Base) Log10(Argument) Mod(Argument, Divisor) Power(Argument, Power) Quotient(numerator, denominator) Radians(Argument) Randbetween(bottom, top) Round(Argument) Round2(Argument, Precision) Sin(Argument) Sinh(Argument) Sqrt(Argument) Tan(Argument) Tanh(Argument) Trunc(Argument)

Statistical functions
Function BetaDistribution BinomialDistribution ChiSquareDistribution Syntax BetaDistribution < Lower Bound = 0, Upper Bound = 1 > (x, alpha, beta) BinomialDistribution <Cumulative = 0> (x, n, p) ChiSquareDistribution(x, df)

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Function Confidence CritBinomial ExponentialDistribution FDistribution Fisher GammaDistribution HypergeometricDistribution InverseBetaDistribution InverseChiDistribution InverseFDistribution InverseFisher InverseGammaDistribution InverseLognormalDistribution InverseNormDistribution InverseNormSDistribution InverseTDistribution LogNormalDistribution NegativeBinomialDistribution NormalDistribution Permut PoissonDistribution Standardize StandardNormalDistribution TDistribution WeibullDistribution

Syntax Confidence(alpha, stdev, size) CritBinomial(trials, probability_s, alpha) ExponentialDistribution <Cumulative = 0> (x, lambda) FDistribution(x, df1, df2) Fisher (x) GammaDistribution <Cumulative = 0> (x, alpha, beta) HypergeometricDistribution(x, n, M, N) InverseBetaDistribution < Lower Bound = 0, Upper Bound = 1 > (probability, x, alpha, beta) InverseChiDistribution(x, df) InverseFDistribution (x, df1, df2) InverseFisher(x) InverseGammaDistribution (x, alpha, beta) InverseLognormalDistribution(x, mean, stdev) InverseNormDistribution(x, mean, stdev) InverseNormSDistribution(x) InverseTDistribution(probability, df) LognormalDistribution(x, mean, stdev) NegativeBinomialDistribution(f, s, p) NormalDistribution <Cumulative = 0> (x, mean, stdev) Permut(n, m) PoissonDistribution <Cumulative=0> (x, lambda) Standardize(x,mean,stdev) StandardNormalDistribution (Argument) TDistribution(x, df) WeibullDistribution <Cumulative = 0> (x, alpha, beta)

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F.

CREATING LINKS MANUALLY

To email, export, and subscribe to documents and reports

Introduction
A link is a connection in a document to another document, a report, or a web page. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, he can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region. This is a form of drilling, where the user has drilled from region to store. The source document could also link to the underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well. The source could link to a web page that contains economic information about the region. A link can also email or export a document or report, or subscribe to a document or report. This appendix provides instructions for creating link URLs manually, that is, by using the object ID and link syntax. You can also use the Link Editor to create links; it is easier and more intuitive than manually defining link URLs. For a comparison of the two methods, see Comparison of Link Editor and manually creating link URLs, page 936.

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Comparison of Link Editor and manually creating link URLs


You can use the Link Editor to create links, or manually define the link URLs. Each method provides advantages and disadvantages. The Link Editor is more user-friendly and provides easy access to the most common drill functionality. Another benefit is that you do not need to find the object ID of the target. Use the Link Editor to:

Create multiple links for the same object Run a report or document Access a web site Open the target in a new window Answer prompts

For more information, including examples and instructions, see Chapter 7, Linking from Documents. You can manually create a link URL that performs any of the actions available in the Link Editor. This method also allows the following additional functionality:

Execute a report by supplying a template and a filter Subscribe to the target Email the target Export the target

However, you need to know and understand the link syntax and find the object ID. Instructions and examples follow for creating link URLs.

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Creating Links Manually

Creating link URLs manually


If you have decided to manually create link URLs, you must know and understand the link syntax to accurately create the correct link URL. The link URL must be in the following format: To execute a document http://MSTRWebURL?evt=2048001&documentID= objectID&viewMode=2&promptinfo To re-execute the source document http://MSTRWebURL?evt=2048001&documentName={&Document }&viewMode=2&promptinfo To execute a report http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4001&reportID= objectID&promptinfo To execute a report by supplying a template and a filter http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4033&templateID= objectID&filterID=objectID&promptinfo To execute a dataset report of the source document http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4001&reportID= {&ReportName:GUID}&promptinfo To subscribe to the target or send it via email http://MSTRWebURL?evt=event#&objectID= objectID&objectType=#&promptinfo be installed MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server mustemailed. and configured on your system before a document can be The italics represent variables that are replaced when creating the link. The variable MSTRWebURL is the base URL, whose syntax differs depending on the MicroStrategy Web environment. The item promptinfo represents a number of different parameters that can be used to pass prompt information to the target. All the parameters and variables, and auto text codes that can be used in them, are described in detail in the following sections. Notice that parameters are joined with the ampersand (&). The link URL is displayed as pop-up text when the user hovers the cursor over the text field in PDF View. This pop-up text does not display in
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MicroStrategy Web, but you can add a tooltip to display the link URL or any other information. The tooltip also displays as pop-up text, but only in MicroStrategy Web. For more information, see Creating a pop-up tooltip, page 162.

Base URL syntax


This piece of the link URL represents the URL path to the Web applications main controller. Depending on the environment in which MicroStrategy Web is deployed, replace this part of the URL syntax with one of the following: for .NET Webserver/MicroStrategy/asp/Main.aspx for J2EE Webserver/WebMstr7/servlet/mstrWeb to use environments may need to use If youinneed future,bothgenerally bettercurrently, or.NET version of the both the it is to use the URL path when designing links. You can modify a configuration file shipped with Web Universal to allow the J2EE implementation to accept the .NET URL syntax. For more information on performing the file modification, see the Web Software Development Kit, available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, which is sold as part of the MicroStrategy SDK. Replace Webserver with the name of your MicroStrategy Web Server. If a MicroStrategy Web session does not exist when a user executes the document, session information is required. This can occur when a user executes a document through the URL API or accesses it from an external website. To provide session information, add the server name and project name to the MicroStrategy Web URL syntax, as shown below: http://MSTRWebURL?server=servername &project=projectname&uid=username&pwd= password You can replace servername with the auto text code {&SERVERNAME}, which supplies the name of the server at run time. Similarly, you can replace projectname with the auto text code {&PROJECT}. Replace username and password with the user name/login and password for that login, respectively, for the session. This syntax creates a new session using the parameters provided.
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Session parameters are used in the following examples: http://MicroStrategy/asp/Main.aspx?server=MyWebServer &project=MicroStrategy&&uid= username&pwd=password&evt=... http://WebMstr7/servlet/mstrWeb?server= MyWebServer&project=MicroStrategy&uid=username&pwd=pa ssword&evt=... For more information on session parameters, see the Web Software Development Kit, available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, which is sold as part of the MicroStrategy SDK. In the Web SDK, information on the URL API is located in the Customizing MicroStrategy Web section, in Part I: Fundamentals of Customization.

Event parameter
The event parameter signifies the action, such as a document or report execution, to trigger. Every specific action is represented by a unique event. The format is evt=event#, where event# is replaced by one of the following:
Event# 3034 3036 Event Subscribe to a report, document, or HTML document Send a report, document, or HTML document via e-mail on a schedule Note: MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server must be installed and configured on your system before a document can be sent via e-mail. 3037 3062 3067 3069 2048001 4001 4033 32001 Send a report, document, or HTML document via e-mail now Export a report to PDF Export a report or HTML document Export a document to PDF Execute a document Execute a report Execute a report by supplying a template and a filter Execute an HTML document

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Object ID parameter
The Object ID parameter specifies which document or report to execute. The parameter varies depending on which type of object you are executing. The parameters are described in the following table.
Object Document Source document (the document being edited) Report Template+filter report Parameter documentID=objectID documentName={&Document} reportID=objectID templateID=template_objectID&filterID=filter_objectID Note: Replace ReportName with the name of the report.

Dataset report of the source document reportID={&ReportName:GUID}

To obtain the object ID

1 In Desktop, right-click the document, report, or HTML document, and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. Alternatively, if you are editing the object, select Properties from the File menu. 2 The ID is located on the General tab.

Object type parameter


Subscriptions and email require an additional parameter, the object type. The parameter is objectType=#. For a report, replace # with 3. For a document or HTML document, replace # with 55. be MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server mustsentinstalled and configured on your system before a document can be via email.

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Prompt information parameters


If you do not include prompt information, the target report or document is executed normally. If it contains prompts, the user must answer them as usual. However, you can pass information to be used as prompt answers into the target. Any prompts not answered by the passed answers information are displayed for the user to answer manually. Prompt answers can be in any of the following forms: List of attribute elements, to pass attribute elements as answers to an element list prompt Prompt XML, to pass a collection of specific prompt answers to the target Message ID for the source document, to pass the prompt answers from the source document

List of attribute elements


The list of attribute elements allows attribute elements to be passed to the target. For example, a document contains a list of regions and their yearly revenues. Each region is a link that passes the regions name to a target document. When a user clicks a particular region in the document in MicroStrategy Web, another document is executed which displays quarterly revenue and profit values for that region. The format for such a list is: elementsPromptAnswers=Attribute; {&AttributeName@ElementID} Replace Attribute with the attribute ID or the auto text code {&AttributeName@GUID}. The auto text code supplies the attribute ID at run time when you replace AttributeName with the attribute name. While the attribute name is easier to read and use, the attribute ID is processed more efficiently. Replace AttributeName with the name of the attribute element, such as Region in the example above. The auto text code {&AttributeName@ElementID} supplies the attribute element ID at run time; alternatively, you can manually enter the element ID instead of using the auto text code. Element IDs are generated by the Intelligence Server to uniquely identify each attribute element. For more information, refer to the Web Software Development Kit, available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, which is sold as part of the MicroStrategy SDK. In the Web SDK,

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information on attribute element IDs is located in the API Reference, on the Classes page under WebElement. to determine the element Another method attribute elements and IDs is to create a document with the desired {&AttributeName@ElementID} auto text codes. Copy the element IDs into the links of your source document. A sample syntax for the example follows: elementsPromptAnswers={&Region@GUID}; {&Region@ElementID} To pass multiple elements from the same attribute, list the element IDs separated by a comma, as in the following sample. Note that in this scenario you have to enter the element IDs (represented by AttributeElementID) manually; the element ID auto text code can only generate one element ID at a time. elementsPromptAnswers=Attribute; AttributeElement1ID,AttributeElement2ID You can also pass elements from multiple attributes by using a separate elementsPromptAnswers parameter for each different attribute. As with other parameters, join them with an ampersand, that is, &. An example using Region and Year follows. elementsPromptAnswers={&Region@GUID}; {&Region@ElementID}&elementsPromptAnswers={&Year@Elem entID};{&Year@ElementID} to very strict syntax. If this syntax Adobes HTML parser conformsandadoes not display the intended is not followed, the parser breaks attributes. For more information on the syntax, see http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/201/langref/flash/ text/TextField.html#htmlText.

Prompt XML
Prompt XML represents prompt answers in an XML format. It incorporates dynamic information from the executed source document into the XML string. Prompt XML is useful because it enables prompt answers to be

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maintained even when the message ID no longer exists, which can occur if the session is lost, for example. the prompts the The XML cannot be applied unless the same IDs in the target arein the same physical prompt objects with as the prompts source document. If the prompts are contained in filters, use links to filters instead of embedded filter prompts. For more information on links to filters, see the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. XML can create long URL, which up in the Promptuser hovers over athe link. A lengthy showscould also document when a URL be truncated and could produce errors. To resolve this issue, use the document message ID described below if the MicroStrategy session remains open. The format for prompt XML is: promptsAnswerXML={&PROMPTXML} The auto text code {&PROMPTXML} generates the appropriate XML string at run time. You can also manually code the prompt XML, but the format and usage of prompt XML is beyond the scope of this manual. For more information, refer to the Web Software Development Kit, available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, which is sold as part of the MicroStrategy SDK. In the Web SDK, information on prompt XML is located in the API Reference, on the Classes page under WebPrompt.

Message ID
The message ID uniquely identifies an instance of a report, document, or HTML document. If different users execute the same report, different instances and therefore different message IDs are produced. The message ID allows you to pass the prompt answers from the source document to the target. The format is: originMessageID={&DOCUMENTMESSAGEID} The auto text code {&DOCUMENTMESSAGEID} supplies the correct message ID at run time. You can combine prompt XML and message ID, as long as the destination does not contain nested prompts. If both parameters answer the same prompt, the prompt XML parameter takes precedence over the message ID. A nested prompt is where the definition of one prompt depends on the answer to another prompt. For example, the first prompt is for category, and
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the second is for subcategory. The list of subcategories for the second prompt depends on the answer to the category prompt. If you use both prompt XML and message ID in this case, when you click the link, the answer to the subcategory prompt is not passed to the destination. You are reprompted for subcategory.

Creating links manually


Creating a link manually is similar to creating a hyperlink, as described in Defining hyperlinks in documents, page 706. Set the Is Hyperlink link property to True and define the target in the Hyperlink property. When the Is Hyperlink property is True, the text is automatically underlined. you should do some Before creating links manually,any target documents,preliminary planning. For example, create HTML documents, and reports, and find their IDs. Know the prompts of the targets and how they will be answered (for example, with prompt XML or an attribute element).
To manually create a link URL

1 From the Document Editor in Design View, select the text field on which to drill. 2 In the Property List, select True from the Is Hyperlink drop-down list. 3 In the Property List, type the target URL in the Hyperlink field. Use one of the following syntaxes and replace the italicized variables, where MSTRWebURL represents the correct base URL syntax for your Web environment and promptinfo represents any of the optional prompt information parameters:
Action Execute a document Re-execute the source document Execute a report Execute a report by supplying the template and filter Syntax http://MSTRWebURL?evt=2048001& documentID=objectID&viewMode=2&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=2048001& documentName={&Document} &viewMode=2&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4001&reportID=objectID&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4033&templateID=objectID&filterID= objectID&promptinfo

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Action Execute a dataset report of the source document Export a document, HTML document, or report

Syntax http://MSTRWebURL?evt=4001& reportID={&ReportName:GUID} &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3067&documentID=objectID &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3067&documentID=objectID &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3067&reportID=objectID &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3069&documentID=objectID &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3062&reportID=objectID &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3037&objectID=objectID &objectType=55&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3037&objectID=objectID &objectType=3 &promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3036&objectID=objectID &objectType=55&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3036&objectID=objectID &objectType=3&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3034&objectID=objectID &objectType=55&promptinfo http://MSTRWebURL?evt=3034&objectID=objectID &objectType=3&promptinfo

Export a document or report to PDF

Send a document or HTML document via email now Send a report via email now Send a document or HTML document via email on a schedule Send a report via email on a schedule Subscribe to a document or HTML document Subscribe to a report

be installed MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server mustemailed. and configured on your system before a document can be Alternatively, you can right-click the control and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. On the General tab, select the Is Hyperlink check box and type the target URL in the Hyperlink text box.

Examples of link URLs created manually


The following examples show the different types of prompt answers, starting with a simple sample that does not include any prompts. The examples

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include step-by-step instructions to create the links, but assume a familiarity with report and document creation. For information on creating documents, see Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents. For details on creating reports, refer to the Desktop Help or the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. These examples use data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial. The report used throughout these examples is Revenue vs. Forecast, located in the Public Objects\Reports\ Subject Areas\Sales and Profitability Analysis folder. It is a prompted report, asking for Region, Category, and Quarter. It shows revenues versus forecasted revenues. You will create copies of this report and modify them for use in different types of document drilling. All the documents created in these examples should be saved in the Public Objects\Reports folder or a subdirectory so that the documents are available when you run MicroStrategy Web. that is, The examples use the .NET URL syntax,you work in a J2EE MicroStrategy/asp/Main.aspx. If environment instead, replace it with the correct syntax, as indicated in Base URL syntax, page 938. Also, replace localhost in the URL syntax with the name of your Web server; localhost is used when the MicroStrategy Web Server is located on your own machine. Before starting the examples, create a copy of the Revenue vs. Forecast report and modify it as described below.
Prerequisite: To set up a report

1 Copy the report Revenue vs. Forecast report. Rename the copy Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals). 2 Open Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) in the Report Editor. 3 Drag and drop Subcategory from the report template to the Report Objects. 4 Add subtotals by region, which will allow you to easily compare the document and the report: a Select Subtotals from the Data menu. b Click Advanced. c In the Subtotals list, select Total.

d Select Group by.


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e f

Click Add. Select Region, then click OK.

g Click OK, then OK again to return to the report. 5 Execute the report, keeping the default prompt answers. 6 Save and close the report. The Save Options dialog box opens. 7 Select Prompted to be reprompted when the report is rerun. 8 Select Only filter will be prompted. 9 Clear the Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers check box. 10 Click OK. 11 Note the report ID for this report: a Right-click the report in Desktop and select Properties. b Note the ID, then click OK.

Link to a non-prompted report


The simplest document link executes a non-prompted report or document. The dataset of the source document is a copy of Revenue vs. Forecast with all prompts removed. The dataset displays the revenue and forecasted revenue by region and includes a link to the dataset report, which further breaks down the values by category and quarter.

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The source document in MicroStrategy Web displays as shown in the following sample:

When the link at the bottom is clicked, the Revenue vs. Forecast (no prompts) report is executed. The following sample does not show the complete report; it only displays one quarter of the data and the totals, allowing you to see that the totals agree. Both the document and the report are run for all regions, all categories, and all quarters.

Although the source document links to its own dataset report, this does not have to be the caseyou can drill to any report, document, or HTML document. Before creating the document, you must create the dataset report and note its report ID, as described in the Prerequisites procedure that follows.

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Prerequisite: To create the dataset report

1 Copy the Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) report. Rename the copy Revenue vs. Forecast (not prompted). 2 Open Revenue vs. Forecast (not prompted) in the Report Editor. 3 Delete the three qualifications in the report filter. This removes the prompts from the report. 4 Save and close the report. 5 In Desktop, right-click the report and select Properties. 6 Double-click the ID (the numbers, not the title) and press CTRL+C. This saves the report ID so that you can use it in the link.
To create the source document

1 Create a new document, using Revenue vs. Forecast (not prompted) as the dataset report. 2 Group the document by Region. 3 Add static text fields for Region, Revenue Forecast, and Forecast to the Document Header. 4 Drag and drop Region, Revenue Forecast, and Revenue from the Datasets pane to the Region Header. data Region Header Placing thelevel, fields on theat the level of theaggregates the data at the region rather than dataset report, which is Region/Category/Subcategory/Quarter. 5 Format and align the controls as you desire. 6 Save the document as Example 1: Document Drilling.

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To create a link to a non-prompted report

1 In the Document Footer, add the following static text field: Click here for a breakdown by region, category, and quarter. 2 Right-click the control created in step 1 and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. 3 On the General tab, select the Is hyperlink check box. 4 Type the following in the Hyperlink box: http://localhost/MicroStrategy/asp/ Main.aspx?evt=4001&reportID= 5 Press CTRL+V to paste the report ID that you copied previously. 6 Click OK.

While all these procedures use the Properties dialog box for continuity, you can use the Property List to create the link instead.
7 Save and close the document. To view the document, run it in MicroStrategy Web. To drill to the report, click the link at the bottom of the document. If the same target document called a prompted report instead, you would have to answer the prompts before the report is executed. You can pass prompt answers in the link. The next example uses a prompted document as the source document and passes those prompts in the link to a prompted report.

Link to a prompted report using the message ID


The message ID allows you to pass the prompt answers from the source document to the target. The document, as displayed in MicroStrategy Web, looks similar to the previous example. However, before the document is executed, prompts for Quarter, Category, and Region are answered, so the data is more focused. For example, only one years revenue for books is

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included in the following sample, so the data values are smaller than in the previous document sample.

The link at the bottom of the document executes a different report, which contains prompts. The prompts do not have to be answered before the report is executed because the prompt answers are contained in the link. The same information is used to execute both the document and the report in this example. The following sample displays only a portion of the complete report, allowing you to see that the totals agree and that only Books have been included in the report.

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To create the source document

1 Create a new document, using Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) as the dataset report. 2 Group the document by Region. 3 Add static text fields for Region, Revenue Forecast, and Forecast to the Document Header. 4 Drag and drop Region, Revenue Forecast, and Revenue from the Datasets pane to the Region Header. 5 Format and align the controls as you desire. 6 Save the document as Example 2: Document Drilling.
To create a link with a message ID

1 In the Document Footer, add the following static text field: Click here for a breakdown by region, category, and quarter. 2 Right-click the control created above and select Properties. 3 On the General tab, select the Is hyperlink check box. 4 Type the following in the Hyperlink box, replacing reportID with the report ID of the Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) report: http://localhost/MicroStrategy/asp/Main.aspx?evt=4001 &reportID=reportID&originMessageID={&DOCUMENTMESSAGEI D} 5 Click OK. 6 Save and close the document.

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Run the document in Web, answering the prompts with the following selections: Quarter: four quarters of any year Category: Books Region: All regions

After the document is displayed, click the link to execute the prompted report.

Link to a prompted report using a list of attribute elements


This method passes a list of attribute elements to the target, which uses the list to answer prompts. The document used in the first example is reused in this example. The dataset does not have any prompts, and it displays the revenue and forecasted revenue by Region. Rather than one link at the bottom of the document, each region attribute is now a link, as shown in the following sample:

Each link executes the Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) report, which breaks down the values by category and quarter. The list of attribute elements

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answers the reports prompt on Region, so only the selected Region is included in the target report, as shown in the following sample:

The sample displayed above is a composite, allowing you to see that the totals agree.
To create the source document

1 Copy the Example 1: Document Drilling document. Rename the copy Example 3: Document Drilling. 2 Open Example 3: Document Drilling in the Document Editor. 3 Delete the Click here control in the Document Footer, to remove the previous link.
To create a link with a list of attribute elements

1 Right-click the {Region} control in the Region Header and select Properties. 2 On the General tab, select the Is hyperlink check box. 3 Type the following in the Hyperlink box, replacing reportID with the report ID of the Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) report: http://localhost/MicroStrategy/asp/ Main.aspx?evt=4001&reportID=reportID &elementsPromptAnswers={&Region@GUID}; {&Region@ElementID} The auto text code {&Region@ElementID} resolves at run time to the element ID of the attribute element that is clicked on in the document. 4 Click OK.

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5 Save and close the document. Run the document in MicroStrategy Web and click the link to execute the prompted report.

Link to a prompted report using prompt XML


Prompt XML represents prompt answers in an XML format, incorporating dynamic information from the executed source document into the XML string. In this example, both the source document and the target report are almost identical to the message ID example. Both the prompt XML and the message ID pass the parameters of the source document to the target report; one difference is that message ID requires that the Web session remains open while prompt XML does not. The following sample is the source document. The prompts have been answered to supply revenue data from a single year for the Books category only, but across all regions.

The link at the bottom of the document executes a prompted report. However, when the link is clicked, no prompts are displayed because all the prompt answers are contained in the link. The following sample does not

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display the complete report, but allows you to verify that the totals agree and that only Books have been included in the report.

To create the source document

1 Copy the Example 2: Document Drilling document. Rename the copy Example 4: Document Drilling. 2 Open Example 4: Document Drilling in the Document Editor. 3 Delete the Click here text field in the Document Footer to remove the previous link.
To create a link with prompt XML

1 In the Document Footer, add the following static text field: Click here for a detailed report. 2 Right-click the control created in step 1 and select Properties. 3 On the General tab, select the Is hyperlink check box. 4 Type the following in the Hyperlink box, replacing reportID with the report ID of the Revenue vs. Forecast (subtotals) report: http://localhost/MicroStrategy/asp/Main.aspx?evt=4001 &reportID=reportID&promptsAnswerXML={&PROMPTXML}
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The auto text code {&PROMPTXML} generates the appropriate XML string when the link is clicked. 5 Click OK. 6 Save and close the document. To get the results displayed in the screen shots, run the document in Web, selecting the following prompt answers: Quarter: four quarters of any year Category: Books Region: All regions

Click the link at the bottom of the document to execute the report.

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GLOSSARY
Autostyle A document that stores formatting properties for various control types. auto text code Dynamic text that is populated by the document or dataset, consisting of the documents or datasets properties rather than data from the data warehouse. Examples of auto text codes, which can be considered as a type of variable, are document name, page number, and execution time. Auto text codes are contained in text field controls on a document. See also: Data field Text field

cache A special data store holding recently accessed information for quick future access. Caching is normally done for frequently requested reports or documents so that they execute faster, because they need not run against the data warehouse. Results from the data warehouse are stored separately and can be used by new job requests that require the same data. In the MicroStrategy environment, when a user runs a report for the first time, the job is submitted to the database for processing. However, if the results of that report are cached, the results can be returned immediately without having to wait for the database to process the job the next time the report is run.

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Glossary: Autostyle

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Document caching generates the document only oncethe first time that you execute a document in a specific mode (such as Express Mode or Interactive Mode) in MicroStrategy Web. Subsequent document executions in the same mode use the cache. If document caching is disabled, the document query is submitted to your data warehouse every time that you execute the document in a different mode. calculated expression A metric obtained dynamically, directly from metrics on a document dataset, by using at least one of the metrics in the document. Calculated expressions allow you to use simple arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /) to combine metrics from different datasets in the document. See also: Derived metric

compound join A way to join a documents multiple datasets. It matches any common attributes, then creates a virtual dataset by sequentially proceeding through dataset rows to create a complete set of joined rows. A compound join saves memory space and processing time. conditional formatting Used to format specified controls in a document depending on predefined criteria. It allows certain properties of controls, including sections, to be controlled by data-driven conditions. Conditional formatting in documents is similar to thresholds in reports.

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Glossary

control Any item in the documents Layout area that you can select. This can be a text field, line, rectangle, image, panel stack, selector, Grid/Graph, or HTML container. These different kinds of controls are referred to as control types. See also: Grid/Graph HTML container Panel stack Selector Text field

control default A set of properties that can be set for each type of control and each section in a document. You can set the defaults according to the control that is currently selected; afterward, its format is applied to any object of the same type that you create in the document. dashboard A visually intuitive display of data that summarizes key business indicators for a quick status check. A special type of document, dashboards usually provide interactive features that let users change how they view the dashboards data. data field Dynamic text that is populated from a dataset with data that originated in the data warehouse (or an Intelligence Server cache). A data field is only a reference to the metric, attribute, consolidation, or custom group on a report. Data fields are contained in text field controls on a document. See also: Auto text code Text field

dataset A MicroStrategy report that retrieves data from the data warehouse or cache. It is used to define the data available on a document.

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Glossary: control

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Datasets 1. A pane in the Document Editor that shows all objects (grouped by datasets) that can be used in the document. 2. All objects that can be used in the document as supplied by the datasets. Dataset objects are attributes, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics. data warehouse 1. A database, typically very large, containing the historical data of an enterprise. Used for decision support or business intelligence, it organizes data and allows coordinated updates and loads. 2. A copy of transaction data specifically structured for query, reporting, and analysis. derived metric A metric based on data already available from metrics on a document dataset. It is calculated on the Intelligence Server, not in the database. Use a derived metric to perform column math, that is, calculations on other metrics, on data after it has been returned from the database. See also: Calculated expression

drill A link from one document to another document, report, or HTML document. Prompt answers for the destination can be included in the drill. document 1. A container for objects representing data coming from one or more reports, as well as positioning and formatting information. A document is used to format data from multiple reports in a single display of presentation quality. 2. The MicroStrategy object that supports the functionality defined in (1). Grid/Graph A control placed in a document that displays information in the same way a MicroStrategy report does.

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Glossary

grouping A way to create a hierarchical structure for a document. History List A folder where users put report results for future reference. HTML container A control that either displays real-time information from the web or displays formatted HTML. Layout area The middle panel of the Document Editor in which you place data or other controls to determine the appearance of the document when it is viewed as a PDF. link A connection from a document to another document or a report. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. page-by Interactively displaying groups on separate pages in PDF View. It allows the end user to dynamically select group elements as criteria for analysis. The PDF that results from this selection is called a page of the original document. panel A way of grouping data in a document so that users can navigate subsets of data as if the subsets were pages in a smaller document. Each page, or layer of data, is a panel; a group of panels is called a panel stack. panel stack The holder for a collection of panels, or layers of data, in a document. A user can navigate or flip through the panels in a panel stack; only one panel is displayed at a time.

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Glossary: grouping

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project 1. The MicroStrategy object in which you define all of the schema and application objects, which together provide a flexible reporting environment. A project is the highest-level intersection of a data warehouse, metadata repository, and user community, containing reports, filters, metrics, and functions. 2. An object containing the definition of a project, as defined in (1). The project object is specified when requesting the establishment of a session. Property List The list of settings used to specify the appearance or any other characteristic of a control on a document. report instance A container for all objects and information needed and produced during report execution including templates, filters, prompt answers, generated SQL, report results, and so on. It is the only object that is referenced when executing a report, being passed from one special server to another as execution progresses. scheduling A MicroStrategy Intelligence Server feature that is used to automate specific tasks. selector A type of control in a document that allows a user to: Flip through the panels in a panel stack, to see different predefined layers of data, or pages, in the same document Display different attribute elements or metrics in a Grid/Graph

summary metric A shortcut to a subtotal, or a subtotal metric allowing explicit aggregation in documents. A summary metric allows you to select the function to use to calculate the subtotal (that is, a summary).

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Glossary

text field A type of control in a document that displays text in the document. These different types of text content are: Static text, which does not change and serves as a label Dynamic text, which is populated by the document or dataset. There are two types of dynamic text:

Data field, which is populated from a dataset with data that originated in the data warehouse (or an Intelligence Server cache). A data field is only a reference to an object on a report. Auto text code, which is populated by the document or dataset, consisting of their properties rather than data from the data warehouse

A combination of any or all of the above types in one text field

See also: Data field Auto text code

virtual dataset A dataset held in memory that is the result of a compound join between multiple datasets in a document. widget A type of control that presents data in a visual and interactive way; an interactive Flash-only graph that dynamically updates when a new set of data is selected. Some types include Gauge, Heat Map, and Stacked Area widgets.

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INDEX
Symbols
.NET, URL syntax for a link URL 938 rounded rectangle 129 section 45 shape 129 static text 52 text 51 adding a data field 53 attribute form 56 by typing 57 using the Datasets pane 54 adding a page break 229 after a section 229 at a new section 229 before a section 229 before and after a section 230 between groups 229 for a group 280 aggregation dynamic 120 explicit 107 alerting. See conditional formatting. aligning controls 138 by selecting and setting properties 140 using alignment options 138 alignment grid 842 analysis (Visual Insight) 13

Numerics
3D effect 155

A
accessing an image on a shared network drive 131 on the Web server machine 130 partial path 131 adding auto text code 59 data field. See also adding a data field. 53 data to a document 51 dataset 746 document section 45 line 129 object to a Grid/Graph 312 page break. See also adding a page break. 229 page numbers 230 rectangle 129

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Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Android best practices 786 filtering data based on distance from 808 formatting document for 820 formatting layout for 826 Geo Location prompt 809 Information Window for Map widget 805 Interactive Grid widget 799 linking in 818 MicroStrategy Mobile for 785 opening Android application 815 Time Series widget 814 widget 794 animation 492 applying an autostyle 216 arranging controls 136 attribute 51 attribute element prompt in a link 686, 687 attribute form in a data field 56 audience for document creation 15 for manual xxv auto text code defined on 52, 59 adding 59 alias in filter example 94 attribute element ID 941 attribute element list qualification filter example 89 attribute form and set qualification filter example 91 attribute ID 941 automatic base template name example 72 base template name example 72 combining with another text field 57 configuring content of 65

current user 61 dataset filter details 63 dataset prompt details 64 dataset report description 63 dataset report details 63 dataset report execution time 64 dataset report filter details 64 dataset report ID 940 dataset report information 63 dataset report limit details 64 dataset report template details 64 date and time 60 date and time vs. document execution time 62 delimiter example 66 document description 61 document execution time 62 document execution time vs. date and time 62 document inbox title 61 document information 60 document message ID 943 document name 61 document notes 61 drilling filter example 86 dynamic date filter example 92 filter example 92, 93, 94 filter types example 83 in a blank text field 60 levels of configuration 65 link URL and 937 MicroStrategy Web Server name 62 object name delimiters 66 page number 60 project name 61, 938 prompt 61 prompt answers example 77 prompt details 61

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Index

prompt details example 77, 78 prompt titles and index example 76 prompt XML 943 server name 938 shortcut filter example 84 time and date 60 total number of pages 60 automatic submission for selectors 454 automatic target maintenance panel stack and 397 target selection mode and 429 automatically applying selector changes 454 automatically maintaining targets for selectors 443 controlling targets 447 disabling 450 enabling 452 Autostyle defined on 215 applying to a document 216 creating 216 document template vs. 28 layout 720 multi-layout document 720

document 15 iPad 786 iPhone 786 bitmap graph 240 Blank Dashboard template 183 Blank Document template 28, 37 bookmarks 240 clearing 241 hiding 241 showing 241 table of contents and 247 border document 213 layout 213 Bubble Grid widget 507 data requirements 508 example 507 formatting 509 using as a selector 621, 622 bullet microchart 567

C
cache defined on 775 enabling 776 page-by and 776 calculated expression 97, defined on 97 conditional formatting 201 creating 100 function in 98 functions supported 929 calculating metric 110 totals 104, 107 changing document section height 188 document section size 188, 193 document section width 191

B
background backstyle 152 color 159 document 213 document section 186 layout 213 selectors selected item 483 backstyle 152 bar microchart 567 best practices Android 786 dashboard 379
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Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

grouping order 262 collapsing a document section 35, 37, 841 compound join defined on 732 compound metric, dynamic aggregation in 120 conditional formatting defined on 200 allowing users to display or hide 208 calculated expression 201 defining qualification 204 derived metric 201 disabling 208, 209 disabling Conditional Formatting icon 211 disabling Show Conditional Formatting option 211 enabling 208, 210 enabling Conditional Formatting icon 211 enabling Show Conditional Formatting option 211 example 202 hiding 208 hiding all 212 layout and 720 multi-layout document and 720 selector totals and 207 showing 208 specifying formatting 205 summary metric 201 Conditional Formatting icon disabling 211 enabling 211 conditional metric in a link 687, 692 configuring the content of an auto text code 65 consolidation 51 control defined on 10 aligning 138 arranging 136

can not be moved 923 can not be resized 923 distributing 140, 142 dragging and dropping 137 formatting 150, 196 hiding in MicroStrategy Web 164 hiding in PDF 164 locking 144 moving. See moving a control. ordering 144 selecting multiple controls 136 sizing 142 snapping to grid 138 types of 10 unlocking 144 control default defined on 196 Grid/Graph 319 control styles for a transaction-enabled document 763 control type 10 controlling horizontal overflow 235 Controls toolbar 837 Lock button 837 converting a Grid/Graph shortcut to local copy of report 921 copying a document to another project 778 copying and pasting formatting 151 country parameter in a dynamic RSS feed 590 creating Autostyle 216 calculated expression 100 derived metric 103 document watermark 224 document. See also creating a document. 22 link 702 link to a web page 680
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Index

metric. See also creating a metric. 97 widget 597 creating a document 22 audience and 15 best practices 15 data source and 16 Document Editor 24 document template 30 Document Wizard 25, 26 effective design of 18 Excel exporting and 19 from a report 31 introduction 10 methods of 22 multiple reports 24, 32 overview 10 project and 17 saving time and 17 template 30 using template 27 creating a metric 97 calculated expression 97 derived 101 summary 107 custom group 51 Cylinder widget 510 data requirements 510 example 372, 510 formatting 511

D
dashboard 365, defined on 366 best practices 379 example 875 exporting to Flash 493 interactive 368 tutorial 875

Data Cloud widget 512 data requirements 512 example 512 formatting 513 using as a selector 621, 623 data field defined on 52 adding to a document 53 attribute form 56, 57 combining with another text field 57 hyperlink and 707 spaces in 57 special character in 55, 57 data source and document creation 16 data, adding to a document 51 dataset 22, 730 adding 746 changing for a Grid/Graph 309 editing 747 Freeform SQL report 730 Grid/Graph and 298, 312 Grid/Graph link to 345 grouping and sorting 731, 748 Import Data report 730 Intelligent Cube 749 join 733, 750, 752 layout and 720 MDX cube source 730 MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as 749 multi-layout document and 720 multiple 731, 922 primary 732, 733 Query Builder report 730 removing 746 secondary 732, 733 sorting and grouping 731 subset report as 749 virtual 732

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dataset object 12 dataset report information 59 Datasets pane 842 adding data to a document 54 displaying 842 dragging and dropping 54 date 60 Date Selection widget 650 creating as a selector 651 creating as a widget 650, 653, 655 example 650 formatting 658 Date Selection widget (iPad) 795 default grid autostyle 198 link. See also default link. 683 prompt order 768 default link 683, 684 clearing 684 in MicroStrategy Web 684 setting 684 deleting dataset 746 grouping field 264 layout 727 deploying out-of-the-box documents to your project 779 derived metric 97, defined on 101 conditional formatting 201 creating 103 designing a document effective design 18 introduction 10 overview 10 Detail Footer section 44 metric calculation and 114 Detail Header section 43 metric calculation and 114

Detail section 43 horizontal 186 horizontally displayed example 186 metric calculation and 111 disabling automatic maintenance of selector targets 450 conditional formatting 208 display mode for MicroStrategy Web default 249 selecting 249 displaying Datasets pane 842 document section 36, 181 HTML 122 section of a document 181 website 125 distributing controls horizontally 140, 142 relative to layout 141 vertically 140, 142 document defined on 1 concepts. See document - concepts. creating. See also creating a document. 22 dataset 22 does not open 923 execution does not finish 925 MicroStrategy Mobile and 785 sample 847 section. See also document section. 34 tasks. See document - tasks. template. See also document template. 27 transaction-enabled. See also transaction-enabled document. 754 tutorial 847 watermark. See also document watermark. 219
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Index

document - concepts best practices 15 dashboard 366 dataset 730 design xxv, 1 FAQs 919 multi-layout 714 out-of-the-box deployment 779 portable 778 section. See also document section. 34 template. See also document template. 27 watermark. See also document watermark. 219 document - tasks caching 775 creating. See also creating a document. 22 formatting 147 formatting for iPhone 827 grouping 260 linking 667 paging 286 previewing for printing 2 sorting 290 document description auto text code 61 Document Editor accordion pane 837 alignment grid 842 Controls toolbar 837 creating a document 24 Datasets pane 842 Grouping panel 841 layout 835 Layout area 841 layout tab 840 Notes pane 845 Property List 843, 853

Document Footer section 45 layout and 718 metric calculation and 114 multi-layout document 45 multi-layout document and 718 Document Header section 41 layout and 718 metric calculation and 114 multi-layout document 41 multi-layout document and 718 document inbox title 61 document information 59 document name 61 document section 34, 40 concepts. See document section - concepts. displaying. See also document section display. 36 hiding. See also hiding a document section. 36 names. See document section - names. size. See also document section sizing. 188 tasks. See document section - tasks. document section - concepts Excel row height 257 horizontal 186 horizontal sizing example 192 layout and 36 metric calculation and 116 row height in Excel 257 size. See also document section sizing. 188 document section - names 38 Detail 43 Detail Footer 44 Detail Header 43 Document Footer 45 Document Header 41
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Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Document Header and Footer in a layout 718 Group Footer 44 Group Header 41 Layout Footer 44 Layout Header 41 Layout Header and Footer in a layout 718 Page Footer 45 Page Header 40 Page Header and Footer in a layout 725 document section - tasks adding in a horizontally displayed section 47 collapsing 35, 37, 841 displaying. See also document section display. 36 expanding 35, 37, 841 fitting to contents 189 fixed height 189 formatting 180 formatting background color 186 grow to maximum height 189 height 188 hiding. See also hiding a document section. 36 inserting a horizontally displayed section 47 inserting additional 45 keeping contents together 195 printing horizontally 186 repeating information horizontally 194 document section display 36, 181 horizontal 186 PDF only 184 document section sizing 193 example 190

horizontal sizing example 192 set size 189 shrink to minimum height 189 variable size 189 varying within a set range 190 width 191 document template 27 Autostyle vs. 28 Blank Document 28, 37 creating 28 creating a document with 27 displaying Object Templates folder 29 exporting to another project 29 importing from another project 29 predefined 28 document watermark 219 blank 223 creating 224 disabling 226 overwriting the project watermark 226 Document Wizard 26 creating a document 25 draft resolution graph 240 drill link prompt and 924 drilling anywhere 350 enabling 355 enabling on a Grid/Graph 349 Grid/Graph 348 in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget 532 join type 355 link and 709 Link Editor 711 link vs. 669 linking to documents and reports 681 parent attribute 354

974

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

selector and 709 selector vs. 669 subtotals 355 thresholds 354 within the dataset report 353 drop shadow formatting 157 dynamic aggregation 120 aggregation function 120 image 133 RSS feed. See also dynamic RSS feed. 590 text 52 text in a link 679 dynamic RSS feed 590 country parameter 590 guidelines 593 language parameter 590 language properties 590 query parameter 590 Universal Transformation Code (UTF) encoding property 591 UTF-8 encoding 591 viewing news related to attribute 591 dataset report 592 document 592 specific topic 590

E
embedding bitmap in Excel 256 font for Flash Mode 249 font in a PDF 237 font in a PDF and Windows default font 239 image in Excel 256 enabling

automatic maintenance of selector targets 452 conditional formatting 208 document caching 776 Flash View 6 HTML View 6 example 3D effect 155 advanced function in calculated expression 99 auto text code. See example - auto text code. automatic target maintenance 443 disabling 450 enabling 452 background 152 backstyle 152 bookmarks in a PDF 241 calculated expression 98 calculating totals 104 clipped text field 168 conditional formatting 202 control default formatting 197 Cylinder widget 372, 510 dashboard 367, 376, 383, 394, 875 button bar in 368, 369 Data Cloud widget 512 data field in a hyperlink 707 Date Selection widget 650 created as a selector 651 created as a widget 650 derived metric 102 displaying a document section in PDF only 184 document border 213 document section sizing 191 drilling using links 682 drop shadow 157 dynamic image 133

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

975

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

filtering selector 436 Fish Eye Selector 639 created as a selector 640 created as a widget 639 with images 642 formatting an HTML container 174, 175 Full Screen mode 494 Gauge widget 518 gradient color 159 Graph Matrix widget 520 Grid/Graph. See also example Grid/Graph. 296 group total 265, 267 grouped records 261 Heat Map widget 526 hiding a control 165 hiding a document section in MicroStrategy Web display modes 184 horizontal detail section 186 group 273 overflow 236 sizing 192 HTML container 126 formatting 174, 175 MicroStrategy Web 123 hyperlink with a data field 707 Interactive Bubble Graph widget 375, 498, 531 used as a selector 626 Interactive Stacked Graph widget 540 invoice 847 key performance indicators dashboard 378 layering Grid/Graphs on panels 393 line 128 link. See example - link. linking to a web page 678

message behind a widget 607 metric calculation. See example - metric calculation. metrics in rows and columns 341 mirror gradient 160 multiple dashboards in a single document 394 number formatting in a text field 169 padding in a text field 172 page-by 287 panel stack 393 panel stack panel selector arrows 402 panel stack title bar 400 prompt answer for any other prompts not listed 700 rectangle 128 rectangle vs. rounded rectangle 129 repeating a document section horizontally 194 report details auto text code 68, 69 rounded corners panel stack 416 rectangle 178 scroll bar in text field 168 selector title bar 473 sizing a document section 191 slicing selector 436 slider in a dashboard 369 summary metric 108 table of contents grouped document 243 multi-layout document 245 text field 55 text field number formatting 169 Thermometer widget 372, 543 three-way gradient 160 Time Series Slider widget 545 used as a selector 631 title bar of a panel stack 400

976

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

tooltip 163 transparent title bar 328 vertical text 171 view filter on a Grid/Graph 331, 336, 338 watermark 218, 219 example - auto text code automatic base template name 72 base template name 72 delimiter 66 filter details 83, 84, 86, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94 prompt answers 77 prompt details 77, 78 prompt titles and index 76 example - Grid/Graph 296 background of selected item 325 background when used as a selector 490 controlling another Grid/Graph 486 incremental fetch 773 example - link answering a hierarchy prompt 696 answering a target prompt with source prompt answers 688 attribute in a Grid/Graph as the source 675 conditional metric and 692 document to multiple targets 676 Grid/Graph dataset report as target 345 ignoring a target prompt 690 text field as the source 673 URL 945 web page as the target 672 example - metric calculation Detail Header section 115 Detail section 111 Document Header section 115

Grid/Graph 116 Grid/Graph in a Group Header section 118 Group Header or Footer section 112 Page Header section 115 example - selector attribute 419 dynamic text field 421 filtering a metric 432 metric condition 432 panel stack 418 sizing items 480 style 423 updated by another selector 458 execution time dataset report 64 document 62 expanding a document section 35, 37, 841 exporting available export formats 252 best practices for designing for Kindle and Nook 21 default export options 253 document as a template to another project 29 formats 252 formatting for 250 grouped document 251 HTML 7 layout 727 multi-layout document 727 page-by and 251 template to another project 29 to a browser (HTML) 7 exporting to Excel best practices 19 colors 20 document creation and 19

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

977

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

embedded bitmap 256 embedded image 256 graph styles 20 group to a separate worksheet 283 image display 256 layout to a separate worksheet 727 line 20 line breaks in a text field 20 live graph 256 multi-layout document 727 multiple worksheets for a group 283 multiple worksheets for a multi-layout document 727 object type display 19 rectangle 20 row height 257 troubleshooting 19 word-wrapping 20 worksheet for each layout 727 worksheet for each page 283 exporting to Flash 493 file format 493 exporting to PDF another window 4 missing image 925 multi-layout document 727 Express Mode (MicroStrategy Web) context menu in 359 expression, calculated 97

F
filter Android 808 iPad 808 iPhone 808 filter details auto text code configuring 81 configuring alias display 94
978

configuring the display of an attribute element list qualification 88 configuring the display of attribute form and set qualifications 91 configuring the display of logical operators 92 defining content of 82 filter, view 331 filtering selector 435 example 436 viewed off-line 438 Fish Eye Selector 638 created as a selector 640 created as a widget 639 creating as a selector 646 creating as a widget 643 formatting 649 images in 642 fixed size for selector items 480 Flash file 493 Flash Mode (MicroStrategy Web) embedding a font for 249 enabling 926 floating toolbar in 359 font embedding 249 graph not displaying in 926 graph styles supported in 927 Grid/Graph manipulations 360 image displayed in 130 image not displaying in 928 message displayed behind a widget 607 rounded rectangle 178 selector rendering 486 switching to 926 transition animation 492 troubleshooting 925 widget 497 widget not displaying in 928
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

Flash View enabling 6 prerequisites for 6 Flash widget 497 floating toolbar for a Grid/Graph 359 font embedding Flash Mode 249 PDF 237 PDF and Windows default font 239 footer section and multi-layout document 725 Format Objects dialog box 151 formatting 3D effect 155 Autostyle 215 backstyle 152 conditional 200 control 150, 196 control default 196 copying and pasting a format 151 default 196 document 147 document border and background 213 document for a mobile device 820 drop shadow 157 gradient color 159 Grid/Graph 319 hiding a control 164 horizontal text 171 HTML container 174 image 180 interfaces 150 layout border and background 213 line 177 MicroStrategy Web display 248 padding in a text field 172 rectangle 177 rounded rectangle 179

section 180 background color 186 selector 476 background 483 item text 481 shape 177 table of contents 244 text field 166 text position in a text field 173 tooltip 162 useful suggestions 149 using a view filter 332 vertical text 171 widget. See also formatting a widget. 609 formatting a widget Bubble Grid widget 509 Cylinder widget 511 Data Cloud widget 513 document level 619 Funnel widget 516 Graph Matrix widget 523 Heat Map widget 529 Interactive Bubble Graph widget 536 Interactive Stacked Graph widget 541 Media widget 564 Microcharts widget 585, 596 RSS Reader (iPhone) 810 Thermometer widget 544 Time Series Slider widget 546 Waterfall widget 550 Weighted List Viewer widget 555 Formatting toolbar 151 Freeform SQL report used as a dataset report 730 Full Screen mode 494 setting a document to open in 496 function

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

979

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

calculated expression and 98 document and 98 supported in a calculated expression 929 Funnel widget 514 data requirements 515 example 515 formatting 516, 518

G
Gauge widget 518 data requirements 519 example 518 Google Graph Visualization widget 505 Google Map custom widget 506 Google Map Visualization 506 Google Map widget 505 gradient color 159 mirror 160 three-way 160 graph displaying a Grid/Graph as 314 not displaying in Flash Mode 926 resolution 240 Graph Matrix visualization (mobile device) 797 Graph Matrix widget 520 data requirements 523 example 520 formatting 523 using as a selector 622, 623 Graph mode for a Grid/Graph 314 graph resolution 240 Graph view for Grid/Graph 314 Grid mode Grid/Graph 313 Microcharts widget 569, 576 Grid view for Grid/Graph 313
980

grid, displaying a Grid/Graph as 313 Grid/Graph defined on 295 adding 298 as a shortcut 306 object to 312 automatic target maintenance for selectors and 299 changing dataset of 309 controlling another Grid/Graph 486 creating a widget from 597 custom sorting 332 custom subtotals 332 data manipulations in Flash Mode 360 dataset report 298, 312 disabling sorting and pivoting in for MicroStrategy Web 360 displaying 296 as a graph 314 as a grid 313 as a grid and a graph 315 drilling on 348 editing 310 when displayed as a graph 315 when displayed as a grid 313 when displayed as a grid and a graph 319 enabling drilling on 349 example 296 formatting. See also Grid/Graph formatting. 319 Graph mode 314 Grid mode 313 in header/footer 295 incremental fetch 772 Information Window 824 link 681 link to dataset report 345 linking as a shortcut 309 linking to a dataset report 306, 309 metric calculation and 116, 118
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

metric in 104 metric not displayed completely 920 multiple datasets 922 no data returned message 920 overlapping 49 pivoting Express Mode 358 Flash Mode 358 placeholder. See also Grid/Graph placeholder. 303 saving 919 selecting 310 selector and 418 shortcut 306 sorting Express Mode 358 Flash Mode 358 title bar 326 transition animation 492 turning into a widget 598, 599 unlinking dataset report 309 shortcut 309 used as a selector 486 used as selector 488 view filter 331 viewing as a graph 314 as a grid 313 as a grid and a graph 315 Width Mode Fit to contents 920 Grid/Graph formatting 319 background of selected items in 324 background when used as a selector 490 control default 198, 319 custom formatting 332 default grid autostyle 198 example 325

graph formatting 315 grid formatting 313 Height Mode Fit to contents 920 initial format 319 layout when displayed as a grid and a graph 316 resizing 310 Grid/Graph placeholder 303 adding a dataset to 304 adding existing dataset to 305 adding new dataset to 305 formatting 303, 304 group keeping data together 283 resetting page numbers for 281 restarting page numbering for 281 totals and disabling page-by 265 totals and sorting 267 totals for 264 Group Footer section 44 hiding 279 horizontal 273 metric calculation and 112, 118 Group Header section 41 hiding 279 horizontal 273 metric calculation and 112, 118 repeating 282 group totals 264 Grid/Graph metric calculation and 268 metric calculations in Grid/Graphs and 268 metrics and 271 grouped records, example 261 grouping displaying grouping elements containing null values 750 exporting and 251
981

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

exporting to separate Excel worksheets 283 field, deleting 264 Grid/Graph and 295 Group Header section 41 hiding Group Footer section 279 hiding Group Header section 279 horizontal sections 273 incremental fetch and 770 item, sorting 291 layout and 717 multi-layout document and 717 order, changing 262 page-by and 260 records 260 table of contents and 243 totals 264 grouping order horizontally displayed group and 277 Grouping panel 841 changing grouping order 262 deleting grouping field 264

H
header section and multi-layout document 725 Heat Map widget 525 data requirements 528 example 526 formatting 529, 621 selector and 527 using as a selector 622, 625 hiding document section 181 Group Header section 279 project watermark for a document 223 section 181 hiding a document section 36, 181
982

empty document section 190 from all users and designers 182 in all views 182 in MicroStrategy Web 184 hierarchy prompt in a link 687, 695 horizontal fit 235 overflow 235 size 191 horizontal alignment in a text field 173 horizontally displayed group 273 adding a grouping field to 276 changing the grouping order of 277 horizontally displayed section 186 inserting a section into 48 width 191 horizontally printing grouping section 273 section 186 HTML document section height 922 exporting to 7 HTML container 121, defined on 121 displayed in MicroStrategy Web 123 formatting 174 HTML tags supported in Flash Mode 123 in Excel 124, 126 in MicroStrategy Web 126 in PDF 124, 126 inserting (HTML tags) 125 inserting (iFrame) 127 inserting (URL) 127 using a URL 125 using an iFrame 125 using HTML tags 122 HTML content 121 HTML View

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

enabling 6 prerequisites for 6 hyperlink 706 creating on an image 708 creating with a dynamic text field 707 data field 707 example with a data field 707 image 706, 708 link URL vs. 669 link vs. 668, 669 pop-up text 706 text field 706 tooltip 706

I
iFrame 125 image accessing on shared network drive 131 accessing on Web server machine 130 attribute in the file name 133 dynamic 133 formatting 180 inserting 130 link 681 link to a web page 677 metric in the file name 133 missing in MicroStrategy Mobile 925 missing in PDF View 925 missing when exported to PDF 925 not displaying 924 not displaying in Flash Mode 928 PDF View and supported image types 132 used in Flash Mode 130 watermark 217 Image Viewer widget (mobile device) 792 importing document as template from another
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

project 29 template from another project 29 importing a layout into a document 725 including a table of contents in a PDF 243 incomplete or inconsistent object definition error 923 incremental fetch 769 Grid/Graph 772 grouping and 770 information keeping together 195 repeating horizontally 194 Information Window 805 Express Mode 824 Flash Mode 824 panel stack in iPad 824 input object control 763 formatting 763 inserting image 130 line 129 rectangle 129 rounded rectangle 129 shape 129 Intelligent Cube 749 Interactive Bubble Graph widget 531 data requirements 535 enabling drilling 532 example 375, 498, 531 formatting 536 using as a selector 622, 626 interactive dashboard 368 Interactive Stacked Graph widget 538 data requirements 540 example 540 formatting 541 using as a selector 622, 628 international support xxxv

983

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

investigative workflow 667 iPad best practices 786 changing panels with a swipe 823 Data Cloud widget 512 Date Selection widget 795 document display when rotated 830 filtering data based on distance from 808 formatting document for 820 formatting layout for 823, 826 formatting panel stack for 824 formatting selector for 822 Geo Location prompt 809 Graph Matrix visualization 797 Heat Map widget 799 Information Window for Map widget 805 Interactive Grid widget 799 linking in 818 Map widget 801 MicroStrategy Mobile for 785 opening iPad application 815 See also iPhone. template 829 Time Series widget 814 widget 793 iPhone best practices 786 Data Cloud widget 512 document display when rotated 830 filtering data based on distance from 808 formatting document for 820, 827 formatting layout for 826 Geo Location prompt 809 Information Window for Map widget 805 Interactive Grid widget 799
984

linking in 818 Map widget 801 MicroStrategy Mobile for 785 opening iPhone application 815 RSS Reader widget 589 RSS Reader widget formatting 810 template 828 Time Series widget 814 widget 792

J
J2EE, URL syntax for a link URL 938 Jobs per user parameter 925 Jobs per user session parameter 925 join, compound 732 joining multiple datasets 731

K
Keep together property 195 Kindle best practices for exporting a document to 21 KPI List mode for a Microcharts widget 570 metrics per KPI 571

L
landscape orientation 232 language parameter in a dynamic RSS feed 590 layout Autostyle 720 changing the order of 727 conditional formatting in 720 creating 721 dataset 720 deleting 727
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

Document Header and Footer 718 document properties for 719 exporting 727 footer 718 formatting border and background 213 formatting for a mobile device 826 formatting for iPad 823 header 718 horizontal overflow 235 importing 725 Layout Header and Footer 718 layout properties for 717 layout tab 726 Page Footer section 720 Page Header and Footer 725 Page Header section 720 PDF properties 719 properties for 717 renaming 727 sections in 36 separate Page Header and Footer for each 725 shared Page Header and Footer 725 switching 727 tab 716 Layout area defined on 841 controls in 10 Layout Footer section 44 metric calculation and 114 Layout Header section 41 metric calculation and 114 layout tab 716, 717, 726, 840 changing the order of 727 renaming 727 line adding 129 formatting 177

inserting 129 line weight issues 924 link defined on 667 Android. See link for Android any other prompts 683, 699 attribute element prompt 686, 687 attribute in a Grid/Graph 675, 681 attribute in a widget 659 clearing default link 684 components of 683 conditional metric and 687, 692 creating 702 creating a link URL manually 711 creating in a widget 661 creating, prerequisite 702 default 683, 684 default name 678 document as the target 681 document to multiple targets 676 drilling 681 drilling and 709 drilling using 682 drilling vs. 669 dynamic text in 679 email 711 example 671, 688, 690, 692, 696, 700 example of drilling using links 682 example of linking from a text field 673 example of linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph 675 example of linking in a widget 659 example of linking to a web page 672, 678 example of linking to multiple targets 676 export 711 Grid/Graph to dataset report 345 hierarchy in a Grid/Graph 681
985

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

hierarchy prompt 687, 695 hyperlink 706 hyperlink vs. 668 image 681 image to a web page 677 iPad. See link for iPad iPhone. See link for iPhone. Link Editor 711 metric in a Grid/Graph 681 multiple links on the same object 679 name 678, 683 object prompt in a Grid/Graph 681 opening in a new window 684 opening in the same window 684 prerequisite for creating 702 prerequisites for working with 671 prompt and 667, 683, 684 prompt answer method 683, 684, 695 prompt in a Grid/Graph 681 report as the target 681 selector and 709 selector vs. 669 setting as the default link 684 source 667 subscription 711 target 667, 683 terms used in 671 text field 673, 681 text field to a web page 677 tooltip and 678 web page as the target 672, 677, 679, 680, 681 without underline 684 Link Editor 711 link for Android 818 link for iPad 818 link for iPhone 818 link URL

.NET URL syntax 938 attribute element ID 941 attribute element list 941 attribute ID 941 auto text code in 938 base URL syntax 938 creating manually 944 dataset report ID 940 document message ID 943 event parameter 939 example of manually creating 945 hyperlink vs. 669 J2EE URL syntax 938 link vs. 669 list of attribute elements 941 message ID 943 object ID parameter 940 object type parameter 940 prompt information parameter 941 prompt XML 942 session parameters 938 syntax 937 linking a Grid/Graph as a shortcut 306, 309 unlinking 309 linking documents and reports 667 drilling 681 live Excel graph 256 loading panels in MicroStrategy Web 408 Lock button on the Controls toolbar 837 locking a control 144

M
Map widget (mobile device) 801 filtering data based on distance 808 filtering locations 804 Geo Location prompt 809 Information Window 805
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

986

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

location lines 807 location list 807 thresholds 804 margins 233 Media widget 555 configuring IIS 6 in Microsoft Windows 2003 SP2 (R2) to display Flash video 563 formatting 564 requirements 558 viewing media related to a dataset report 559 viewing media related to a document 559 viewing media related to an attribute 559 metric 51 advanced calculation 110 calculated expression 97 calculating a Grid/Graph at the group level 118 calculating as a grand total 114 calculating at the dataset level 111 calculating at the Grid/Graph level 116 calculating at the group level 112 calculation depending on location 110 calculation of 104, 923 comparison of metrics created in documents 97 compound 120 constant in 98 creating 97 derived 97, 101 document location and 110 dynamic aggregation 120 from dataset report 96 from multiple datasets 98 in Detail Footer section 114

in Detail Header section 114 in Detail section 111 in Document Footer section 114 in Document Header section 114 in Grid/Graph 116 in Grid/Graph in Group Header or Footer section 118 in Group Footer section 112 in Group Header section 112 in Layout Footer section 114 in Layout Header section 114 in multiple datasets 732 in Page Footer section 114 in Page Header section 114 operator in 98 reusing in multiple places 101 summary 97, 107 total 104 metric condition selector 432 qualification 433 qualification types 434 slider 432 Microchart widget bar microchart 567 bullet microchart 567 sparkline microchart 567 viewing as scrolling tickers 578 Microcharts widget 565 data requirements 581 formatting 585, 596 Grid mode 569, 576 KPI List mode 570 Ticker mode 578 Ticker operation mode 569 using as a selector 622, 630 Vertical Scroll mode 577 Vertical Scroll operation mode 569 viewing rows in a tree display 576

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

987

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

viewing rows one at a time 577 viewing rows simultaneously 576 MicroStrategy Mobile 785 Android 785 document display when rotated 830 image missing in 925 iPad 785 iPhone 785 Mobile View 830 transaction-enabled document 755 widget display 602 MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server e-mailing documents 937 MicroStrategy Transaction Services 754 creating a transaction-enabled document 755 input object controls that support transactions 763 MicroStrategy Web display mode 249 drilling 348 formatting for 248 Full Screen mode 494 hiding a control 164 hiding a document section in 184 improving document performance in 769, 772 loading panels 408 panel loading 408 selecting available display modes 249 selecting default display mode 249 toolbar icons 837 transaction-enabled document 755 MicroStrategy Web Server name 62 mirror gradient color 160 Mobile View 830 moving a control across sections 138

by alignment 138 by distribution 138 dragging and dropping 137 Nudge option 137 Property List position 137 multi-layout document 714 Autostyle 720 changing the order of the layouts 727 conditional formatting in 720 creating 721 creating from multiple reports 32 dataset 720 deleting a layout 727 Document Footer section 45 Document Header and Footer 718 Document Header section 41 document properties for 719 exporting 727 formatting border and background 213 grouping and 717 horizontal overflow 235 importing a layout 725 Layout Footer section 44 Layout Header and Footer 718 Layout Header section 41 layout properties for 717 layout tab 726 layout tab in 716 Page Footer section 45, 720 Page Header and Footer 725 Page Header section 40, 720 PDF properties 719 properties for 717 renaming layout 727 sections in 36 separate Page Header and Footer 725 shared Page Header and Footer 725

988

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

sorting and 717 switching layouts 727 table of contents in 245 watermark 217 Multimedia widget (mobile device) 792 multiple datasets 731 multiple links default link 684

PDF in separate window 4 ordering controls 144 prompts 767 orientation 232 out-of-the-box document, deploying to your project 779 overflow, controlling 235

N
nested panel stacks 398 prompts in a drill link 924 Nook best practices for exporting a document to 21 notes 845 adding 845 auto text code 61 editing 845 length of 845 submitting 845 viewing 845 Notes pane 845 null value 750 number formatting in a text field 169 number of pages, total 60 numbering pages 229

P
padding in a text field 172 page break adding 229 keep together 195 preventing within a group 283 Page Footer section 45 layout 720 metric calculation and 114 multi-layout document 45, 720 multi-layout document and 725 separate footer for a layout 725 shared among layouts 725 Page Header section 40 layout 720 metric calculation and 114 multi-layout document 40, 720 multi-layout document and 725 separate header for a layout 725 shared among layouts 725 page margins 233 page number 60 page setup options 231 page-by defined on 286 caching and 776 disabling 289 disabling simultaneous display of all elements 290 exporting and 251
989

O
object IDs, obtaining 940 object name delimiters for an auto text code 66 object on a report. See data field. object template 27 opaque background 152 opening

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

group totals 264 group totals and disabling 265 pages, numbering 229 panel defined on 392 changing with a swipe (iPad) 823 display order of 406 loading 408 loading current panel only 408 loading on demand 408 pre-loading 408 panel stack defined on 392 adding a panel 405 automatic target maintenance and 397 copying a panel 405 display order of panels 406 formatting for iPad 824 Information Window 824 inserting 399 loading panels 408 nested 398 panel selector arrows 402 preloading panels 408 selector and 396, 418 title bar 400 transition animation 492 paper orientation 232 paper size 231 PDF bookmarks in 240 displaying 237 embedding font in 237, 239 exporting to separate window 4 extra pages in 924 graph resolution 240 including an interactive table of contents 243 page setup options 231 properties 237

table of contents 243 PDF properties 237 layout and 719 multi-layout document and 719 PDF View 2 hiding a control 164 image missing 925 Photo Uploader widget (mobile device) 793 pivoting a Grid/Graph in Express Mode 358 pivoting a Grid/Graph in Flash Mode 358 disabling 360 pop-up tooltip 162 portable document 778 reconciliation 779 portal 326 portlet 326 portrait orientation 232 predefined format 215 primary dataset See also grouping and sorting dataset. printing documents on a single page 233 groups on a single page 233 landscape 232 margins 233 portrait 232 scaling 232 project copying a document between 778 document creation and 17 project name 61 project watermark 219 creating 221 hiding 223 overwriting document watermarks 226

990

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

prompt 61 Android 809 any other prompts 683 default prompt order 768 document and 766 iPad 809 iPhone 809 link and 667, 684 link URL and 941 order of 767 prompt answer method 683, 684 all valid units 688, 696 answer with the same prompt 685, 688 comparison of 685 current unit 688, 696 default answer 686 dynamic 686 empty answer 687 empty prompt answer 689 for any other prompts 699 hierarchy prompt 695 prompt user 686 static element list 687, 692 prompt details 61 prompt details auto text code 64 configuring 75 prompt in a link any other prompts 699 prompt order 767 Properties dialog box 151 Property List 151, defined on 843 controlling the display of 843 displaying 843 Help button 845 information about properties 845 sorting 844 tree 843 proportional selector items 480

Q
query parameter in a dynamic RSS feed 590

R
Really Simple Syndication (RSS). See RSS Reader widget. reconciling a document 778 reconciling an imported document 779 record grouping 260 sorting 290, 292 rectangle adding 129 formatting 177 renaming layout 727 layout tab 727 Repeat horizontally property 194 repeat section setting 282 repeating information horizontally 194 report creating a document from 31 creating a multi-layout document from multiple reports 32 execution in a document 925 report description auto text code 63 report details auto text code 63 configuring 67 configuring, sample 68, 69 report filter auto text code 63 report filter details auto text code 64 report limit details auto text code 64 Report Services document 1 See also document. resetting page numbers for a group 281 restarting page numbering for a group 281
991

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

rounded rectangle adding 129 formatting 179 RSS feed dynamic 590 static 589 RSS Reader widget 588 creating 593 data requirements 593 dynamic RSS feed in 590 formatting for iPhone 810 guidelines for a dynamic RSS feed 593 static RSS feed in 589 viewing news related to a dataset report 592 viewing news related to a document 592 viewing news related to a specific topic 590 viewing news related to an attribute 591

S
scaling 232 section displaying 36 formatting 180 hiding 36 horizontal 186 See also document section. 34 security requirements 16 selecting multiple controls 136 selector defined on 418 allowing update by another selector 458 automatic submission 454 automatic target maintenance 443 automatically applying selector

changes 454 automatically maintaining targets 443 automatically updating when there is no data for the current selection 458 cascading 460, 488 creating 426 current state 463 Date Selection widget 650 determining how the target displays (current state) 463 disabling autosubmission 455 docking for iPad 822 drilling and 709 drilling vs. 669 excluding data 441 filtering 435 filtering on metric values 432 Fish Eye 638 fixed item size 480 Flash-only interactive 638, 650 formatting 476 formatting container vs. title bar 476 formatting for iPad 822 formatting items 481, 483 Grid/Graph and 418 including data 441 inserting for a Grid/Graph 430 interactive Flash-only 638, 650 item formatting 481, 483 item size 480 link and 709 link vs. 669 metric condition 432 multiple items 453 panel stack and 396, 418 proportional item size 480 selecting targets interactively 429

992

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

selection types 441 sizing items 480 slicing 435 style 423 target 426 target automatic maintenance 443 target cannot be changed 921 target display 463 target selection mode 429 title bar 473 totals 471 totals and conditional formatting 472 updating another selector 458 using a widget as 621 widget used as 635 shape adding 129 formatting 177 shortcut Grid/Graph 306 linking a Grid/Graph as 309 unlinking a Grid/Graph 309 Simple Grid widget 505 sizing a control 142 dragging sizing handles 142 using menu options 142 using the Properties dialog box 142 using the Property List 142 slicing selector 435 example 436 viewed off-line 438 snapping to grid 138 sorting document 290, 292 group totals and 267 grouping item 291 layout and 717 multi-layout document and 717

records 292 using a view filter 332 sorting a Grid/Graph in Express Mode 358 sorting a Grid/Graph in Flash Mode 358 disabling 360 source of link 667 sparkline microchart 567 static RSS feed 589 static text 51 adding to a document 52 combining with another text field 57 Store Layout widget 505 subset report as dataset 749 subtotals calculating 104 group 264 shortcut to subtotals 107 summary metric 107 using a view filter 332 summary metric 97, defined on 107 conditional formatting 201 creating 110 renaming 110 support international xxxv support. See technical support. switching layout 727

T
table of contents 243 bookmarks and 247 changing location of 248 formatting 244 grouping and 243 multi-layout document and 245 target
993

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

of link 667 of selector 426 of selector cannot be changed 921 of selector changed 921 target selection mode 429 automatic target maintenance and 429 technical support xxxvi template Blank Dashboard 183 Blank Document 37 creating a document with 27 creating document template 28 displaying Object Templates folder 29 exporting to another project 29 importing from another project 29 iPad 829 iPhone 828 predefined document template 28 template details auto text code 64 configuring 70 displaying the base template name 71 text direction in a text field 173 text field 51 clipped 168 combining 57 display properties 173 formatting 166 link 681 link to a web page 677 number formatting 169 padding 172 padding and vertical text 172 scroll bar 168 text display properties 173 vertical text 171 vertical text and padding 172 text, adding to a document 51 Thermometer widget 542
994

data requirements 543 example 372, 543 formatting 544 three-dimensional effect 155 three-way gradient color 160 threshold. See conditional formatting. 200 Ticker operation mode for a Microcharts widget 569, 578 time 60 Time Series Slider widget 545 data requirements 546 example 545 formatting 546 using as a selector 622, 630 Time widget (iPad) 812 Timeline widget 505 title bar Grid/Graph 326 panel stack 400 selector 473 toolbar icons in MicroStrategy Web 837 tooltip 162 hyperlink and 706 link and 678 totals calculating automatically 104 selector 471 using summary metric 107 Transaction Services 923 Transaction Services. See MicroStrategy Transaction Services. transaction-enabled document 754 creating 755 input object controls that support transactions 763 transition 492 transition animation 492 transparent background 152
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Report Services Document Creation Guide

Index

troubleshooting 919 Excel exporting 19 Flash Mode 925 True Type font on UNIX 2 tutorial dashboard 875 document 847 typing a data field 57

viewing a document PDF View 2 viewing a list of KPIs as rows of microcharts 570 virtual dataset defined on 732 Visual Insight 13

W
Waterfall widget 548 data requirements 549 displaying increments and decrements 549 formatting 550 using as a selector 622, 634 watermark 217 disabling 226 disabling document watermark 226 document 219 margins 217 project 219, 221 washout 218 web content 121 Weighted List Viewer widget 552 data requirements 554 formatting 555 using as a selector 622, 634 widget defined on 497 Android 794 Bubble Grid 507 creating 597 custom 505 Cylinder 510 Data Cloud 512 Date Selection (iPad) 795 display 601 displaying a message behind 607 drilling in an Interactive Bubble Graph widget 532
995

U
UNIX, True Type font on 2 unlinking a Grid/Graph shortcut 309 unlocking a control 144 USA Map widget 505 user auto text code 61

V
variable. See auto text code. vector graph 240 Vertical Scroll mode for a Microcharts widget 577 Vertical Scroll operation mode of a Microcharts widget 569 vertical text 171 embedding a font for displaying in Flash Mode 249 padding and 172 view filter 331 adding to Grid/Graph 921 custom formatting 332 custom sorting 332 custom subtotals 332 example 336 multiple conditions 338 view mode for a Grid/Graph Graph 314 Grid 313

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Index

Report Services Document Creation Guide

formatting 609 formatting at document level 619 formatting graph axis labels 619 formatting pie graph labels 620 formatting selector of 621 Funnel 514 Gauge 518 Google Graph Visualization 505 Google Map 505, 506 Google Map Visualization 506 Graph Matrix 520 Graph Matrix visualization (iPad) 797 Heat Map 525 Heat Map (iPad) 799 Heat Map and selector 527 Image Viewer (mobile device) 792 Interactive Bubble Graph 531 Interactive Grid (mobile device) 799 Interactive Stacked Graph 538 iPad 793 iPhone 792 Map (mobile device) 801 Media 555 Microcharts 565 Multimedia 792 multiple data providers for 505 not displaying in Flash Mode 928 Photo Uploader (mobile device) 793 rendering 601 RSS Reader 588 selector and 486 Simple Grid 505 Store Layout 505 Thermometer 542 Time Series (mobile device) 814 Time Series Slider 545 Timeline 505 Timeline (iPad) 812
996

turning a Grid/Graph into 598, 599 type 500 USA Map 505 using as a selector 621, 635 viewing data related to 621 Waterfall 548 Weighted List Viewer 552 word wrap in a text field 173 write-back functionality 754

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

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