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Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction to BusinessObjects Voyager 13
About this guide.........................................................................................14
What is BusinessObjects Voyager?.....................................................14
Who should read this guide?................................................................17
Chapter 16 Using Voyager with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services 185
Overview of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services....................186
Using Analysis Services 2005 hierarchies in Voyager.............................188
Free characteristics.................................................................................201
Key figures and formatted values............................................................201
Formatting with no key figures...........................................................201
Display attributes.....................................................................................202
Compounded characteristics...................................................................202
Mutually exclusive hierarchies.................................................................203
Unbalanced and ragged hierarchies........................................................203
Chapter 18 Using Voyager with Oracle Hyperion Essbase Data Sources 205
Overview of Oracle Hyperion Essbase features support in Voyager.......206
Attribute dimensions................................................................................207
Using attribute dimensions to filter data.............................................208
Attribute Calculations dimension........................................................210
Dynamic Time Series...............................................................................212
Creating a calculation that returns a period-to-date value.................212
Alias tables..............................................................................................213
Setting the active alias table...............................................................214
Searching for members by their aliases.............................................215
Export button......................................................................................236
Print button.........................................................................................236
Copy button........................................................................................237
Paste button.......................................................................................237
Delete button......................................................................................238
Calculation button...............................................................................238
Sort button..........................................................................................239
Rank button........................................................................................241
Filter button........................................................................................241
Exception Highlighting button.............................................................242
Measure Formatting button................................................................242
Display Member Settings button........................................................243
Swap Axis button................................................................................243
Visual Totals button............................................................................243
Insert Crosstab button........................................................................244
Chart buttons......................................................................................244
Help button.........................................................................................246
Crosstab component reference...............................................................246
Understanding the crosstab...............................................................247
Crosstab title bar................................................................................250
Crosstab dimension panel..................................................................250
Crosstab grid......................................................................................252
Crosstab buttons................................................................................255
Crosstab display options....................................................................256
Crosstab tooltips.................................................................................259
Chart component reference.....................................................................260
Chart dimension panel.......................................................................261
Chart range slider...............................................................................264
Chart title bar......................................................................................266
Chart graphic......................................................................................266
Chart types.........................................................................................268
Index 301
1
1 Introduction to BusinessObjects Voyager
About this guide
This guide provides you with information and procedures for the following
tasks:
• Analyzing OLAP data.
• Using BusinessObjects Enterprise to save your Voyager workspaces for
other members of your organization to view over the Web.
• Printing and exporting your workspaces.
Voyager is a powerful, web-based OLAP analysis tool that can help you to
gain insight into business data and make intelligent decisions that impact
corporate performance.
OLAP data is displayed in the Voyager analysis window with crosstabs and
charts. You create a workspace, add crosstab and chart objects to the
analysis window, connect those objects to OLAP data sources, and then
interactively define queries to explore your data.
For a list of the supported data sources, please see the Voyager
Administrator's Guide.
The crosstab and chart are connected to the cube they represent. With the
controls on the crosstab, users can reorient the crosstab, swap dimensions,
and "slice and dice" the data to get answers to business problems.
The documentation set for Voyager comprises these guides and online help
products:
Getting started
To get started working with Voyager workspaces and analyzing data, see
Opening a workspace and analyzing data on page 26.
2
2 Understanding OLAP
OLAP Overview
Voyager is a tool for viewing and analyzing business data, specifically OLAP
(Online Analytical Processing) data. This section explains OLAP.
OLAP Overview
Relational databases store data as individual records. Each record may
contain a number of fields, but all these fields relate to just one record. For
example, a Product record might have a number of fields containing
information about that Product, such as sales transactions to different
customers in different regions.
This spreadsheet shows sales for each Product within each Region. This
data has two dimensions: Product (shown in the rows), and Region (shown
in the columns). Also, each dimension comprises several members; in this
example, members of the Region dimension include USA, Canada, and the
UK.
The data cube allows analysts to slice data in different ways in order to get
answers to different business questions, such as:
• How are our products selling in each region (view Product by Region,
as before)?
• How do our products sell at different times of the year in each market
(Product by Region by Time)?
• How do our products sell at different times of the year (view Product by
Time)?
This example has only three dimensions. OLAP applications can handle
many more than three.
This is harder to picture than three dimensions, but it works in the same way;
with another dimension, there are more possible ways of slicing the cube,
to provide answers to questions such as 'Which UK customer buys the most
(or least) of a certain product at Christmas?'
Hierarchical data
OLAP also allows analysts to organize each one of the data dimensions into
a hierarchy of sub-groups and totals to reflect the organization of their
business.
OLAP allows analysts to view data for All Toys at the top level, then drill-down
to lower and lower levels of detail, so that they can discover the precise
source of a particular performance variation in their data.
By allowing analysts to use several dimensions in their data cube, with the
possibility of a hierarchy in each dimension, OLAP reflects the way they
picture their business, and is not constrained by the structure of information
storage.
3
3 Getting Started with BusinessObjects Voyager
Opening a workspace and analyzing data
This section shows you how to create a Voyager workspace and begin
working with your data.
You may also want to read a few brief definitions of some terms that are
used throughout this guide.
• Some essential terminology on page 26
1. Application toolbar
2. Tab panel
3. Metadata explorer
4. Analysis window
Voyager terms
A bar, line, or pie chart object that you drag into the
analysis window to visualize your data.
chart component
For more information about charts, see Chart compo-
nent reference on page 260.
The area within the Data tab that displays cube dimen-
sions and members in a tree structure, indented to
metadata explorer show parent-child relationships.
For more information about the metadata explorer, see
Data tab metadata explorer on page 224.
Note: If your system administrator has not granted you sufficient rights,
“Voyager Workspace” does not appear in the New menu. For more
information about rights and access levels, see the Voyager
Administrator's Guide.
Note: Voyager includes a set of sample cubes that you can use to explore
the many analysis features Voyager provides. Your system administrator
can install these sample cubes and create connections for them so that
you can add them to your workspaces. For more information, see
"Installing sample data cubes" in the BusinessObjects Voyager
Administrator's Guide.
If authentication fails, first verify that you entered your credentials correctly.
If authentication continues to fail, see your system administrator. Your
Related Topics
• Define a query on page 32
• Add charts and more crosstabs on page 32
Define a query
Once you have added a connection, you can define a query and begin
working with your data in the analysis window. For information on queries
and how to define them, see Creating and defining queries to answer your
business questions on page 40.
After you define a basic query, you can add charts and more crosstabs, and
manipulate your data using operations such as sorting, filtering, exception
highlighting, and calculations. For more information about those and other
Voyager features, see the relevant sections of this User's Guide.
Related Topics
• Create a Voyager workspace on page 30
• Add charts and more crosstabs on page 32
For detailed information about charts and crosstabs, see Overview of Voyager
charts on page 56, Chart component reference on page 260, and Crosstab
component reference on page 246.
Once you've created a workspace and defined a query on the crosstab, you
can add a chart simply by clicking a button on the application toolbar.
Alternatively, you can drag a chart from the application toolbar into the
analysis window, to the position you select. The drop location is highlighted
as you move the mouse cursor in the analysis window.
Related Topics
• Resizing and moving components on page 151
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
1. Click the Delete button on the right side of the component's title bar.
You can add a second crosstab if you want to explore a different view of
your data, or if you want to compare data from two separate data sources.
If you add a second new crosstab to the page, Voyager creates an undefined
query and links the second crosstab to it. You can then define a different
cube view with the new query. Or, you can copy the first crosstab and make
changes to the copy.
If you add a second chart to the page, the new chart is automatically linked
to the most recent query: the second query. You can then compare two cube
views, each with a crosstab and chart, on a single page.
Related Topics
• Resizing and moving components on page 151
• Copying a component to compare variations in data on page 150
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
•
Click the Crosstab button on the application toolbar.
The crosstab is added to the page, below or to the right of existing
components.
Alternatively, you can drag a crosstab from the application toolbar into
the analysis window, to the position you select. The drop location is
highlighted as you move the mouse cursor in the analysis window.
Related Topics
• Create a Voyager workspace on page 30
• Define a query on page 32
4
4 Using Queries to Analyze Cube Data
Creating and defining queries to answer your business questions
This section introduces the concept of querying, which is the technique you'll
use in Voyager to obtain information from your data.
Defining queries
You define queries by populating a crosstab with data. Start by choosing
dimensions or members to add to the crosstab's row, column, and slice axes.
Then you can expand and refine the query using the many analysis tools
that Voyager provides.
You can also define queries using a chart component if you prefer. For details,
see Adding data to a chart on page 66.
For more information on using the crosstab and chart, see Queries and visual
components explained on page 52, Crosstab component reference on page
246 and Chart component reference on page 260.
For more information on the Data tab and how it displays dimensions and
members, see Data tab on page 220.
3. When you have selected the dimension or members that you want to
place on the first axis, drag them from the Data tab to the appropriate
drop zone in the crosstab:
• To add the selected items to the crosstab's rows, drag them to the
"Drop Row" area.
• To add the selected items to the crosstab's columns, drag them to the
"Drop Column" area.
• To add the selected items to the crosstab's slice, drag them to the
"Drop Slice" area.
• If you are placing members of a measures dimension onto a crosstab,
you can also drag them to the cell drop zone; the main grid of the
crosstab component.
You can also use the buttons above the metadata explorer on the Data
tab to populate your crosstab. First, select a component in the analysis
window, and then click one of these buttons to add the members to the
crosstab:
•
Click Add to Rows to add the selected dimension or members to
the rows on the crosstab.
•
Click Add to Columns to add the selected dimension or members
to the columns on the crosstab.
•
Click Add to Slice to add the selected dimension or members to
the slice axis.
Note:
• You cannot add members from the same dimension to two axes.
• When you place a dimension on an axis, the dimension's default
member is automatically selected. The default member for a dimension
can be specified on the cube server, depending on your OLAP provider.
Otherwise, the default member is the first top-level member of the
dimension.
• If you add fact dimensions (non-measures dimensions) or members
of fact dimensions to the two view axes, leaving the slice axis empty,
Voyager automatically adds the default member of the measures
dimension to the query and populates the crosstab with data. The
selected measure is displayed in the crosstab's title bar. You can
change to a different measure by clicking the Member Selector button
on the title bar.
• With SAP BW data sources, hierarchies that belong to the same
dimension are mutually exclusive. For example, consider an SAP BW
cube that contains a dimension Customer that contains three
hierarchies: Country_1, Country_2, and Country_3. Only one of
these hierarchies can be included in a single crosstab or chart query.
You cannot specify Country_1 on the row axis and Country_3 on the
slice axis in the same query.
Modifying queries
You can modify a query in several ways:
• Open the Member Selector and select different members for the crosstab
or chart. For information on selecting members, see Selecting Members
to Display in Crosstabs and Charts on page 77, and Member Selector
reference on page 278.
• Apply functions from the Voyager application toolbar. For information on
using the toolbar, see Toolbar reference on page 233.
• Drill up or down on members. For information on drilling, see Drilling down
and drilling up on page 144.
• Drag new dimensions or members from the same connection onto the
crosstab's or chart's drop zones, or drag dimensions between axes, or
drag dimensions off the component.
• You do not need to hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple individual
members.
3. When you have selected the dimension or members that you want to
place on the first axis, drag them from the Data tab to the appropriate
drop zone in the crosstab or chart.
You can choose to replace the existing members with the selected
members, or add the selected members to the existing members.
You can also use the buttons above the metadata explorer area on the
Data tab to populate your crosstab. First, select a component in the
analysis window, and then click one of these buttons to add the members
to the crosstab:
•
Click Add to Rows to add the selected dimension or members to
the row axis on the crosstab.
•
Click Add to Columns to add the selected dimension or members
to the column axis on the crosstab.
•
Click Add to Slice to add the selected dimension or members to
the slice axis.
Note:
• You cannot add members from the same dimension to two axes.
• When you place a dimension on a row, column, or slice axis, the
dimension's default member is automatically selected. With Microsoft
Analysis Services, the dimension's default member can be set on the
OLAP server. For other OLAP providers, the default member is the
first member on the top level of the dimension.
Related Topics
• Defining queries on page 40
• Adding queries on page 48
• Creating complex queries by nesting dimensions on page 49
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
• Deleting queries on page 52
• Queries and visual components explained on page 52
Adding queries
Voyager automatically adds an empty crosstab to each new page, and creates
an undefined query for each crosstab. You define those queries by dragging
dimensions and members onto crosstabs or charts.
If you want two or more different views of your data on the same page, you
can manually add multiple queries to your page with the Add Query button.
Note: Voyager also creates a new undefined query when you manually add
a new crosstab to a page.
To nest dimensions
1. In the metadata explorer, locate the dimension or members that you want
to nest with an existing dimension on the crosstab
For more information on the metadata explorer and how it displays
dimensions and members, see Data tab metadata explorer on page 224.
3. When you have selected the dimension or members that you want to
nest, drag them from the Data tab to the left or right drop zone.
When you release the mouse button, the selected members are "nested"
with the existing members.
Related Topics
• Defining queries on page 40
• Modifying queries on page 45
• Adding queries on page 48
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
• Deleting queries on page 52
• Queries and visual components explained on page 52
For example, if you've defined two queries, Query 1 and Query 2, and you
have a chart linked to Query 2, you may want to move the chart to Query 1
to see the chart visualization of the data in Query 1.
Related Topics
• Defining queries on page 40
• Modifying queries on page 45
• Adding queries on page 48
• Creating complex queries by nesting dimensions on page 49
• Deleting queries on page 52
• Queries and visual components explained on page 52
Deleting queries
When you delete chart or crosstab components, queries that those
components were linked to are not automatically removed, so your workspace
may contain unused queries.
To delete a query
1. Select the query on the Structure tab.
2.
Click Delete on the Structure tab toolbar.
Alternatively, you can press the DEL key.
Note: If you try to delete a query that has crosstab or chart components
linked to it, you are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the
query and any linked components.
Related Topics
• Defining queries on page 40
• Modifying queries on page 45
• Adding queries on page 48
• Creating complex queries by nesting dimensions on page 49
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
• Queries and visual components explained on page 52
To define a query, you specify the measures and dimensions that you want
to include in the cube view. You do this by dragging the dimensions or
members that you want to analyze onto the crosstab or chart component. In
the preceding example, Store Costs and Year are the two dimensions that
you would use when defining this query.
It is important to understand that the query stores the structure and values
of the data but the crosstab and chart visual components display the data.
Visual components
You can display a cube view in different types of visual components: for
example a crosstab, or a horizontal bar chart.
Crosstab and chart components contain clearly identified drop zones. You
drag dimensions or members from the Data tab to these drop zones to define
a query, and Voyager displays the results of the query in the component.
A crosstab and chart belonging to the same query can be thought of as linked
because they display the same view or set of cube data. In other words, they
refer or point to the same query. If you modify the query in any way on one
visual component, the equivalent action is performed on any of the linked
components. For example, if you drill down on USA to display data for states
on the crosstab component, any linked charts also re-render to display data
for states.
Related Topics
• Defining queries on page 40
• Modifying queries on page 45
• Adding queries on page 48
• Creating complex queries by nesting dimensions on page 49
• Linking a component to a different query on page 51
• Deleting queries on page 52
5
5 Using Charts to Visualize Data
Overview of Voyager charts
This section explains how you can present your business data by using the
different types of chart provided by BusinessObjects Voyager.
You can also unlink, or disconnect, a chart component from its current query,
and link it to a different query or to a new query.
Charts can be easily customized. You can change the chart type, or change
the appearance of the chart to increase clarity. You can also drill down on
data in the chart to examine the data in more detail.
This section describes each of the chart types, how to add a chart to a page,
how to add data to a chart, and how to customize a chart's appearance.
Click one of these links to learn more about a particular chart type:
• Cluster bar charts on page 58
• Stacked bar charts on page 59
• Percent stacked bar charts on page 60
• 3D bar charts on page 61
• Multi-series line charts on page 62
• Multi-series pie charts on page 63
Chart types
Voyager provides a variety of chart types to help you visualize your data.
Related Topics
• Adding a chart to the analysis window on page 63
• Adding data to a chart on page 66
• Scrolling through large data sets in charts on page 68
• Customizing charts on page 69
• Chart component reference on page 260
Cluster bar charts show values compared across categories, or over time;
for example, sales for each region by month. Several values (a "cluster") are
shown grouped together in each category or time period.
Stacked bar charts show how related sets of values compare to each other
and contribute to a total. For example, if you create a bar chart that illustrates
sales per product, you can use a stacked bar chart to show data from several
years, one year on top of another.
Voyager provides both horizontal and vertical stacked bar chart types.
3D bar charts
Pie charts display the sizes of items that compose a data series, proportional
to the sum of the items. A pie chart is used to show the relative contributions
of values, and is useful when you want to emphasize a significant element
in the data. Each pie in a multi-series pie chart represents a category; each
pie slice represents a data series.
As you drag the component into the analysis window, the cursor indicates
whether or not you can place the chart component at the position of the
mouse pointer. When the mouse pointer is inside a valid drop zone, the
drop zone is highlighted.
Alternatively, you can click a chart button to insert that chart type on the
current page. The component is added to the page, below or to the right
of existing components.
Before your chart will show any data, you must add a data connection to
the page, and add data to the chart. For more information about adding
a data connection, see Connecting to OLAP data sources on page 289.
For more information about adding data to a chart, see Adding data to a
chart on page 66.
You can change the chart type to any of the available types.
• Right-click the chart, point to Chart Type, and click the chart type you
want to switch to.
Related Topics
• Chart types on page 57
• Adding data to a chart on page 66
• Scrolling through large data sets in charts on page 68
• Customizing charts on page 69
For example, if a page contains only a single crosstab, and if that crosstab
has been used to define a query (data has been added to the crosstab), then
when you add a new chart to the page, the chart is populated with the same
data that is in the crosstab.
Typically, the chart's data series correspond to the crosstab's rows, and the
chart's categories correspond to the crosstab's columns. In a pie chart, each
individual pie object corresponds to a column in the crosstab, and the pie
slices represent individual row members.
If you add a chart to a new page that contains only an empty crosstab and
an undefined query, you will need to define the query to add data to the chart.
For more information about creating and defining queries, see Defining
queries on page 40.
If you want to create a page that contains only a chart component, you can
use an empty chart component to create a query, without first having to
define the data view in a crosstab component.
Each chart component has drop zones, which represent areas you can drag
data onto from the Data tab.
You can modify your query in a chart much like you would modify a query in
a crosstab. For example, you can swap dimensions using the chart
component's dimension panel, and use the Member Selector to choose
different members for the chart axes.
Note: You can hide the range slider by clicking the arrow at the edge
of the range slider. To restore the range slider, click the arrow again.
The selected range is shown with a white background in the range slider
when using the Default or Shadow chart styles, or with a black background
when using the Presentation styles.
Related Topics
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart types on page 57
• Adding a chart to the analysis window on page 63
• Adding data to a chart on page 66
• Customizing charts on page 69
Customizing charts
Voyager provides several options for customizing the appearance of your
charts. All these options are available from the Properties tab.
Related Topics
• Chart types on page 57
• Adding a chart to the analysis window on page 63
• Adding data to a chart on page 66
• Scrolling through large data sets in charts on page 68
The chart's name appears on the chart itself both on screen and when printed.
The chart's comments appear only if you print the chart to a PDF. For more
information, see Chart display options on page 272.
4. Type any comments that you want to appear below the printed chart in
the Comments field.
5. Click Apply.
You can choose from several predefined color palettes for displaying your
charts. For details on the palettes available, see Chart display options on
page 272.
Chart styles
You can choose from several predefined styles for displaying your charts.
For details on the styles available, see Chart display options on page 272.
3. On the Properties tab, choose a value for the Style property, and then
click Apply.
Display font
You can set the character font used in your charts. For details, see Font on
page 274.
Depending on the type of chart and the type of data the chart displays, you
may want to simplify the chart by hiding null values.
For details on suppressing null values in charts, see Excluding null values
on page 104 and Suppress NULL Values on page 274.
On a chart, visual totals are hidden by default. For example, if a pie chart
contains several members and a visual total representing the sum of the
other members, the sum is not normally displayed in the pie chart because
the sum would always occupy exactly half of the pie chart.
If you want more room for displaying the chart graphic, you can hide the
chart dimension panel.
You can add labels to the chart axes. See Descriptions of chart display
options on page 273 for details on the chart axis labels.
4. Click Apply.
6
6 Selecting Members to Display in Crosstabs and Charts
Overview of member selection
This section explains how to select members to include in your crosstab and
chart components.
Related Topics
• Member Selector reference on page 278
The rest of this section describes selecting members using the Member
Selector. For more information about the metadata explorer, see Data tab
metadata explorer on page 224.
Related Topics
• Hiding members from view on page 85
• Setting the slice member on page 86
• Deselecting members on page 87
• Showing only selected members in the Member Selector on page 88
• Displaying member names and captions on page 89
• Displaying the parent names of all members on page 89
• Member Selector reference on page 278
Because selections from multiple search results are cumulative, you can use
multiple searches to build the set of members you want to analyze.
For example, if you wanted to analyze sales of books and magazines, you
would perform these steps:
• Perform a search for "book" in the Member Selector.
• Select appropriate members from the search results.
• Without closing the Member Selector, perform a second search for
"magazine."
• Select members from the second search results.
When you click OK, all selected members from both searches are displayed.
For more information about searching for members in the Member Selector,
including tips on search-string syntax and using wildcards, see Displaying
member names and captions on page 89 and Member Selector Start Search
button on page 283.
Note: Clicking the Return to Member List button returns you to the
complete member list. All selected members remain selected.
For example, for the member Quarter 2, its parent member could be 2007,
its child members could be April, May, and June, and its sibling members
could be Quarter 1, Quarter 3, and Quarter 4.
Related Topics
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Chart title bar on page 266
The two methods are equivalent. If you want to restore a hidden member to
the crosstab or chart, use the Member Selector to re-select the hidden
member.
If you already have a dimension placed on the slice axis, you can use the
Member Selector to set new slice members for the axis. Alternatively, you
can drag members from the metadata explorer on the Data tab to the slice
axis.
You can specify either a single member or multiple members for your slice
axis, depending on which cube provider your crosstab is connected to and
which type of dimension you are choosing slice members from. You can
specify only a single member from a Measures dimension for the slice axis.
If you connect to a cube provider that supports custom aggregation, you can
specify multiple members on a slice dimension. Microsoft Analysis Services
2000/2005 and SAP BW support custom aggregates. Oracle Hyperion
Essbase does not support custom aggregates.
Therefore, if your data source is Essbase, you cannot place multiple members
in the slice area.
If the slice axis is already populated, drag the members to the center drop
zone on the slice axis to swap the existing slice members with the selected
members. Or, drag the members to a side drop zone to nest the slice
members with the existing members.
Deselecting members
You can deselect members by clicking them individually in the Member
Selector, or you can deselect groups of members simultaneously:
• Deselect all members.
• Deselect all members at a level.
• Deselect parent, child, or sibling members.
Note: After you deselect all members, the OK button in the Member
Selector is disabled because you must select at least one member for
each dimension on the crosstab.
See Member Selector Display Mode button on page 282 for more
information on these display modes.
7
7 Sorting, Filtering, and Ranking Data
Sorting data columns or rows
This section shows you how to sort, filter, and rank your data.
Sorting can be useful, for example, if you want to see sales regions in order
of their revenue. Once you sort your data, it is easy to see which sales region
is the most successful.
Filters and ranks let you hide much of your data, so you can concentrate on
the information that is important to you.
An ascending sort orders your data with the smaller data at the top or to the
left. A descending sort orders your data with larger data at the top or to the
left. By default, data is sorted without regard to the hierarchical structure of
the dimension. To sort data while retaining the hierarchical structure of the
dimension, see Sorting within hierarchies on page 95.
You can add a sort to one column member and one row member. On an axis
that has nested dimensions, the selected member must be on the innermost
dimension.
Cells that are uninitialized (null) or invalid are ranked in value below any
other cells; they appear last in a descending and first in an ascending sort.
They are shown as nulls in the crosstab. For information about displaying
null values, see Display NULL Values As on page 257.
For more information about sort types, see Sort button on page 239.
An icon appears beside the member name, indicating the direction of the
sort.
An icon appears beside the member name, indicating the direction of the
sort.
Note:
• The sort button is disabled until you select a single row or column in
a crosstab.
• If your crosstab contains nested dimensions, you can add a sort only
to a member of the innermost dimension.
For more information about sorting and the different sort types, see Sort
button on page 239.
Related Topics
• Combining a sort and filter on page 104
• Combining a sort and rank on page 104
If you turn on the Maintain Hierarchies option, you can apply ascending and
descending sorts with the hierarchy of the data preserved—parent members
are sorted in order, and child members below the parents are sorted in their
own order.
The Maintain Hierarchies option is applied at the axis level. If you apply the
option to the row axis, but not to the column axis, then any sorts that you
apply to members on the row axis will maintain hierarchies, but sorts that
you apply to members on the column axis will not maintain hierarchies.
The Maintain Hierarchies option remains turned on until you explicitly toggle
it off again.
1. In the crosstab, select the row or column member heading that you want
to sort.
2.
Click the arrow beside the Sort button, and then click Maintain
Hierarchies.
Alternatively, right-click the member heading, point to Sort, and then select
Maintain Hierarchies.
Removing a sort
You can manually remove a sort, or Voyager can remove sorts automatically.
Whenever you swap, replace, or nest dimensions on the row or column axes,
all sorts are automatically removed from the query. However, sorts are not
automatically removed if you perform a "swap axis" operation.
1. In the crosstab, select the row or column member heading that you want
to remove a sort from.
2.
Click the arrow beside the Sort button, and then click Clear.
Note: If the crosstab contains a sort on the other axis, that sort remains
in effect.
When any of the following actions is performed, all existing sorts, filters, and
ranks that are applied to that axis (the "target" axis) are automatically
removed:
• Swapping dimensions, removing a dimension, or adding a dimension.
• Changing the order of nested dimensions.
• Swapping a dimension to the slice axis.
Swapping the positions of the row and column dimensions with the Swap
Axis button does not remove sorts, filters, or ranks from the query.
For more information about filters, see Filter button on page 241 and Filter
Editor dialog box on page 286.
2.
Click Filter.
Alternatively, right-click any of the selected member headings, point to
Filter, and then click Set.
3. In the Filter Editor dialog box, select the type of filter you want to add to
the selected rows or columns.
For details on the types of filters you can apply, see Filter Editor dialog
box on page 286.
5. Click OK.
The target rows or columns are filtered, and a Filter icon appears beside
the member names.
The Filter Editor dialog box opens, showing the existing filter's condition
and values.
Note:
• The filter button is disabled until you select a single row or column in
a crosstab.
Related Topics
• Combining a filter and rank on page 104
• Combining a sort and filter on page 104
When you add a second filter to a different member on the same crosstab
axis, the second filter is applied to the results of the first filter. Both filters are
in effect, and the crosstab displays only the rows or columns that satisfy both
filter conditions.
Removing a filter
You can manually remove a filter, or Voyager can remove filters automatically.
Whenever you swap, replace, or nest dimensions on the row or column axes,
all filters are automatically removed from the query. However, filters are not
automatically removed if you perform a "swap axis" operation.
1. In the crosstab, right-click the row or column member heading that you
want to remove a filter from.
2. Point to Filter, and then click Clear.
Alternatively, you can right-click the Filter icon beside the filtered
member's name and click Clear Filter.
Only the target filter is removed. If the crosstab contains other filters,
those remain in effect.
When any of the following actions is performed, all existing sorts, filters, and
ranks that are applied to that axis (the "target" axis) are automatically
removed:
• Swapping dimensions, removing a dimension, or adding a dimension.
• Changing the order of nested dimensions.
• Swapping a dimension to the slice axis.
Swapping the positions of the row and column dimensions with the Swap
Axis button does not remove sorts, filters, or ranks from the query.
For example, a data analyst may start with a crosstab that shows all product
brands. She then performs a ranking action to see only the unit sales of the
Top 20 product brands, sorted from highest to lowest unit sales.
To add a rank
1. In the crosstab, select the row or column member heading that you want
to apply a rank to.
2.
Click Rank.
Alternatively, right-click the member heading, point to Rank, and click
Set.
3. From the Rank Editor dialog box, select a rank Condition, and then enter
the Number of Members or the Percentage of Total.
For details on the types of ranks you can apply, see Rank Editor dialog
box on page 285.
4. Click OK.
The target row or column is ranked, and a Rank icon appears beside the
member name.
The Rank Editor dialog box opens, showing the values defined for the
existing rank.
3. Make the desired changes to the rank and click OK.
For details on the types of ranks you can apply, see Rank Editor dialog
box on page 285.
Note:
• The Rank button is disabled until you select a single row or column in
a crosstab.
• The Clear option is disabled until you select a single row or column in
a crosstab, that has a rank applied to it.
Related Topics
• Combining a filter and rank on page 104
• Combining a sort and rank on page 104
When you add a second rank to a different member on the same crosstab
axis, the second rank is applied to the results of the first rank. Both ranks
are in effect, and the crosstab displays only the rows or columns that satisfy
both rank conditions.
For example, if you apply a "Top 20" rank to one member, and then apply a
"Top 10" rank to another member on the same axis, the crosstab displays
the top 10 members out of those 20 members.
Removing a rank
You can manually remove a rank, or Voyager can remove ranks automatically.
Whenever you swap, replace, or nest dimensions on the row or column axes,
all ranks are automatically removed from the query. However, ranks are not
automatically removed if you perform a "swap axis" operation.
1. In the crosstab, right-click the row or column member heading that you
want to remove a rank from.
2. Point to Rank, and then click Clear.
Alternatively, you can right-click the Rank icon beside the ranked
member's name and click Clear Rank.
Only the target rank is removed. If the crosstab contains other ranks,
those remain in effect.
When any of the following actions is performed, all existing sorts, filters, and
ranks that are applied to that axis (the "target" axis) are automatically
removed:
• Swapping dimensions, removing a dimension, or adding a dimension.
• Changing the order of nested dimensions.
• Swapping a dimension to the slice axis.
Swapping the positions of the row and column dimensions with the Swap
Axis button does not remove sorts, filters, or ranks from the query.
Click the Display Member Settings button in the crosstab's button area
to open the list. In the Member Settings dialog box, you can review the
conditions applied to your data, and remove any conditions you no longer
want to apply.
For more information, see Hidden sorts, filters, and ranks on page 103.
If your data has hidden conditions applied, you can click the Display
Member Settings button to view the list of conditions. Then, you can use the
Member Selector to restore the hidden members to the crosstab if desired.
For more information, see Displaying sorts, filters, and ranks applied to the
query on page 103.
When you apply a sort and a rank to the same member, the explicitly applied
sort always overrides the sort applied by the ranking operation.
The null suppression applies to the entire query; therefore, all crosstab and
chart components linked to that query are affected by the suppression.
You can suppress entire rows, columns, or both rows and columns.
To restore the removed rows and columns, click the Null Suppression
button again.
On all components that belong to the same query, the Null Suppression
button is depressed to indicate that null suppression is turned on for this
query.
Note: By default, null values in the crosstab are displayed as empty cells,
but you can change the way null values are displayed. For details, see
Properties tab on page 231.
8
8 Highlighting Exceptions in Data
Overview of exception highlighting
Note: On an axis that has nested dimensions, you can add row or column
highlighting only to members of the innermost dimension.
Related Topics
• Applying exception highlighting on page 109
• Removing exception highlighting on page 114
You can define up to seven ranges in Voyager, by specifying end points for
the ranges. When you enter a value in the Exception Highlighting dialog box,
that value defines the starting point for a new range. The new range includes
all values that are equal to or greater than the value you entered, and less
than the next starting point.
The Exception Highlighting dialog box opens, with one end point defined:
Minimum. The default range is defined as Minimum to Maximum.
3. Add appropriate ranges of values, up to a maximum of seven ranges.
Related Topics
• To add a range on page 111
• To delete a range on page 112
• To change the start or end point of a range on page 113
• To change the highlight color of a range on page 113
The Exception Highlighting dialog box opens, with one end point defined:
Minimum. The default range is defined as Minimum to Maximum.
3. Add appropriate ranges of values, up to a maximum of seven ranges.
Related Topics
• To add a range on page 111
• To delete a range on page 112
• To change the start or end point of a range on page 113
• To change the highlight color of a range on page 113
To add a range
1.
Type a value in the "Enter range point" field at the top of the dialog
box, and press Enter or click Add to add that value as another end point.
The new end point is added to the list, and is used to divide the default
range into two ranges: Minimum to end point, and end point to Maximum.
Voyager selects colors for the highest and lowest ranges automatically,
leaving any other ranges you define unhighlighted. You can add highlight
colors to those other ranges, or change the colors used to highlight the
highest and lowest ranges.
3. Click OK when you have defined all the ranges you need.
To delete a range
1. For global exception highlighting, click the Select All button in the
crosstab. For row and column exception highlighting, select the row or
column member heading that you want to remove exception highlighting
ranges from.
2.
Click Exception Highlight.
Alternatively, for global highlighting you can right-click any data cell in the
crosstab, point to Global Exception Highlighting, and click Set, or for
row and column highlighting you can right-click a row or column member
heading, point to Highlight Exceptions, and click Set.
3. In the Exception Highlighting dialog box, select the range you want to
delete by clicking anywhere on the row.
4. Click the Delete button to delete the selected range.
4. Enter a new value for that point and press Enter, or click outside that cell
with the mouse.
The new point is set, and the ranges are updated. The ranges are also
re-sorted so that ranges are ordered from lowest to highest based on the
starting points.
5. If desired, change the colors of other ranges, and then click OK to apply
the new colors to the crosstab.
9
9 Defining Calculations
Overview of calculations
This section describes the calculation types available to help you analyze
your data.
Overview of calculations
Crosstabs that contain raw multidimensional data are not always easy to
read or understand. Sometimes, there are trends which are hidden by the
data, or are only revealed when new information is derived from the data.
Revealing these trends is accomplished by applying calculations to the data
on the crosstab.
Voyager calculations include both visual totals, which aggregate the data
currently displayed in the crosstab, and calculated members, which are
calculations that behave as members. You can manipulate the calculated
members much like standard data members.
Some basic Voyager calculations are predefined; you don't need to specify
any parameters before applying them to your data. However, you can create
custom calculations if the basic calculations don't meet your requirements.
Visual totals
Visual totals are dynamic aggregations of your data, such as sums or
averages, displayed in rows or columns added to the crosstab. Visual totals
aggregate the data in the crosstab without regard to members' relationships
in the hierarchy. For example, if your crosstab displays the members Drink
and Food, and also the child members Bread and Meat, the visual total
aggregates the data for all four members despite Bread and Meat being
child members of Food.
Visual totals appear at the bottom or at the right side of the crosstab but are
not created as members like other calculations are. (For example, visual
A typical visual total calculation would be the sum of all values in a row or
column, although you can apply other summary calculations as well:
Name Description
Name Description
These calculations are dynamic; the result set is always based on the
members that have been selected in the query. For example, if you add a
Sum calculation row, the calculation sums the values from all row members.
If you then remove a row member, the calculation adjusts automatically for
the removed member, summing only the values from visible row members.
For more information about the different visual total calculations, see Custom
calculations on page 124.
Note:
• Visual totals ignore cells that are the result of other calculations.
• Visual totals do not take into account parent-child relationships when
calculating cell values in a range. For example, if both a parent member
and its child member are specified on an axis, and the visual total added
is a Sum, the child member is added to the Sum twice: once as a single
member and again as a contribution to the total of its parent member.
For Microsoft data sources, the default totals are the aggregate type that is
defined on the server. For other data sources, the default totals are sums.
•
On the toolbar, click the Visual Totals button.
Alternatively, you can click the Select All button in the crosstab, right-click
any data cell in the crosstab, and select Show Visual Totals.
An icon identifies the added rows and columns as visual totals. Also,
the Visual Totals button is depressed, indicating that totals are applied
to the crosstab.
Once you've added a visual total to a crosstab, you can easily change it to
a different type.
You can either turn off all totals simultaneously or remove individual totals.
•
Click the Visual Totals button to turn off the totals.
Alternatively, you can click the Select All button in the crosstab, right-click
any data cell in the crosstab, and clear the check mark beside Show
Visual Totals.
Note: Both the Visual Totals button and the Show Visual Totals menu
item toggle on and off all visual totals. If you have chosen to display
several totals, they are all turned on and off simultaneously with the Visual
Totals button or Show Visual Totals menu item.
•
Click the arrow beside the Visual Totals button, click More, and
then clear any totals you want to remove from the crosstab.
Alternatively, you can right-click a visual total and select Remove Total.
If a visual total calculation is applied to filtered data, three visual total rows
or columns are added:
• Displayed—Calculates totals based on the values allowed by the filter.
• Excluded—Calculates totals based on the values excluded by the filter.
• All—Calculates totals based on the full, unfiltered set of members.
If you apply visual totals to a crosstab with nested dimensions, you can also
display subtotals of the inner dimensions.
When subtotals are displayed, the visual total is displayed as the last member
at the top level of the inner dimension.
When visual totals are enabled on a crosstab, any chart components linked
to the same query also display the visual totals, if the Show Visual Totals
property is set to Yes for those charts.
Basic calculations
Basic calculations are simple arithmetic calculations involving two members;
for example, the sum of two column members. Basic calculations do not take
any additional parameters. If you want to create more complex calculations,
see Custom calculations on page 124.
The basic calculations are available from the drop-down list on the
Calculation button.
Calculation Description
Related Topics
• Custom calculations on page 124
2.
On the application toolbar, click the arrow beside the Calculation
button and select the type of basic calculation you want to create.
To edit a calculation
To delete a calculation
Custom calculations
If the visual totals and basic calculations do not satisfy your need for more
detailed analysis of information from the data cube, you can create custom
calculations. With custom calculations, you define the parameters of the
calculations:
Note: Each calculated member can have only one operation. To create
complex calculations with multiple operations, you create calculations that
operate on other calculated members.
The following custom calculations are available from the Calculation Editor
dialog box.
Arithmetic calculations
Calculation Description
Square Root Calculates the square root of the target member's values.
Summary calculations
Calculation Description
Calculation Description
Median Calculates the median for the values of the specified members.
Calculation Description
Variance Calculates the variance for the values of the specified members.
Standard Devi- Calculates the standard deviation for the values of the specified
ation members.
Percentage calculations
Calculation Description
Percent Differ- Calculates the difference between the base and target values
ence as a percentage of the target member.
Time-based calculations
Calculation Description
Available only with Essbase data sources, and only on the time
Dynamic Time
dimension. For details on using these calculations, see Dynamic
Series
Time Series on page 212.
Rank calculation
Calculation Description
Related Topics
• To edit a calculation on page 124
• To delete a calculation on page 124
• Basic calculations on page 122
2.
On the application toolbar, click Calculation.
Alternatively, you can right-click the member heading, point to Calculation,
and click Add.
3. In the Calculation Editor dialog box, select the type of operation you want
to use for the calculation.
See these sections for information about the different types of calculations
available:
• Mathematical operations on page 129
• Time-based operations on page 133
• Rank calculation on page 136
Mathematical operations
Arithmetic operations
As you might expect, arithmetic operations constitute the four most common,
or "simple" calculations: Addition, Subtraction, Product (Multiplication), and
Division. Arithmetic operations also include additional calculations: Round,
and Square Root.
In the case of simple operations, you can define calculations to perform the
operation on two members, or perform the operation on one member and a
constant value. For example, you can create an addition calculation where
the values of two members are added together, or you can add the value of
a single member to a constant value.
Rounding operation
The rounding operation displays values with fewer decimal places than the
actual values contain. For example, the actual values in a member might be
the following:
142.3251
589.8386
27.2727
You can add a Round calculation, set to 1 decimal place, to produce these
values instead:
142.3
589.8
27.3
If the leftmost removed digit is 5 or greater, the last retained digit is rounded
up; if the leftmost removed digit is less than 5, the last retained digit is rounded
down.
Square root
The square root operation calculates the number that can be multiplied by
itself to equal the selected value.
Summary operations
Maximum
The values of the selected members are compared and the largest of the
values is selected.
Minimum
The values of the selected members are compared and the smallest of the
values is selected.
Median
The median is the middle value in a set. The number of values above the
median is equal to the number of values below the median.
When working in probability and statistics, two related calculations which are
commonly applied to data are variance and standard deviation. Both
calculations are a measure of how spread out values in a set of data are
from the average.
In such a set of numbers, the average is 10, and the variance and standard
deviation are 0. This is because there is no spread of values (they are all
10).
In this set of numbers the average is also 10, but the variance is 50 and the
standard deviation is approximately 7.07.
Variance
The variance is a measure of how much a set of numbers varies from the
average. When the values in a set are all close to the average, variance is
small. When the values in a set are significantly larger and smaller than the
average, the variance is large. Variance is calculated using the unbiased
population formula (that is, divided by N-1).
Standard Deviation
Standard deviation is the square root of the variance. The standard deviation
is calculated using the unbiased population formula.
Rollup
The rollup aggregates the values of the selected members using the
aggregation scheme defined in the data server. Rollup is available only for
data provided by Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services connections.
Percentage operations
Percentage
This operation calculates the values of the base member as a percentage
of the target member.
Percentage = (base / target) * 100
Percentage difference
This operation is useful for showing percentage changes of a measure over
time. It is calculated by first determining the difference between the value of
Percentage contribution
This operation calculates the values of members as percentages of a specific
total. For example, the populations of a city and its regions might be the
following:
You can specify which total to base the percentage calculation on:
• Dimension total—The percentage contribution is calculated based on
the overall dimension's total.
• Parent total—The percentage contribution is calculated based on the
immediate parent's total.
Time-based operations
Prior Period
Parallel Period
The time interval represents the length of time between the two periods.
Taking the typical time intervals of Year, Quarter, and Month, a time interval
of one Year would indicate a comparison of quarters or months between the
current year and the previous year.
Moving Average
You must supply information in the Calculation Editor dialog box in order to
successfully set up a Moving Average calculation:
• The dimension to calculate the Moving Average for.
• The number of periods to calculate the Moving Average for.
Period to Date
In the Calculation Editor dialog box, the Period field defines the time period
for the calculation. For example, if you choose Year for the period, the Period
to Date calculation returns the sum of all months starting from January of
the current year.
You must provide information in the Calculation Editor dialog box to set up
a Period to Date calculation:
• The measure whose values you want to aggregate; for example, store
sales.
• The aggregation function for the calculation: Sum (default), Average,
Maximum, or Minimum.
• Which time dimension to use for the calculation, if there is more than one
dimension in the data cube that is of the type time.
• The period to base the calculation on.
Rank calculation
You can use the rank operation to assign a ranking to the members of a
dimension based on their values.
For example, you may want to show the ranking of the selected values
compared to each other, or you may want to show the ranking compared to
all values that the selected data shares a parent with.
To add a Rank calculation, first select the member containing the data that
you want to rank, and then click the Calculation button.
10
10 Exploring Different Views of Your Data
Swapping dimensions
This section also describes how you can compare two views of the same
data; for example, if you want to compare an exploratory view with a baseline
view.
Swapping dimensions
You can swap dimensions with others to reorient the view of data in the
crosstab or chart.
You can swap a row or column dimension with one of the slice dimensions,
or with another row or column dimension.
2. When the center drop zone is highlighted as shown, release the mouse
button to swap the two dimensions.
See Sorting data columns or rows on page 92, Filtering the data in crosstabs
and charts on page 97, and Ranking the data in the crosstab on page 100
for more information about sorting, filtering, and ranking.
Removing dimensions
You can remove dimensions from the crosstab's or chart's axes to simplify
your analysis.
Nesting dimensions
Displaying two or more dimensions in a particular row or column in the
crosstab is known as nesting. When you nest dimensions, the one nearest
the cells is called the inner dimension, and any others are called the outer
dimensions.
To nest dimensions
1. Drag a dimension toward the dimension that you want to nest it with.
You can nest row, column, or slice dimensions.
2. When one of the side drop zones is highlighted, release the mouse button
to nest the two dimensions.
Note: After you nest dimensions, you can apply sorting, filtering, and
ranking only to the inner dimensions.
You can change the order of the dimensions in a row or column by swapping
the dimensions. See Swapping dimensions on page 140.
The slice Member Selector is similar to the Member Selector for row and
column dimensions, except that you can select only one slice member at a
time. Some data sources however, for example Microsoft Analysis Services,
allow you to select multiple slice members.
Note: When you drag a dimension to the slice axis, it returns to the default
member.
Related Topics
• Overview of member selection on page 78
Collapsing the member structure to show only the parent member is called
drilling up.
A plus sign next to a member indicates that the member can be drilled
down to show its child members; a minus sign indicates that the member
has been expanded-drilled down, and can be collapsed to hide its child
members.
You can perform either expanded drill or focused drill operations on members.
Expanded drill
If you perform an expanded drill down on the member Bakery, you see
Bakery and its child members, as well as any other members that are
currently selected on the same view axis. For example, if Bakery, Grocery,
and Meat are currently displayed on the row axis of your crosstab, applying
an expanded drill down on Bakery to display its children does not remove
Grocery and Meat from the row axis.
If you perform an expanded drill up on Bakery, the view returns to the state
that existed before the expanded drill down.
Focused drill
If you perform a focused drill down on Bakery, you see only the child
members of Bakery. Grocery and Meat are removed.
If you perform a focused drill up on one of the child members of Bakery, you
see Bakery and its siblings.
Alternatively, you can right-click the member, point to Drill, and click Down.
Alternatively, you can right-click the member, point to Drill, and click
Focused Down.
You can continue drilling down into lower levels. When you have drilled
down as far as your data allows, the Drill Down option is unavailable.
Alternatively, you can right-click the chart object, and click Focused Drill
Down.
Alternatively, you can right-click the chart object, and click Focused Drill
Up.
Note:
• Drill-through capability is available only with Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Analysis Services or later data sources.
• With Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, drill-through capability
must be enabled at the cube level by your database administrator. Also,
you must be granted permission to perform a drill-through operation in a
cube role by the database administrator.
The relational table viewer displays the transaction data that results from
performing the drill-through action.
You can page through the relational data using the buttons at the upper-right
corner of the viewer.
Note: Jumping to the last page can take several minutes if the result set
comprises a very large number of records.
1.
In the relational table viewer, click Export and then select Excel.
2. In the dialog box, specify whether you want to view the file or save the
file to disk, and then click OK.
If you choose to save the file to disk, specify the name and location of
the file that you want to export your data to.
1.
In the relational table viewer, click Export and then select CSV.
2. In the dialog box, specify whether you want to view the file or save the
file to disk, and then click OK.
If you choose to save the file to disk, specify the name and location of
the file that you want to export your data to.
If you choose to view the file, it opens immediately in your .csv file viewer,
which is Microsoft Excel by default.
You can copy a component to the same page or to a different page. When
you copy components, the queries associated with the original components
are also copied.
To copy a component
1. Select the component that you want to copy.
2.
Click Copy on the application toolbar.
Alternatively, you can press CTRL+C to copy the component.
3.
Click Paste on the application toolbar to paste a copy of your
component onto the current page.
Alternatively, you can press CTRL+V to paste the component.
If you want to paste the copied component onto another page, change
to a different page before you paste the component.
The copied component is added below or to the right of existing
components on the page.
Note: You can also maximize a component to fill the analysis window,
by clicking the Maximize button in the component's title bar.
11
11 Formatting Crosstab Data
Formatting data in the crosstab
This section describes how to change the appearance of your data by adding
formatting and by resizing rows and columns.
Note on formatting
Formatting alters only the appearance of the data, not the value of the data
itself. For example, displayed data may be rounded off. To see the real values
of the data, set the "Display formatted cell values" property to "No" on the
Properties tab.
Thousands separator
You can display or suppress the thousands separator. For example, a value
of 1000 can be displayed as 1,000.
Negative values
You can configure how negative values are displayed. For example, you can
display a negative value of 1000 as -1000 or (1000).
Decimal places
Although the default number of decimal places is 2, you can set this number
to be anything from 0 (show numbers as integers) to 99. Remember that
changing the number of displayed decimal places does not affect the value
of the data.
Scale
You can scale the displayed values to make them easier to read in the
crosstab. For example, if a column contains several values between
Note: Data must be present on the row and column axes before the
Formatting button is enabled.
2. On the Type list, click the number format that you want to use.
The formatting options depend on the type that you selected:
You can show values in scientific notation and set the num-
Scientific
ber of decimal places.
3. Set the options and then click OK to apply the formatting to the data.
Resizing columns
Crosstab column widths are defined by the Column Width property on the
Properties tab. If the default width obscures member headings or restricts
the number of cells displayed in the crosstab, you may want to resize the
columns.
To resize a column
1. Point to a column heading separator; the resize symbol appears:
Resizing rows
Cell data may span multiple lines. You can resize rows to show all the data
within a cell.
To resize a row
1. Point to a row heading separator; the resize symbol appears:
12
12 Using Pages in the Workspace
Working with pages in the workspace
This section shows you how to use multiple pages in your Voyager
workspaces.
Pages are useful for grouping related analyses together in one workspace.
For example, one Voyager workspace might represent the solution to a
particular problem, with each page representing a step in the solution.
You navigate between pages by using the page tabs and paging control at
the bottom of the analysis window. Pages can be renamed, added, copied,
and removed by right-clicking a page tab.
When you save your workspaces, the active page status and the state of
the tab panel are preserved. For example, if you save a workspace with page
3 active, page 3 will be active the next time the workspace is opened, and
the tab panel will reflect the metadata and queries on page 3.
Note: Each page has its own set of queries and components, which are not
shared and which cannot be linked across pages. Queries and components
on one page can therefore have the same names as queries and components
on other pages.
Related Topics
• Inserting and deleting pages on page 160
• Modifying page captions on page 161
• Navigating to a page in the workspace on page 162
• Copying a component to compare variations in data on page 150
To insert a page
1. Right-click a page tab.
2. Select Insert After.
A new page is created and a new page tab is inserted to the right of the
page tab that you clicked. The new page becomes the active page.
To delete a page
1. Right-click the page tab corresponding to the page you want to remove.
2. Select Delete.
If the page to be deleted contains a crosstab or chart component, a
confirmation dialog box appears. Click Yes to confirm the page deletion.
If the deleted page was the active page, the page to the left of the deleted
page becomes the active page.
3. Click outside the page tab, or press Enter to save the changed caption.
13
13 Saving and Sharing Voyager Workspaces
Saving Voyager workspaces
This section shows you how to save your Voyager workspaces and share
them with other users.
You can choose to save your changes to the existing workspace, or to save
the modified workspace as a new workspace in the repository.
Related Topics
• Exporting Data to Microsoft Excel or Comma-Separated-Values (.csv)
Files on page 173
2. Type a new title and select a location to save the workspace to.
In the Location area of the Save Document page, browse to the folder
where you want to save your workspace. The default folder is your
Favorites folder.
3. If desired, select the categories to which you want to save the workspace.
For information on using and managing categories, consult your
BusinessObjects Enterprise documentation.
4. Click OK.
3. If desired, select the categories to which you want to save the workspace.
For information on using and managing categories, consult your
BusinessObjects Enterprise documentation.
4. Click OK.
Related Topics
• Sending a Voyager workspace to another user on page 168
When your workspace has been idle for several minutes, Voyager
automatically saves a copy of the workspace to your Favorites folder before
your session terminates.
If you then return to your session before the session is terminated, the
auto-save cycle is reset, and your workspace is auto-saved again the next
time your workspace becomes idle for several minutes.
If you want to share your Voyager workspaces over the web with other
analysts and end users, you can save your workspaces to a public folder in
the BusinessObjects Enterprise repository.
1.
On the application toolbar, click the arrow beside the Save button,
and choose Save As.
2. Type a title for your workspace.
3. In the Location area of the Save Document page, expand the Public
Folders folder and browse to the folder where you want to save your
workspace.
You can also enter the following optional information:
• A description of the workspace.
• One or more keywords to serve as search criteria.
4. If desired, select the categories to which you want to save the workspace.
For information on using and managing categories, consult your
BusinessObjects Enterprise documentation.
5. Click OK.
Related Topics
• Saving Voyager workspaces on page 164
• Sending a Voyager workspace to another user on page 168
Send functionality exists as a regular part of InfoView. You can send Voyager
workspaces to these destinations:
• InfoView Inbox.
• Email address (either as a link to the workspace, or as an attachment).
Related Topics
• Saving Voyager workspaces on page 164
1. In the Document List in InfoView, navigate to the folder that contains the
workspace that you want to send.
2. Select the workspace.
3. Click Send To.
4. Select Business Objects Inbox.
5. If you want to specify the Inboxes to send the workspace to, clear the
Use the Job Server's defaults option.
1. In the Document List in InfoView, navigate to the folder that contains the
workspace that you want to send.
2. Select the workspace.
3. Click Send To.
4. Select Email.
Note: If you receive this error message: "The destination plugin
required for this action is disabled. If you require this functionality,
please contact your system administrator", inform your system
administrator that the BusinessObjects Enterprise Destination Job Server
has not been configured.
5. If you want to specify the email address to send the workspace to, clear
the Use the Job Server's defaults option.
Or, if you want to send the workspace to the email address that is
configured on the BusinessObjects Enterprise Job Server, select the "Use
the Job Server's defaults" option. Then skip to step 7.
You can also search for workspaces by keyword, title, description, and
other parameters. For more information on searching for objects in the
repository, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView User's Guide.
Note: When you navigate to other pages in the workspace, you may be
prompted for your credentials again if components on those pages are
linked to other connections that require authentication.
ument
name>
Note:
• Replace <server> with the name of the machine that houses the
BusinessObjects Enterprise repository where the Voyager workspace is
stored.
• Replace <path> with the path to the workspace in the repository. For
example, if your workspace is stored in your My Favorites folder, you
would replace <path> with My+Favorites.
• Replace <document name> with the name of the workspace in the
repository.
14
14 Exporting Data to Microsoft Excel or Comma-Separated-Values (.csv) Files
Exporting data from Voyager to Excel
Data is exported in the orientation displayed in the crosstab. If the query has
only a chart component associated with it, data from that query is exported
but the chart visualization is not. Rows in the exported file correspond to
rows in the crosstab, or data series in the chart. Columns in the exported file
correspond to columns in the crosstab, or categories in the chart.
Sorts, filters, and ranks are preserved in the exported data. Calculated data
is exported, but the calculation formulas are not preserved.
Note: The Export button is disabled until the current page contains a
valid query.
Data is exported in the orientation displayed in the crosstab. If the query has
only a chart component associated with it, data from that query is exported
but the chart visualization is not. Rows in the exported file correspond to
rows in the crosstab, or data series in the chart. Columns in the exported file
correspond to columns in the crosstab, or categories in the chart.
Sorts, filters, and ranks are preserved in the exported data. Calculated data
is exported, but the calculation formulas are not preserved.
If you choose to view the file, it opens immediately in your .csv file viewer,
which is Microsoft Excel by default.
Note: The Export button is disabled until the current page contains a
valid query.
15
15 Printing
Printing Voyager workspaces
Voyager creates a PDF representing the data or components that you want
to print, and opens it in a new browser window using your default PDF viewer.
You can then print hard copies of the data from the PDF viewer.
Note: A component must have dimensions on both of its view axes before
it appears in the list of components in the Print dialog box.
Related Topics
• Print options on page 182
5. Click OK.
Related Topics
• Print a crosstab as it appears on the screen on page 180
• Print a chart as it appears on the screen on page 181
• Print options on page 182
The crosstab's name, as defined on the Properties tab, is printed above the
crosstab. If comments are defined on the Properties tab, they are printed
below the crosstab.
Member drill indicators (plus and minus signs) are not shown in the print
output.
Member headings that don't fit within the column widths may be truncated
differently from how they are truncated on screen.
5. Click OK.
Your data is converted to a PDF and opened in a new browser window
using your default PDF viewer. You can then print hard copies of the data
from the PDF viewer.
Related Topics
• Print raw data on page 179
• Print a chart as it appears on the screen on page 181
• Print options on page 182
The chart's name, as defined on the Properties tab, is printed above the
chart. If comments are defined on the Properties tab, they are printed below
the chart.
5. Click OK.
Your data is converted to a PDF and opened in a new browser window
using your default PDF viewer. You can then print hard copies of the data
from the PDF viewer.
Related Topics
• Print raw data on page 179
• Print a crosstab as it appears on the screen on page 180
• Print options on page 182
Print options
These print options are available:
Option Description
Related Topics
• Print raw data on page 179
• Print a crosstab as it appears on the screen on page 180
• Print a chart as it appears on the screen on page 181
16
16 Using Voyager with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
Overview of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
Dimensions
Dimensions in Analysis Services 2005 are collections of hierarchies.
Hierarchies
Attributes are the building blocks of dimensions, and are used in Analysis
Services 2005 to organize measures contained in a cube.
Fact tables
A fact table is a database table that contains measures or metrics of a
business process. For example, a fact table for a grocery store might include
measures such as Sales, Inventory, and Profit.
Dimension tables
A dimension table is a database table that contains attributes that describe
the business entities of an enterprise. The attributes are used by data analysts
to constrain and group database queries. For example, a Store table might
include store locations and sizes.
Measure groups
A measure group contains one or more measures from the same fact table.
All Analysis Services 2005 cubes and perspectives contain at least one
measure group.
In Voyager, measure groups are shown on the Data tab only; they do not
appear in the Member Selector. Also, you cannot select a measure group;
only the members within a group.
Display folders
Display folders are optional folders that can be configured on the Analysis
Services server to organize hierarchies into folder structures. The folder
structures make it easier for users to navigate the hierarchies grouped under
a single dimension from a client application.
In Voyager, display folders are shown on the Data tab only; they do not
appear in the Member Selector. Also, you cannot select a display folder; only
the hierarchies within the display folders.
Perspectives
Cubes can be very large and thus difficult to navigate in SQL Server Analysis
Services. A single cube can represent the contents of an entire data
warehouse, with each measure group in a cube representing a single fact
table, and each dimension representing a dimension table in the data
warehouse. This prospect can be daunting to users, who often need to
interact with only a small portion of a cube to satisfy their business intelligence
and reporting requirements.
Related Topics
• Using Analysis Services 2005 hierarchies in Voyager on page 188
17
17 Using Voyager with SAP
Logging on to SAP
Logging on to SAP
Logging on to SAP is the same as logging on to any other data source, with
the exception that if there are variables requiring user entry, the Set Variables
dialog box opens so that you can select values for the variables.
The Set Variables dialog box contains at least one row, and can contain
several, depending on the complexity of the data structure and the number
of variables set up by the SAP administrator in the SAP query cube. Each
row represents a different variable.
If default or personalized variables are set up, rows of the Set Variables
dialog box may already contain values. You can accept these values, or you
can select different values.
Note: There are terminology differences between SAP data sources and
the Voyager interface. In references to SAP data, the SAP-specific term
"hierarchy" is used in place of the Voyager-centric equivalent term
"dimension". In addition, data from more than one hierarchy, or data from a
dimension is returned to the Voyager interface as a single hierarchy.
Related Topics
• Using variables on page 191
Although you can type in the member key of the variable, you can also select
new values using the Member Selector.
The Member Selector has all the same functionality for SAP queries as for
any other Voyager query. For more information about the Member Selector,
see Selecting Members to Display in Crosstabs and Charts on page 77.
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Using variables on page 191
• Compounded characteristics on page 202
• Mutually exclusive hierarchies on page 203
• Unbalanced and ragged hierarchies on page 203
Using variables
Variables are defined by SAP administrators on the underlying data in an
SAP query cube. When you select a hierarchy or set of members with defined
variables to display in Voyager, you must first select values to act as filters
on the data that is returned and displayed.
To select values, you are prompted with the Set Variables dialog box.
There are several actions performed while working in Voyager that make it
necessary to enter values for variables:
• Adding a connection with a query containing variables.
• Opening a saved workspace with a query containing variables.
• Navigating to a page for the first time in an open workspace.
• Manually refreshing data.
There are several variable types, and variables can be mandatory or optional.
Mandatory variables
Mandatory variables are variables that you must provide a value for when
the Set Variables dialog box opens. Mandatory variables are denoted with
an asterisk next to their name. If you do not enter a value and attempt to
continue, Voyager alerts you and presents the Set Variables dialog box again
with warning flags next to mandatory variables.
Related Topics
• Optional variables on page 193
• Default and personalized values for variables on page 194
Optional variables
Optional variables are variables which you do not have to select values for
when prompted. Queries with optional variables you do not select values for
return data based on either personalized values or default values, depending
on which of those two types of values have been set up for the variable.
Related Topics
• Default and personalized values for variables on page 194
• Mandatory variables on page 193
Default values
Default values are values that Voyager automatically selects if they were
defined by the SAP administrator for a variable in the Set Variables dialog
box.
Default values are set up by an SAP administrator at the time the variables
are created or modified. Default values are the same for all users.
Personalized values
Personalized values are similar to default values, except personalized values
are visible to only you and no other users. Other users may have their own
personalized values; however, you cannot see them. If you have personalized
values that also have default values, your personalized values are used.
Voyager does not allow you to set personalized values; it only displays your
personalized values. See your SAP administrator to learn how to set
personalized values for variables.
Related Topics
• Optional variables on page 193
• Mandatory variables on page 193
Variable types
Voyager supports many, though not all, of the variable types provided by
SAP.
For single value variables you can select only a single value from the Set
Variables dialog box. For multiple value variables, you can select one or
more values.
The data that is returned and displayed depends on how the SAP
administrator configures the default variable filter:
Include in selec- The set of values returned from the SAP cube comprise
tion (default) the values you select and their direct ancestors.
Exclude from se- The set of values returned from the SAP cube comprise all
lection values except the values you select.
Characteristic variables
Characteristic variables are defined on the default flat hierarchies of a
dimension. There are different types of characteristic variables.
When you are prompted by the Set Variables dialog box, you select a single
or multiple members to be returned from the default flat hierarchy.
Related Topics
• Hierarchy variables on page 196
• Characteristic interval (range) variables on page 197
• Complex characteristic selection variables on page 197
• More about variables on page 199
Hierarchy variables
The hierarchy you select in the Set Variables dialog box restricts the
hierarchies you can use on that dimension to the chosen hierarchy.
Hierarchy variables often come paired with hierarchy node variables, where
both variables apply to the same dimension. The hierarchy node variable
can dynamically apply to whichever hierarchy has been selected for the
hierarchy variable. In these cases, you make a selection for the hierarchy
variable before making a selection for the hierarchy node variable.
Related Topics
• Characteristic and hierarchy node variables on page 195
• More about variables on page 199
Characteristic interval variables consist of two members that you select using
the Set Variables dialog box. The two members create a range which is used
as a filter for the data returned and displayed in Voyager from the SAP query
cube.
When selecting members, you must ensure that you create a valid range by
specifying a second member that occurs after the first selected member in
the hierarchy.
Related Topics
• Characteristic and hierarchy node variables on page 195
• Complex characteristic selection variables on page 197
• More about variables on page 199
The member(s) you indicate are used differently, depending on what type
of operation you select:
Operation Meaning
Display data from members whose values are between the values
[]
of the two members entered in the Set Variables dialog box.
Display data from members whose values are not between the
<>
values of the two members entered in the Set Variables dialog box.
Display data from members whose values are equal to the value
=
of the single member entered.
Display data from members whose values are greater than the
>
value of the single member entered.
Operation Meaning
Display data from members whose values are less than the value
<
of the single member entered.
Display data from members whose values are greater than or equal
=>
to the value of the single member entered.
Display data from members whose values are less than or equal
<=
to the value of the single member entered.
Related Topics
• Characteristic and hierarchy node variables on page 195
• Characteristic interval (range) variables on page 197
• More about variables on page 199
Key date variables are single-value variable types where you can indicate a
specific date for the data you want to see (provided that data is configured
in the cube to be time-dependent). Time-dependent metadata is filtered
based on the key date variable.
Related Topics
• More about variables on page 199
Formula variables
Related Topics
• More about variables on page 199
Currency variables
Related Topics
• More about variables on page 199
There are methods of presenting and structuring data that are specific to
SAP query cubes.
The SAP administrator may set up hierarchies in the underlying SAP query
cube so that they are not visible to you in Voyager. In situations where there
is hidden data, but you are prompted in the Set Variables dialog box to
provide variables to filter the data (including the hidden hierarchies), Voyager
may return and display data from those hidden hierarchies.
Variables in structures
You are prompted by the Set Variables dialog box to enter the value which
is then used by Voyager to filter ("restrict") the key figure.
Multiple structures
Voyager supports variables in multiple structures. For more than one structure
in a cube, there are intersections of selections between the structures. The
intersecting cells can be filtered by a variable.
Related Topics
• Using variables on page 191
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
• Mutually exclusive hierarchies on page 203
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
The SAP administrator can create an SAP query cube that has no visible
key figures (no visible measures hierarchy). There is no measures formatting
for these query cubes because they contain no measures (or the measures
are not visible).
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
Display attributes
Members have several string properties which are visible in Voyager:
• Key
• Short description
• Medium description
• Long description
• Key and short description
• Key and medium description
• Key and long description
These string properties can be viewed and changed from the Properties tab
of the Tab panel.
Note: Key and text properties are concatenated into a single string, and are
therefore displayed in a single column or row caption field. They do not
appear as separate columns or rows.
Compounded characteristics
An SAP administrator can connect several characteristic dimensions together
into one entity, known as a compounded characteristic. Once these
dimensions are combined together, they can only be used in combination.
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
• Mutually exclusive hierarchies on page 203
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
• Compounded characteristics on page 202
• Unbalanced and ragged hierarchies on page 203
Related Topics
• Logging on to SAP on page 190
• Member Selector with SAP data on page 191
• Mutually exclusive hierarchies on page 203
18
18 Using Voyager with Oracle Hyperion Essbase Data Sources
Overview of Oracle Hyperion Essbase features support in Voyager
Aggregate storage
One strength of Essbase is in financial applications where the stored data
in cubes is dense. The type of storage that is used for dense cubes is called
block storage. To facilitate the use of Essbase in applications where the data
is sparse, aggregate storage is used. Aggregate storage offers significant
performance improvements in applications with sparse data and can
dramatically reduce the amount of disk storage used.
Attribute dimensions
Attribute dimensions contain information that describes characteristics of the
data. Attribute dimensions cannot be used directly as standard dimensions
but must be associated with standard dimensions.
Related Topics
• Attribute dimensions on page 207
• Dynamic Time Series on page 212
• Alias tables on page 213
Attribute dimensions
With Oracle Hyperion Essbase Analytic Services, you can retrieve and
analyze data not only from the perspective of dimensions, but also in terms
of characteristics, or attributes, of those dimensions. For example, you can
analyze product profitability based on size or packaging. Or you can reach
a more effective conclusion from your analysis by incorporating a market
attribute such as the population size of each market region.
Such an analysis could tell you that decaffeinated drinks that are sold in cans
in small markets are less profitable than you had anticipated.
To get more detailed information, you can filter the analysis by specific
attribute criteria, including minimum or maximum sales, and profits of different
products in similar market segments. To enable this type of analysis, you
create attribute dimensions in the database outline.
dimension
attribute dimension
measures dimension
time dimension
You can filter the data for a base dimension by selecting a member of an
associated attribute dimension.
Note: If you select the parent member of the attribute dimension, which
in this case is Caffeinated, the crosstab displays data for base dimension
members associated with any of the attribute dimension's child members.
Normally, the value of a parent member is equal to the sum of the values of
its child members. For example, consider this simple cube view:
books 18
fiction 7
reference 5
history 6
When you use attribute dimensions to filter data for a base dimension, you
can also use the Attribute Calculations dimension to change the values of
parent members to calculated values other than sums.
books 6
fiction 7
reference 5
history 6
The value for the parent member books is now the average of the values
of the child members.
Count member
The Count member is a special case. Use the Count member when you
want a count of members in the base dimension that match the attribute that
you have selected.
books 2
fiction 1
reference null
history 1
The calculation returns a count of book types that are printed in paperback.
You can add a calculation that returns a period-to-date value and displays
on the time dimension.
1.
Select any member within the time dimension where you want to
add the calculation and click Calculation on the application toolbar.
2. In the Calculation Editor dialog box, choose the Dynamic Time Series
operation, and type a caption for the calculation.
For example, if you choose the Year-to-Date function, and if you want to
calculate aggregate values for the year up to August, you would choose
the leaf member August.
Alias tables
An alias is an alternate name for a dimension member. Dimension member
names that are stored in a database outline are often not recognizable to a
business user. For example, an SKU (Stock Keeping Unit: a number that is
associated with a product for inventory purposes) may not help a business
user to determine what information is contained in the member. Aliases
provide alternate ways to display the same member information so that it
can be understood by different audiences.
Aliases are created by a system administrator and are stored in one or more
tables as part of a database outline. An alias table maps a set of alias names
to member names.
Related Topics
• Data tab connections buttons on page 222
The active alias table is the table that is currently being used to display
member aliases. When you change the active alias table, all member captions
for the connection are based on the selected alias table.
The active alias table is applied to all viewpoints in the workspace. If there
are charts and crosstabs on several pages of the workspace, all linked to
the same connection, those components will all display the aliases from the
active alias table.
The aliases from the active alias table are displayed in these components:
• Member Selector
• crosstab axis
• chart axis and legend
The active alias table is saved with the workspace so that when the
workspace is re-opened, the active alias table is the same one that was
active in the previous session.
Note: If aliases have been defined for dimension members, those aliases
are displayed. Members that do not have aliases defined in the active alias
table will be displayed using member names.
For example, if you select the Long Names alias table but the Product
dimension members do not have any aliases in this table, then instead of
displaying an alias like "Diet Cola", Voyager displays the member name
"100-20".
1. In the connections area on the Data tab, select the Essbase connection
whose alias table you want to change.
2.
Click Select Alias Table.
A list of all available alias tables for the selected cube is displayed.
You can search for members by their aliases in the Member Selector. First,
set the active alias table from the Data tab. For details, see Setting the active
alias table on page 214. Then, search for members as usual in the Member
Selector. See Selecting members by searching on page 81.
Note:
• The search is case-insensitive.
• You can search only for aliases in the active alias table.
19
19 User Interface Reference
Workspace reference
This section describes in detail all of the functionality of the user interface
elements within BusinessObjects Voyager. For help with performing tasks
in Voyager, see the appropriate sections in the rest of this User's Guide.
Workspace reference
A workspace is a Voyager data-analysis object. You create a workspace in
Voyager, analyze your data in it, and save it as a single file in the
BusinessObjects Enterprise repository. You can then re-open the workspace
to continue your analysis, or share the workspace with other users.
1. Application toolbar
2. Tab panel
3. Metadata explorer
4. Analysis window
A workspace contains the analysis window where you analyze data, the tab
panel where you manage metadata and the visual components of your
analysis, and the application toolbar.
Related Topics
• Analysis window reference on page 219
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Toolbar reference on page 233
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Chart component reference on page 260
Crosstab and chart components can occupy any of the four quadrants in the
analysis window, or two adjacent quadrants, or all four quadrants if you have
a single component on the page.
The areas in the analysis window where you can drag components to from
the toolbar are called drop zones. The locations of the component drop zones
change as you add or reposition components in the analysis window.
For example, when there are three components in the analysis window, the
locations of the drop zones depend on how the existing components are
positioned. If there are two components at the top of the analysis window
and one at the bottom, there are only two drop zones: at the lower-left and
lower-right sides of the analysis window. If there are two components at the
left of the analysis window and one at the right, the drop zones are at the
upper-right and lower-right sides of the analysis window.
Related Topics
• Workspace reference on page 218
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Toolbar reference on page 233
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
Related Topics
• Workspace reference on page 218
• Analysis window reference on page 219
• Toolbar reference on page 233
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Chart component reference on page 260
Data tab
On the Data tab, you add predefined connections to data sources (cubes),
and view the dimensions and members defined in those data sources.
Related Topics
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
At the top of the Data tab is a list of active connections that have been added
to the workspace. When you create a new workspace, you are prompted to
add the first connection, but you can later add as many connections as you
want.
Once you have added at least one connection, you can select the connection
to view the metadata for that cube in the metadata explorer, and define your
query in the analysis window.
If any of your connections are disabled, Voyager does not execute the queries
that are based on the disabled connections. The disabled connections still
appear in the active connections list, but are unavailable. See Re-establishing
a disabled connection on page 294 for more information.
Related Topics
• Data tab connections buttons on page 222
• Data tab metadata explorer on page 224
• Data tab metadata explorer buttons on page 226
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
Above the connections area on the Data tab are buttons that you can use
to add, remove, and refresh data connections.
For more information about adding and removing data connections, see
Adding an OLAP cube connection to a workspace on page 291 and Removing
an OLAP cube connection from a workspace on page 293.
Note:
• This button is visible only when an SAP BW connection that contains
variables is added to the workspace.
• This button is enabled only when an SAP BW connection that contains
variables is selected in the Data tab connections area.
Note:
• This button appears only when an Essbase connection is added to the
workspace.
• This button is enabled only when an Essbase connection is selected in
the Data tab connections area.
• For more information on Essbase alias tables, see Alias tables on
page 213.
Help button
Click this button to open a help topic about the Data tab connections area.
Related Topics
• Data tab connections area on page 221
• Data tab metadata explorer on page 224
• Data tab metadata explorer buttons on page 226
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
attribute dimension
(Essbase only)
time dimension
parent member
leaf member
Note:
• Microsoft uses the term "dimension" to refer to a collection of related
hierarchies of members. In this guide however, the term "dimension"
refers to a collection of related members. Microsoft hierarchies are treated
and referred to as dimensions.
For information about how to define a query, see Defining queries on page 40.
For more information about using crosstabs and charts, see Crosstab
component reference on page 246 and Chart component reference on
page 260.
Note:
• All dimensional metadata for the entire cube is shown in the metadata
explorer.
• For specific information about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis
Services data sources and how to work with them on the Data tab, see
Using Voyager with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services on
page 185.
• For specific information about SAP BW data sources and how to work
with them on the Data tab, see Using Voyager with SAP on page 189, and
the documentation for the BusinessObjects Integration Kit for SAP.
Related Topics
• Data tab connections area on page 221
• Data tab connections buttons on page 222
• Data tab metadata explorer buttons on page 226
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
Above the metadata explorer area on the Data tab, there are buttons that
you can use to populate your crosstab or chart, instead of dragging
dimensions and members into the analysis window.
The slice axis is a special case. See Understanding the crosstab on page
247 and Custom aggregates and multiple members on a slice dimension on
page 228 for more information about using the slice axis.
• If the crosstab's slice area contains members from the same dimension
as the selected members, click this button to replace the existing members
with the selected members.
• If the crosstab's slice area contains members not from the same dimension
as the selected members, click this button to nest the existing members
inside the selected members on the slice axis.
Help button
Click this button to open a help topic about the metadata explorer.
Related Topics
• Data tab connections area on page 221
• Data tab connections buttons on page 222
• Data tab metadata explorer on page 224
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
For example, if you are interested in sales figures by region, then when you
select CA, you see the aggregated sales for all cities in the state of California.
But if you are interested in only the cities of Los Angeles and Portland, you
cannot select one single member in the dimension that gives you the
aggregated sales for just these two cities. Or if you are interested in only a
few cities in the state of California, but not all of them, again there is no single
member that gives you the aggregated sales for just those cities.
If you connect to a cube provider that supports custom aggregation, you can
specify multiple members on a slice dimension. Microsoft Analysis Services
2000/2005 and SAP BW support custom aggregates. Oracle Hyperion
Essbase does not support custom aggregates.
Therefore, if your data source is Essbase, you cannot place multiple members
in the slice area.
Structure tab
The Structure tab shows the relationships between queries and visual
components (crosstabs and charts) on the current page. The Structure tab
also lets you add new queries and move visual components between queries.
Related Topics
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Data tab on page 220
• Properties tab on page 231
Structure tree
The structure tree shows the queries and visual components on the current
page.
You can expand the nodes of the tree by clicking the plus sign beside
expandable tree nodes, and you can collapse them by clicking the minus
sign.
For example, you may have two crosstabs, Crosstab 1 and Crosstab 2, linked
to separate queries, Query 1 and Query 2. When you add a chart, Chart 1,
it is automatically linked to the most recent query, which is Query 2. Therefore,
Chart 1 reflects the same data as Crosstab 2 because both components are
linked to the same query. If instead you want to visualize the data in Crosstab
1, not Crosstab 2, you can drag Chart 1 onto Query 1 in the structure tree.
If you want only a chart, with no crosstab, click the Add Query button In the
Structure tab. You can then drag the chart onto the new query. Any data in
the chart is removed because the new query is undefined.
Related Topics
• Structure tab buttons on page 230
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
The top of the Structure tab contains buttons that you can use to add queries
to your page, and delete queries.
Related Topics
• Structure tree on page 229
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
• Properties tab on page 231
Properties tab
The Properties tab displays a set of properties for the selected object. You
can select a crosstab or chart, and view the properties for that object on the
Properties tab. The properties available to view or modify on the Properties
tab depend on the component selected.
For descriptions of these properties and how to use them, see Crosstab
display options on page 256 and Chart display options on page 272.
Related Topics
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Data tab on page 220
• Structure tab on page 229
Toolbar reference
You can perform most of your data-analysis tasks with the Voyager
application toolbar.
Note: Some of the toolbar buttons may be disabled, depending on the rights
that have been assigned to users within the Central Management Console,
and depending on which object or component is selected in the analysis
window.
For more information on rights in the Central Management Console, see
your system administrator or the BusinessObjects Voyager Administrator's
Guide.
For details on using the application toolbar buttons, see the following topics:
Related Topics
• Workspace reference on page 218
• Analysis window reference on page 219
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Chart component reference on page 260
Toolbar overview
The application toolbar contains buttons for the most commonly used
functions in Voyager. You can create, save, print, and customize your pages
with the toolbar buttons.
Several buttons have more than one function associated with them. For
example, the Calculation button is used to perform several types of
calculations.
Some toolbar buttons, such as the Crosstab and Chart buttons, represent
components that you can drag into the analysis window.
Save button
Option Function
For more information about saving your workspaces, see Saving Voyager
workspaces on page 164.
Export button
Click the Export button to export data to Excel, or click the arrow beside the
Export button to choose from the export options.
Note: The exported file contains only crosstab data. Any charts that were
in the original workspace are not retained in the exported file.
For more information about exporting, see Exporting data from Voyager to
Excel on page 174 and Exporting data from Voyager to
comma-separated-values (.csv) files on page 175.
Print button
Use this button to print your data to a PDF file. When you click this button,
the Export/Print to PDF dialog box opens. From the dialog box, you can
Copy button
Note: The Copy button is disabled until you select a crosstab or chart
component.
Related Topics
• Copying a component to compare variations in data on page 150
Paste button
Use this button to paste the copied crosstab or chart component to the
same page or a different page.
Note: The Paste button is disabled until you copy a crosstab or chart
component.
Related Topics
• Copying a component to compare variations in data on page 150
Delete button
Use this button to delete the selected crosstab or chart from the page.
Note: The Delete button is disabled until you select a crosstab or chart
component.
Calculation button
Click the Calculation button to open the Calculation Editor dialog box if you
want to create custom calculations, or click the arrow beside the Calculation
button to choose from predefined basic calculations.
Note: The Calculation button is disabled until you select one or more
members in a crosstab. If you select two members, you can access the basic
arithmetic calculations as well as the custom calculations.
These calculation options are available:
Calcula
Description
tion
Displays the Calculation Editor dialog box. Use this dialog box to
define the parameters of a new custom calculation you want to add
More
to the crosstab. For more information about custom calculations,
see Overview of calculations on page 116.
Opens the Calculation Editor dialog box so that you can change
Edit
the definition of an existing calculation.
Sort button
Click the Sort button to apply the default ascending sort, or click the arrow
beside the Sort button to display a list of sorting options that you can select
from.
Option Function
Option Function
Note:
• The Sort button is disabled until you select a single row or column in a
crosstab.
• The Remove option is disabled until you select a single row or column in
a crosstab, that has a sort applied to it.
• If your crosstab contains nested dimensions, you can add a sort only to
a member of the innermost dimension.
When a member has a sort applied, an icon appears beside the member
name, indicating the direction of the sort.
Rank button
Click the Rank button to open the Rank Editor dialog box.
For more information about ranking and the different ranking types, see
Ranking the data in the crosstab on page 100 and Rank Editor dialog box on
page 285.
Note: The Rank button is disabled until you select a single row or column
in a crosstab.
When a member has a rank applied, the rank icon appears beside the
member name:
Filter button
Use this button to filter the data displayed in crosstabs and charts.
Click the Filter button to open the Filter Editor dialog box. For more information
about filtering and the different filter types, see Filtering the data in crosstabs
and charts on page 97 and Filter Editor dialog box on page 286.
Note:
• The Filter button is disabled until you select a row or column in a crosstab.
• If your crosstab contains nested dimensions, you can add a filter only to
members of the innermost dimension.
When a member has a filter applied, an icon appears beside the member
name:
For example, you might want to highlight a value that is greater or less than
a predetermined value.
Note: The Exception Highlighting button is disabled until you select a member
in a crosstab.
Click this button to display a list of all sort, filter, and rank conditions that
are applied to the current query.
All applied conditions are included in the list whether or not the members
that the conditions are applied to are visible in the crosstab. You can remove
any conditions that you no longer want to apply to your data.
For more information, see Displaying sorts, filters, and ranks applied to the
query on page 103 and Hidden sorts, filters, and ranks on page 103.
Use this button to swap the horizontal and vertical crosstab axes.
All members on the row axis swap places with all members on the column
axis.
Note: The Swap Axis button is disabled until you select a crosstab or chart.
Use this button to add visual totals to the crosstab. Visual totals include
these calculations:
• Sum
• Average
• Count
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Median
• Variance
• Standard Deviation
• Aggregate
You can click the button to turn on the default calculations for both rows and
columns, or you can click the arrow beside the button to choose from the
other available totals.
For more information about visual totals, see Visual totals on page 116.
Use the Insert Crosstab button to place a crosstab onto your page. You
can place up to four visual components on a page, in any combination of
crosstabs and charts.
To place a crosstab on a page, drag the Crosstab from the application toolbar
into the analysis window. Alternatively, you can click the Crosstab button to
insert the crosstab on the current page. The component is added to the page,
below or to the right of existing components; however, you can reposition
components in the analysis window later.
Chart buttons
Use the chart buttons to place a chart onto your page. You can place up to
four visual components on a page, in any combination of crosstabs and
charts.
To place a chart on a page, drag a chart from the application toolbar into the
analysis window. Alternatively, you can click a chart button to insert that chart
type on the current page. The component is added to the page, below or to
the right of existing components; however, you can reposition components
in the analysis window later.
3D bar
Multi-series line
Multi-series pie
Note: For more information about charts, see Using Charts to Visualize Data
on page 55 and Chart component reference on page 260.
Help button
Use this button to open a help topic about the application toolbar.
The crosstab provides you with a dynamic view of your business data. You
can interactively change your row, column, and slice dimensions by dragging
them between drop zones in the crosstab or from the Data tab to the crosstab.
This makes it easy for you to view trends over time, or track other changes
in your data.
1. Dimension panel
2. Slice dimension
3. Row dimension
4. Column dimension
Related Topics
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
• Workspace reference on page 218
• Analysis window reference on page 219
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Toolbar reference on page 233
• Chart component reference on page 260
The crosstab comprises three axes, although only two can be displayed on
the screen.
• Row axis: the vertical axis that displays rows of data.
• Column axis: the horizontal axis that displays columns of data.
• Slice axis: the axis that is perpendicular to the two-dimensional crosstab
display.
Dimensions that are placed on the row axis are called row dimensions.
Similarly, you also use column dimensions and slice dimensions in your
analyses. See Understanding OLAP on page 19 for more information on
dimensions and slices.
With row and column dimensions, you can see several members
simultaneously on the crosstab. With the slice dimension however, you fix
a slice of the data in the crosstab at any one time. The member you select
in the slice dimension is called the slice member. For example, if Week is a
slice dimension, you can select any week as the slice member.
Although with some OLAP providers you can place multiple members on the
slice axis, you cannot place multiple members from a measures dimension
on the slice axis. For more information about placing multiple members on
the slice axis, see Custom aggregates and multiple members on a slice
dimension on page 228.
For all dimensions in the cube that are not used on the row, column, or slice
axes, the default member is used to generate data in the crosstab. Therefore,
you can generate a valid query by placing dimensions on only the row and
column axes because Voyager uses the default member for all other
dimensions. If you place a dimension on the slice axis and leave the default
member unchanged, the data in the crosstab is also unchanged.
The arrangement of the rows, columns, slices, and the selected members
is known as a crosstab view. When you save a workspace, the crosstab view
To see a different view of the data (for example, to view Products against
Week rather than Products against Measures), you can swap the two
dimensions. This is also known as "reorienting" or "pivoting" the crosstab.
See Swapping dimensions on page 140.
You can also display more than one dimension on a row or column axis; for
example, you can place both a Measures dimension and a Years dimension
on the same axis to show data from the Measures dimension over several
years. This is called "nesting dimensions". See Nesting dimensions on
page 142.
Definitions:
Drop zones are the locations in the dimension panel where dimen-
Drop
sions or members can be dropped, to define and manipulate
zones
queries.
Row axis The row axis is the vertical axis on the crosstab.
Column
The column axis is the horizontal axis on the crosstab.
axis
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
If the measures dimension is not placed on any of the axes in the component,
the title bar displays the name of the default member of the measures
dimension.
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
For more information about defining queries, see Defining queries on page 40.
For more information about nesting dimensions, see Creating complex queries
by nesting dimensions on page 49.
The crosstab's dimension panel contains drop zones for placing dimensions
when you define a query. An additional drop zone, in the crosstab grid, is
used to add members of a measures dimension to the crosstab. See Cell
drop zone on page 253 for more information.
You drag a dimension or members to the center drop zone to add members
to an empty axis, or to replace existing members on that axis.
You drag a dimension or members to the left or right drop zone to add
members to existing members on that axis. The new members are nested
beside the existing members. For more information, see Creating complex
queries by nesting dimensions on page 49.
Dimension functions
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
Crosstab grid
The crosstab grid is where member headings and data are displayed.
Member functions
You can right-click a member heading in the crosstab grid to access these
functions:
• Drill—For information on drilling up and down on members, see Drilling
down and drilling up on page 144.
• Sort—For information on sorting data, see Sorting data columns or rows
on page 92.
• Filter—For information on filtering data, see Filtering the data in crosstabs
and charts on page 97.
• Rank—For information on ranking data, see Ranking the data in the
crosstab on page 100.
• Exception Highlighting—For information on highlighting exceptions in
data, see Overview of exception highlighting on page 108.
• Calculation—For information on adding and defining calculations, see
Overview of calculations on page 116.
• Hide Member—For information on hiding members, see Hiding members
from view on page 85.
When you drop measures on the cell drop zone, those measures are placed
on the column axis.
If you have already placed a measure member on the slice axis, dropping
another member onto the cell drop zone swaps the measures dimension to
the column axis and adds the new member to the selection.
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
Crosstab buttons
At the upper-left corner of the crosstab component are buttons for changing
the view of the crosstab.
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab display options on page 256
• Crosstab tooltips on page 259
Use this button to swap the horizontal and vertical crosstab axes.
All members on the row axis swap places with all members on the column
axis.
Use this button to suppress all rows and columns that contain only null
cell values from being displayed in the crosstab.
You can also suppress null rows only, or null columns only. For details, see
Crosstab display options on page 256 and Chart display options on page 272.
Click this button to select all cells in the crosstab before applying global
exception highlighting or adding visual totals.
Related Topics
• Applying exception highlighting on page 109
• Visual totals on page 116
Option Values
Name
This option defines the name of the crosstab component. The name is
displayed in the crosstab's title bar, and is printed in the page header when
you print a crosstab. The name is also used to identify the crosstab on the
Structure tab. The default value is the name generated automatically by
Voyager when the crosstab is created.
Comments
In addition to the crosstab's name, you can add comments to describe the
crosstab, up to a maximum of 255 characters. Comments are optional and
are not displayed on the crosstab component, but if you print a crosstab to
a PDF document, the comments appear beneath the crosstab component.
Note: When null values in a crosstab are suppressed, null values in any
charts linked to the same query are also suppressed.
These null-suppression options are available:
Option Function
Option Function
Hides all columns and rows that contain only null cell values.
Column and
Note: The Column and Row option is equivalent to clicking
Row
the Null Suppression button in the crosstab.
Column only Hides all columns that contain only null cell values.
Row only Hides all rows that contain only null cell values.
Column Width
This option defines the width of crosstab columns, in pixels. The value you
enter applies to all columns in the crosstab.
Row Height
This option defines the height of crosstab rows, in pixels. The value you enter
applies to all rows in the crosstab.
Wrap Text
This option defines whether text in crosstab cells wraps.
Related Topics
• Properties tab on page 231
Crosstab tooltips
The tooltip for a member heading displays the member level and caption.
Related Topics
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
• Understanding the crosstab on page 247
• Crosstab title bar on page 250
• Crosstab dimension panel on page 250
• Crosstab grid on page 252
• Crosstab buttons on page 255
• Crosstab display options on page 256
1. Dimension panel
2. Slice dimension
3. Data series dimension
4. Category dimension
5. Data series members
The chart component comprises the main chart graphic and a dimension
panel above the graphic. The dimension panel is where you place dimensions
and members to define a query. With large data sets, a range slider is also
displayed to help you navigate the data in the chart.
For more information about charts, see Using Charts to Visualize Data on
page 55.
Definitions:
Drop zones are the locations in the dimension panel where dimen-
Drop
sions or members can be dropped, to define and manipulate
zones
queries.
Cate Categories are the groupings that elements of a data series belong
gories to.
Related Topics
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
• Chart display options on page 272
• Workspace reference on page 218
• Analysis window reference on page 219
• Tab panel reference on page 220
• Toolbar reference on page 233
• Crosstab component reference on page 246
You can hide the dimension panel to allow the chart graphic to occupy more
screen area. See Properties tab on page 231 for details.
For more information about defining queries, see Defining queries on page 40.
For more information about nesting dimensions, see Creating complex queries
by nesting dimensions on page 49.
Related Topics
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
• Chart display options on page 272
The chart's dimension panel contains drop zones for placing dimensions
when you define a query.
You drag a dimension or members to the center drop zone to add members
to an empty axis, or to replace existing members on that axis.
You drag a dimension or members to the left or right drop zone to add
members to existing members on that axis. The new members are nested
beside the existing members. For more information, see Creating complex
queries by nesting dimensions on page 49.
Dimension functions
Selected range
The area between the range slider bars is the selected range. This range is
expanded in the main chart graphic. You can also drag the selected range
within the range slider to scroll through the chart.
Use the overview scroll bar to move the range slider to different subsets of
the full data set.
Hide/restore button
To allow the main chart graphic to occupy more space in the chart component,
you can hide the range slider by clicking the arrow button at the edge of the
range slider. Click the arrow button again to restore the range slider.
Paging buttons
The arrow buttons at the ends of the range slider move the selected range
by one "page" of elements within the range slider. A page is defined as the
current size of the selected range.
With very large data sets, the range slider represents only a portion of the
full data set. In that case, the arrow buttons move the selected range by one
page of elements as usual, until the selected range reaches the end of the
range slider. Clicking an arrow button again moves the selected range further
but also moves the range slider within the full data set.
For more information about using the chart range slider, see Scrolling through
large data sets in charts on page 68.
Related Topics
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
If the measures dimension is not placed on any of the axes in the component,
the title bar displays the name of the default member of the measures
dimension.
Related Topics
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
• Chart display options on page 272
Chart graphic
The chart graphic displays the data returned by the defined query.
Member functions
You can right-click a member heading in the crosstab grid to access these
functions:
Related Topics
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
• Chart display options on page 272
Member captions that are omitted from the chart can be viewed in tooltips
when you rest the mouse pointer over members.
See Chart range slider on page 264 for more information about large data
sets in charts.
Voyager provides several color palettes and styles for displaying your charts.
For more information about customizing chart colors and styles, see Chart
display options on page 272.
In all chart types except multi-series pie, the innermost dimension members
are grouped along the category axis by outer dimension members. The
nesting is shown vertically, with the member captions for the outer dimension
appearing beneath captions for the inner dimension.
The measures defined on a cube might not be based on the same unit of
measure or data type. For example, measures such as Unit Sales, Store
Cost, and Store Sales use the data type double, but the Sales Count measure
uses the data type integer. When the chart is rendered, all numeric values
are converted to the data type double.
Chart types
Related Topics
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart display options on page 272
This type of chart is primarily used for comparisons across categories, but
can also be used to discover trends.
For more information about bar charts, see Cluster bar charts on page 58.
This type of chart is used for comparisons and to show the absolute
contributions of sets of values across categories.
For more information about stacked bar charts, see Stacked bar charts on
page 59.
This type of chart is used for comparisons and to show the relative
contributions of sets of values across categories.
For more information about percent stacked bar charts, see Percent stacked
bar charts on page 60.
This type of chart compares data points in three dimensions. The x-axis is
the category axis; the y-axis is the data series axis; and the z-axis is the
value axis.
For more information about 3D bar charts, see 3D bar charts on page 61.
A line chart displays trends over time or categories. It is also available with
markers displayed at each data value. Each line in a multi-series line chart
corresponds to a data series, with the chart legend specifying the color for
each data series. Each label on the horizontal axis represents a category.
Values are displayed on the vertical axis.
For more information about line charts, see Multi-series line charts on
page 62.
Pie charts display the sizes of items that compose a data series, proportional
to the sum of the items. A pie chart is used to show the relative contributions
of values, and is useful when you want to emphasize a significant element
in the data. Each pie in a multi-series pie chart represents a category; each
pie slice represents a data series.
Related Topics
• Multi-series pie charts on page 63
The following options are available to customize your charts. You can access
these options from the Properties tab.
Option Values
Default
Cool
Warm
Hot
Lavender
Palette on page 274
Rose
Desert
Forest
Ocean
Monochrome
Default
Shadow
Style on page 274
Presentation
Presentation Shadow
Off
Column and Row
Suppress NULL Values on page 274
Column only
Row only
Name
This option defines the name of the chart component. The name is displayed
in the chart's title bar, and is printed in the page header when you print a
chart. The name is also used to identify the chart on the Structure tab. The
default value is the name generated automatically by Voyager when the chart
is created.
Comments
In addition to the chart's name, you can add comments to describe the chart,
up to a maximum of 255 characters. Comments are optional and are not
displayed on the chart component, but if you print a chart to a PDF document,
the comments appear beneath the chart component.
Palette
Voyager provides several predefined color palettes to help you customize
your chart components.
Style
Voyager provides these styles for customizing your charts:
Default none
Shadow 3D effect
Font
The fonts available in the Print dialog box and in the chart Properties tab are
default fonts. Your system administrator can enable additional fonts.
For example, the "Row only" setting refers to the crosstab representation of
the chart's data. If there were a crosstab linked to the same query that the
chart is linked to, and if that crosstab contained entire rows of null values,
then those rows would be suppressed. The corresponding changes are made
to the chart.
The default value is Off. For details, see Suppress NULL Values on page 257.
Show Parents
This option toggles the display of single parent members on and off. The
default value is No, which means that parent members will not be displayed
Show Legend
Choose Yes if you want the chart legend to be displayed. The default value
is Yes.
Note: If there is limited space available in the chart component, the chart
legend is automatically removed.
Category Label
The category axis corresponds to one of the following axes, depending on
the type of chart:
Value Label
The value axis corresponds to one of the following axes, depending on the
type of chart:
Related Topics
• Properties tab on page 231
• Chart component reference on page 260
• Chart dimension panel on page 261
• Chart range slider on page 264
• Chart title bar on page 266
• Chart graphic on page 266
• Chart types on page 268
Additionally, you can change the member of the Measures or Key Figures
dimension by clicking the Member Selector button beside the Measures or
Key Figures dimension name in the component title bar.
When you open the Member Selector, the member list is automatically
expanded to show all members that are currently displayed in the crosstab
or chart.
The Member Selector dialog box can be resized by dragging the sizing handle
at the lower-right corner.
Note: If you deselect all members, the OK button in the Member Selector
is disabled because you must select at least one member for each dimension
on the crosstab.
For more information about selecting individual members, see Selecting
individual members from a list of all members on page 80.
Member names may not be displayed fully in the default Member Selector
dialog box size, because of long member names or large indents for low-level
members. The Member Selector can be resized to accommodate these
member names by dragging the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
Related Topics
• Overview of member selection on page 78
Often, you can select or deselect members more efficiently by using the
buttons on the Member Selector toolbar:
Note: After you deselect all members, the OK button in the Member Selector
is disabled because you must select at least one member for each dimension
on the crosstab.
For more information about displaying all members at a particular level, see
Selecting all members at a particular level in the dimension on page 83.
Use the Show Selected Members button to toggle between showing all
members within the dimension, and showing only the selected members.
For more information, see Showing only selected members in the Member
Selector on page 88.
Use this button to choose a display mode for member names and
captions in the Member Selector. Choose from one of these available modes:
• Caption
• Name
• Caption : Name
• Name : Caption
Use this button to toggle between appending the parent names to the
member names, and just displaying the members as chosen with the Display
Mode button.
For example, if you toggle the display of parent members on, a member
name might look like this: Wednesday (2002 > Qtr 2 > June > Wk 1).
For more information about displaying parent and child members, see
Displaying the parent names of all members on page 89.
You can search member names and captions. For details, see To search
for member names or captions on page 82.
Use the Return to Member List button to clear the search results and
return to the full member list. Any members that you selected from the search
results remain selected.
Selects all members that contain the word book , such as book
, library book , and book store .
book Note: If you search for book , your search will not find a
member named booklet . To find booklet , you could search
for book* . See Using wildcards in your search on page 285.
Selects only members that contain the exact text inside the
"glass quotation marks.
bowls" In this example, the search would find glass bowls but not
glass soup bowls .
Note: Search terms are not case-sensitive. Searching for book is the same
as searching for Book or BOOK or boOk .
Wildcard Represents
Use this button to clear the search results and return to the full member
list. Any members that you selected from the search results remain selected.
You need to provide two parameters to define a rank: a condition and a value.
Then you enter either the Number of Members value or a percentage. The
Number of Members value can be any integer between 1 and 2^31 (2.14E9).
The sort direction applied by the rank operation depends on the selected
operator. If you choose a "Top members by value" or "Top contributors to %
of total" rank, the rank also applies a descending sort. If you choose a "Bottom
members by value" or "Bottom contributors to % of total" rank, the rank also
applies an ascending sort.
Related Topics
• Ranking the data in the crosstab on page 100
greater than or equal Shows cells that are greater than or equal to a specified
to numeric value.
Related Topics
• Filtering the data in crosstabs and charts on page 97
To select (or enter) values for SAP query variables, use the Set Variables
dialog box. You are prompted with this dialog box any time a query must be
executed.
There are several actions performed while working in Voyager that make it
necessary to enter values for variables:
• Adding a connection.
• Opening a saved workspace.
• Navigating to a page for the first time in an open workspace.
• Manually refreshing data.
The Set Variables dialog box contains at least one row, and can contain
several, depending on the complexity of the data structure and the number
of variables set up by the SAP administrator in the SAP query cube. Each
row represents a different variable.
If default or personalized variables are set up, rows of the Set Variables
dialog box may already contain values. You can accept these values, or you
can select different values.
Related Topics
• Using Voyager with SAP on page 189
20
20 Connecting to OLAP data sources
OLAP data connections
You can add several connections to your workspace, and use a different
connection for each query in your workspace. However, once metadata has
been specified, the query and visual components are fixed to the connection.
You cannot drag metadata from a different connection into this component.
Related Topics
• Adding an OLAP cube connection to a workspace on page 291
• Changing to a different OLAP cube connection on page 292
• Removing an OLAP cube connection from a workspace on page 293
• Re-establishing a disabled connection on page 294
Once you have a connection added to your workspace, you can define a
query and begin working with your data in the analysis window. For
information on queries and how to define them, see Creating and defining
queries to answer your business questions on page 40.
Related Topics
• OLAP data connections on page 290
• Changing to a different OLAP cube connection on page 292
• Removing an OLAP cube connection from a workspace on page 293
• Re-establishing a disabled connection on page 294
2. In the Choose Connection dialog box, select the desired connection and
click OK.
Alternatively, you can double-click the desired connection.
Note: You cannot add data from the new connection to a component that
already contains data from another connection.
Related Topics
• OLAP data connections on page 290
• Adding an OLAP cube connection to a workspace on page 291
• Removing an OLAP cube connection from a workspace on page 293
• Re-establishing a disabled connection on page 294
Related Topics
• OLAP data connections on page 290
• Adding an OLAP cube connection to a workspace on page 291
If any of your connections are disabled, Voyager does not execute the queries
that are based on the disabled connections. The disabled connections still
appear in the active connections list, but are unavailable. Crosstab and chart
components that are linked to disabled connections display messages that
describe why the connections are disabled, and provide hyperlinks for
attempting to re-establish the connections.
Related Topics
• OLAP data connections on page 290
• Adding an OLAP cube connection to a workspace on page 291
• Changing to a different OLAP cube connection on page 292
• Removing an OLAP cube connection from a workspace on page 293
A
A Get More Help
http://support.businessobjects.com/documentation/product_guides/
http://www.businessobjects.com/support/
For more information, contact your local sales office, or contact us at:
http://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting/
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mailto:documentation@businessobjects.com
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about Customer Support visit: http://www.businessobjects.com/support/.
A C
active slice member, definition of 143 calculations
adding adding to crosstab 238
a chart 32, 63, 244 adding, editing, and deleting 123
a crosstab 35, 244 arithmetic 122
a data connection 291 basic 122
data 40 custom 124
data to charts 66 mathematical 124, 129
queries 229, 230 overview 116
aggregate storage, Essbase 206 statistical 124
aggregates 116, 243 time-based 124
alias tables, Essbase 206, 213, 222 visual totals 116, 243
analysis window 218, 219 calculations, custom 127
analysis window, definition 26 captions 81, 280
application toolbar. See toolbar 233 modifying page 161
arithmetic calculations 129 captions and names 89, 252, 263
ascending sort 92, 239 categories, definition 260
Attribute Calculations dimension 210 category dimensions 260
attribute dimensions, Essbase 206, 207, 208 Category Label property 273
authentication 30 Central Management Console 16
automatically removed sorts, filters, and ranks changing dimensions. See swapping
97 dimensions 140
autosave 164, 166 characteristic variables, SAP 195
averages 116 characteristics, SAP 201, 202
axes 52, 247 chart, definition 26
axis, definition 26 charts 56, 218
3D bar 61, 271
adding data to 66
B adding to page 32, 63, 244
bar chart 270 axis labels 74
bar charts 58, 244, 269, 270, 271 bar charts 58
blank cells 255 captions 267
G
L
global exception highlighting 109, 256
graphs. See charts 56 large data sets 267
grid, crosstab 252 leaf member 224
line charts 62, 244, 271
linked components 52, 56
H linking components to queries 51
linking, reports 171
help, online 246
hidden hierarchies, SAP 200
hidden sorts, filters, and ranks 103, 243 M
hiding members 85
hiding tab panel 235 main window 219
hierarchies, in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 186 maintaining hierarchies in sorts 239
hierarchy 22, 224 mandatory variables, SAP 193
hierarchy node variables, SAP 195 maximize 32, 151
hierarchy variables, SAP 196 measure formatting 242
highlighting exceptions 109, 242 measure groups 186
adding a range 111 measure, definition 26
changing a range 113 measures 278
changing colors 113 changing 85
percent stacked bar chart 60, 244, 270 rank editor dialog box 285
percentage calculations 132 ranking data 100, 241
percentage, number format 154 clearing a rank 102
period to date calculations 135 multiple ranks 102
period-to-date, Essbase 212 ranks, filters, and sorts 243
personalized variables, SAP 194 reconnecting 294
perspectives 186 relational data 148
pie charts 63, 244, 271 relational table viewer 149
pivoting the crosstab 140, 243, 247, 255 removing 293
printing 178, 236 a data connection 293
charts 181 a filter 99
crosstabs 180 a rank 102
options 182 a sort 96
raw data 179 crosstabs or charts 238
to PDF 178 dimensions 141, 252, 263
prior period calculations 134 members 85
Properties tab 231 queries 230
public folder 167 renaming pages 161
publishing 16, 167 reorienting the crosstab 247
report linking 171
resizing columns 156
Q resizing components 151
queries 40 resizing rows 156
adding 48, 229 restore 32
complex 49 restore tab panel 235
defining 32, 40 restricted key figures, SAP 200
defining using a chart 67 restrictions, MetaRead permissions 206
deleting 52 row axis, definition 247
explained 52 row dimension 246
linking components 51 row height 257
modifying 45 row member 246
new 51 rows, resizing 156
undefined 48
query, definition 26 S
sample cubes 30
R SAP 201
ragged hierarchies 203 characteristics 201, 202
range slider 68 hidden hierarchies 200
rank and filter combined 104 key figures 201
rank and sort combined 104 logging on 190
rank calculations 136 multiple structures 200
toolbar 218 V
Calculation button 238
chart buttons 244 Value Label property 273
Copy button 237 variables, SAP 190, 191, 195, 222
Crosstab button 244 variance and standard deviation calculations
Delete button 238 131
Display Member Settings button 243 view tab panel 235
Exception Highlighting button 242 visual totals 116, 243
Export button 236 changing 120
Filter button 241 on charts 122
Formatting Measures button 242 removing 120
Help button 246 with filtered data 121
overview 234 with nested dimensions 121
Paste button 237 visual totals, displaying 73
Print button 236
Rank button 241
reference 233
W
Save button 235 wildcards 283
Select All button 256 workspace, definition 26
Sort button 239 workspaces 26
Suppression button 255 creating new 26, 30
Swap Axis button 243, 255 distributing 164, 167
View Tab Panel button 235 exporting to Microsoft Excel or .csv file 236
Visual Totals button 243 opening 26, 170
toolbar, Member Selector 280 printing 178, 236
tooltips 259 reference 218
totals 116, 243 saving 164, 166, 167, 235
sending to others 168, 170
U sharing using openDocument 171
wrapping text 257
unbalanced hierarchies 203
URL syntax for openDocument 171
Z
zeroes 255