Basic Reporting

Guide

Version: 10.9
10.9, September 2017
Copyright © 2017 by MicroStrategy Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Trademark Information
The following are either trademarks or registered trademarks of MicroStrategy Incorporated or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries:
MicroStrategy, MicroStrategy 10, MicroStrategy 10 Secure Enterprise, MicroStrategy 9, MicroStrategy 9s, MicroStrategy Analytics, MicroStrategy Analytics Platform, MicroStrategy
Desktop, MicroStrategy Library, MicroStrategy Operations Manager, MicroStrategy Analytics Enterprise, MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition, MicroStrategy Secure Enterprise,
MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Mobile, MicroStrategy Server, MicroStrategy Parallel Relational In-Memory Engine (MicroStrategy PRIME), MicroStrategy MultiSource,
MicroStrategy OLAP Services, MicroStrategy Intelligence Server, MicroStrategy Intelligence Server Universal, MicroStrategy Distribution Services, MicroStrategy Report Services,
MicroStrategy Transaction Services, MicroStrategy Visual Insight, MicroStrategy Web Reporter, MicroStrategy Web Analyst, MicroStrategy Office, MicroStrategy Data Mining Services,
MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server, MicroStrategy Health Center, MicroStrategy Analyst, MicroStrategy Developer, MicroStrategy Web Professional, MicroStrategy Architect,
MicroStrategy SDK, MicroStrategy Command Manager, MicroStrategy Enterprise Manager, MicroStrategy Object Manager, MicroStrategy Integrity Manager, MicroStrategy System
Manager, MicroStrategy Analytics App, MicroStrategy Mobile App, MicroStrategy Tech Support App, MicroStrategy Mobile App Platform, MicroStrategy Cloud, MicroStrategy R
Integration, Dossier, Usher, MicroStrategy Usher, Usher Badge, Usher Security, Usher Security Server, Usher Mobile, Usher Analytics, Usher Network Manager, Usher Professional,
MicroStrategy Services, MicroStrategy Professional Services, MicroStrategy Consulting, MicroStrategy Customer Services, MicroStrategy Education, MicroStrategy University,
MicroStrategy Managed Services, BI QuickStrike, Mobile QuickStrike, Transaction Services QuickStrike Perennial Education Pass, MicroStrategy Web Based Training (WBT),
MicroStrategy World, Best in Business Intelligence, Pixel Perfect, Global Delivery Center, Direct Connect, Enterprise Grade Security For Every Business, Build Your Own Business
Apps, Code-Free, Welcome to Ideal, The World’s Most Comprehensive Analytics Platform, The World’s Most Comprehensive Analytics Platform. Period.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Specifications subject to change without notice. MicroStrategy is not responsible for errors or omissions. MicroStrategy makes no warranties or commitments concerning the availability
of future products or versions that may be planned or under development.
Patent Information
This product is patented. One or more of the following patents may apply to the product sold herein: U.S. Patent Nos. 6,154,766, 6,173,310, 6,260,050, 6,263,051, 6,269,393, 6,279,033,
6,567,796, 6,587,547, 6,606,596, 6,658,093, 6,658,432, 6,662,195, 6,671,715, 6,691,100, 6,694,316, 6,697,808, 6,704,723, 6,741,980, 6,765,997, 6,768,788, 6,772,137, 6,788,768, 6,798,867,
6,801,910, 6,820,073, 6,829,334, 6,836,537, 6,850,603, 6,859,798, 6,873,693, 6,885,734, 6,940,953, 6,964,012, 6,977,992, 6,996,568, 6,996,569, 7,003,512, 7,010,518, 7,016,480, 7,020,251,
7,039,165, 7,082,422, 7,113,993, 7,127,403, 7,174,349, 7,181,417, 7,194,457, 7,197,461, 7,228,303, 7,260,577, 7,266,181, 7,272,212, 7,302,639, 7,324,942, 7,330,847, 7,340,040, 7,356,758,
7,356,840, 7,415,438, 7,428,302, 7,430,562, 7,440,898, 7,486,780, 7,509,671, 7,516,181, 7,559,048, 7,574,376, 7,617,201, 7,725,811, 7,801,967, 7,836,178, 7,861,161, 7,861,253, 7,881,443,
7,925,616, 7,945,584, 7,970,782, 8,005,870, 8,051,168, 8,051,369, 8,094,788, 8,130,918, 8,296,287, 8,321,411, 8,452,755, 8,521,733, 8,522,192, 8,577,902, 8,606,813, 8,607,138, 8,645,313,
8,761,659, 8,775,807, 8,782,083, 8,812,490, 8,832,588, 8,943,044, 8,943,187. 8,958,537, 8,966,597, 8,983,440, 8,984,274, 8,984,288, 8,995,628, 9,027,099, 9,027,105, 9,037, 577, 9,038,152,
9,076,006, 9,086,837, 9,116,954, 9,124,630, 9,154,303, 9,154,486, 9,160,727, 9,166,986, 9,171,073, 9,172,699, 9,173,101, 9,183, 317, 9,195,814, 9,208,213, 9,208,444, 9,262,481, 9,264,415,
9,264,480, 9,269,358, 9,275,127, 9,292,571, 9,300,646, 9,311,683 9,313,206, 9,330,174, 9,338,157, 9,361,392, 9,378,386, 9,386,416, 9,391,782, 9,397,838, 9,397,980, 9,405,804, 9,413,710,
9,413,794, 9,430,629, 9,432,808, 9,438,597, 9,444,805, 9,450,942, 9,450,958, 9,454,594, 9,507,755, 9,513,770, 9,516,018, 9,529,850, 9,563,761, 9,565,175, 9,608,970, 9,640,001, 9,646,165,
9,680,908, 9,697,146, 9,697,350, 9,742,764, 9,742,781, and 9,743,235. Other patent applications are pending.
 1
CONTENTS
Book Overview and Additional Resources vi
About this book vii
Resources viii
Feedback xvi
1. Getting Started with MicroStrategy Reporting 1
Starting MicroStrategy 1
Opening a report 4
Components of a report 4
Report types 6
Displaying multiple reports in a single presentation 10
OLAP Services 13
Printing a report 15
Exporting data 15
Emailing a report 16
2. Formatting a Report 19
Ideas for formatting 19
Formatting a grid report 20
Formatting a combined grid and graph report 39
Formatting a graph report 41
Formatting numeric data in a report 51
Preset formatting: Autostyles 51
3. Analyzing Data 54
Sorting data 54
Finding values 57
Summary/detail of data 59

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. iii

Basic Reporting Guide

Pivoting data 68
Specifying maximum and minimum values: Report limits 70
Calculating data 74
4. Answering Questions about Data 82
Filtering data 82
Understanding hierarchies 87
Drilling into related data 90
Controlling drilling behavior to affect report results 91
5. Answering Prompts and Refreshing Data 118
Refreshing a report 118
Answering report prompts 121
Saving and re-using prompt answers: Personal answers 122
Saving reports with prompts 123
6. Building a Quick Query for Analysis 126
Prerequisites 126
Creating a report by combining a template and a filter: Report Wizard 127
Quick report creation: Building a new report 129
7. Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers 134
Before you begin 134
MicroStrategy objects 138
Providing business context to a report: Attributes 143
Calculating data on a report: Metrics 144
Filtering data on a report: Filters 169
Asking for user input: Prompts 206
Designing a report’s structure: Templates 249
Creating a grid report 251
Adding features for users 276
Modifying an existing report 291
Creating other types of reports 293
Designing reports that use OLAP Services 295
Building a query using alternative data access methods 297
A. Reporting Interfaces in MicroStrategy 299
MicroStrategy Developer interface 299
MicroStrategy Web interface 306

iv © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Index 315

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. v

 1
BOOK OVERVIEW AND
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Thank you for using MicroStrategy—Platform for Mobile Intelligence.
The MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide describes the steps for a business analyst to
execute and analyze a business report in MicroStrategy Developer and MicroStrategy Web.
It also provides the information necessary for report designers to design, create, and modify
simple business reports and reporting objects using the MicroStrategy platform.
Specifically, this guide provides the following information:
• Chapter 1, Getting Started with MicroStrategy Reporting, shows you how to log in and
get started with MicroStrategy Developer and MicroStrategy Web.
• Chapter 2, Formatting a Report, explains how to format a report.
• Chapter 3, Analyzing Data, describes common methods you can use to better
understand and present the data that appears in a report.
• Chapter 4, Answering Questions about Data, explains how to expose additional data
related to your original report.
• Chapter 5, Answering Prompts and Refreshing Data, shows you how to refresh your
report data and how to answer report prompts.
• Chapter 6, Building a Quick Query for Analysis, is for report analysts. It shows you how
to create a simple report using MicroStrategy’s Report Builder tool.
• Chapter 7, Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers, is for report designers. It
describes MicroStrategy objects and how to use them in creating new reports.
• Appendix A, Reporting Interfaces in MicroStrategy , helps you to become familiar with
the MicroStrategy Web and Developer interface.
Technical terms that need more clarification are defined in the glossary section of this guide.
The Advanced Reporting Guide presents more advanced product functionality and is a
logical “next step” when you have mastered the information in this manual. Other
MicroStrategy manuals cover installation, system administration, and other topics. Most
MicroStrategy manuals assume you have read and mastered all topics covered in this guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. vi

Basic Reporting Guide

Detailed steps for all functionality in the MicroStrategy system are available in the Online
Help.

About this book

The following sections provide the location of examples, list prerequisites for using this book,
and describe the user roles the information in this book was designed for.
This guide provides steps primarily for MicroStrategy Web. Whenever steps are not in this
guide for Developer, click Help in Developer to see detailed steps to perform tasks in
Developer.

The sample documents and images in this guide, as well as some example steps, were
created with dates that may no longer be available in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project. If you
are re-creating an example, replace the year(s) shown in this guide with the most recent year
(s) available in the software.

How to find business scenarios and examples

Within this guide, many of the concepts discussed are accompanied by business scenarios
or other descriptive examples. Many of the examples use the MicroStrategy Tutorial, which
is MicroStrategy’s sample warehouse and project. Information about the MicroStrategy
Tutorial can be found in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.
Detailed examples of advanced reporting functionality can be found in the Advanced
Reporting Guide.

What’s new in this guide

Analytics Enterprise
The name of MicroStrategy Desktop has been changed to MicroStrategy Developer.

MicroStrategy 10.8
You now have the option to use Aggregate from base or Subtotal from base from the Metric
Editor in MicroStrategy Developer. For more information on subtotals and aggregation, see
the Analyzing Data and Answering Questions about Data sections of this guide.

MicroStrategy 9.3
• You can determine which delivery options are available to users subscribing to a specific
report. For example, you can specify which delivery schedules can be used to subscribe
to the report, or prevent users from subscribing to the report altogether. For steps, see
Specifying the delivery options available to users subscribing to a report, page 290.

vii © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

• The Report Wizard allows you to quickly and easily create a report by selecting an
existing template and filter. For steps, and definitions of templates and filters, see
Creating a report by combining a template and a filter: Report Wizard, page 127.

MicroStrategy 9.2
Any updates to this guide were minor and not directly related to MicroStrategy 9.2. For a list
of new features in MicroStrategy 9.2, see the MicroStrategy Readme for that release.

Who should use this guide

This document is designed for all users who require a basic understanding of how to
manipulate the data in a report to analyze business information, as well as how to design,
create, and modify simple business reports using MicroStrategy software.
Report design is the process of building reports from basic report components, or objects. To
design reports you use the Report Editor in either MicroStrategy Developer or Web. The
Report Editor also allows you to create report objects such as templates, metrics, filters, drill
maps, and so on. As a report designer, you can set up a controlled, user-friendly
environment for report analysts. In general, this role is made available only to a group of
advanced users who can design reports. The Developer and Web Professional user roles in
MicroStrategy include the set of privileges required to create reports and report objects, for
each respective product.
Report designers should review chapters 1 through 5 as an introduction, and should use
chapter 6 as their primary reference to begin creating reports.
Report analysis is the process of analyzing business data displayed in existing reports either
in MicroStrategy Web or Developer. Report analysts can explore report data with the wide
range of powerful reporting functionality that report designers can make available to them.
Report analysts can also save new reports that result as they explore and manipulate data,
making further analysis quicker and more direct. Finally, report analysts can create quick and
easy reports of their own to answer simple business questions, using the Report Builder and
Report Wizard tools. The Web Analyst and Analyst user roles in MicroStrategy include the
set of privileges required to analyze reports and use related functionality, for each respective
product.
Report analysts should use chapters 1 through 5 as their primary reference to begin
analyzing report data and working with various report functionality to manipulate that data.

Resources
This section provides details on how to access books, online help, MicroStrategy Education
and Consulting resources, and how to contact MicroStrategy Technical Support.

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

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. viii

Basic Reporting Guide

▫ Introductory information and concepts

▫ Examples and images
▫ Checklists and high-level procedures to get started
The steps to access the manuals are described in Accessing manuals and other
documentation sources, page xiii.
Most of these manuals are also available printed in a bound, soft cover format. To
purchase printed manuals, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive with a
purchase order number.
• Help: MicroStrategy online help provides:
▫ Detailed steps to perform procedures
▫ Descriptions of each option on every software screen

Additional formats
MicroStrategy manuals are available as electronic publications, downloadable on the Apple
iBooks Store or Google Play, and can be read on your iOS or Android device respectively.
To download a book, search for the book’s title in the iBookstore or Google Play. To view a
list of manuals that are currently available, scan the following QR codes using your device’s
camera:
• For iOS devices, scan the following QR code:

• For Android devices, scan the following QR code:

For new MicroStrategy releases, it may take several days for the latest manuals to be
available on the iBookstore or Google Play.

ix © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

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

Finding information
You can search all MicroStrategy books and Help for a word or phrase, with a simple
Google™ search at http://www.google.com. For example, type “MicroStrategy derived
metric” or “MicroStrategy logical table” into a Google search. As described above, books
typically describe general concepts and examples; Help typically provides detailed steps and
screen options. To limit your search to MicroStrategy books, on Google’s main page you can
click More, then select Books.

Manuals for MicroStrategy overview and evaluation

• Introduction to MicroStrategy: Evaluation Guide
Instructions for installing, configuring, and using the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition of
the software. This guide includes a walkthrough of MicroStrategy features so you can
perform reporting with the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its sample business data.
• MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Quick Start Guide
Overview of the installation and evaluation process, and additional resources.

Resources for security

• Usher Help
Steps to perform mobile identity validation using the Usher mobile security network to
issue electronic badges for identifying users.

Manuals for query, reporting, and analysis

• Installation and Configuration Guide
Information to install and configure MicroStrategy products on Windows, UNIX, Linux,
and HP platforms, and basic maintenance guidelines.
• Upgrade Guide
Steps to upgrade existing MicroStrategy products.
• Project Design Guide

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. x

Basic Reporting Guide

Information to create and modify MicroStrategy projects, and create the objects that
present your organization’s data, such as facts, attributes, hierarchies, transformations,
advanced schemas, and project optimization.
• Basic Reporting Guide
Steps to get started with MicroStrategy Web, and how to analyze and format data in a
report. Includes the basics for creating reports, metrics, filters, and prompts.
• Advanced Reporting Guide
Steps to create Freeform SQL reports, Query Builder reports, complex filters and
metrics, use Data Mining Services, and create custom groups, consolidations, and
complex prompts.
• Document and Dashboard Analysis Guide
Steps to execute, analyze, and format a dashboard in MicroStrategy Web.
• Document Creation Guide
Steps to create Report Services documents, add objects, and format the document and
its objects.
• Dashboards and Widgets Creation Guide
Steps to create MicroStrategy Report Services dashboards and add interactive
visualizations.
• In-memory Analytics Guide
Information to use MicroStrategy OLAP Services features, including Intelligent Cubes,
derived metrics, derived elements, dynamic aggregation, view filters, and dynamic
sourcing.
• MicroStrategy Office User Guide
Instructions to use MicroStrategy Office to work with MicroStrategy reports and
documents in Microsoft® Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, to analyze, format, and
distribute business data.
• MicroStrategy Mobile Analysis Guide
Steps to use MicroStrategy Mobile to view and analyze data, and perform other
business tasks with MicroStrategy reports and documents on a mobile device.
• MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide
Information and instructions to install and configure MicroStrategy Mobile, as well as
steps for a designer working in MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web to create
effective reports and documents for use with MicroStrategy Mobile.
• System Administration Guide
Steps to implement, deploy, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot a MicroStrategy business
intelligence system.
Supplemental Admin Guide

xi © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Steps for administrative tasks such as configuring VLDB properties and defining data
and metadata internationalization, and reference material for other administrative tasks.
• Functions Reference
Function syntax and formula components; instructions to use functions in metrics, filters,
attribute forms; examples of functions in business scenarios.
• MDX Cube Reporting Guide
Information to integrate MicroStrategy with MDX cube sources. You can integrate data
from MDX cube sources into your MicroStrategy projects and applications.
• MicroStrategy Operations Manager Guide
Instructions for managing, monitoring, and setting alerts for all of your MicroStrategy
systems from one console. This guide also includes instructions for setting up and using
Enterprise Manager to analyze your MicroStrategy system usage.

Manual for the Human Resources Analytics Module

• Human Resources Analysis Module Reference

Software Development Kits

• MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL)
Information to understand the MicroStrategy SDK, including details about architecture,
object models, customization scenarios, code samples, and so on.
• MicroStrategy Web SDK

The Web SDK is available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, which is part of the
MicroStrategy SDK.

Documentation for MicroStrategy Portlets

• Enterprise Portal Integration Help
Information to help you implement and deploy MicroStrategy BI within your enterprise
portal, including instructions for installing and configuring out-of-the-box MicroStrategy
Portlets for several major enterprise portal servers.
This resource is available from http://www.microstrategy.com/producthelp.

Documentation for MicroStrategy GIS Connectors

• GIS Integration Help

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. xii

Basic Reporting Guide

Information to help you integrate MicroStrategy with Geospatial Information Systems

(GIS), including specific examples for integrating with various third-party mapping
services.
This resource is available from http://www.microstrategy.com/producthelp.

Help
Each MicroStrategy product includes an integrated help system to complement the various
interfaces of the product as well as the tasks that can be accomplished using the product.
Some of the MicroStrategy help systems require a web browser to be viewed. For supported
web browsers, see the MicroStrategy Readme.
MicroStrategy provides several ways to access help:
• Help button: Use the Help button or ? (question mark) icon on most software windows to
see help for that window.
• Help menu: From the Help menu or link at the top of any screen, select MicroStrategy
Help to see the table of contents, the Search field, and the index for the help system.
• F1 key: Press F1 to see context-sensitive help that describes each option in the software
window you are currently viewing.

For MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Web Administrator, and MicroStrategy Mobile Server,
pressing the F1 key opens the context-sensitive help for the web browser you are using to
access these MicroStrategy interfaces. Use the Help menu or ? (question mark) icon to
access help for these MicroStrategy interfaces.

Accessing manuals and other documentation sources

The manuals are available from http://www.microstrategy.com/producthelp, as well as from
your MicroStrategy disk or the machine where MicroStrategy was installed.

Adobe Reader is required to view these manuals. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed
on your computer, you can download it from http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

The best place for all users to begin is with the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.
To access the installed manuals and other documentation sources, see the following
procedures:
• To access documentation resources from any location, page xiii
• To access documentation resources on Windows, page xiv
• To access documentation resources on UNIX and Linux , page xiv

To access documentation resources from any location

1 Visit http://www.microstrategy.com/producthelp.

xiii © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To access documentation resources on Windows

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

If bookmarks are not visible on the left side of a product manual, from the View menu click
Bookmarks and Page. This step varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe
Reader.

To access documentation resources on UNIX and Linux

1 Within your UNIX or Linux machine, navigate to the directory where you installed
MicroStrategy. The default location is /opt/MicroStrategy, or
$HOME/MicroStrategy/install if you do not have write access to
/opt/MicroStrategy.
2 From the MicroStrategy installation directory, open the Help folder.
3 Open the Product_Manuals.htm file in a web browser. A page opens in your
browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other documentation
sources.
4 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source.

If bookmarks are not visible on the left side of a product manual, from the View menu click
Bookmarks and Page. This step varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe
Reader.

Documentation standards
MicroStrategy online help and PDF manuals (available both online and in printed format) use
standards to help you identify certain types of content. The following table lists these
standards.

These standards may differ depending on the language of this manual; some languages have
rules that supersede the table below.

Type Indicates

bold • Button names, check boxes, options, lists, and menus that are the focus of actions
or part of a list of such GUI elements and their definitions
Example: Click Select Warehouse .

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. xiv

Basic Reporting Guide

Type Indicates

italic • Names of other product manuals and documentation resources

• When part of a command syntax, indicates variable information to be replaced by
the user
Example: Type copy c:\filename d:\foldername\filename

Courier • Calculations
font • Code samples
• Registry keys
• Path and file names
• URLs
• Messages displayed in the screen
• Text to be entered by the user
Example: Sum(revenue)/number of months.

Example: Type cmdmgr -f scriptfile.scp and press Enter.

+ A keyboard command that calls for the use of more than one key (for example,
SHIFT+F1).
A note icon indicates helpful information for specific situations.

A warning icon alerts you to important information such as potential security risks;
these should be read before continuing.

Education
MicroStrategy Education Services provides a comprehensive curriculum and highly skilled
education consultants. Many customers and partners from over 800 different organizations
have benefited from MicroStrategy instruction.
Courses that can help you prepare for using this manual or that address some of the
information in this manual include:
• MicroStrategy Developer: Reporting Essentials
• MicroStrategy Web: Report Analysis
• MicroStrategy Web: Report Design
For a detailed description of education offerings and course curriculums, visit
http://www.microstrategy.com/Education.

Consulting
MicroStrategy Consulting Services provides proven methods for delivering leading-edge
technology solutions. Offerings include complex security architecture designs, performance

xv © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

and tuning, project and testing strategies and recommendations, strategic planning, and
more. For a detailed description of consulting offerings, visit
http://www.microstrategy.com/services-support/consulting.

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

A technical administrator in your organization may be able to help you resolve your
issues immediately.

3. MicroStrategy Technical Support can be contacted by your company's Support

Liaison. Contact information and the Technical Support policy information is available
at http://www.microstrategy.com/services-support/support/contact.

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

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. xvi

 1
GETTING STARTED WITH
MICROSTRATEGY REPORTING
This chapter shows you how to log in and get started using MicroStrategy Web and
MicroStrategy Developer. It also provides many examples using the sample Tutorial project
that comes with MicroStrategy. It gives you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the
Web interface and learn some basic functionality.
MicroStrategy Web is a user-friendly environment for interactive analysis. A full set of data
browsing, drilling, and reporting development capabilities enable stream-of-consciousness
navigation. Boardroom-quality reports can be generated using a wide range of charting and
formatting options.
MicroStrategy Developer is a business intelligence environment designed to meet today’s
sophisticated business intelligence requirements. It brings integrated query and reporting,
powerful collaborative analytics, and investigative workflow to every desktop.
This guide provides steps primarily for MicroStrategy Web. Whenever steps are not in this
guide for Developer, click Help in Developer to see detailed steps to perform tasks in
Developer.

Starting MicroStrategy
Use the appropriate procedure below, depending on whether you are starting MicroStrategy
Web or MicroStrategy Developer.

Starting MicroStrategy Web

You can access MicroStrategy Web from any computer that can run a browser.

To start MicroStrategy Web

1. In a browser, enter the URL of your company’s MicroStrategy Web site.

MicroStrategy Web opens, displaying the MicroStrategy Tutorial project as well as any

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 1

Basic Reporting Guide

other projects you have permissions to access.

2. Click the project to log in to. (To follow the examples in this guide, click
MicroStrategy Tutorial.) The Login screen appears.
3. Type your User name and Password. Depending on how your administrator set
up your user account, this may be the same login and password you use to access
your computer, or it may be a MicroStrategy-specific login and password.
4. Click Login.
The Home page opens, displaying icons to view, work with, and create reports and
dashboards. The icons also provide direct access to the most commonly used areas of
the project, such as folders containing existing reports and dashboards.
5. Click Shared Reports.
To explore the sample project data in MicroStrategy Tutorial, open any of the folders
and click on any report name to run the report or dashboard and see the sample data
results.

Starting MicroStrategy Developer

You can access MicroStrategy Developer from any computer on which Developer has been
installed.

To start MicroStrategy Developer

1. From your computer’s Start menu, select Programs (or All Programs), then
MicroStrategy Products, and select Developer.
2. In the User Login window, type your Login ID and Password. Depending on how
your administrator set up your user account, this may be the same login and password
you use to access your computer, or it may be a MicroStrategy-specific login and
password.
3. Click OK.
MicroStrategy Developer opens, displaying the Folder List on the left, where the
MicroStrategy Analytics Module project source appears, as well as any project
sources that your organization may have created. The MicroStrategy Analytics
Module project source includes the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
4. To explore this sample project data, in the Folder List expand MicroStrategy
Tutorial, then expand Public Objects, then expand Reports. Explore the folders
and double-click any report or dashboard to run it and see the sample data results.

Security privileges
The data you can view and work with may be controlled by privileges that an administrator
has assigned to you. Security settings can limit your data access to specific projects, certain
reports within a project, the ability to use specific objects on reports, and even how you can
explore some data.

2 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you have any questions about any data you expect to be able to access but cannot, see
your MicroStrategy administrator about having your security role or privileges adjusted.

About sample data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial

project
MicroStrategy comes with a sample project called MicroStrategy Tutorial. The theme of the
MicroStrategy Tutorial project is activity in a retail store over a three-year time period. The
retail store sells electronics, books, movies, and music.
The Tutorial project includes sample data, such as actual customer names and items
purchased. It also includes predesigned sample reports. The reporting areas are grouped
logically so you can see reports based on business roles, MicroStrategy platform capabilities,
or various subject areas such as customer analysis, inventory and supply chain analysis,
sales and profitability analysis, and so on. Reports that are useful in more than one area are
duplicated in all applicable folders.
The Tutorial project lets you familiarize yourself with MicroStrategy because you can run the
sample reports in the Tutorial project and experience various ways to analyze data.
Most of the reports discussed in this chapter exist in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
These sample reports show you how you can build and generate reports.
To access the Tutorial project, follow the steps in the section above to log in to MicroStrategy
Web or MicroStrategy Developer. Once you have logged in, you can access the reports in
the Tutorial project.

Warehouse data in the sample MicroStrategy projects is updated regularly, and these
changes are reflected in the documentation whenever possible. However, the sample reports,
documents, objects, and images in this guide may display warehouse data that no longer
appears in the software.

Sample analysis areas

The MicroStrategy Tutorial project comes with the following groups of reports:
l Business Roles: This folder contains reports for different types of business intelligence
users, such as billing managers, brand managers, company executives, sales managers,
and operations managers. For example, brand managers can see a report for Brand
Performance by Region. A billing manager can see data in a report called Invoice
Statements by Selected Customers, as well as a customer-level transaction detail report.
l Dashboards and Scorecards: This folder contains several examples of dashboards.
Dashboards provide a distilled view of the business, organized in logical sections, often
containing interactive visualizations and other adaptive features.
l Enterprise Reporting Documents: This folder contains examples of different types
of enterprise reporting documents, such as scorecards and dashboards, managed
metrics reports, production and operational reports, invoices and statements, and
business reports. The documents and dashboards in this folder are a sample of the types
of documents that can be built using MicroStrategy Report Services.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 3

Basic Reporting Guide

l MicroStrategy Platform Capabilities: This folder contains examples of the

sophisticated capabilities within the MicroStrategy platform. Use the reports and
dashboards to get a better feel for platform functionality. For example, the Graph Styles
folder contains examples of most of the graph types that can be created in MicroStrategy.
The Ad Hoc Reporting folder shows examples of commonly used features like sorting and
thresholds.
l Subject Areas: This folder contains reports that cover various topics such as customer
analysis, enterprise performance management, human resources analysis, inventory and
supply chain analysis, sales and profitability analysis, and supplier analysis.

Opening a report
Reports that display your business data are the focus and goal of business intelligence.
Reports allow you to gather business insight through data analysis. The results displayed in
any MicroStrategy report are often a starting point for further investigation.
Use the steps below to open a sample report in the Tutorial project, to become familiar with a
standard grid report in MicroStrategy.

To open a report

1. Log into MicroStrategy Web. Follow the steps above to log in (Starting MicroStrategy
Web, page 1).
2. In the Tutorial project, click Shared Reports.
3. Expand Subject Areas, expand Sales and Profitability Analysis, and then
click Category Sales Report to run the report and see the sample data results.
This is a MicroStrategy grid report.
Use the rest of this chapter to help you understand how to read a grid report. The information
you learn will help you throughout the rest of this guide.

Components of a report
The image below shows a standard grid report in MicroStrategy.

4 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Rows and columns

On a typical report, each row represents a business concept, such as products, employees,
customers, stores, and so on. MicroStrategy calls these business concepts “attributes,”
because they represent the many important attributes of a business.
Attribute: A business concept that provides context in which data is relevant. In the example
of a report that shows sales in the Southeast, Southeast is the attribute. An attribute on a
report serves as a label for a group of metrics.
While the rows represent business concepts, the columns of a typical report represent
financial calculations that are important to the business, such as inventory, sales, costs,
profits, salaries, and so on. MicroStrategy calls these calculations “metrics”.
Metric: A calculation that shows the numbers you want to see. In the example of a report that
shows sales in the Southeast, sales is the metric. Metric calculations can show information at
simple levels as well as at complex levels, such as displaying sales trends, growth patterns,
percent-to-total contributions, and profit analysis. A metric on a report shows a list of values
used for analytical calculations.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 5

Basic Reporting Guide

Cells
Each individual cell on a report contains a single value which is produced by calculating data
gathered from somewhere in your organization’s data source. That data is the focus of
business analysis in a reporting environment.
In the report shown above, for example, the revenue forecast for the first quarter of the year
(Q1) for your Art & Architecture books (in the first row) is much lower than the revenue
forecast for the same books in Q2. This difference may represent a general slump in sales
after the US holiday period, or some other customer behavior specific to the retail industry.
The analysis of this data might lead to a decision to prepare a sale or other special promotion
on Art & Architecture books for Q1, to attempt to counteract the forecasted revenue
reduction.

Report types
You can view a MicroStrategy report from different perspectives, depending on the type of
work that you want to perform.

Grids
A grid report is the most commonly used type of report. Grid view displays grid reports using
a formatted, cross-tabular display of the report data. Most business intelligence analysis is
performed using this view. The following figure displays the Grid view of a report.

6 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To see a report in Grid view in MicroStrategy Web, from the toolbar click the Grid icon .

Graphs
A graph report is a representation of data in a visual format that can help you see overall
trends easily, identify medians and exceptions, and so on. You display report data as a graph
using Graph view. There are many different graph styles you can choose from to display your
report data most effectively. The following figure displays the Graph view of a report in the
bar graph style.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 7

Basic Reporting Guide

The graph report above and the grid report on the previous page are the same report, seen
in two different views. Comparing these two views of the same data helps you see how a
graph report can be more useful than a grid report for identifying trends, in this case, trends
across certain products. The grid report is generally more useful than a graph report for
identifying specific numbers you may need for financial reports and so on.
To see a report in Graph view in MicroStrategy Web, from the toolbar click the Graph icon
.

Grids and graphs combined

Grid and Graph view is a combination display of the Grid view and the Graph view of a report,
side by side. The following figure displays the Grid and Graph view of a report.

8 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To see a report in Grid and Graph view in MicroStrategy Web, from the toolbar click the
Grid and Graph icon .

SQL view
You can see the SQL used to generate the report. Viewing the SQL provides a good way to
troubleshoot and fine-tune the selection of data that is retrieved from your data source and
displayed in reports. SQL view also includes various execution statistics for a report, such as
the number of rows, number of columns, the time it took to execute, and so on. The following
figure displays the SQL view of a report in Developer.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 9

Basic Reporting Guide

To see the SQL for a report in MicroStrategy Web, from the Tools menu select Report
Details Page. The SQL is displayed in the SQL Statement area. Click Show Advanced
Details below the SQL Statement area to see execution statistics for the report.

Displaying multiple reports in a single

presentation
Reports are a common way to analyze your business data in MicroStrategy. This guide
generally uses reports as examples.
MicroStrategy also offers other ways to display data. While working in MicroStrategy Web or
Developer you might see boardroom-quality business presentations, invoices that go out to
customers, all kinds of management reports and dashboards, and so on. These alternatives
are described below.

Visual Insight dashboards

Visual Insight allows you to quickly create a customized, interactive dashboard that can be
used to explore business data. You can create a Visual Insight dashboard using data in your
organization’s data warehouse storage, or by quickly importing data from an Excel or other
file. You can perform manipulations on the data to customize the information that is included
in the dashboard, and add visual representations of the data (called visualizations) to the
dashboard to make the data easier to interpret. Visual Insight dashboards can be viewed in
MicroStrategy Web or on an iPad with MicroStrategy Mobile. You can share a dashboard
through email, by linking to the dashboard, or by embedding the dashboard in a web page.

Visual Insight allows you to streamline the tasks required to create a polished dashboard.
For example, you can:

10 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Add, rearrange, or remove report objects quickly from a visualization in a dashboard.

l Create additional visualizations to display the data in multiple ways, then easily modify,
rearrange, or resize visualizations in a dashboard.
l Add filtering based on report objects to a dashboard, to allow users to only display the
information they are interested in.
l Add thresholds to a dashboard, to change the display of data based on the value of a
metric.

Report Services dashboards and documents

MicroStrategy Report Services dashboards and documents are available with MicroStrategy
Report Services. Dashboards are a display of data from multiple reports with special
formatting added, with interactive components, and so on.
An example of a Report Services dashboard is shown below:

The example above shows the California Population Analysis dashboard, a sample
dashboard in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
An example of a simple Report Services document is shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 11

Basic Reporting Guide

The image above shows the Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map document, a sample
document in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
A document or dashboard can contain data from one or more MicroStrategy reports.
Documents and dashboards can appear in almost as many ways as you can imagine and
are generally formatted to suit your business needs, in a single display of presentation
quality. Documents and dashboards allow you to display your business data in a user-
friendly way that is suitable for presentation to management for boardroom-quality material.

To see sample dashboards in MicroStrategy Web

1. Log in to the MicroStrategy Tutorial sample project. For steps, see Starting
MicroStrategy Web, page 1.
2. Click Shared Reports.
3. Click the Enterprise Reporting Documents folder.
4. Click any of the documents listed on the right side of MicroStrategy Web, to execute it
and see the results.

12 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To see sample dashboards in Developer

1. Log in to the MicroStrategy Tutorial sample project. For steps, see Starting
MicroStrategy Developer, page 2.
2. Expand the Public Objects folder, then expand the Reports folder.
3. Click the Enterprise Reporting Documents folder.
4. Double-click any of the documents listed on the right side of Developer, to execute it
and see the results.

OLAP Services
MicroStrategy OLAP Services lets MicroStrategy Developer, Web, and Office users make
use of features that slice and dice data in reports without re-executing SQL against your data
source. This improves performance by resulting in quicker data display within a report as
users analyze and manipulate the data. Information on OLAP Services is provided in the In-
memory Analytics Guide.

Determining whether you have OLAP Services

In MicroStrategy Web, open a report, then click the Tools menu to expand it. If
Report Objects appears as an option, you have access to OLAP Services.
In Developer, open a report, then click the View menu. If Report Objects appears
as an option, you have access to OLAP Services.

View filters
A view filter is different from a report filter, which restricts how much data is retrieved from
the data warehouse. A view filter dynamically restricts the data being displayed on the report
without re-executing the report against the warehouse. This capability provides improved
response time and decreased database load.
You can use a report filter and view filter on the same report. The report filter returns a set of
data for the report, which the view filter then further restricts. Therefore, you should avoid
defining contradictory filtering criteria in both. Otherwise, you many encounter situations
where no data is displayed.
For details on creating view filters and using them to analyze data, see the In-memory
Analytics Guide.

Derived metrics
Derived metrics perform calculations on-the-fly with the data available in a report. They are
an easy way to present data already available on the report in different ways, providing

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 13

Basic Reporting Guide

further analysis of data. You can use derived metrics to quickly perform on-the-fly analyses
such as margins, contributions, and differences between metrics included on the report.
These metrics are created based on existing metrics in the report. Since derived metrics are
evaluated in memory, their computation does not require any SQL execution in the
database.
Since derived metrics are created within a report, they can only be used for the report in
which they are created. Derived metrics cannot be saved as individual objects in the project,
and therefore cannot be applied to other reports in the project.
For details on creating derived metrics and using them to analyze data, see the In-memory
Analytics Guide.

Derived elements
An attribute is a business concept that reflects your stored data, such as Year or City. The
elements of a business attribute are the unique values for that attribute. For example, 2006
and 2007 are elements of the Year attribute, while New York and London are elements of
the City attribute. On a report, attributes are chosen to build the report, but once the report is
executed, the attribute’s elements are displayed in the rows or columns.
A derived element is a grouping of attribute elements on a report. These groups provide a
new view of report data for analysis and formatting purposes. For example, you can group
data for the months of December, January, and February into a single element that
combines and displays the data for the entire winter season.
Rather than having to define consolidations or custom groups, you can use derived elements
to create these groups on-the-fly while viewing a report. Derived elements are evaluated in
the report without regenerating or re-executing SQL.
Derived elements are defined by using a list, filter, or calculation to combine attribute element
data.
For details on creating derived elements and using them to analyze data, see the In-memory
Analytics Guide.

Dynamic aggregation
Dynamic aggregation allows you to change the level of report aggregation on-the-fly, while
you are reviewing the report results. This feature allows metric values to be aggregated at
different levels depending on the attributes included on the report without having to re-
execute the report against the data warehouse. Dynamic aggregation occurs when the
attributes included on the report layout change. The attributes included on the report layout
change when you move an attribute or attribute form off of the report layout to the Report
Objects pane, or when you move an attribute or attribute form from the Report Objects pane
back onto the report layout. As objects included on the report layout change, metric values
are dynamically aggregated to the new level of the report.
For details on using dynamic aggregation to analyze data, see the In-memory Analytics
Guide.

14 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Printing a report
To print a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click any report to execute it.

2. From the Home menu, select the view you want to print: Grid, Graph, or Grid
and Graph view.
3. From the Home menu, select Print. The Print Options page opens. For details to set
various print options, click Help.
4. Print the file from either the PDF preview or from your browser.

Exporting data
You can export reports in a variety of formats, such as HTML, Microsoft Excel, and plain text.
A report’s designer determines which export formats are available for a report, based on
what makes sense for that report. Each format is described in detail below, to help you
decide what format suits your purposes:
l PDF: You can export the report to an Adobe PDF viewer, in .pdf format. After the report is
exported, the report content is displayed in an Adobe PDF file.
l Excel with plain text: You can export the report to Microsoft Excel, in .xls format.
After the report is exported, the content of the report is displayed using the default settings
in Microsoft Excel. The structure and format of the report as it is displayed in
MicroStrategy Web is not retained. For large report results, this export option is
recommended over Excel with formatting.
l CSV file format: You can export the report to a comma-separated values file (CSV).
After the report is exported, the report content is displayed in a CSV file as plain text. This
format is suitable for Microsoft Access and Lotus 1-2-3. The structure and format of the
report as it is displayed in MicroStrategy Web is not retained.
l Excel with formatting: You can export the report to Microsoft Excel, in .xls format.
After the report is exported, the report displays with the same formatting, color, and
structure that appears in MicroStrategy Web.
l Microsoft Excel does not support all colors that browsers do, so some colors may differ
after export.
l If the report is large, it is recommended that you use the Excel with plain text
export option.
l HTML: You can export the report to an HTML editor or browser, in .html format. After the
report is exported, the report is displayed in an HTML page. The structure and format of
the report as it appears in MicroStrategy Web is retained.
l Plain text: You can export the report to a text editor, in .txt format. After the report is
exported, the content of the report displays in a plain text page. The structure and format

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 15

Basic Reporting Guide

of the report as it appears in MicroStrategy Web is not retained. You can choose a
comma, tab, semicolon, or space to separate the fields of text.
Before you export, you can adjust several export options that allow you to specify which
report details are exported, whether the data should be exported to PDF or another
application, and more.

To export a grid report that contains characters in a double-byte language, such as Simplified
Chinese or Japanese, to a PDF, your computer should be using that double-byte language
(for example, Japanese Windows). If you are using an English environment, to export double-
byte characters, a report designer must change the font of the attribute and metric names to
the font type that the locale supports. For steps, see Formatting for easier data analysis, page
276 or the MicroStrategy Help.

To configure export settings in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a report.
2. From the Home menu, select Export, and then select the required output format.

l You can modify project-wide graph settings in the User Preferences page. For more
information, click Help in MicroStrategy Web.
l You can modify export options in the User Preferences page. For more information,
click Help in MicroStrategy Web.

3. Make any necessary changes to the export options. Click Help for details about each
setting.

To export data in MicroStrategy Web

1. From the Home menu, select Export, and then select the required output format.
The Export Options page opens.
2. Make any necessary changes to the export settings and click Export. The report
automatically displays in the selected application.

Emailing a report
You can send a report to any email address.

Prerequisites
l You must have the Use Send Now privilege.
l You must have the Web Subscribe to History List privilege to send a report or document to
the History List.

16 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l You must have the Use Link to History List in Email privilege to send a link to the location
of a report or document in the History List via email.

To email a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the name of a report to execute it.

2. From the Home menu, select Send Now. The Send Now dialog box opens.
3. Click To to locate the email address of the recipient. The Recipients Browser opens.
4. Choose an address from the Available list. If you do not see the correct email
address to use, type the Address name and Physical address in the respective
fields and click Add to Recipients to add a new address.
5. Click OK to return to the Send Now dialog box.
6. From the Send drop-down list, specify where the report is delivered by choosing one
of the following options. The options vary depending on the privileges you are
assigned, as described in Prerequisites above.
l Data in email: The report or document is displayed in the email.
l Data in email and to History List: The report or document is displayed in
the email and is also delivered to the History List.
l Data and link to History List in email: The report or document is displayed
in the email, along with a link to the History List location of the report or document.
l Link to History List in email: A link to the History List location of the report or
document is provided in the email.

7. From the Delivery Format drop-down list, select the format in which to send the
report. The options are HTML, Excel, and PDF. When Excel or PDF is chosen, the
report is included as an attachment in the email; you can reduce the size of the
attachment by selecting the Compress contents check box.
8. If the delivery option is Plain Text, you can specify the delimiter character to use to
separate values in a report, such as a comma or tab. From the Delimiter drop-down
list, select one of the following:
l To choose a delimiter from the list, select the delimiter you want to use, such as
Comma or Space.
l To specify your own delimiter, select Other, then type the character you want to
use as the delimiter in the field.
9. Select the Expand page-by fields check box to print all objects in the Page-by
drop-down list when the report or document is emailed.
10. In the Subject line, type a description for the emailed report.
11. If you want a message to be displayed in the body of the email, type the text in the

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 17

Basic Reporting Guide

Message field.
12. To include the report or document in a zip file:
a. Expand Advanced Options by clicking the plus sign.
b. Select the Password Protect Zip File check box if you want to protect the
zip file by providing a password. Type a password for the zip file.
c. Type the name for the zip file in the Zip File Name field.
13. If you have selected a contact group as the recipient of the report or document, by
default MicroStrategy uses the security filter of the contact group as a whole when
delivering the report or document. To use the separate security filters for each
member of the subscribed contact group instead, select the Use contact security
for each group member check box.
14. Click OK. The report is sent to the designated email address.

18 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 2
FORMATTING A REPORT
Formatting a report involves highlighting certain data to enhance analysis, as well as
changing the overall display or look and feel of a report. You can:
l Highlight important numbers
l Put the focus on specific sets of data
l Rename an object on the report, such as a business attribute or a metric calculation
l Apply your corporate look to a report for a business presentation
Using the banding option, you can group rows or columns of report data using colors to
enhance readability and make it easier to identify business concepts on which you would like
to focus.
MicroStrategy’s autostyles are collections of formatting choices that can all be applied at the
same time with a single click. This chapter tells you how to use autostyles and how to create
and save your own.
Report formatting can be performed in Grid view, or it can be performed in Design view (for
report designers). Grid view shows you the results of your changes immediately as you
format the report. (For an introduction to different views and how to access them, see Report
types, page 6.)
You can always click Help to find detailed steps to perform all types of formatting.

Ideas for formatting

Formatting can be as fine-grained as you choose and as your needs require. Steps for all of
the ideas below are in this chapter.
l Individual cells in grid reports: Format individual cells of data in a grid report when a single
data value is important to call attention to or you want it to be easy and quick to locate in a
large report. Use thresholds to have values formatted automatically. You can also
determine a value to display, such as the word EMPTY, when a cell would otherwise
appear empty.
l Rows and columns in grid reports: You can hide a metric column on a report so that it does
not display when the report is executed again. You can also apply bands of color to groups
of report rows or columns, to make large quantities of data easier to analyze. You can

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 19

Basic Reporting Guide

rename row and column headers so the object names are more meaningful to yourself or
other analysts. You can also manually make columns narrower or wider, or adjust row
height, to fine-tune your report display.
l Graph reports: You can select an appropriate style for your graph (pie, bar, line, 3D
Surface, Gantt, and so on) and format the colors of series (for example, the colors of pie
slices in a pie graph). You can also reposition and resize elements such as the graph
legend, titles, and axis labels.
l Autostyles: MicroStrategy comes with several presentation styles for displaying reports,
called autostyles. Each autostyle automatically applies a set of formatting that includes
color scheme, font style, and font type to a report. Autostyles let you standardize
formatting across many reports.

Formatting a grid report

This section provides information on the following formatting tasks:

Formatting conditional values on a grid: Thresholds

Individual cell data can be automatically formatted differently than the data in the rest of the
report. Data that is formatted differently calls attention to itself, and makes that data easier to
locate for analysis.
In a simple example, for the report shown below, you want to highlight the subcategories for
which the revenue is greater than $1,000,000.

20 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You can achieve this by applying a threshold to the Revenue metric. The threshold is defined
to automatically apply a gray background and bold font whenever values meet the
threshold’s condition. The resulting report is shown below. Notice that revenue greater than
$1,000,000 is highlighted.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 21

Basic Reporting Guide

A threshold’s condition can be as simple or as complex as you want.

Compare the example above to the example below. The image below shows the Tutorial
report named Product Sales Results By Region. Thresholds are displayed for the % Change
in Revenue metric, and for the Revenue metric.

When data is set up to automatically appear with special formatting depending on certain
conditions, such as sales over $1 million or inventory below 50, this is called conditional

22 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

formatting. It is special formatting that is applied to values when certain conditions are met.
The data that meets the condition is considered to be data that has passed the threshold of
the condition; once data passes the threshold, the formatting is applied. So thresholds are
cells of data that are formatted differently from the rest of the data on a report; the formatting
is applied dynamically, whenever the report is re-executed.

An administrator can create an alert-based subscription to ensure that end users are
automatically notified by email when a metric on a report meets specific threshold conditions.
This allows email recipients to be alerted to data that is likely to be important for making
business decisions. An administrator can also have formatting applied to metric values in the
report, to draw immediate attention to the data that meets the alert conditions. See the
System Administration Guide for details on alerts.

Thresholds highlight particular data in a report by displaying special cell formats, symbols,
images, or replacement text. In the image above, the gray diamond-shaped symbol replaces
(and represents) all values that represent a small increase in revenue from the previous
year. “Small increase” is defined as revenue changes between 0 and 5 percent. The yellow
diamond-shaped symbol represents a medium decrease in revenue from the previous year,
with “medium decrease” defined as between -10 and 0. Values that show a medium
decrease for the Revenue metric are displayed in red. Each of these thresholds makes
analyzing large amounts of data easier because symbols are easy to locate, and different
colors are quickly identified.

To see threshold images you have added to a report, view the report in MicroStrategy Web.
Threshold images are also visible if the report is placed in a Report Services document in
Developer or Web, or a Visual Insight dashboard in MicroStrategy Web.

You can use certain types of threshold formatting on a graph report. For details to apply a
threshold to a graph, see Formatting conditional data on a graph: Thresholds, page 47.
Steps are below to create thresholds in MicroStrategy Web.

Prerequisites
l DHTML must be enabled. See the MicroStrategy Web Help for steps.
l Decide what condition the metric values must meet to have the threshold formatting
applied. Common examples of a threshold’s condition include sales that exceed a certain
amount, revenue that falls below a certain percentage, or employee resource numbers
that drop below a particular number.

You can use attributes or other metrics on the report to define a threshold’s condition.
For example, in the following report, the Trend Lead Conversion column includes a
green + (plus) or red - (minus) threshold to highlight when the month-to-month trend
is positive or negative. The month-to-month trend is determined by comparing the first
and second columns. This means the condition causing the threshold to appear in the
last column is based on whatever values appear in the first and second columns, as
shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 23

Basic Reporting Guide

l Decide what you want to be displayed on your report when the condition is met. Common
examples include displaying important numbers in red, or in white font with a red
background, or displaying a red stop sign or a green traffic light in place of certain data.

Formatting null values and blank cells

An empty cell of data on a grid report represents a null value. A null value is an unknown
value, because it can be the result of an empty area of your data source, or the result of the
calculations and cross-tabbing that are sometimes performed on a grid report.
For example, a null value in your data source can occur if a customer omits his birth date or
another piece of personal information. If your data source does not contain data in a
particular field and you pivot the rows and columns on the resulting report, the resultant
cross-tabbing may produce a null value. In the image below, the Internet Revenue column
does not have data for display and returns empty cells when the report is run.

You can replace null values with a specific value, such as a zero or the word NULL or NO
VALUE as shown in the image below, so that cells do not appear as empty on a report. The
replacement can be for the final report display only, or for the calculation of the report data.
Replacements do not change any values in your data source.

24 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Null value replacements are specified in MicroStrategy Developer. MicroStrategy Web

displays null values in the format designated for the report in Developer.

To replace a null value with a specific value

1. In Developer, open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options.
3. Expand the Display category and select the Null Values subcategory.
4. To replace a null value for the final report display only, enter the replacement value
(such as a zero) in the Null Display Settings area for any of the scenarios listed:
l An empty value is retrieved from your data source.
l An empty value is calculated in the cross-tabulation process.
l An empty value appears when the report is sorted.
5. To replace a null value during the calculation of report data, enter the replacement
value in the Aggregation Null Values box.
6. Click OK.

Renaming row and column headers

You can give a report’s row and column headers meaningful names by renaming them. By
creating an alias for an object on a report, the object can be displayed on that report with a
different name, without changing its name in the MicroStrategy project.
For example, in the image of the report below, one metric is named Web Sales and another
metric is named Non-Web Sales.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 25

Basic Reporting Guide

You might rename the first metric as Internet Revenue, and the second metric as Main
Street Revenue as shown in the image below, so that your business audience can more
easily understand what the values mean.

26 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You can rename any business attribute (usually a row header) or metric calculation (usually
a column header) on the report grid. This feature, called aliasing, lets you name an object on
a report something that makes sense to you, within the context of a given report.

This alias feature is for report display purposes only. Creating aliases with this feature does
not change object names as they appear in the project, as they are stored in the
MicroStrategy object repository (metadata), or as they are stored in your data source.

The alias feature also allows you to display descriptive information about an object on a
report and edit the description that exists. You can use this to make object descriptions more
meaningful for other users who will view this report.
The following is a list of the objects you can rename on a report:
l Attribute: A business concept, such as Product, Employee, Month, Region, and so on.
The individual characteristics of an attribute are attribute elements. For example, 2006
and 2007 are elements of the Year attribute, while New York and London are elements of
the City attribute. On a report, attributes are chosen to build the report, but once the report
is executed, the attribute’s elements are displayed in the rows or columns.
l Metric: A business calculation, such as Revenue, Profit, Employee Headcount, or
Probability of Purchase. Some metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) because
they present crucial progress information at a glance. Metrics commonly appear in the
columns of a grid report.
l Consolidation: A selected group of attribute elements used just like an attribute on a
report. For example, suppose you want to see each season of the year as a separate row
on a report, but Season does not exist as an attribute in your project. A consolidation

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 27

Basic Reporting Guide

allows you to group together the elements of the Month of Year attribute into various
seasons and place them on the report. In this example, the consolidation will contain four
consolidation elements, one for each season. Consolidations are covered in the
Advanced Reporting Guide.
l Custom group: A special filter for report data. Custom groups are covered in more detail in
the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Creating an alias
You can create an alias by renaming a row or column header.

To alias an object name

1. In MicroStrategy Web, open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, choose Rename/Edit Objects. The Rename/Edit Objects
dialog box (DHTML) or panel (HTML) is displayed.
3. Select the object to rename from the Object drop-down list.

Derived metric: If you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services (see OLAP Services,
page 13), you may have a derived metric on the report. If you click on a data cell of a
derived metric, you can change the syntax of the derived metric formula in the formula
box.

4. Type the Name for the object and click OK to save your changes.

Determining whether aliases are used on a report

You can review any report to determine whether a column or row header is an alias or shows
the original column or row name that comes from your MicroStrategy project.

To determine whether an alias is used on a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Rename/Edit Objects. The Rename/Edit Objects
dialog box opens.
3. From the Object drop-down list, select the object for which you want to determine
whether an alias is used. In the example image below, the object Store shows that it is
an alias for the Call Center object listed in the Definition area.

28 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Changing from aliases to original names

You can change all row and column names from their alias to their original name.

To quickly reset all names

1. In MicroStrategy Web, open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Reset Data.

Hiding and re-displaying a metric column

You can hide a metric object (usually a column) on a grid report, yet that metric’s data will still
be included in any subtotals and grand totals you might have displayed. You can also display
any previously hidden metric column so that the metric’s data now shows in your report.
Depending on whether you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services, the procedure is different to
hide a metric column. To determine whether you have OLAP Services, see OLAP Services,
page 13. Use the appropriate procedure below to hide or re-display a metric column.

With OLAP Services

Hiding a metric column

If you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services, you can hide any metric column by simply
dragging it off the grid report into the Report Objects pane to the left of your report. (If you do
not see the Report Objects pane and you have OLAP Services, from the View menu select
Report Objects.)

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 29

Basic Reporting Guide

Displaying a previously hidden metric column

You can show any hidden metric column by right-clicking the metric in the Report Objects
pane and selecting Add to Grid.

Without OLAP Services

Hiding a metric column

To hide a metric column on a report

1. Open a grid report.

The example image below shows a report with two metric columns, Revenue and
Percent Growth.

2. From the Format menu, select Resize Columns and Rows. The Resize
Columns and Rows dialog box is displayed.
3. Under Columns, choose the Fixed option. In the drop-down list underneath, select
the metric you wish to hide.
4. Enter 0 in the Width field.
5. Click OK.
The report automatically updates with the metric column you selected now hidden. In the
example image below, the metric Revenue has been hidden, although the Percent Growth
remains the same.

30 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Displaying a previously hidden metric column

Follow the procedure above for hiding a metric column. Instead of choosing the Fixed option,
select Auto Fit to Contents and click OK. The report automatically updates with the
column now showing.

Resizing a column or row: Column handles and Fixed

Column Width mode
Most reports are designed to have column widths and row heights sized automatically by the
system. However, you can redesign the report to size columns and rows manually. This lets
you drag a column edge left or right, or a row edge up or down, to resize the space. This
gives you fine control over the look of your report.
Use the appropriate procedure below, depending on the degree of control you want when
resizing rows and columns:
l Use the column handles procedure if you want to simply drag column handles around to
resize a column.
l Use the pixel height and width procedure to enter a specific number of pixels for column
width, to assign a different width to specific columns, and to enter a specific number of
pixels to adjust row heights.
Steps are below to resize columns and rows in both MicroStrategy Developer and
MicroStrategy Web.

To display column handles in Developer

The procedure below is slightly different depending on whether your report was designed to
use Fixed Column Width mode or Auto Column Width mode. The differences are described
below.
1. Run a grid report.
2. On the Grid menu, select View Column Handles.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 31

Basic Reporting Guide

The following message may appear: “Column width changes in Automatic Column
Width mode will not be saved. Do you want to switch to Fixed Column Width mode?”
This message indicates that the report you executed is in Automatic Column Width
mode. This means the system automatically sizes the columns for you. If you click No,
the report stays in Automatic mode and any column sizing you do will not be saved. If
you click Yes, the report’s column width mode is changed to Fixed, and any column
sizing you do will be saved when you save the report.
3. Column handles appear along the top of the columns of the report. In the following
image, the report on the top has no column handles displayed. The report on the
bottom shows column handles displayed.

4. Hover your cursor over a column handle until the cursor changes to a double arrow, as
shown below:

5. Drag the handle left or right to make the column narrower or wider.

32 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To determine pixel height of rows and width of columns in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Grid menu, select Options. The Grid Options dialog box opens.
3. On the Columns and Rows tab, select Fixed.
4. From the drop-down list, select the report features you want to specify width for:
l All Columns: Determines the width of all the columns on the report.
l All Row Axis: Determines the width for the column on the row axis (usually the
attributes). Use this setting if there are no metrics (columns) on the report.
l All Grid: Determines the width of the data columns.
l Attribute form name: Determines the width for the specified attribute form. Each
attribute form in the report is listed.
l Metrics: Determines the width of the column named “Metrics”, which holds the
column headers.
l Metric name: Determines the width for the specified metric. Each metric in the
report is listed. All instances of this metric use this width, including those that are in
page-by fields. (For details on page-by fields, see Grouping data by page, page 63.)
5. Enter the column width in Pixels.
6. Select one of the following row height settings:
l Auto Row Height: Allows row heights to be determined automatically by the
system.
l Fixed Row Height: Allows you to specify the height of the rows. Enter the
number of Pixels for the row height.

Column widths must be fixed for row heights to be fixed. Column widths are applied
first and then row heights.

7. Click OK. You are returned to the report.

To resize the columns and rows on a report in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a report.
2. Do one of the following:
l Click and drag a column header's vertical lines to adjust the size of a column. The
size of the column is adjusted accordingly.
l From the Format menu, select Resize Columns and Rows. The Resize
Columns and Rows dialog box is displayed.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 33

Basic Reporting Guide

l If DHTML is disabled, click Go. The Resize Columns and Rows panel is
displayed.
3. Resize the columns and rows using the following options:
l To automatically set the size of the columns and rows:
l Auto Fit to Window: The grid report's columns stretch to fit the size of the
browser window.
l Auto Fit to Contents: The width of the report's columns or rows is
determined by the data in the column or row. All extra space in the grid is
removed.
l To manually size the height of the rows or width of the columns, select Fixed in the
Columns area or Fixed Height in the Rows area. Type a size for the columns or
rows. The grid report is adjusted to the column width and row height you specify.

Changing the height of the rows manually does not affect the header rows at the top
of the report.

4. Click OK to apply the changes.

Formatting groups of report rows or columns: Banding

You can color groups of report rows or columns so that they form bands of data that are easy
to locate and analyze. Banding can also make it easier to make sense of a very large report,
because the large amounts of data are broken up into visual groups. If you need to keep
track of values that mean different things in different columns (for example, dollars in one
column and inventory quantities in another column), banding can help an analyst avoid
making the mistake of reading the wrong number.
Banding is a method of organizing or grouping data values in a grid report according to
certain criteria. You can band rows or columns in several ways. You can band based on the
number of rows or columns (for example, alternating color every 5 rows). You can also band
based on the row and column headers (for example, sorting the Units Sold column in order,
then applying alternating colors to sets of values). As shown in the image below, banding
based on column headers helps keep financial numbers from getting confused with unit
counts.
For example, for the report shown below, you want to band the columns according to
Revenue and Units Sold, such that all Revenue columns appear with one color and all Units
Sold columns appear with another color.

34 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To do this, you choose to band by columns, and you select the banding colors. After applying
the banding, the report appears as shown below.

The autostyle of a report provides the report’s default banding options, but you can define
custom banding or even turn off banding for a report, regardless of its autostyle. (For
information on autostyles, see Preset formatting: Autostyles, page 51.)

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 35

Basic Reporting Guide

You can perform more complex banding of report data, based on custom grouping of
attribute elements (for example, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast on the report above)
and other banding conditions. For details, see the chapters on Custom Groups and
Consolidations as well as Reports in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

You cannot create banding formatting in MicroStrategy Web. However, you can enable or
disable the display of banding on a report in Web. The procedure is below.

To create custom banding in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Grid menu, select Options. The Grid Options dialog box opens.
3. On the General tab, select Custom banding.
4. Click Settings. The Banding Settings dialog box opens.
5. Set the banding options as desired. For details on each option in the dialog box, click
Help. In the example above, to band by columns, you select the banding criteria By
column header and select the banding color.
6. Click OK. Then click OK again to close the Grid Options dialog box.

To turn off banding in Developer

1. Open the banded report.

2. From the Grid menu, select Options. The Grid Options dialog box opens.
3. Select No Banding and click OK.

To enable or disable banding in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. On the General tab, select or clear the Show Banding check box.

Keeping row and column names visible: Locking

headers
You can scroll side to side or up and down in a large report without losing sight of the row or
column names, by following one or both of the following procedures.

36 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To lock row or column headers

1. In a report, from the Tools menu, select Report Options.

2. On the General tab, select the Lock check box for Rows or Columns.
3. Click OK.

Formatting report borders

You can apply special formatting to the outside borders of a grid report, if you wish. The
custom formatting you apply is visible when the report is printed. You can apply dotted or
dashed lines, heavier or lighter line weights, and even apply colors to report borders. You
can also make report borders disappear.
For example, if you have a report that presents a lot of data along with several subtotals and
totals, the report may appear looking almost like a spreadsheet. It may be more aesthetically
pleasing to see the data printed with the outside lines of the report gone, to create a more
“open” feel and make the data look less overwhelming. By removing the outside border of a
report, you can also make important, bolded, or totaled data stand out more clearly.
The following image shows the Regional Sales Management report in the Tutorial project
with its default report borders, which are pale gray, the same color as the cell borders:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 37

Basic Reporting Guide

The next image shows the same report with the report’s borders removed. The data looks
less crowded, and the important data at the bottom of the report is emphasized:

To format report borders in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. In the top left-hand corner of the grid report, right-click in the empty area and select
Formatting, then select Grid Borders. The Format Cells dialog box opens.
3. Select one of the Preset icons. The None icon on the left removes all borders from the
report. The Outline icon on the right automatically adds a border around the outside
of the report.
4. If you chose to add a border, select the type of line Style you want, such as solid or
dashed, and then select a Color.
5. Click on a line in the Border area and you can see your selections appear on the
sample page in the Border area.

38 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The Hair line style cannot be displayed in reports viewed in MicroStrategy Web. It is
replaced with the Thin line style. If you want appearance to be consistent between
Developer and Web report display, consider a line style other than Hair.

6. Click OK to save your changes.

7. Some border effects can be seen well in Developer, while others are more clearly
seen in Print Preview mode. To view your border settings, from the report’s File menu
select Print Preview.

Formatting a combined grid and graph report

Grid Graph view displays a report as both a cross-tabbed grid report and a graph report in
the same screen. You can determine the size and position of the grid (and, in consequence,
the size and position of the graph) in Grid Graph view.

This formatting option is not available in MicroStrategy Web.

To view a report in Grid Graph view, see Grids and graphs combined, page 8.

To format Grid Graph view

1. Open a report.
2. From the View menu, select Grid Graph View.
3. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
4. Expand the Display category and select the Grid Graph Mode subcategory.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 39

Basic Reporting Guide

5. Adjust any of the following settings for the grid report:

• Grid Position determines where the grid is placed in relation to the graph.
For example, if you set the position to Top, the grid is displayed on top of the
graph. If you set the position to Left, the grid displays to the left of the graph,
as shown in the image below.

• Grid Percentage specifies how much space the grid occupies in the display
area. For example, if this option is set to 75, the grid occupies 75% of the
report display area while the graph is resized to fit in the remaining 25%, as
shown below.

40 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If Grid Position is set to Top or Bottom, Grid Percentage represents the height
percentage. If Grid Position is set to Left or Right, Grid Percentage is the
width percentage.
• Minimum Grid Percentage is the minimum space that the grid can
occupy.

Grid Percentage and Minimum Grid Percentage interact to determine the size of the
grid. For example, if Grid Percentage is set to 25, you cannot set the Minimum Grid
Percentage higher than 25.

6. Click OK.

Formatting a graph report

You can format a graph report in many ways, including the following:
l The style of the graph (for example, a pie graph, a bar graph, or a scatter graph)
l The size and location of the graph, graph legend, titles, and axis labels
l The color of different sections of the graph (for example, the color of the pie slices on a pie
graph)
l Whether a threshold (conditional formatting) appears on the graph
The following sections provide information and examples of different ways you can format
your graph report.
For a discussion of the graph styles available in MicroStrategy and when to use each style,
see the Graphing chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.
For steps to apply specific graphing options, click Help.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 41

Basic Reporting Guide

Viewing a graph report

To view a graph report, you can open any report that was saved as a graph report. You can
also convert almost any grid report to a graph report, using the procedure below.

To view a graph report in MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy

Web

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the View menu, select Graph View (in Developer) or from the Home menu,
select Graph (in MicroStrategy Web).
3. If this is the first time you are viewing this report in Graph view, you are prompted to
select a graph style. Select a bar graph style, since it suits most sets of data. For
information on selecting other graph styles, see Choosing a graph style, page 42.
You can also select Grid Graph view to see both the report grid and its corresponding
graph side-by-side.

Reports saved in Graph view automatically appear in Graph view when executed.

Understanding a graph report

A graph report represents a grid report’s numerical data values with the graphical elements
within the graph (for example, points, bubbles, lines, bars, or circles). The non-numerical
data within a grid report, such as attribute names and metric names (the row and column
headers), are represented as the axes on the graph. The axes on a graph are used as
reference for the report data (the points, bubbles, lines, bars, and so on). When a grid report
is converted to graph format, you can think of the values within the grid cells as giving shape
to the graph, while the column and row headings become the graph’s axes.
By seeing where a graph element, such as a bar or bubble, appears in relation to the axes on
the graph report, you can determine values for that graph element. Additionally, by viewing
all the graph elements together, you can often more easily see overall trends in your data
than is otherwise possible in a grid report.

Choosing a graph style

You can display your report graph in a variety of graph styles. The style you choose must be
compatible with the data you want to display. For example, consider the data requirements
for the following graph styles:
l An area graph or a bar graph require only a minimum of one metric and one attribute to be
included in the report, to display data properly within that style.
l A scatter graph requires at least 2 metrics in the report to display the graph style properly.
l A bubble graph requires at least 3 metrics to be a useful graph style to choose.
For complete details on the requirements and recommendations for each graph style
available in MicroStrategy, see the Graphing chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

42 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Graph style examples

You may want to display your grid report data in a pie graph format, as shown in the image
below.

You might then want to see the same data in a Polar graph style, as shown below.

When selecting a graph style to view your data, you must consider two important issues:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 43

Basic Reporting Guide

l The structure and amount of data on your report affect your decision because some graph
styles cannot be displayed unless a certain number of attributes or metrics appear on the
report grid. These requirements are listed in the Graphing chapter of the Advanced
Reporting Guide.
l The position of report objects on your report grid also determines whether a graph can be
generated in a certain graph style. For example, to display slices in a pie chart, you can
change the placement of report objects by pivoting data; for details, see Pivoting data,
page 68. For general information about how the placement of report objects determines
which graph styles you can use, see the Graphing chapter of the Advanced Reporting
Guide.

Changing a graph’s style

Perform the following steps to modify the graph style. Use the appropriate procedure below,
depending on whether you are working in MicroStrategy Developer or Web.

To change a graph style in Developer

1. Open a report in either Graph or Grid Graph view.

2. From the Gallery menu, select a graph style to use with the graph. The graph is
updated with the new style.

If a graph style is grayed out and unavailable, there is insufficient data on your proposed graph
to generate the graph in that style. Choose another graph style for the graph. For information
about the minimum requirements for each graph style, see the Graphing chapter of the
Advanced Reporting Guide.

To change a graph style in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a report in either Graph or Grid and Graph view.

2. From the Graph toolbar, select a new graph style to use. The graph is updated with
the new style.

If an error message is displayed that notifies you that there is insufficient data on your
proposed graph to generate the graph in the selected style, click Cancel. Choose another
graph style for the graph. For information about the minimum requirements for each graph
style, see the Graphing chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Changing the color scheme of a graph

You can modify the colors of certain elements on your graph, for example, the pie pieces on
your pie graph or the individual bars in your bar graph.
In graphing terms, the pieces of a graph element (for example, the pie slices of a pie graph or
the individual bars in a bar graph) are referred to as the graph’s series. The series are

44 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

described in a graph report’s legend. The groups of data along the X-axis are called
categories. In general:
l Categories:
l Are groups of data usually found on the X-axis of a graph report
l Usually correspond to the rows of a grid report
l Usually represent attributes
l Series:
l Are groups of data usually found on the Y-axis of a graph report
l Usually correspond to the columns of a grid report
l Are explained in the legend of a graph report
l Usually represent metrics
You can change the colors of the series in a graph by selecting a color scheme from the
Color Palette in the Graph toolbar, as described in the following procedure.

By default, the graph color of a metric overrides the color scheme. For steps to define the
graph color, see Defining a graph color for metrics, page 45. For steps to allow the color
scheme to override the graph color, see Defining a graph color for metrics, page 45.

To modify the colors of series on your graph in Developer

1. Open a report in either Graph or Grid Graph view.

2. Ensure that the Graph toolbar is enabled by selecting Toolbar from the View menu,
and then selecting Graph.
3. Select a color scheme from the color palette by clicking arrow on the Color Palette
icon on the Graph toolbar. The colors of the graph’s series are changed
accordingly.
To find information on how to modify colors on a graph report in MicroStrategy Web, click
Help at the top of any MicroStrategy Web page.

To format the series colors of a graph in MicroStrategy Web, you must be granted the
necessary Web Professional privilege. For more information, contact your administrator.

Defining a graph color for metrics

You can define the color used for a metric when it is displayed as a series in a graph. By
default, the graph color that you define for a metric overrides any color schemes for the
graph report. You can instead allow the graph color scheme to override the metric’s graph
color, as described in To disable metric-specific graph colors in a graph report, page 46.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 45

Basic Reporting Guide

You can define a default graph color for a particular metric, and this color is used in all graph
reports. You must have the necessary Developer privileges to define this; see the Graphs
chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide for details.

To define the graph color for a metric in a graph report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to a project and navigate to a graph report. Click the
report to run it.
2. Locate the metric whose color you want to change in the graph. Right-click the metric
and point to Fill. A color palette is displayed.
3. Select your desired color in one of the following ways:
l Select one of the default colors in the color palette.
l To define a new color outside of the color palette, select More Colors. The More Colors
dialog box will now be displayed. You can select a new color from the slider on the right or
create one based on its Hex, RGB, and HSV values. Click Apply to see the changes
made to your graph or click OK to apply your changes and close the dialog box.
l To apply a gradient to the metric on the graph, select Gradient. A gradient displays a
blend of two colors in a gradual color change for the metric when the metric is displayed as
a series in a graph report. You can select the two colors for the gradient from the Color 1
and Color 2 drop-down lists, and then click one of the squares to set the direction of the
shading between the two colors. The colors can blend left to right, right to left, top to
bottom, bottom to top, horizontally centered, or vertically centered. Click OK to save your
changes and close the dialog box.
You can repeat these steps for any metrics on the report that require a specific graph color.
Each metric should use a color that can be easily distinguished from the colors used for other
metrics. This ensures that graph report results are easy to decipher based on color.

To disable metric-specific graph colors in a graph report

Inheriting metric graph color is enabled by default. The steps below show you how to disable
this formatting, to allow the graph color scheme to apply to all the series in a graph.
1. In MicroStrategy Developer, log in to a project and navigate to a graph report.
2. Right-click the graph report and select Run. The Report Editor opens, displaying the
report as a graph.
3. From the Graph menu, select Preferences. The Preferences dialog box opens.
4. In the Other area, clear the Apply metric formatting when available check
box.
5. Click OK to save your changes and return to the graph report.

46 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Formatting conditional data on a graph: Thresholds

Individual cell data can be automatically formatted differently than the data in the rest of the
report. Data that is formatted differently calls attention to itself, and makes that data easier to
locate for analysis. This conditional formatting is called a threshold, because when a given
value in your data reaches a certain point, or threshold, the conditional formatting is applied.
Thresholds are described in detail in Formatting conditional values on a grid: Thresholds,
page 20.

Because of how graph types display report data, a threshold on a graph report displays
background formatting only. This includes a solid color, a gradient color, a pattern, and any
other available background effects. Other threshold formatting, such as symbols and text
formatting, are not applied to the graph report, but are still displayed on the grid report.

Not all graph types can display thresholds. For example, Area graphs combine all data into a
single area object. Since the data is all visually connected into the same area object,
thresholds cannot be displayed for specific data points. However, many graph types display
a separate series or data marker for each data point, and thus can display thresholds.
The following graph types can display thresholds directly on the series of the graph:
l Bar
l Boxplot
l Bubble chart
l Funnel
l Histogram
l Pareto chart
l Pie chart
l Stock
For example, the Bar graph report shown below uses thresholds on the series to highlight
when employee satisfaction is above seven or below three for a given survey field.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 47

Basic Reporting Guide

The following graph types can display thresholds on the data markers that highlight specific
data points on the series of the graph:
l Gauge
l Line
l Polar chart
l Radar line chart
l Scatter plot and three-dimensional scatter plot
For example, the graph report shown below is the same report used in the previous
example. However, the report shown below uses a Line graph style, and the threshold is
applied to the data markers.

48 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To create and apply a threshold to a graph report

1. In Developer, open a graph report.

2. From the Data menu, select Thresholds. The Thresholds dialog box opens.
3. Click on New Threshold, and name your new threshold.

Any thresholds that are already defined for this metric are displayed below the toolbar.
If you want, you can select any existing threshold to modify, and then skip defining the
condition, as described in the next step. An existing threshold must include some type
of background formatting such as a solid color, a gradient, or a pattern. The
background formatting is the only conditional formatting that is displayed on a graph
report.

4. Define the condition that the value must meet to have the threshold formatting applied.
Click the text Click here to start a new qualification. The parts of the
condition appear, each of which must be defined:
a. Click Field first, to select the business attribute or metric calculation that is part
of your condition.
b. Click Operator to select an operator, such as In List, Not in List, or Where.
c. Click Value to specify the elements from the available list.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 49

Basic Reporting Guide

If you selected an existing threshold in the step above, you do not have to redefine the
condition.

5. Next you define the formatting that you want displayed for values that meet the
condition you have defined above.
a. Click the Edit the threshold formatting icon. The Format Cells dialog
box opens.
b. Click the Background tab.
c. Select a Background Style from the drop-down list, and then choose the
colors to use. For details to format the background, click Help.

To apply a background to a graph report, you must select a Background

Style other than Default.

d. Click OK.
6. Select the threshold that you formatted, and click the Enable threshold on
Graph icon on the toolbar. This applies the background color to the graph when
the threshold condition is satisfied.

This icon is available only when you have formatted the background of the selected
threshold.

7. Click OK to save your new threshold definition and close the Thresholds dialog box.
Your new threshold is automatically applied.
8. Review the graph report. The thresholds should be displayed for applicable data on
the graph report. If you are using one of the graph types that support thresholds, and
you do not see thresholds on the graph report, use the steps provided below to display
the thresholds:
a. From the Graph menu, select Preferences. The Preferences dialog box
opens with the Options - General page displayed.
b. In the Other area, clear the Apply rounded effects to all series check
box. This removes the automatic beveling effects used for the series and data
markers of the graph report, but it also allows the display of thresholds for
certain graph types. You can still apply and create your own custom bevel
effects for the graph report, as described in the Graphing chapter of the
Advanced Reporting Guide.
c. Click OK to save your changes and return to the graph report. The thresholds
should now be displayed on the graph report.

Undoing and redoing graph formatting

Creating an attractive and easily understandable graph usually means you have to try
different combinations of fonts, colors, gradients, and other options.

50 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For example, you format the series colors (pie pieces) of your pie graph by selecting the
Apex color style from the Color Palette in the Graph toolbar. (To change the colors of series
in a graph, see Changing the color scheme of a graph, page 44.) Taking another look at your
graph, you decide you do not like the change and want to revert to the pie graph’s original
colors. The Undo icon on the report’s Edit menu allows you to easily reverse formatting
choices such as these.
If you decide later that you did not want to undo an action (for example, you want to change
back to the Apex color style), you can use the Redo icon on the report’s Edit menu to quickly
reapply that formatting choice.
The Undo and Redo icons work similarly to the corresponding commands in Windows.

Moving and resizing graph objects

In MicroStrategy Developer, you can manually resize or reposition graph elements, including
the graph legend, title, subtitles, and the graph itself.
l Resizing: When you select any of the objects described above, handles are displayed
around the object. You can use these handles to manually resize the object.
l Moving: You can relocate the selected object by clicking in the middle of it and dragging it
to another location on the graph.
For examples of how to manually resize and reposition objects on a graph, refer to the
Graphing chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.
For steps to manually resize objects in your graph, see the Developer online help (formerly
the Desktop Help). (See the “Resizing a graph report” topic.)

You cannot manually resize or reposition a graph from MicroStrategy Web.

Formatting numeric data in a report

Metrics on a report can have formatting applied to the metric values independently of any
overall report formatting. The metric data displayed on a report is shown with the formatting
from the actual metric that is placed on the report when the report is designed. Metric data
formatting also depends on several other factors.
To see the possible scenarios for metric formatting with grid and graph image examples, see
the Graphing chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide. You can also see the online help
(the “Formatting metrics on a report” topic) for complete details on other factors that can
affect number formatting in a report.

Preset formatting: Autostyles

MicroStrategy comes with several presentation styles for displaying reports. These are
called autostyles. Each autostyle automatically applies a set of formatting that includes color
scheme, font style, and font type to a report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 51

Basic Reporting Guide

For example, in MicroStrategy Developer and Web, the default autostyle used for all reports
is called Corporate, which includes a gray background and dark blue font color, as shown in
the image below:

Autostyles let you standardize formatting across many reports.

Explore the available autostyles by opening a grid report in the Tutorial project and selecting
any of the available autostyles. For information to locate reports in the Tutorial project, see
About sample data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, page 3.

Applying an autostyle
To apply an autostyle in MicroStrategy Web

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click to open a grid report.

2. Click the Grid menu. If DHTML is disabled, click Go.
3. Select an Autostyle from the drop-down list. If DHTML is disabled, click Apply
Style.

Creating a new autostyle

You can save your favorite formatting settings as an autostyle, so you can easily repeat your
favorite styles on later reports.

Although you cannot create new autostyles in MicroStrategy Web, autostyles created in
Developer are available to be applied to reports in Web.

To create and save an Autostyle in Developer

1. In Developer, double-click to open a grid report.

2. Format the report as desired, using any of the procedures in this chapter or the online
help. For example, apply a banding color scheme to the columns or rows of the report,
and change the report’s borders.
3. From the report’s Grid menu, select Save Autostyle As. The Save Autostyle As
dialog box opens.

52 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

4. Specify a name for the new autostyle in the Save Autostyle As dialog box. The name
should be descriptive so you or other users can be aware of what formatting changes
it will make when applied to a report.
5. You can save objects in MicroStrategy so that only you can see and use them, or so
that all other users can see and use them. This is determined by the location where
you save the object:
l To save an autostyle so that other users can also use the autostyle to apply
formatting to their reports, save the autostyle in the Public
Objects\Autostyles folder.
l To save an autostyle so that only you can use it, save the autostyle in the My
Personal Objects\My Objects folder. If you save an autostyle in this folder,
it appears only in your autostyle drop-down list and is not available to other users.
The next time you open a report, you can view the autostyle you created in the list of
available autostyles.
For information on creating autostyles for a broad number of reports, changing properties in
the default autostyles, and so on, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 53

 3
ANALYZING DATA
When reports return large amounts of data, it can be difficult to easily understand what the
data is telling you. Several MicroStrategy tools can help you analyze large amounts of data
more quickly.
The following analysis tools are available in MicroStrategy Developer and MicroStrategy
Web:
l Sorting: See Sorting data, page 54.
l Finding values in a report: See Finding values, page 57.
l Outline mode: See Summary/detail of data, page 59.
l Page-by: See Grouping data by page, page 63.
l Pivoting: See Pivoting data, page 68.
l Report limits: See Specifying maximum and minimum values: Report limits, page 70.
l Metric join type: See Determining how metric data is combined: Metric join types, page 74.
l Evaluation order: See Evaluation order of calculations, page 79.
l Subtotals: See Subtotals, page 79.
Each analysis tool is discussed in detail in this chapter.

Sorting data
You can reorganize how data is displayed on your report by sorting the data. Sorting lets you
move data so you can analyze that data more effectively. Consider the following sorting
techniques:
l Move the most important data up to the top of the report where you can see it easily.
l Group particular chunks of data together so you can more easily compare the data.
For example, you are looking at a report that shows income ranges for your customers. The
report lists all income brackets for customers in every region in the United States. The image
below shows just the top half of this lengthy report. (The rest of the report that is not included
here shows the rest of the regions in the United States.)

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 54

Basic Reporting Guide

This image shows the default sort order for this report. The default sort order focuses on
geographical regions, as shown in the far left column in the report.

But you want to analyze only the income bracket revenue over $80,000, and with the report
as it appears now, you must scroll up and down the data to gather the numbers you need,
risking missing a number or accidentally looking at the wrong number.
If you sort the Income Bracket column in descending order, you can instantly see the higher
income brackets you are interested in, grouped together for clarity and easier comparison,
as shown in the image below. With the new sort order, the focus of the report is now on
income bracket rather than geographical region.

55 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You sort data based on a row header or column header. Row headers are typically business
attributes; for example, in the report above, Region and Income Bracket are attributes and
are in the rows of the report. Column headers are typically business calculations called
metrics; for example, in the report above, Revenue is a metric that is in the columns of the
report. Attributes and metrics are the most common objects on a report.
You can sort on any column or row that is on a grid report. When you sort, you determine the
sorting order, either ascending or descending:
l Ascending sort order arranges the data alphabetically, from A to Z, or lowest to highest,
such as from 1 to 10.
l Descending sort order arranges the data in reverse alphabetic order, from Z to A, or
highest to lowest, such as from 10 to 1.
Sorting is processed by the MicroStrategy Analytical Engine, which means you can sort and
organize the data on a report without taking up the time and resources to re-execute the
report against your data source.

This guide discusses only quick sorting. For information on more complex, layered sorting
patterns, see Advanced Sorting in the Advanced Reporting Guide. For information on sorting
custom groups, see the Custom Groups and Consolidations chapter in the Advanced
Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 56

Basic Reporting Guide

Quick sort
You can quickly sort the data in a column or row, in either ascending or descending order. A
quick sort allows you to experiment with different sort orders for your data, so you can
determine which sort order displays the data in the most useful way.
There are various ways to trigger a quick sort, including using the right-click menu or using
the sort icons:
l MicroStrategy Developer: You can right-click on the column or row, or use the sort
icons on the Data toolbar. (To see the sort icons, from the View menu, select Toolbar,
then select Data.)
l MicroStrategy Web: You can right-click on the column or row, or use the sort icon in
each row and column header. (To see the sort icons, from the Tools menu, select Sort
Buttons.)
The procedure below describes the right-click sort method.

To perform a quick sort

1. Open a grid report.

2. Right-click in the heading of the column or row to be sorted.

In Developer, make sure you right-click directly on the column name, not in the blank
area of the column header.

3. Point to Sort, and select either Ascending or Descending.

Finding values
Whenever you want to quickly locate a specific data value in a grid report, or you want to
jump to a section of a large report, use the Find feature. You can also use the Find feature to
locate a string in the SQL syntax, when viewing a report in SQL View. (For steps to look at a
report in Grid View or SQL View, see Report types, page 6.)
You can also narrow your searches if you need to, by defining specific requirements for your
search.

In MicroStrategy Web, use the browser’s Find feature to locate values or other data in a
report. For example, in Internet Explorer, from the Edit menu, select Find on this page.

To find a value in a report in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the View menu, display the report in the appropriate view, depending on what

57 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

you want to find:

l Grid View or Grid Graph View, to find a value in the report
l SQL View to find a string in the SQL syntax

The Find feature is not available in Graph view.

3. From the Edit menu, select Find. The Find dialog box opens.
4. Enter the value to search for and click Find Next. The first instance of the value is
highlighted if the value is found.
5. Click Find Next again to search for additional instances of the value in the report.
Each cell in a grid report is treated as a string value. This means that, for example, if a grid
report contains data that includes the numbers 50 and 500, both cells are found when you
search for 50. To change this behavior, see Narrowing a search for report data, page 58.

Narrowing a search for report data

When searching for data in a report in Grid view, use any of the following options to narrow
the results you get from a search using the Find feature. These options work similarly to Find
options in Microsoft Excel.

Searching by row or column

Search By Rows or By Columns allows you to set the direction of the search so that the
data you are looking for may be located more quickly.

Making a search case-sensitive

Match case finds only text that has the same pattern of upper and lower case as the text
you specify in the Find what text box. Use this option to make the search case-sensitive.

Finding an entire cell

Find entire cell finds only cells that match all of the text you enter in the Find what text
box. For example, if you enter “3470”, a cell containing “3,470” will not be found. If you enter
“50”, a cell containing “500” will not be found.

Narrowing a search for SQL syntax

You can use SQL view to search for specific syntax in the SQL for a report. Use any of the
following options to narrow the results you get from a search using the Find feature. These
options work similarly to Find options in Microsoft Notepad.
To view a report in SQL view, open a report and select SQL View from the View menu.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 58

Basic Reporting Guide

Matching the whole word

Match whole word only finds only strings that match all of the text you enter in the Find
what text box. For example, if you enter “temporary”, a string containing “temp” will not be
found.

Making a search case-sensitive

Match case finds only text that has the same pattern of upper and lower case as the text
you specify in the Find what text box. Use this option to make the search case-sensitive.

Summary/detail of data
When you have a large set of data on a report, it is generally easier to analyze and
understand the data if you can look at only certain sets of the data at one time. Use one of the
following tools to organize large sets of data so it is easier to handle:
l Outline mode: This tool lets you expand and collapse sets of data. See Outlining data,
page 59.
l Page-by: This tool lets you view one “page” of data at a time. See Grouping data by page,
page 63.

Outlining data
You can create an indented grouping of related data on a grid report by organizing the data
into a standard outline style. Using an outline style, you can collapse and expand sections of
related data, as shown in the images below.
The image below shows just a small portion of an outlined report expanded completely. The
outline style is controlled with the numbered buttons that appear in the top left corner of the
report. For this image, button 3 was clicked, which expands the outline down to its third level.
In this case, the third level is Supplier. Note that most of the report data cannot be viewed
without scrolling, but each item of data and its related metric numbers can be seen clearly:

59 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The next image shows the same report as in the image above, but with the lowest level of
data collapsed and only the higher levels of data expanded (button 2 in the top left corner
was clicked). Note that you can almost see the entire report in a single screen. The detailed
data is hidden, but higher level numbers can be analyzed and compared more easily. It is
also easier to compare totals and averages for each category.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 60

Basic Reporting Guide

The next image shows the same report as in the images above, but with all data levels
collapsed fully (button 1 in the top left corner was clicked). Note that this outline level
provides the highest summary of data:

61 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Outlining is particularly useful when information displayed would otherwise involve repetitive
entries. For example, you want to display sales for three years, 2004, 2005, and 2006. You
also want data listed by month within each of the years. Rather than having all data visible for
every month of every year, you can use an outline to expand and view just that data you want
to see immediately, and keep other data collapsed, to be expanded later for quick
comparisons.
Multiple-page reports work in the same way. For example, if you are on page 4 of a multiple-
page report and you want to collapse the data to the second level, then you will only be
collapsing data that is displayed on the fourth page of the report.

Enabling an outline
Use the appropriate procedure below, depending on whether you are working in
MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web.

Outline mode is only available when the report has more than one object in the rows. For
example, if your grid report has business attributes on the rows of the report, there must be
more than one attribute if you want to use outline mode.

To enable an outline in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Grid menu, select Display Outline Results. You can expand and
collapse the outline levels by clicking the numbered buttons at the top of the report.
There is one button for each outline level in the report.

Each outline level usually represents a business attribute on the report. For a detailed
explanation of rows and columns and what business data they represent, see Rows and
columns.

To enable an outline in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. Select the Outline check box, and click OK.
4. You can expand and collapse individual levels by clicking the + or - box within each
row on the report. Click the numbers above the report to expand or collapse
everything to a certain outline level.

Each outline level usually represents a business attribute on the report. For a detailed
explanation of rows and columns and what business data they represent, see Rows and
columns.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 62

Basic Reporting Guide

Initial display of an outline

Depending on whether you are using MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web, you
may be able to change how outlined reports appear when they are opened.
l MicroStrategy Web: By default, reports with an outline applied are displayed with all
outline levels collapsed. This default cannot be changed.
l MicroStrategy Developer: By default, reports with an outline applied are initially displayed
with all levels expanded. However, you can specify how you want the report to display
when it is opened. You can have an outlined report open with a specific level already
expanded, or with all outline levels collapsed.

To determine how an outline displays initially

1. In Developer, open a grid report.

2. If the report does not already have Outline mode enabled, from the Grid menu
choose Display Outline Results. The report is displayed in Outline mode.
3. From the Grid menu, select Options. The Grid Options dialog box opens.
4. Click the General tab, and select one of the following:
l Open with all outline levels expanded: The report will open with all outline
levels expanded. This is the default setting.
l Open with all outline levels collapsed: The report will open with all outline
levels collapsed.
l Open outline expanded up to this level: The report will open expanded up
to the level you select from the drop-down list. The list becomes available once you
choose this option.
5. Click OK to close the Grid Options dialog box.
6. From the File menu, select Save to save your outline mode settings for the report
definition.

Grouping data by page

When you have a very large set of data on a report, it can be easier to handle that data by
grouping the report data into logical subsets, and viewing only one of the subsets at a time.
To group data into subsets, you can use the page-by feature.
The subsets you separate your business data into are called pages, and you then page your
way through the report, viewing one data subset at a time. Page-by makes viewing a report
easier than scrolling through long lists of data.
For example, if a report showing your profit data is organized by Year, Quarter, and Region,
you can create a page-by for Year, so that the report shows only one year’s data at a time.
The following image shows such a report with Year in the page-by pane of the report (the top
of the report).

63 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You simply click the page-by field to select a different subset of data to display. The page-by
feature lets you decide what subsets of your business data you want to display as separate
pages of your report.
In MicroStrategy Web, the page-by feature appears as shown in the image below. The
specific subset of data from the report that is being displayed is the data related to
electronics, as shown in the page-by panel at the top of the report:

In the next image, the report is paged by books instead of by electronics, resulting in data
showing cost, price, and profits related to book sales:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 64

Basic Reporting Guide

Attributes and metrics are the most common objects available in the page-by pane of a
report, although you can enable page-by for most objects that appear on a report.
You can page-by any of the following objects:
l Attributes
l Metrics
l Hierarchies
l Consolidations and custom groups. (Consolidations and custom groups are described in
the Advanced Reporting Guide.)
l Most object prompts. (Specifically, object prompts that are made up of attributes,
hierarchies, consolidations, and custom groups. Object prompts containing metrics can be
placed in the page-by pane as long as the report’s rows or columns do not contain a
metric. Prompts are discussed in detail in Asking for user input: Prompts, page 206 in
Chapter 7, Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers.)
Page-by capabilities can be enabled or disabled for your project by your company’s project
designer. (A project designer is someone who sets up objects within MicroStrategy to reflect
your organization’s data.) If you encounter a problem moving a certain type of object into the
page-by pane above a report, your project designer may have disabled the page-by
functionality for that type of object.

To move an object to the page-by pane in Developer

You can place more than one object in the page-by pane. If you decide to place multiple
related attributes in the page-by pane, be aware that order matters. Whatever you page-by
first (furthest to the left) affects the elements displayed in the other page-by fields. Place
multiple objects into the page-by pane in logical order, from left to right.

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the View menu, select Page by. The Drop Page Fields Here pane opens
above the report.
3. On the report, right-click the object you want to move to the page-by pane, point to
Move, and select To Page-by. The object is moved to the page-by pane above the

65 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

report. In the example below, the Year attribute is moved to the page-by pane.

To move metrics in columns to the page-by pane, right-click the word Metrics on the
report and select Page-by. All metrics must be moved together. You cannot have one
metric in the page-by pane and others on the report grid.

4. The report is automatically re-displayed to show only the subset of data shown in the
current page-by field. Click the page-by field and select an option from the drop-down
list to change the subset of data displayed. In the example below, you can select Year
2009 instead of 2008 to see the Revenue and Percent Growth for each customer
region for that year.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 66

Basic Reporting Guide

To remove an object from the page-by pane

1. In the page-by pane at the top of the report, right-click the page-by field you want to
remove.
2. Point to Move, and select either To Rows or To Columns. The object is moved out
of the page-by pane and onto the report.
To further arrange objects on the report, you can click the row or column headers of objects
on the report, and drag and drop them into place.

Retaining page-by display when saving a report

When you save a report that contains the page-by feature, you can choose to either retain
the currently displayed page-by selection with the saved report, or to revert to the original
page-by display. If you save the current display of a page-by report, the next time you run the
report it automatically displays the last page-by choice you made before you saved the
report. This feature allows you to choose different criteria to view a report by whenever it is
executed.
In instances where you want to view a specific page first, using this setting allows you to
decide the initial page to display.
The default page-by saving method reflects the page-by setting designated for the entire
project. This is usually set by your company’s project designer. (A project designer is
someone who sets up objects within MicroStrategy to reflect your organization’s data.)

67 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To retain page-by display

1. Open a report that contains a paged-by object.

2. Click the page-by field at the top of the report, and, from the page-by drop-down list,
select the page you want to be displayed the next time you execute the report. The
report refreshes, displaying the page of data you selected.
3. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
4. Expand the General category, and select Advanced.
5. From the drop-down list called Retain page-by selections when you save this
report, select Yes.
6. Click OK to save your change and close the Report Data Options dialog box.
7. Save the report and then reopen it. The page-by field you last selected is now the first
page displayed.

Pivoting data
Data pivoting enables you to rearrange the columns and rows in a report so you can view
data from different perspectives.
For example, in the image below, the Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter report
shows a set of data spread across the screen in a large grid display. (The image below
shows only a small section of the full report.) It is not always easy to compare numbers in
reports of this size.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 68

Basic Reporting Guide

If you pivot the objects on the report, so that the objects that were in the columns are now in
the rows, and the objects that were in the rows are now in the columns, much of the data is
easier to read and compare, as shown in the image below.

For example, in this pivoted report it is simpler to analyze total units received each quarter
within a subcategory of books, because the totals are listed in a single column, making them
easy to compare. Any anomalies in the numbers quickly become apparent. To perform the
same comparison analysis with the first report above, you must visually skip over groups of
data and try to focus only on totals.
With data pivoting, you can do the following:
l Move an object (a business attribute or a metric calculation) and its related data from a
row to a column.
l Move an object (a business attribute or a metric calculation) and its related data from a
column to a row.
l Change the order of objects in the rows.
l Change the order of objects in the columns.

All metrics are kept together on a report, so they must be moved as a group when pivoting
data. For example, on a grid report you cannot move one metric to a row and another to a
column. For graph reports, metrics must all be together on only one axis. To pivot metric data,
select the word “Metric” in the header to move all metrics together.

Methods for pivoting data

You can pivot data in a grid report using any of the following methods:
l From the Move menu (in MicroStrategy Developer) or the Data menu (in MicroStrategy
Web), select Swap Rows and Columns.
l Drag and drop objects on the report to move them around. (In MicroStrategy Web, you
must have the DHTML user preference enabled to move data this way.)
l In MicroStrategy Developer, click an object on the report to select it, and choose a data
pivoting option from the Move menu.

69 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Right-click an object on the report, select Move, and choose a data pivoting option. (In
MicroStrategy Web, you must have the DHTML user preference enabled to move data
this way.)
l Select an object on the report and use one of the data pivoting buttons on the toolbar (in
MicroStrategy Developer) or in the column header (in MicroStrategy Web). To enable
pivoting buttons in MicroStrategy Web, from the Tools menu, select Pivot Buttons.

Specifying maximum and minimum values:

Report limits
After a report’s results are displayed, you may need to further restrict the data displayed
without changing how the calculations were performed. You can limit the data displayed in a
report by specifying maximum and minimum values for a given metric. These maximums and
minimums determine which rows of a result set are displayed in the report, and are called
report limits.
For example, the image below shows you a report that ranks all employee sales.

You want to see only the results of the top ten employees. If you apply a report limit to restrict
the data displayed to the top ten employees, the data used to calculate the sales rank is not
affected. Only the employees displayed changes, as shown in the image below.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 70

Basic Reporting Guide

A report limit is assigned to metrics that appear on the report. Report limits are defined using
operators such as Between and Less Than. By default, report limits are joined by the AND
operator. To change the operator, double-click the operator and select a new operator.
For more information on additional options and settings within the Report Limit Editor, click
Help.
For more information on advanced operators to apply to a report limit, see Appendix B:
Logical and Mathematical Operators for Filtering in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

If you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services, you can apply report limits to any data on a report,
not just metrics. For information on OLAP Services, see OLAP Services, page 13.

To limit the data on a report using maximums and minimums

1. Open a grid report.

In the example below, the report shows revenue earned by each employee. You
want to add a report limit to restrict data to show employees who earned revenue
greater than 1,000,000.

71 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. Under the Calculations
category, the Report Limit subcategory displays any report limits that may already be
applied to the report.
3. To apply new limits to the report data, click Modify. The Report Limit Editor opens.
4. Double-click in the Limit Definition area. The Report Limit Qualification dialog box
opens.
5. Click Browse and navigate to the metric you want to apply the limit to. Then click OK.

Derived metrics cannot be used in a report limit. A report limit is a SQL engine function
and therefore can only use a metric that exists in the project. A derived metric, which
is created within the report, exists only in the report. To use the derived metric, re-
create it as a regular metric, using the Metric Editor. For background information on
derived metrics, see Derived metrics, page 13. For steps to create a metric, see
Calculating data on a report: Metrics, page 144.

6. From the Operator drop-down list, select the operator you want. Examples include
Between, Greater than, Less than, Exactly, and so on.
7. Enter the Value that you want the operator to apply to. In the example below, the
Operator is set to Greater than, and Value is set to 1,000,000 to see only data over 1
million.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 72

Basic Reporting Guide

8. Click OK. Then click Save and Close to save the report limit.
9. Click OK to return to the report. In the image of the report below, you can see that only
those employee names that earned revenue greater than 1,000,000 are displayed.

Report limits and filters: If the report has a filter, the filter is applied to the report data
first, then the report limit is applied to further restrict the data returned in the report.

73 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Calculating data
Your organization’s data source contains data related to all of your organization’s operations.
The goal of reporting is to access the latest data related to your analysis needs, and then
calculate that data to display the numbers you need to see.
Within a single set of data that is gathered from your data source in response to a report’s
query, the results of calculations on that data can change drastically depending on a number
of considerations, such as:
l Metric join types: These determine how tables of metric data (usually numerical data,
such as sales, costs, or profits) are joined to each other. The effect of joining your data in
different ways on calculations of numerical data is described below in Determining how
metric data is combined: Metric join types, page 74.
l Attribute join types: These determine how tables of attribute data (business
concepts, such as year, store, or item) are joined together. See the Advanced Reporting
Guide for details and business examples of attribute joins in a report.
l Evaluation order: This determines in what order the various objects on a report are
calculated. Objects that can affect the calculation of data to be displayed on a report
include such things as metrics, report limits, and subtotals. Which object is calculated first,
next, and so on can completely change the report’s results. A description of the default
evaluation order and examples for different evaluation orders are provided below in
Evaluation order of calculations, page 79.
l Subtotals: These allow you to total metric data using a selected mathematical function.
You can subtotal data in different ways for other business users who will be viewing or
analyzing the data. See Subtotals, page 79.
As an introduction to understanding joins, be sure you understand the basic report
components of a metric, an attribute, and an attribute element. For descriptions and
examples, see MicroStrategy objects, page 138.

Determining how metric data is combined: Metric join

types
When you execute a report, data is often retrieved that has come from more than one table in
your data source. The final results on any report are greatly dependent on the organization
and structure of your data source tables and how data is stored within them.
When data is pulled from two or more tables of metric data in your data source, a metric join
determines the way that data is combined into a single set of data. The order in which the
data is joined from the different tables can affect the outcome of the data calculation, just as
the order of operations in any arithmetic expression can affect the result.
Knowing how data is calculated for metrics on a given report is an important part of the data
analysis process. Several decisions go into determining rules for how data is calculated
when that data is pulled from different tables in your data source. Calculation rules for
metrics are defined at several organizational levels:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 74

Basic Reporting Guide

1. How data is calculated by default is usually decided first by your company’s project
designer, who implements several settings on a project-wide basis that affect how
SQL handles your organization’s data during calculation. These decisions are often
driven by the type of database your organization owns; most databases process SQL
differently. These settings are generally made within the VLDB properties for your
project’s database instance within MicroStrategy. For details on metric-specific VLDB
properties, see the Advanced Metrics chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.
2. Next, the person in your company who designs a metric can override the project-level
default settings described above when she creates the metric. When a metric
designer applies settings to a specific metric, these settings are effective for that metric
no matter which reports the metric is used in. For details on metric calculation settings
at the metric level, as well as joins for a compound metric (a metric that is made up of
other metrics), see the Advanced Metrics chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.
3. Finally, report analysts can change how a metric is calculated for a single report with
which the analyst is concerned. You can view the existing settings for a metric, as well
as change various settings, within the Report Data Options dialog box. (For steps to
do this, see Viewing and changing metric join types, page 77.) Any changes made to
metric joins in the report will override any join settings that were made by your
company’s metric designer or by your company’s project designer, described above.
However, changes made to the join type using the Report Data Options dialog box
affect this metric on this report only. When the metric is used on another report, it uses
its default metric join type. These report-level metric join options are discussed in detail
below.

Metric joins

An understanding of your organization’s data source storage structure is helpful to understand

the details of metric joins.

A metric is often calculated based on data that comes from more than one table in your data
source. Data coming from multiple tables must be joined together in some way during data
calculation.
A metric join setting determines how data is combined by applying a specific type of join,
inner or outer. The MicroStrategy SQL Engine applies the designated join type to the data
pulled from your data source’s tables. The join type places conditions on the data to be
displayed in the report.
Inner and outer joins are discussed with examples below.
l Inner join: An inner join includes in the calculation only the data common to all the
tables from which data is being gathered in your data source.
l Outer join: An outer join includes in the calculation all of the data in all of the tables from
which data is being gathered in your data source.

Examples of inner and outer joins

Inner joins are generated by default for all metrics in a report. The resulting report contains
only those rows that have data returned for all the metrics.

75 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For example, review the data in the following table. The Sales Information and Budget
Information columns show whether data exists in the data source for that type of data in that
region.

Region Sales Information? Budget Information?

North Yes No
South Yes Yes
East Yes Yes
West No Yes

A report is created containing Sales and Budget metrics, and the Region attribute. The
default inner join is not changed, because you want to view metric values that are common to
both metrics and that are therefore not empty for either metric. Since the North region does
not have any budget data, as shown in the table above, no data is displayed for the North
region on the report. Similarly, the table above shows that sales data has not been tracked
for the West, so all data for the West region is also omitted from the report. The resulting
report, with an inner join between metrics, displays only those regions that have both sales
and budget information, or data that is common to all components of the join. The result looks
like the following report:

However, assume you need to change your analysis and you want to display all of the data
from the tables in your data source, whether or not data exists for all the metrics at all levels
in the report. (For a definition and examples of levels, see How data is aggregated on a
report: metric level, page 89.) You apply an outer join to both metrics because you know
there is some incomplete or empty data for some regions in your data source. The outer join
results in the following report, in which the North and West regions appear even though they
have no data for one of the metrics.

Finally, you can specify different joins for each of the metrics on a report. You want to see all
sales data even if budget data has no values for some regions in your data source, so you
apply an outer join to the Sales metric and an inner join to the Budget metric. All regions (all
report rows) with information on sales are displayed. The following report is created:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 76

Basic Reporting Guide

West is not displayed because it does not contain sales information. It is irrelevant whether
data exists for the Budget metric or not.

When to use an inner or outer metric join

Inner joins
An inner join is generally more commonly used for metric data than outer joins. (The
exception is with rank metrics; see Outer joins below for details.) Inner joins are effective in
many situations, including the following:
l Inner joins provide effective results when you know the metrics on your report are closely
related to each other, such as the Revenue metric and the Profit metric.
l Inner joins are most effective if your data source contains relatively complete metric data,
without empty values.
l Inner joins require less processing time than outer joins, so they are useful to lessen the
processing load on your MicroStrategy Intelligence Server machine.

Outer joins
Outer joins are effective if your data source contains empty values for some metric data in
some tables. Outer joins are also necessary for metrics that show rank. Outer joins allow you
to see all data that is available for a metric.
For example, your revenue data may be completely up to date, but several profit values have
not been reported and entered in the data source for certain days during the past week.
When the Revenue and Profit metrics are both included on the same report, you can apply
an outer join to the Revenue metric so that you can see all values for Revenue for each day
of the past week, even if the Profit value for a given day is currently empty.
When a metric calculates rank, it is important to use an outer join on the rank metric. If the
default inner join is used on a rank metric, some of the ranks (and therefore, the ranked
attribute elements) may not appear on the report because an inner join does not include
elements with null values in the result set. But an element with a null value may have a rank.
With an outer join, all rows are displayed on the report even if there is no result displayed for
some of the elements for some of the metrics on the report. The goal for a rank metric is to
display all rankings, so all elements must appear whether they have values or not.

Viewing and changing metric join types

The image below shows the metric join type setting in the Report Data Options dialog box.

77 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To view and change metric join types

1 In Developer, open a grid report.

2 From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. Under the Calculations
category, select Metric Join Type. The Metric Join Type subcategory lists all metrics
on the report, along with each metric’s join type, as shown in the image above.

If you have a long list of metrics, you can sort them by metric name or by join type, by clicking
the Metric or Join Type column headers.

3 You can change a metric’s join type by clicking the join type (Inner or Outer) for the
metric you want to change.
4 From the drop-down list that appears, select a different join type. Inner and outer joins
are described fully above. You can select the following:
• Default: This option sets the metric to use the join type set for that individual metric
when that metric was created with the Metric Editor. If no join type was determined
this way for the metric, this option sets the metric to use the join type set at the
project level.
• Inner: This option displays only the data common to all data source tables from
which data is being gathered for this metric.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 78

Basic Reporting Guide

• Outer: This option displays all of the data from all data source tables from which
data is being gathered for this metric.
5 Click OK. The report is re-executed against your data source, and the newly calculated
results are displayed.
For details on all options available on the screen, click Help.

Evaluation order of calculations

Evaluation order is the order in which objects are calculated by MicroStrategy’s Analytical
Engine. Changing the order in which data is calculated can change report results. You
change the evaluation order of a report’s data calculation by changing the order in which
compound smart metrics, consolidations, derived metrics, derived elements, report limits,
and subtotals on the report are calculated.
The default order of calculation is as follows:
1. Compound smart metrics (which are compound metrics with smart totals enabled)
2. Consolidations, which are evaluated by their relative position on the report template:
l Rows, from left to right
l Columns, from top to bottom
3. Report limits
4. Subtotals
Compound metrics that are not the direct aggregations of other metrics can be used in the
evaluation order by setting the Allow Smart Metrics option of the Metric Editor to Yes.

Page-by and sorting are determined last, to arrange the positions of the calculation results.
Their evaluation order cannot be changed.

Many reports contain objects that require complex considerations to determine an effective
evaluation order. For a more detailed discussion of evaluation order and how to change it,
including examples, see the Designing Reports chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Subtotals
Subtotals are totals of selected groups of your metric data, totaled at a level you select. (For
a definition and examples of levels of aggregation, see How data is aggregated on a report:
metric level, page 89.) A subtotal lets you see the totals for subgroups of your report data.
A metric’s designer must enable grand totals and/or subtotals for a metric. If grand totals
and/or subtotals have been enabled, an analyst can choose to either display or hide them for
that metric on a given report. Analysts can also change the function used with a subtotal. The
subtotal functions available include sum, count, minimum, maximum, average, and median,
as well as others.
Analysts also have the ability to change the level at which a subtotal is calculated. For
background information on levels, see How data is aggregated on a report: metric level,
page 89 in Chapter 4, Answering Questions about Data.

79 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Report designers can also construct custom subtotals in MicroStrategy Developer that, for
example, allow you to apply subtotals to selected metrics only. Custom subtotal functionality
is explained in detail in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Displaying subtotals
You can choose to display a subtotal across levels on a report, display grand totals, or
display all subtotals.

You can select the value that is displayed in place of a null value in a subtotal. For steps, see
Formatting null values and blank cells, page 24.

To display subtotals in Developer

This procedure assumes that the person who created the metric has enabled grand totals or
subtotals for the metric.
1. Open a grid report.
2. From the Data menu, select Subtotals. The Subtotals dialog box opens.
3. Select the type of subtotal function you want to use on the report.
4. Click Advanced. The Advanced Subtotals Options dialog box opens.
5. In the Applied levels section, specify the level on the report at which to calculate the
selected subtotal.

For a definition of a level and examples, see How data is aggregated on a report:
metric level, page 89 in Chapter 4, Answering Questions about Data.

The levels you can select from are:

l By position: Apply the subtotal to particular parts of the report: rows, columns,
and/or page-by fields. Each of these is considered an axis of the grid report. Then
select one of the following:
l Grand Total: Apply only the subtotal across the whole axis.
l All Subtotals: Apply the subtotal across all levels on the axis.
l None: Apply the subtotal to no level of the axis.
l Across level: Apply the subtotal to all attributes and hierarchies available on the
report. When you select this, attributes and hierarchies are listed for you to choose
from. Select those you want to subtotal.
l Group by: Apply the subtotal by the selected attribute across all other attributes
on the report, regardless of position. This works best if the report has been sorted
based on the attribute you want to group the subtotal by. When you select this, click
Add to add new group-by levels. The Grand Total check box adds a subtotal

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 80

Basic Reporting Guide

grouped by nothing, which means the grand total is calculated based on all
attributes on the report.
6. Click OK to return to the Subtotals dialog box.
7. Click OK to complete the subtotal definition. The subtotals are displayed on the report.

To display subtotals in MicroStrategy Web

This procedure assumes that the person who created the metric has enabled grand totals or
subtotals for the metric.
1. Open a grid report.
2. From the Data menu, select Edit Totals. The Subtotals dialog box opens.
3. From the Definitions tab, select the type of subtotal function you want to use on the
report.
4. Click OK to complete the subtotal definition. The subtotals are displayed on the report.
For information on using subtotals in custom groups, see the Custom Groups and
Consolidations chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

81 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 4
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
ABOUT DATA
Filters are an integral part of almost every report. Filters screen the data that the report
brings back from your data source. To successfully interpret the data displayed in a report, it
is important to understand what data was specifically included in that report, as well as what
data was excluded. This chapter shows you how to view a report filter’s definition, and
provides examples for simple and more complex filters. See Filtering data, page 82.
Drilling is one of the most powerful data analysis functionalities in any reporting environment.
Drilling lets you explore data beyond the data immediately visible on a report. You can drill
through a report to analyze data that is closely related to the original report data, or you can
expose an entirely different object on a report to see what the data looks like within a different
context. See Drilling into related data, page 90.
Drilling successfully on data in a report requires that you understand how business attributes
in a reporting project can relate to each other within higher-level business concepts called
hierarchies. Hierarchies and drilling are covered in this chapter. See Understanding
hierarchies, page 87.

Filtering data
A report filter sifts the data in your data source to bring back the information that answers
exactly what you require. The following image shows a report that has not had a filter added
to it. (This is the Yearly Revenue Growth by Customer Region report, located in the sample
Tutorial project.) You can see that the filter is empty by looking at the information in the
Report details pane above the report, as shown in the image below:y

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 82

Basic Reporting Guide

(To display report details for any report, click the Report Details icon .)

Now a filter is applied to the report, for the Eastern regions of the United States (Northeast,
Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast). The following image shows the Yearly Revenue Growth by
Customer Region report “filtered on” specific regions. You can see the filter’s definition in the
Report details pane above the report. The filter definition is {Customer Region} =
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast.

A more complex filter is used in the next report. The report shows revenue and revenue
forecasts. The filter selects only that data related to a company’s electronics products, only
for the company’s northeastern and Mid-Atlantic US stores, and only for the current year.
The filter’s definition is:
[Category = Electronics] And [Quarter = 2006 Q1,2006
Q2,2006 Q3 or 2006 Q4] And [Region = Northeast or Mid-
Atlantic]
The report and its filter are shown in the image below.

83 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Filters are usually created and added to reports by a report designer. For any report, you can
easily see not only whether a report has a filter applied to it, but also what that filter’s
definition is. You can view this information in the Report Details pane, as shown in the
images above. This information helps you understand exactly what data in your data source
was included in the report’s results, as well as what was excluded. For steps to view a filter’s
definition in a report, see Viewing a filter’s definition, page 85.

OLAP Services view filters and regular filters

MicroStrategy OLAP Services lets MicroStrategy Developer, Web, and Office users slice
and dice data in reports without having to re-execute SQL against the data source. Different
from a report filter that restricts how much data is retrieved from the data source, a view filter
dynamically limits the data being displayed on a report without re-executing the report
against the warehouse.
The advantage of using both standard report filters and view filters on a report is that the
report can use the standard report filter to bring back more data than can usefully be
displayed at any one time. The analyst can then use a view filter to change the data
displayed, as long as it falls within the data already retrieved from the database. The analyst
generates a view report, which is the result of a view filter. A view filter does not trigger re-
execution against the data source. This capability translates into improved response time
and decreased database load.
For details on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see OLAP Services, page 13.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 84

Basic Reporting Guide

Viewing a filter’s definition

Use the appropriate procedure below to view a report’s filtering information in MicroStrategy
Web.
To specify the information that you want displayed in Report Details, see Customizing the
Report Details pane, page 85.

To see a report’s filtering information in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a report.
2. From the Tools menu, select Report Details. The Report Details pane appears,
showing a Report Description and the details of any filter that is included on the report.

Customizing the Report Details pane

MicroStrategy Developer users can determine what information appears in the Report
Details pane for all reports viewed on their machines. You can configure the following report
details:
l Filter details, which display the report filter and report limit by default, although other types
of filters can be displayed
l Report limit details, which display the report limit
l Prompt details, which display the prompt information for all prompts in the report
l Report details, which display the report description, prompt details, filter details, and
template details.
l Template details, which display the complete template details, including attribute and
metric details
You can configure different options for different types of report details. For example, you can
select whether to include view filter information or the attribute name in the filter details. For
report details, you can choose whether to include information on prompts or filters. For
complete descriptions of all the report detail options, see the MicroStrategy Developer Help
(formerly the MicroStrategy Desktop Help) or the Advanced Reporting Guide.
The following image displays the report description, report filter, and report limits information
in the Report Details pane in a report:

85 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You can configure the report details for a specific report, with the Report Details Formatting
option in the Report Editor, or for the entire project, with the Project Configuration Editor.
Settings configured at the report level override settings configured at the project level. For
steps to set the report details formatting options, see the Developer Help or the Advanced
Reporting Guide.
The Report Details preferences specified in the Developer Preferences dialog box override
the report details properties that control whether the following information is displayed:
l Report description
l Prompt details
l Filter details
l Definition of shortcut filters
l View filter details
l Metric details
You can change this behavior by disabling Developer Preferences for report details, as
described in the following procedure. For steps to customize report details using Developer
Preferences, see the Developer Help or the Advanced Reporting Guide.

To disable Developer Preferences for report details

1. In Developer, from the Tools menu, select Preferences. The Developer

Preferences dialog box opens.
2. Expand the Reports category, and then select Report Details.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 86

Basic Reporting Guide

3. To use the report details properties instead of the Developer Preferences, clear the
Apply these Developer preferences to the Report Details check box.
4. Click OK to save your changes.

Understanding hierarchies
Most data calculation in a business reporting environment is based on the concept of levels.
Hierarchies are an important part of understanding levels in MicroStrategy. To understand a
hierarchy, you must first know what a business attribute (generally called an attribute) is.
This section defines an attribute, describes a hierarchy, and then explains the concept of
levels.

Business attributes
An attribute is a business concept, such as Store, Employee, Geographical Region, or Year.
These concepts help you understand the business data (usually numbers) stored in your
data source. While knowing your company’s total sales is useful, knowing where and when
the sales took place provides the kind of analytical depth you require on a regular basis.
Attributes provide the answers to the questions “where” and “when”.
Attributes appear on reports as row headings or column headings, to tell you what the data in
that row or column is for.
Behind the scenes, attributes are MicroStrategy objects associated with one or more
columns in a lookup table within your data source. In a reporting environment, attributes
provide a context for calculating data and filtering data. Attributes help you make sense of the
business facts stored in the data source.
For example, you have a report with the Month, Year, and Region attributes on it, as well as
a Revenue metric based on the Revenue fact. When executed, the report displays your
company’s revenue by region, and for a given month and year. It might tell you that the
northeast region brought in a million dollars in revenue in the first three months of last year.
Because of the attributes on the report (Region, Month, and Year), a substantial amount of
information is available, such as which regions produced the least revenue and which years
saw the highest growth in revenue. If you remove the attributes from the report, you can only
see how much revenue the entire company grew in total, over all time.
The attributes your organization’s project designer creates are based on whatever business
concepts are important to your organization. By converting each of these important business
concepts into an individual object that can be placed on a report, concepts like Day, Month,
Quarter, and Year, or Region, City, and Customer, can appear on a report that displays data
within the context of those attributes.

Hierarchies
A hierarchy is made up of a group of related business attributes that are conceptually related
to each other. (For a description and examples of attributes, see Business attributes, page
87.)
For example, an organization’s data source tables may be updated daily with sales data, and
they may store inventory information that is updated monthly. The data source may also

87 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

store specific financial data in its tables on a quarterly or annual basis. All of this data is
stored based on the concepts of day, month, quarter, and year. Therefore, when a
MicroStrategy project is created based on the data in this data source, attributes will likely be
created to represent Day, Month, Quarter, and Year so that daily sales data can be reported,
monthly inventory can be reported, and reports of financial data can display quarterly or
annual details and summaries for corporate presentations.
If your data source contains data on daily sales figures, can you see weekly, monthly, or
annual sales figures? Yes, you can if you drill to that data, which works because of
hierarchies.
The attributes Day, Month, Quarter, and Year all share one thing in common: they are all
concepts that describe the larger idea of time. Because they are all part of the same higher-
level concept, these attributes are combined into a group called a hierarchy; in this case, the
attributes Day, Month, Quarter, and Year are combined into the Time hierarchy. Within a
hierarchy, attributes are arranged in a specific way that is based on their relationship to each
other. The Year attribute is the highest-level attribute in the Time hierarchy because it
encompasses all the other concepts of time (Day, Month, and Quarter). The lowest-level
attribute, or least-inclusive attribute, in this hierarchy is Day. This Time hierarchy is shown
below:

The example above shows a hierarchy of all the attributes that relate to the business concept
of Time. (These attributes and this hierarchy are part of the sample Tutorial project.)
This hierarchical grouping of related business attributes is useful for analyzing data in a
reporting project. For example, the sales data is stored in the data source on a daily basis.
But what if you want to see a report showing monthly sales data? Because Day and Month
are part of the same hierarchy, you can simply drill from the daily sales data displayed on the
report, up to monthly sales data. The new report you drill to (which contains monthly sales
data) is recalculated automatically based on the drilling path you select. “Drilling up” reflects
the direction you are drilling into the data in relation to where the attribute exists within the
hierarchy: you drill from Day (shown on the report) up the Time hierarchy to Month (which
appears on the new, drilled-to report).

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 88

Basic Reporting Guide

In another example, imagine that your company is an Internet-based retailer and has its call
centers all over the U.S., and therefore stores its employee data in your data source within
the concept of geographical locations within the U.S. The related business attributes within
this idea of geographical location become part of the Geography hierarchy. An example
using sample data from the Tutorial project is shown below:

In the Geography hierarchy above, Country is the highest-level attribute and Employee is the
lowest-level attribute.

Employee might just as likely be the highest-level attribute in a hierarchy called Employee
Resources, which includes related lower level attributes like Profile (Age Range, Gender,
Nationality, Ethnicity, Education and Degree Type, Marital Status), Hire Date, Leave Date,
Date of Birth, Title, Address, Department, Division, Location, Salary Range Level, and so on.
Which attributes are grouped into what hierarchies is decided by your organization’s system
architect or project designer when a MicroStrategy project is first created. If you are
interested in complete details, see the Project Design Guide .

How data is aggregated on a report: metric level

When more than one attribute is on a report, as is generally the case, a metric is calculated
by default at the lowest level that is on the report. As described in Hierarchies, page 87, the
lowest level is usually the attribute that reflects the least-inclusive business concept, such as
Day (in a Time hierarchy) or Employee (in a Geography hierarchy).
For example, imagine a report that shows your company’s revenue listed by month and year.
The report therefore contains the metric Revenue, and the attributes Year and Month. Is the
Revenue metric going to be summed up and displayed by year? Or is it going to be summed
up and displayed by month? Since a metric is calculated by default at the level of the lowest
attribute that is on the report, in this example the metric results are calculated to reflect
monthly sales data, since Month is a less-inclusive, or lower-level, concept than Year.

89 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Be aware that the person who created the metrics on your report can change this default
level of calculation. If you have questions about what level your metric data is being
calculated for, contact your organization’s MicroStrategy report designer or metric designer.

Drilling into related data

Drilling allows you to view report data at levels other than that originally displayed in the
report. (To understand levels, read Understanding hierarchies, page 87.) It allows you to
retrieve more information after a report has been executed. You can investigate the data in
your report quickly and easily with the help of drilling. Drilling automatically executes another
report based on the original report to get more detailed or supplemental information.

To understand what you are doing when you are drilling up, down, or across, you should
understand the concept of hierarchies. See Understanding hierarchies, page 87 for an
introduction to this concept.

For example, you look at the revenue, cost, and profit data for all your stores, at the regional
level. The sample report is shown below.

You decide that you want to look at this information at the Call Center level. Right-click the
Region column header, and choose Drill to Call Center. A new report is automatically
created, the metrics are recalculated to reflect the new attribute that you are drilling to, and
the report displays the revenue, cost, and profit data for your stores by call center. The new
report is shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 90

Basic Reporting Guide

Even though a report generated as a result of drilling is related to the original report, they are
two entirely different reports. The two reports can be saved or changed independently of
each other. For steps, see Tracking your drill path and naming the drilled-to report, page 91.
You can drill on attribute elements, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics, both on the
report and in the page-by field. Consolidations and custom groups are described in detail in
the Advanced Reporting Guide, but drilling on them is included in the following procedures.

Methods for drilling on a report

Depending on the drilling method that you choose, you can drill on the entire report or only a
part of the report. Some drilling methods provide more drilling options than others. All these
methods use the default settings defined by the report designer. For descriptions of the
settings that you can change to control the drilling behavior, including steps, see Controlling
drilling behavior to affect report results, page 91.
Drilling is often performed on the attribute elements in a report. Elements of an attribute are
the values of an attribute. For example, 2011 and 2012 are elements of the Year attribute,
while New York and London are elements of the City attribute.

Tracking your drill path and naming the drilled-to report

When you drill from a report, the name of the resulting, drilled-to report automatically
becomes the original report’s name plus the name of the object that you drilled to.
For example, in the Inventory and Unit Sales report in the Tutorial project, you can drill from
the Item attribute up to the Category attribute. The resulting, drilled-to report’s name is
“Inventory and Unit Sales -> Category”. You then drill from this resulting report by drilling
down from Category to Subcategory. The drilled-to report’s name is “Inventory and Unit
Sales -> Category -> Subcategory”. If you then drill across from Subcategory to Region, the
resulting report’s name is “Inventory and Unit Sales -> Category -> Subcategory -> Region”.
You can use this report name to track your drilling path, which is especially useful if you
continue to drill from each resulting, drilled-to report.
If you drill repeatedly along a single path, at some point the report’s name can become too
long or cumbersome to be useful. Consider saving a specific drilled-to report with a new
name that is useful for you. Then, when you continue drilling from that report, your drill path
as reflected by each resulting report’s name is shorter and more useful again.

Controlling drilling behavior to affect report

results
You can set various options that determine how drilling works on a given report. These allow
you to control how other users drill on the report when they execute it, or to preserve your
own most useful drilling paths and drilling behavior for later reuse on a given report. For
background information on drilling and drilling paths, see Hierarchies, page 87.

91 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Most drilling options involve attributes on reports. An attribute is a MicroStrategy object that
represents business data in your data source, such as Customer, Product, or Store. For
background information on attributes, see Business attributes, page 87.
You can control how drilling behaves on a report with the options described in this section.

You can change these options for an entire report, as described in the procedures in the
following sections. You can also change many of these options for a specific drill action,
while you are drilling in Developer. A Web administrator can also customize drill settings
under the Drill Mode page of Project Defaults.

Customizing drilling behavior

To find the best ways to customize drilling for your way of working or to suit your reporting
goals, see the following table for suggestions.

What do you want to do? Solutions

Reduce the width of reports, especially Do not allow the attribute that you are drilling on to appear in
when drilling. the drilled-to report. To customize this behavior, see Keeping or
removing the drilled-from attribute in the new report, page 95.
Keep track of the drill path so that you • The report name automatically adjusts each time that you
can remember what reports you drilled drill, by adding the drilled-to object’s name to the end of the
from for each new, drilled-to report. report’s name. For ideas on managing the report’s name as
it grows, see Tracking your drill path and naming the
drilled-to report, page 91.
• Make sure each attribute that you drill on appears in the
resulting, drilled-to report, so the object that you drilled on
always appears in the subsequent report. To customize this
behavior, see Keeping or removing the drilled-from
attribute in the new report, page 95.
Restrict other users of a report Restrict drilling paths to drilling down only. To do this, see
from being able to drill wherever Enabling drilling down or drilling anywhere, page 93.
the report allows.
Have the drilled-to report show only Use the procedure described in Drilling on a report grouped by
data related to the currently visible page-by fields, page 99.
page-by object on the drilled-from
report.
Have page-by fields on the drilled-to Use the procedure described in Drilling on a report grouped by
report show exactly the same page-by fields, page 99.
information that they displayed on
the drilled-from report.
Have the drilled-to report display Use the procedure described in Drilling on a report with
subtotals, if the drilled-from report subtotals calculated across levels, page 112.
also contained them.
Enable drilling in all directions. Use the procedure described in Enabling drilling down or
drilling anywhere, page 93.
Restrict drilling to lower-level Use the procedure described in Enabling drilling down or
attributes within a given hierarchy. drilling anywhere, page 93.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 92

Basic Reporting Guide

Enabling drilling down or drilling anywhere

For a given report, you can enable drilling in all directions or restrict drilling to lower-level
attributes in a given hierarchy.
l Drill anywhere: When this option is selected in the procedure below, users can view
data associated with the object they drill from, no matter which direction in the attribute’s
hierarchy they drill. For example:
l A user can drill down from an attribute to the child attribute data, for example, drilling
from Year data down to Month data.

l A user can drill up from an attribute to the attribute’s parent attribute data, for example,
drilling from Item data up to Category data.

l A user can drill across to other, related attributes, for example, drilling from Region data
across to Category data.
l Drill down only: When this option is selected in the procedure below, users can only
view data associated with objects lower in the hierarchy than the attribute on which they
are drilling. For example:

93 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Drilling down from the Month attribute or one of its elements, users can only drill to Day.

l Drilling down from the Category attribute or one of its elements, users can only drill to
Subcategory and Item.
For background information on drilling and how to drill on a report, see Hierarchies, page 87.

To enable drilling in Developer

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
3. Expand General in the list of categories, then select Drilling.
4. If it is not already selected, select the Enable Report Drilling check box.
5. Select one of the following options:
l Drill anywhere: Users can view data associated with the object they drill from,
no matter which direction in the attribute’s hierarchy they drill: up, down, or across.
Examples are provided above.
l Drill down only: Users can only view data associated with objects lower in the
hierarchy than the attribute on which they are drilling. Examples are provided
above.
6. Click OK to save your settings and close the Report Data Options dialog box.

To enable drilling in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. On the General tab, select one of the following options:
l Drill anywhere: Users can view data associated with the object they drill from,
no matter which direction in the attribute’s hierarchy they drill: up, down, or across.
Examples are provided above.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 94

Basic Reporting Guide

l Drill down only: Users can only view data associated with objects lower in the
hierarchy than the attribute on which they are drilling. Examples are provided
above.
4. Click OK to save your settings and close the Report Data Options dialog box.

Keeping or removing the drilled-from attribute in the

new report
When you drill on a report, you can have the drilled-from attribute and its related data
displayed in the resulting report, or you can choose to not display the drilled-from attribute on
the resulting report. The following examples show the results of both of these options.
For example, a report contains Country, Region, and the Revenue metric, as shown below:

You drill down from Region to Call Center. To do this, you right-click on Region, select
Drill, select Down, and select Call Center. If you specify that the drilled-from attribute
(called the parent attribute) is kept on the drilled-to report, Region (the drilled-from attribute)
appears on the drilled-to report along with Call Center (the drilled-to attribute), as shown
below:

95 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you specify that the drilled-from attribute is not kept, when you drill down from Region to
Call Center, Call Center replaces Region on the drilled-to report as shown below:

Keeping the drilled-from attribute can be helpful to trace your drilling path. However,
resulting reports can become very wide if you have many attributes and metrics. Not keeping
the drilled-from attribute can help reduce the width of drilled-to reports.
The default behavior is to keep the drilled-from attribute on the drilled-to report. Be aware
that the report’s designer may have changed the default.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 96

Basic Reporting Guide

You can change this option for an entire report using MicroStrategy Developer, as described
in the procedure below. In MicroStrategy Web or Developer, you can specify whether to keep
or remove the drilled-from attribute while you are drilling, for that specific drill action. For
steps, see Methods for drilling on a report, page 91.

To keep or remove the drilled-from attribute when drilling

1. Open a grid report in Developer.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
3. Expand General in the list of categories, then select Drilling.
4. Select one of the following options from the Keep Parent While Drilling drop-
down list:
l To ensure the drilled-from attribute appears on the drilled-to report, select Yes.
l To ensure the drilled-from attribute does not appear on the drilled-to report, select
No.
5. Click OK to save your settings and close the Report Data Options dialog box.

Drilling on a report with threshold formatting

Thresholds are conditional formatting that appears on report data when certain, specified
conditions are met. For example, if certain cells of data appear bolded or have a red
background on a report, that is data that has met a specified threshold and so is formatted
differently to highlight it. For background information on thresholds, see Formatting
conditional values on a grid: Thresholds, page 20.
You can have thresholds on the drilled-from report be displayed automatically on any drilled-
to report. For example, a report containing the Region attribute and the Revenue metric has
a threshold that highlights revenue greater than $2 million. The revenue amount is bolded
when the threshold is met, as shown in the image below:

When you drill from Region to Call Center, the revenue amounts are recalculated for the Call
Centers. For the drilled-to report, you can determine whether revenue over $2 million should
still appear bolded.

97 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you choose to keep thresholds while drilling, and you drill down from Region to Call Center,
Revenue amounts over $2 million are bolded on the drilled-to report, as shown below:

If you choose to remove thresholds while drilling, and you drill down from Region to Call
Center, no data is bolded, as shown below:

When deciding whether to enable this option, be aware that, when a report is drilled on,
thresholds can become meaningless. For example, if you drill up on an attribute, all the data
in the new report could potentially meet the threshold condition. Using the example above
where revenue over $2 million is bolded, if you drill up from Region to Country, the entire
report is likely to consist of revenue over $2 million. The thresholds then only clutter the
report and do not provide any meaningful information.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 98

Basic Reporting Guide

The default behavior retains the threshold on the drilled-to report. Be aware that the report’s
designer may have changed the default behavior.

You can change this option for an entire report using MicroStrategy Developer, as described
in the procedure below. In Developer, you can specify whether to keep or remove thresholds
while you are drilling, for that specific drill action. For steps, see Methods for drilling on a
report, page 91.

To keep or remove thresholds when drilling

1. Open a grid report in Developer.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
3. Expand General in the list of categories, then select Drilling.
4. Select one of the following options from the Keep thresholds while drilling
drop-down list:
l To ensure that thresholds appear on the drilled-to report, select Yes.
l To ensure that thresholds do not appear on the drilled-to report, select No.
5. Click OK to save your settings and close the Report Data Options dialog box.

Drilling on a report grouped by page-by fields

Page-by is a method of grouping large amounts of report data so you only see a separate
subset, or page, of data on the report at one time. For example, in a report that shows sales
numbers for every country in which your organization does business, if you only want to see
one country’s data per page of the report, you put the Country attribute in the page-by pane.
For a full description of page-by and examples, see Grouping data by page, page 63.

Determining the effect of the page-by field on the resulting report

You can determine how the page-by field on a drilled-from report affects the drilled-to report.
Specifically, if a report you want to drill on contains a page-by field (that displays an attribute
or a metric, for example) at the top of the report, you can choose whether to have the object
that is currently visible in the page-by field be part of the filter for the drilled-to report.
For example, you have a report that shows sales data for individual countries, one country at
a time. It has the Country attribute in the page-by pane above the report. If the currently
visible page-by field says Country: USA, and you drill down on the report, which one of the
following results do you want to see:
l Data for all countries continues to be displayed on the drilled-to report, one country at a
time.
l Only data related to the USA is displayed, and no other countries can be selected in the
page-by field.

99 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The options described in the following sections let you determine how you want drilling to
perform when you drill on a report that has one or more page-by fields:
l Drilling to a report that is unaffected by page-by fields, page 100
l Drilling to a report with page-by fields restricted to visible pages on the original report,
page 103
l Drilling to a report with one page-by field restricted and other page-by fields unaffected,
page 105
l Drilling on a report with page-by fields in the same hierarchy, page 107

If your report has two or more page-by fields that have objects in the same hierarchy, page-by
behavior changes slightly when drilling. Be sure you review Drilling on a report with page-by
fields in the same hierarchy, page 107 for details.

For steps to set these options, see Customizing drilling behavior for a report with page-by
fields, page 109.

Personalizing the drilling location to affect page-by results

You can determine what part of a report will perform specific drilling behaviors. This
personalization lets you locate certain drilling behavior within specific areas of a report to suit
your drilling habits. When you drill from the page-by field itself, by default the currently visible
page-by field becomes part of the drilled-to report’s filter. Conversely, when you drill from the
body of a report, by default the drilled-to report is identical to the original report (except for
the appearance of the object you drilled on, of course).

Drilling to a report that is unaffected by page-by fields

When you drill on a report, you can have the page-by fields of the original report appear in
exactly the same state in the drilled-to report, with all the same paging choices available.
For example, a report contains the Region attribute and the Revenue metric, with the Year
attribute and the Subcategory attribute in the page-by fields above the report grid. The
currently selected year is 2005, shown by Year: 2005 in one page-by field. The currently
selected subcategory is Art & Architecture, shown by Subcategory: Art &
Architecture in the other page-by field. The report has no filter. The report is shown in the
image below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 100

Basic Reporting Guide

Your goal is to have these same page-by fields, showing these same options and with the
same drop-down list of selections, in the drilled-to report.

Drilling from the grid

When you drill on the report’s grid, from the Region attribute down to the Call Center
attribute, the resulting drilled-to report appears as shown below:

Note the results in the drilled-to report:

l The new report’s filter is empty, as it was in the drilled-from report.
l The page-by fields still contain the Year attribute and the Subcategory attribute, as they
did in the drilled-from report. The drop-down lists of the page-by fields contain all years

101 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

and all subcategories, as they did in the original report, which means you can view
revenue data for other years and subcategories in the drilled-to report.
l Call Center replaces Region in the grid of the new report because Call Center was the
object you drilled down to.
You must clear the Any page-by field and Any other part of the report check
boxes to achieve this drilling behavior. To do this, see To customize drilling on a report that
has page-by fields, page 111.

Drilling from the page-by pane

When you drill on one of the report’s page-by fields, for example from Subcategory down to
Item, the resulting drilled-to report appears as shown below:

Note the results in the drilled-to report:

l The new report’s filter remains empty.
l The Year page-by field still contains the Year attribute, and the Subcategory page-by field
became the Item page-by field because that is the object you drilled down to. The drop-
down lists of the page-by fields contain all years and all items within all subcategories,
which means you can view revenue data for other years and items within other
subcategories in the drilled-to report.
In summary, based on setting certain drilling options, no page-by fields from the original
report have been added to the filter of the resulting report, and therefore all years and all
subcategories are included in the data of the drilled-to report.
You must clear the Any page-by field and Any other part of the report options to
achieve this drilling behavior. To do this, see To customize drilling on a report that has page-
by fields, page 111.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 102

Basic Reporting Guide

Drilling to a report with page-by fields restricted to visible pages on

the original report
You can include all currently visible page-by fields as part of the new, drilled-to report’s filter
when you drill from the original report. As a result, the drilled-to report contains data specific
to the page-by fields currently visible on the drilled-from report. Additionally, the page-by
fields change to display the objects on the level to which you drilled.
To illustrate this using the same example as above, a report contains the Region attribute
and the Revenue metric, with the Year attribute and the Subcategory attribute in the page-by
fields above the report grid. The currently selected year is 2005, shown by Year: 2005 in
one page-by field. The currently selected subcategory is Art & Architecture, shown by
Subcategory: Art & Architecture in the other page-by field. The report has no filter.
The report is shown in the image below:

Drilling from the grid

When you drill on the report’s grid, from the Region attribute down to Call Center, the
resulting drilled-to report appears as shown below:

103 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Note the results in the drilled-to report:

l The new report’s filter contains the objects that were in the page-by fields of the original
report, namely Year = 2005 and Subcategory = Art & Architecture.
l The Year page-by field still contains the Year attribute, and the Subcategory page-by field
still contains the Subcategory attribute. However, the drop-down list of the Year page-by
field contains only the year that was visible on the original report when you drilled, in this
case 2005. The drop-down list of the Subcategory page-by field contains only the
subcategory that was visible on the original report, in this case Art & Architecture. This
means you only view revenue data for that year and that subcategory in the drilled-to
report.
l Call Center replaces Region in the grid of the new report because Call Center was the
object you drilled down to.
You must select the Any Page-by field check box, the Apply to all page-by fields
option, and the Any other part of the report check box to achieve this drilling behavior.
To do this, see To customize drilling on a report that has page-by fields, page 111.

Drilling from the page-by pane

When you drill on a page-by field at the top of the report, for example from Subcategory
down to Item, in the resulting, drilled-to report, 2005 and Art & Architecture have been added
to the new report’s filter so that all of the revenue data on the resulting report is 2005-specific
and lists revenue only for art and architecture books.
The drilled-to report is shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 104

Basic Reporting Guide

Note the results in the drilled-to report:

l The filter on the drilled-to report contains 2005 and Art & Architecture. This means the
data for this drilled-to report was filtered so that only revenue for art and architecture
books in 2005 is returned.
l Item replaced Subcategory in the page-by field because you drilled down from
Subcategory to Item. In the new page-by field, 100 Places to Go While Still Young at
Heart appears because that book happens to be the first book among all the art and
architecture books that are stored in the data source. This page-by field functions like all
page-by fields, in that only revenue for this book is included on the page currently
displayed in the new report.
In summary, based on setting specific drilling options, all page-by fields from the original
report have been added to the filter of the resulting report, and therefore only those
subcategories and years included in that filter are included in the data of the drilled-to report.
You must select the Any Page-by field check box, the Apply to all page-by fields
option, and the Any other part of the report check box to achieve this drilling behavior.
To do this, see To customize drilling on a report that has page-by fields, page 111.

Drilling to a report with one page-by field restricted and other page-by
fields unaffected
When you drill from the original report, you can include only the page-by field on which you
drill, as part of the drilled-to report’s filter. Any other page-by fields remain as they were on
the drilled-from report. As a result, the drilled-to report contains data specific to the drilled-on
page-by field visible on the drilled-from report. All other page-by fields stay the same as they
were on the original report.
To illustrate this using the same example as above, a report contains the Region attribute
and the Revenue metric, with the Year attribute and the Subcategory attribute in the page-by
fields above the report grid. The currently selected year is 2005, shown by Year: 2005 in
one page-by field. The currently selected subcategory is Art & Architecture, shown by

105 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Subcategory: Art & Architecture in the other page-by field. The report has no filter.
The report is shown in the image below:

Drilling from the page-by pane

When you drill on a page-by field, for example from Subcategory down to Item, the new,
drilled-to report is shown below:

Note the results in the drilled-to report:

l The drilled-to report has a filter, for Art & Architecture. The filter contains the page-by field
that was drilled on and contains the object that was visible on the page-by field in the
original report.
l Item replaces Subcategory in the page-by field, because that is the object you drilled down
to.
l The drop-down list of the Year page-by field contains all years, but the drop-down list of
the Item page-by field contains only art and architecture books, since that is the only
subcategory in the filter. Only revenue for the items in that subcategory is displayed on the
report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 106

Basic Reporting Guide

You must select the Any Page-by field check box and the Apply to current page-by
field option to achieve this drilling behavior. To do this, see To customize drilling on a report
that has page-by fields, page 111.

Drilling from the grid

The drilling behavior described above can only be achieved when you drill from the page-by
pane of a report. If you set up a report’s drilling behavior this way, you can choose from one
of two options for how drilling from the report’s grid should behave:
l All the page-by fields are restricted to page-by objects that were visible on the original
report. To achieve this drilling behavior, you must select the Any Page-by field check
box, the Apply to current page-by field option, and the Any other part of the
report check box.
l All page-by fields are unaffected by the drilling action and appear as they did on the
original report. To achieve this drilling behavior, you must select the Any Pageby field
check box and the Apply to current page-by field option.
To set these options, see To customize drilling on a report that has page-by fields, page 111.

Drilling on a report with page-by fields in the same hierarchy

This section assumes you understand what a hierarchy is and how attributes are related
within a hierarchy. For background information on hierarchies and attributes, see
Understanding hierarchies, page 87.
If you drill on a report that has two or more page-by fields that contain attributes within the
same hierarchy, when you drill on one of those attributes, the drilling behavior described in
the sections above is slightly different.
Specifically, if two or more attributes in the page-by fields are in the same hierarchy, and you
drill on one of them, all related page-by fields are restricted to the object that was visible on
the original report when you drilled.
For example, you have a report with one page-by field showing the Year attribute, one page-
by field showing the Category attribute, and one page-by field showing the Subcategory
attribute. This report is shown in the image below:

107 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The Category and Subcategory attributes are both within the project’s Product hierarchy, as
shown on the left side of the image below. The Year attribute is in a separate hierarchy.

You leave all drilling behavior options in the Report Data Options dialog box set to default, as
shown in the image below:

These settings normally provide the following results:

l A filter is added to new report; the filter contains only the page-by object that was drilled
on.
l The drilled-on page-by field is restricted to the page-by object visible on original report.
l All other page-by fields remain as they were on the original report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 108

Basic Reporting Guide

However, when page-by fields contain related attributes, the behavior in the third bullet
above is slightly different.
To see the resulting report, you drill from the Subcategory page-by field down to Item. The
resulting report is shown in the image below, with the Category page-by field expanded:

When drilling from any page-by field using the default behavior settings, normally only that
drilled-on page-by field is changed so that it shows only the object that was visible in the
original report. Other page-by fields are not affected by the drilling action and remain as they
appeared on the original report.
As expected, based on your behavior settings the Subcategory page-by field was placed in
the resulting report’s filter. And as expected, the Year page-by field remains as it was on the
original report, with all years available to be selected from the Year page-by.
However, because Category and Subcategory are in the same hierarchy, in the resulting
report the Category page-by field only displays choices related to the subcategory that was
currently visible in the original report (rather than showing all items from all subcategories as
was displayed in the Category page-by field in the original report). This behavior occurs
because the higher-level attribute Category must logically reflect the elements displayed in
the lower-level attribute Item that you drilled down to. The Art & Architecture subcategory is
placed in the resulting report’s filter, and thus limits the Category page-by field to displaying
only Books.
Because these attributes are connected by their relationship within the same hierarchy, they
affect each other when you drill on one of them. This causes drilling behavior to perform
slightly differently than the default behavior described throughout this section of the manual.
In summary, in a report that has page-by fields containing attributes in the same hierarchy,
when you drill on a page-by field containing one of those attributes, all other page-by fields
with attributes in the same hierarchy are restricted to the hierarchy level of the page-by field
you drill on.

Customizing drilling behavior for a report with page-by fields

The procedure below describes the options to set drilling behavior for a report that has one
or more page-by fields. For complete details and examples for each of these options, see the

109 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

sections above. You can also refer to the table below for a quick reference to choose the
right options to achieve the drilling behavior you prefer on a given report.
The following table summarizes the options described in detail in this section of the manual:

Option(s) Selected Drill Location In Original Appearance Of Resulting Report

Report

Drill from a page-by • Filter is added to new report; filter

field contains only the page-by object that
was drilled on.
• Drilled-on page-by field is restricted to
the page-by object visible on original
report.
• Other page-by fields remain as they
were on the original report.
Drill from the report • Filter is empty.
grid
• All page-by fields remain as they were
on the original report.
Drill from a page-by • Filter is added to new report; filter
field contains all page-by objects that were
visible on original report.
• All page-by fields are restricted to the
page-by objects visible on original
report.
Drill from the report • Filter is empty.
grid
• All page-by fields remain as they were
on the original report.
Drill from a page-by • Filter is added to new report; filter
field contains only the page-by object that
was drilled on.
• Drilled-on page-by field is restricted to
the page-by object visible on original
report.
• Other page-by fields remain as they
were on the original report.
Drill from the report • Filter is added to new report; filter
grid contains all page-by objects that were
visible on original report.
• All page-by fields are restricted to the
page-by objects visible on original
report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 110

Basic Reporting Guide

Option(s) Selected Drill Location In Original Appearance Of Resulting Report

Report

Drill from a page-by • Filter is added to new report; filter

field contains all page-by objects that were
visible on original report.
• All page-by fields are restricted to the
page-by objects visible on original
report.
Drill from the report • Filter is added to new report; filter
grid contains all page-by objects that were
visible on original report.
• All page-by fields are restricted to the
page-by objects visible on original
report.
Drill from a page-by • Filter is empty.
field
• All page-by fields remain as they were
on the original report.
Drill from the report • Filter is added to new report; filter
grid contains all page-by objects that were
visible on original report.
• All page-by fields are restricted to the
page-by objects visible on original
report.
Drill from a page-by • Filter is empty.
field
• All page-by fields remain as they were
on the original report.
Drill from the report • Filter is empty.
grid
• All page-by fields remain as they were
on the original report.

You can change this option for an entire report using MicroStrategy Developer, as described
in the procedure below. In Developer, you can specify the page-by options while you are
drilling, for that specific drill action. For steps, see Methods for drilling on a report, page 91.

To customize drilling on a report that has page-by fields

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
3. Expand General, then select Drilling.
4. You can set the following drilling options, which determine how the page-by on the

111 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

drilled-from report affects the drilled-to report, as described in the examples above:
l Any page-by field: The page-by object is added to the filter of the drilled-to report
when you drill from a page-by field. If this is selected, choose one of the following:
l Apply to current page-by field: Only the page-by object that is currently
visible is added to the filter of the drilled-to report.
l Apply to all page-by fields: All page-by objects are added to the filter of the
drilled-to report.
l Any other part of the report: The page-by object is added to the filter of the
drilled-to report when you drill from anywhere on the report’s grid. You choose to
locate the page-by drilling feature in the body of the report, where most users drill
from the data.
5. Click OK to save your settings and close the Report Data Options dialog box. When
you drill on this report in the future, your settings will determine how the page-by field
affects the results displayed in the drilled-to report.

Drilling on a report with subtotals calculated across

levels
A report can be designed to calculate subtotals across selected attribute levels, also referred
to as across-level subtotals. The subtotal is applied to particular levels—rows, columns, or
pages. Across-level subtotals can be thought of as “group by attributes to the left of the
selected attribute”. (For a detailed description of across-level subtotals, see the Reports
chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.)
If a report is subtotaled across levels, you can determine whether the subtotals on the drilled-
from report are displayed on the drilled-to report. Across-level subtotals are hidden only
when all of the following is true:
l Inherit across-level subtotal from parent is set to No.
l Keep parent while drilling is set to No.
l You drill from the object that is the level of the subtotal.
The following example demonstrates how the results of the report change when the above
conditions are applied.
A report contains the Region, Category, and Revenue metrics. Subtotals are calculated
across all elements of the attribute Category. The attribute to the left of Category is Region,
so the subtotals are grouped and calculated for each region, as shown in the portion of the
report displayed below.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 112

Basic Reporting Guide

By default, subtotals are inherited from the parent. Drill from Category to Subcategory. In the
resulting report, Region, Category, and Subcategory are displayed. Since the subtotals are
inherited, subtotals are applied across the levels of both Category and Subcategory.
Subtotals are therefore calculated for Category and Region, the attributes to the left of
Category and Subcategory. A portion of that drilled-to report is shown below.

113 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Return to the original, drilled-from report. Specify that subtotals are not inherited from the
parent. Drill from Category to Subcategory again. As with the previous drilled-to report,
Region, Category, and Subcategory are displayed. Subcategory does not inherit its parent’s
subtotal (its parent being Category). Subtotals are still applied at the level of Category, so
subtotals are calculated for Region, the attribute to the left of Category. A portion of that
report is displayed below.

By default, the parent attribute is kept on the drilled-to report, so Category is displayed in
these examples. Return to the original, drilled-from report. Specify that the parent is not kept
when the report is drilled on. Drill from Category to Subcategory. The resulting report
displays Region and Subcategory, with no subtotals. Because Category is no longer on the
report, the across-level subtotals are no longer valid. A portion of the resulting report is
displayed below.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 114

Basic Reporting Guide

For information about and examples of the Keep parent while drilling option, see
Keeping or removing the drilled-from attribute in the new report, page 95.

Return to the original, drilled-from report. Specify that subtotals are inherited from the
parent. Drill from Category to Subcategory. The resulting report displays Region and
Subcategory, as with the previous report, but subtotals are calculated for Region. Subtotals
are inherited from the parent, so the across-level subtotals are transferred to the
Subcategory. Since Region is to the left of Subcategory, the report is subtotaled at that level.
A portion of that report is displayed below.

115 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Return to the original, drilled-from report. Drill from Region to Call Center this time, so that
you are not drilling on the attribute that the across-level subtotals are defined for. The
resulting report displays Call Center and Category. Subtotals are calculated for Call Center,
because Call Center is now the attribute to the left of Category. A portion of the resulting
report is shown below.

You can change this option for an entire report using MicroStrategy Developer, as described
in the procedure below. In Developer, you can specify whether to show or hide subtotals
while you are drilling, for that specific drill action. For steps, see Methods for drilling on a
report, page 91.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 116

Basic Reporting Guide

To show or hide subtotals when drilling from a report with across-level

subtotals

This procedure assumes that the report already contains across-level subtotals. For steps,
see the MicroStrategy Developer Help (formerly the MicroStrategy Desktop Help).

1. Open a grid report.

2. From the Data menu, select Report Data Options. The Report Data Options
dialog box opens.
3. Expand General, then select Drilling.
4. Specify whether or not the subtotals are displayed in the drilled-to report:
l To display subtotals in the drilled-to report, set Inherit across-level subtotal
from parent to Yes.
l To hide subtotals in the drilled-to report, set Inherit across-level subtotal
from parent to No.
l Subtotals are still displayed unless Keep parent while drilling is set to No and
you drill from the object that is the level of the subtotal.
l To use the value set in the drill path, set Inherit across-level subtotal from
parent to Default. For information about creating drill paths, see the Advanced
Reporting Guide.
5. Click OK to save your changes and close the Report Data Options dialog box.

117 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 5
ANSWERING PROMPTS AND
REFRESHING DATA
Your analysis of data can only be as accurate as the results displayed in a report. In many
instances, you will want to have the most recent information from your data source displayed
on your reports. In this case, if you execute a report multiple times, you probably want to be
sure the query is submitted through your data source each time so you know you are seeing
results based on the latest data available.
At other times, you simply need to see the same report you looked at before — you do not
care whether the data is up-to-the-minute. In this case, MicroStrategy provides caching so
you can retrieve report results as quickly as possible without submitting the request through
your data source again.
This chapter discusses report caches, as well as various methods of refreshing a report’s
data.

Refreshing a report
As an analyst, you may find yourself regularly executing certain reports that have provided
useful information to you in the past. When you re-execute a report, how do you know that
the data that is returned reflects the most recent data available in your data source? To
answer this question, you must consider a few factors:
l The frequency with which your data source is updated.
l Whether the report you are running is being executed through the data source again, or
whether it is pulling its data from a stored cache that was created in MicroStrategy when
the report was run the first time.
Your data source may be updated on a daily basis or only biweekly. It is a good idea to
familiarize yourself with the frequency and the days or times when your data source receives
updates. This information helps you determine when it is most desirable to re-execute your
most commonly run reports, if it is important for you to see report results that reflect the latest
data.
To take advantage of recently updated data in your data storage, you must refresh the data
displayed on the report. To effectively refresh data on a report, you should take a moment to
understand your data sources.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 118

Basic Reporting Guide

Understanding your data sources

With MicroStrategy, you can report on and analyze your organization’s data with the goal of
answering your business questions. MicroStrategy makes sense of the large amounts of
data stored in your data source and returns report results which reflect that data. A data
source can be a data warehouse, a simple text file, a Microsoft Excel file, or an external data
source such as SAP-BW, Microsoft Analysis Services, or Hyperion Essbase.
No matter which type of data source your organization uses, data sources are commonly
separated into specific business divisions. For example, you might have a data source that
only holds information related to your supply chain data, storing all data related to monitoring
the efficiency of your business workflow. Your organization might also have a separate data
source to store all human resources data such as employee headcount, employee turnover,
and so on.
It is important to know which data source(s) you are regularly accessing when you execute
reports. By knowing which data sources are providing you with your report data, you can
learn how frequently they are updated with new data. This information in turn can help you
decide how often you need to re-execute certain reports, making sure that the report query is
submitted through your data source rather than through a stored report cache in
MicroStrategy.

Refreshing the data displayed on a report

There are several ways that data shown on a report can be refreshed so that the report
reflects the latest values in the data source.
l Prompted report: A report analyst can automatically refresh the data on a prompted
report by answering the prompts differently than they have been answered during any
previous execution of the report. Answering prompted reports is discussed in this chapter,
in Answering report prompts, page 121.
l Report cache: A cache is the stored results of a report query that has already been
executed. When the report is executed again, the system can quickly access the cache to
display report data, rather than putting a load on the system to re-run the request to the
data source. Caches are discussed in more detail below, including information on how to
determine whether a report’s results came from a cache or not. The following methods
can be implemented to ensure refreshed data is accessible when a report is re-executed:
l Delete a report’s cache: A system administrator can delete a report’s cache to ensure
the data on that report is refreshed the next time it is executed. If the stored cache is
deleted, the system is forced to submit the request through the data source again, thus
gathering the most recent data.
l Disable caching for a report: A system administrator can disable caching for a specific
report, so that a cache of results is never created in the system when that report is
executed. In this way, every time the report is re-executed, the query goes through your
data source and thus returns the most recent data.

Report caches
A report cache is a special data store within MicroStrategy software that holds information
that was recently requested from the data source to be displayed on a report. A cache is
created when a report is executed for the first time and the request is submitted to the

119 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

database to gather the latest data. The report’s results are then cached, or stored, in
MicroStrategy.
Generally, frequently requested reports are cached because future requests for the same
reports return data faster if the report has been cached. The execution time is quicker
because cached reports do not need to run against the data source. In a cache, results from
your data source are stored and can be used by new job requests that require the same
data.
Caching is a useful strategy your administrator can use to reduce demands on your
database and improve the speed of MicroStrategy’s reporting performance. However,
cached data is not always the most up-to-date, because it has not been run through your
data source since the cache was created.
You can get new data for a report that has been cached, by deleting the report’s cache
before you execute the report. (There are other ways to refresh data on a report, which are
discussed in this chapter.) Deleting the report’s cache forces the report to be executed
through your data source again, thus returning the most recent data from your data source.
You must have administrative privileges to delete a report cache.
You can see whether the results on a report have come from a MicroStrategy cache in two
ways:
l Look at the Report Details for the report. To do this, open a report and, from the View
menu, select Report Details. An example image of the Report Details pane and its
related report is shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 120

Basic Reporting Guide

In the Report Details pane above, the last line shows whether the cache was used
to populate the report with data. For this report, the answer is Cache Used: No.
l Look at a report in SQL view. To do this, from the View menu select SQL View. As
shown in the image below, for this report the 5th line says Cache Used: Yes.

Cached data and OLAP Services

MicroStrategy OLAP Services lets MicroStrategy Developer, Web, and Office users make
use of features that slice and dice data in reports to create new reports, without re-executing
SQL against the data source. These reports are called view reports. This improves
performance by resulting in quicker data display within a report as users analyze and
manipulate the data. OLAP Services view reports are populated from the original report’s
cache rather than being run against the data source.
The Report Objects pane is an OLAP Services feature that lets users create mini-reports
based on an original report, by dragging objects on and off the report. When report objects
are dragged to or from the Report Objects pane, the report results are recalculated based on
the cached data rather than being submitted through the data source again.
To determine whether you have OLAP Services, and for details on other OLAP Services
features, see OLAP Services, page 13.

Answering report prompts

Any report can contain prompts. A prompt is a question presented to the user who runs the
report. Depending on the answers the user provides, the report brings back and displays

121 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

different data from the data source.

Answering a prompted report differently each time it is executed is one way to ensure that a
report is executed against your data source and displays the most recent data. This is
because different prompt answers usually require different data than what is stored in the
report’s cache.
There are several types of prompts. The following image shows one example of a prompt
that appears when a prompted report is executed. You choose one or more answers from
the center pane, in this case months of a given year for which you want to see data. You
move your selection(s) to the right, then you finish running the report to see your chosen data
displayed.

Saving and re-using prompt answers: Personal

answers
When you are answering prompts in a report, you can save a prompt answer independently
of the report. Once saved, a prompt answer is called a personal answer. The personal
answer can be used when you re-execute the report, and also for any other report that uses
the same prompt.
The steps below assume that you have already selected a prompt answer, but have not yet
clicked Finish or Run Report.

To save a personal answer

Use this procedure to save the prompt answer as a personal answer.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 122

Basic Reporting Guide

1. Determine whether the prompt lets you save prompt answers as personal answers.
You can tell whether a prompt will let you save a personal answer if the Remember
this answer check box (for a single personal answer) or the Save this answer
check box (for multiple personal answers) is displayed.
2. If the Remember this answer check box is displayed, only one prompt answer
(which can contain multiple items or qualifications) can be saved.
To save the personal answer, select the Remember this answer check box. The
items that you selected are saved as the personal answer for this prompt. They are
displayed, to be used again if you choose, when you re-execute this report and also for
any other report that uses this prompt.
3. If the Save this answer check box is displayed, you can save and name multiple
personal answers.
a. To save the personal answer, select the Save this answer check box.
b. Type a name in the Name field. Create a descriptive name that will remind you
of the details when you see it at a later date.
c. You can set this personal answer as the default, so that it displays when you are
presented with this prompt again, either on this report or another.

You do not have to save the report to save a personal answer; the personal answer is
saved automatically when one of the check boxes above is selected.

Saving reports with prompts

When you save a prompted report after having executed it, you are presented with special
save options that give you several ways to save your prompted report.
You can save your answers with the report. When you run the report in the future, you are
not prompted again. (This is called saving the prompted report as static.) The prompt
answers that you selected when you ran the report are saved to the report definition, and
that definition is used every time the report is run in the future.
You can also save the report so that it prompts you or other users again, when the report is
re-executed. You continue to be prompted every time you run the report in the future. (This is
called saving the prompted report as prompted.) If you want, you can also have your current
prompt answers become the new default prompt answers when the report is run again. This
can speed up report execution, because you can save your own preferred answers as the
defaults, and then each time you re-run the report, when you are prompted you can simply
click Finish to accept all the default answers.
All of these choices are described in the procedures below. Use the appropriate procedure,
depending on whether you are using MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web:
l To save a prompted report in Developer, page 124
l To save a prompted report in MicroStrategy Web, page 124

123 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To save a prompted report in Developer

1. Open a prompted report.

2. Answer the prompts and execute the report. For steps to answer a prompt, see
Answering report prompts, page 121.
3. From the Home menu, select Save As. Navigate to where you want to save the
report, and provide a name for the report.
4. Click Save. The Save Options dialog box opens.
5. Select whether you want to save the report as static or prompted:
l Static: The report is saved with the currently displayed report and filter information.
When you execute the report in the future, you are not prompted again.
l Prompted: The report is saved with active prompts. The next time that you run the
report, the report prompts you for answers again.
6. If you select prompted, you can choose whether or not to use the current prompt
answers as the default prompt answers when you run the report again, as described
below:
l To save the current prompt answers as the default prompt answers, select the Set
the current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers
check box. When you run the report again, you will be prompted, and you can
choose to use the default answers or change them.
l To use the default prompt answers defined in the prompt, clear the Set the
current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers check
box. When you run the report again, you will be prompted, and you can choose to
use the displayed default answers or change them. If default prompt answers have
not been defined in the prompt, no default answers are displayed.
7. If you select the Remember options next time check box, your selections above
(in this Save Options dialog box) become the default method for saving all prompted
reports when you save prompted reports in the future.
8. Click OK. Your selections are applied to the report and it is saved.

To save a prompted report in MicroStrategy Web

1. Open a prompted report.

2. Answer the prompts and execute the report.
3. From the File menu, select Save As. Navigate to where you want to save the report,
and provide a name for the report.
4. You can choose to save the report as a prompted or a static report:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 124

Basic Reporting Guide

l To save it as a prompted report, select the Keep report prompted check box.
The report is saved with active prompts. When you execute the report in the future,
you are prompted for answers again.
l To save it as a static report, clear the Keep report prompted check box. The
report is saved with the currently displayed report and filter information. When you
execute the report in the future, you are not prompted again.
5. If you save it as a prompted report, you can choose whether or not to use the current
prompt answers as the default prompt answers when you run the report again, as
described below:
l To save the current prompt answers as the default prompt answers, click
Advanced Options. Select the Set the current prompt answers to be
the default prompt answers check box. When you run the report again, the
prompt answers that you selected are displayed as the default prompt answers.
You can choose to use the default answers or change them.
l To use the default prompt answers defined in the prompt, click Advanced
Options. Clear the Set the current prompt answers to be the default
prompt answers check box. The prompt answers that you selected are not
saved with the report. When you run the report again, the default prompt answers
defined in the prompt are displayed. You can choose to use the default answers or
change them. If default prompt answers have not been defined in the prompt, no
default answers are displayed.
6. Click OK. Your selections are saved.

125 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 6
BUILDING A QUICK QUERY
FOR ANALYSIS
This chapter shows analysts and report designers how to create a simple business report.
Before you create a report, you must have a business query in mind for that report to answer.
You must also have access to various report objects that have already been created, so you
can place them on the report and provide that report with the information it needs to gather
the right data from your data source. You can use report objects that have already been
created by your company’s project designers and report designers.

Prerequisites
Make sure you review the following prerequisites before you create a report in
MicroStrategy. They can save you time and make your report results more effective, thus
making data analysis much easier.
l Define your business query: Before you can determine what objects to place on a new
report, you need to know what data you want to see displayed on a report. MicroStrategy
reports answer business questions that can be answered with the help of the data stored
in your data source. To define your business question, make sure you consider the
following questions:
l What is the main topic area the report needs to address? In other words, at a general
level, what do you need to know?
l What level of detail do you need? For example, do you want complete details, or do you
only want to see a few key measurements of particular data? Key measurements can
be useful for a business meeting or high-level presentation.
l Look for existing reports: Before you create a report or document, search through
MicroStrategy to see whether a similar report already exists that can serve the same
purpose as the report you intend to create. This can not only save you time, it can help you
avoid unnecessary duplication in your MicroStrategy project.
l Look for appropriate report objects: Do objects already exist in the project which match
what you want to see on a report? If not, a report designer can create them.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 126

Basic Reporting Guide

l The objects which you will use to create a report must already be created in a
MicroStrategy project. Report objects are generally created by the project’s designer
when the project is first created, and by report designers.
l Understand how your MicroStrategy project reflects your data source: Since you use
objects to create reports, it can be useful for you to understand how the project’s objects
reflect the actual data in your organization’s data source. In this way, you can choose
objects to use on reports with full knowledge of the data source tables that data is coming
from when the report is executed.
It is not necessary to have in-depth knowledge of your MicroStrategy project’s design if you
are creating quick reports for analysis, but if you desire more details on project design and
data modeling, see the Project Design Guide.

Creating a report by combining a template and

a filter: Report Wizard
A report is a combination of a template and a filter:
l A report template is the structure that underlies any report. It specifies the set of
information that the report should retrieve from your data source, and the way that you
want the data to be displayed. For example, a report template can contain the Region and
Call Center attributes, and the Revenue and Profit metrics. The Revenue metric is
formatted to display as currency, with no decimal. The attributes display in the rows and
the metrics in the columns.
l A filter screens data in your data source to determine whether the data should be included
in or excluded from the calculations of the report results. For example, you might filter the
Year attribute so that data is only returned for the current year, or for the first three months
of last year.
The Report Wizard allows you to quickly and easily create a report by selecting an existing
template and filter.

To build a report using the Report Wizard

This procedure assumes that a project designer has created a project in MicroStrategy that
reflects your organization’s stored data, and the project contains templates and filters.

To start the Report Wizard

1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to a project. To log in to a specific project, see Starting
MicroStrategy, page 1.
2. Click the MicroStrategy icon and select New Report.
3. Click Report Wizard. The Report Wizard opens.

127 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To select the template

A report template is the structure that underlies any report, containing what is to be displayed
on the report and the way to display it.
In the list of available templates on the left, navigate to and select the template to use. Click
the right arrow to move the selected template to the list of selected templates on the right.

You can search for a template, by typing the word to search for in the Search for field and
clicking the Search icon.

To select the filter

A filter specifies the conditions that the data must meet to be included in the report results.
In the list of available filters on the left, navigate to and select the filter to use. Click the right
arrow to move the selected filter to the list of selected filter on the right.

You can search for a filter, by typing the word to search for in the Search for field and
clicking the Search icon.

To finish your new report

1. In the Report Message Name field, type a name for the new report.
2. Depending on your user privileges, do one of the following:
l Analysts: If you have Web Analyst privileges, you can run the report or save it.
l To run the report, click Run Report. If the filter contains a prompt, the prompt is
displayed for you to answer. (For steps to answer a prompt, see Answering report
prompts, page 121.) Your report is executed against your data source and your results
are displayed.
l To save the report, click Save. If the filter contains a prompt, the prompt is displayed for
you to answer. (For steps to answer a prompt, see Answering report prompts, page
121.) The Save As dialog box opens. Navigate to a project folder in which to save the
report, and click Save.
l Report Designers: If you have Web Professional privileges (or higher), you can edit the
report or save it.
l To edit the report, click Edit in Design Mode. The report opens in Design Mode
within the Report Editor, where you can continue to build the report with additional
objects and user functionalities. For information on using the Report Editor, adding or
creating additional objects, and adding user functionalities, see Chapter 7, Building
Query Objects and Queries, for Designers.
l To save the report, click Save. The Save As dialog box opens. Navigate to a project
folder in which to save the report, and click Save.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 128

Basic Reporting Guide

Quick report creation: Building a new report

This chapter provides steps to create a new report using the MicroStrategy Report Builder
tool. The Report Builder is meant for users who are already familiar with MicroStrategy
objects that are used to create a report, and who need to create a report quickly. However,
the Report Builder tool limits you to only adding certain objects to the report while you are
using the tool. Once you finish creating a report in Report Builder, you can continue to modify
the report in the Report Editor and add additional objects.
If you have Web Professional privileges, before you create a report, you can create links, or
shortcuts, to objects that you will want to use regularly. You can place the shortcuts in a
location within the project that is conveniently accessible to you. For steps to create shortcuts
to objects, see Quick object access: Creating shortcuts to objects, page 142.

Creating a report for analysis

This section describes how to create a report using the quick report creation tool called
Report Builder. MicroStrategy’s Report Builder steps you easily through the process of quick
report creation, and lets you access a wide variety of report objects in your project to define
your report.
Report Builder asks for four specific pieces of information from you:
l The attributes to include on the report
l The metrics to include on the report
l Information to create a filter for one or more attributes; the filter is optional
l Information to create a filter for one or more metrics; the filter is optional
Each of these pieces of information is described more fully, with examples, in the procedure
below.

Creating a quick report using Report Builder

To create a report that accurately answers a specific business query, be sure you have
access to objects that have already been created, as described above in Prerequisites.

To build a quick report using Report Builder

This procedure assumes that a project designer has created a project in MicroStrategy that
reflects your organization’s stored data, and the project contains attributes and metrics.

To start Report Builder

1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to the project that contains the objects you want to use to
create a report. To log in to a specific project, see Starting MicroStrategy, page 1.

129 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. Click the MicroStrategy icon and select New Report.

3. Click Report Builder. The Report Builder template opens.
The Report Builder steps on the left pane allow you to easily navigate between different
sections of the Report Builder.

To include attributes on the report

Attributes are the business concepts reflected in your stored business data in your data
source. Attributes provide a context in which to report and analyze business data. While
knowing your company’s total sales is useful, knowing where and when the sales took
place is more helpful.
For example, you have a report containing the Month, Year, and Region attributes, as
well as a Revenue metric. When executed, the report displays your company’s revenue
for each region, during each month and year for which data is available. Because of the
attributes on the report, a substantial amount of information is available, including which
regions produced the least revenue and which years saw the highest growth in revenue.
1. Under Choose the attributes of the report, in the Search for field, type the
name of the attribute. Alternatively, from the Available pane, browse to the attribute
that you want to include on your report.
2. Select one or more attributes and click the Add arrow to move them to the Selected
pane.

l You must select at least one attribute.

l Generally, one to three attributes are sufficient to add to a report, depending on the
business query you are trying to answer with the report.
l If you add more than one attribute to the report, make sure you select attributes that make
sense when placed together on a report.

When you are finished adding attributes, add the metrics for your report under Choose
the metrics of the report.

To include metrics on the report

Metrics are MicroStrategy objects that represent business measures. Metrics are the
calculations performed on data stored in your database, the results of which are
displayed on a report. Metrics are similar to formulas in spreadsheet software.
Questions such as “What were the sales for the eastern region during the fourth
quarter?” or “Are inventory levels being consistently replenished at the beginning of each
week?” can easily be answered by metrics. A metric is made up of facts stored in your
data source and the mathematical operations to be performed on those facts, so that
meaningful business analysis can be performed on the results.
1. Under Choose the metrics of the report, in the Search for field, type the
name of the metric. Alternatively, from the Available pane, browse to the metrics you
want to include on your report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 130

Basic Reporting Guide

2. Select one or more metrics and click the Add arrow to move them to the Selected
pane.

Generally, one or two metrics is sufficient to add to the report, depending on the business
query you are trying to answer with the report.

When you are finished adding metrics, you can add filtering conditions to your attributes
under Qualify on any attribute.

To include an attribute filter on the report

A filter screens data in your data source to determine whether the data should be
included in or excluded from the calculations of the report results. For example, you
might filter the Year attribute so that data is only returned for the current year, or for the
first three months of last year.
An attribute filter restricts data specifically for the attributes on, or related to, your report.
You only need to include an attribute filter if it makes sense with your business query.

If you do not want to include an attribute filter, proceed to the next subtask in this procedure,
To include a metric filter on the report, page 132. However, most reports use a filter to limit the
quantity of data returned from the data source, and to help focus the report on a specific
business question.

1. Under Qualify on any attribute, navigate through the hierarchies displayed in the
Available pane. Alternatively, type the name of the hierarchy in the Search for
field.
Hierarchies group all the attributes in your project into logical subsets. For example,
the Day, Week, Month, and Year attributes might all be grouped into a Time hierarchy.
2. Double-click the hierarchy that holds the attribute you want to filter data for. The
attributes within that hierarchy are displayed in the Available pane.
3. Select the attribute you want to use a filter on, and then click the Add arrow to move it
to the Selected pane.

It is generally simplest to select an attribute that is part of your report, unless you need
an attribute filter that relies on a different attribute.

4. For each attribute moved to the Selected pane, select one of the following options,
depending on how you want to filter the attribute data:
l Return results that only show data related to specific elements of the attribute. For
example, the attribute Customer might have the elements John Smith, Jane Doe,
William Hill, and so on. You can filter data to display a list of only those customers
(those elements) that you specify.
l To create this kind of filter, from the filter’s expression, first choose Select and then
choose the In List operator. Click Empty to display the attribute’s elements.
Then, select the elements on the left and click the arrow to move them to the right.
Click OK.

131 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Return results that show all the attribute’s data EXCEPT for the specific elements
you define. Using the example in the bullet above, you might specify certain
customers whose data you do not want to see.
l To create this kind of filter, from the filter’s expression, first choose Select and then
choose the Not In List operator. Click Empty to display the attribute’s
elements. Then, select the elements on the left and click the arrow to move them to
the right. Click OK.
l Experiment with other options to create the exact filter you want. For guidance:
l Click Help. Details on every combination of choices is available, along with links
to steps for creating more complex filters.
l Attribute qualifications are discussed in detail in this manual, in Filtering data
based on business attributes: Attribute qualifications, page 174.
When you are finished defining your attribute filter, you can add filtering conditions for your
metrics in the report under Qualify on any metric.

To include a metric filter on the report

A metric filter screens data based on a metric’s value or rank. For example, you might create
a filter that displays sales data for only those products with an inventory count below a
specified number.
You only need to include a metric filter if it makes sense with your business query.

If you do not want to include a metric filter, proceed to the next subtask in this procedure, To
finish your report, page 133.

1. Under Qualify on any metric, in the Available pane, select the metric on which
you want to use a filter. Alternatively, type the name of the metric in the Search for
field.
2. Click the Add arrow to move the metric to the Selected pane.
It is generally simplest to select a metric that is part of your report, unless you need a
metric filter that relies on a different metric.
3. For each metric moved to the Selected pane, select one of the following options,
depending on how you want to filter the metric data:
l Return results that show all data greater than a specific amount.
l To create this kind of filter, from the filter’s expression, select the Greater than
operator. Click Value and in the Enter Value field, enter the number that all
calculated values should be greater than.
l Return results that show data that is outside a particular range of values.
l To create this kind of filter, from the filter’s expression, select the Not Between
operator. Click the first Value and in the Enter Value field, enter the number that
marks the lower end of the range. Click the second Value and in the Enter Value
field, enter the number that marks the higher end of the range.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 132

Basic Reporting Guide

l Click the Operator drop-down list to see the many other common operators you can
define your filter with. Experiment with other options to create the exact filter you
want. For guidance:
l Click Help. Details on every combination of choices is available, along with links
to steps for creating more complex filters.
l Metric qualifications are discussed in detail in Filtering data based on attribute
relationships or metrics: Set qualifications, page 185.

To finish your report

1. Review your selections for the report and make changes, if required.
2. Type a name for the report in the Report Message Name field.
3. Prior to saving the report, you can choose to view the report results and verify your
report selections.
l Web Analyst: If you have Web Analyst privileges, click Run Report. Your report is
executed against your data source and your results are displayed.
l Web Professional: If you have Web Professional privileges (or higher), click Edit
in Design Mode. The report opens in Design Mode in the Report Editor, where
you can continue to build the report with additional objects and user functionalities.
l To execute the report without making any further changes, from the toolbar
select Run Report.
l For information on using the Report Editor, adding or creating additional objects,
and adding user functionalities, see MicroStrategy Web Report Editor interface,
page 312.
4. To save your new report, click Save. Navigate to a project folder in which you want to
save the report, and click OK.

133 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 7
BUILDING QUERY OBJECTS
AND QUERIES, FOR
DESIGNERS
This chapter introduces the basics of designing and creating business reports. Before you
create a report, you must have a business query in mind for that report to answer. You must
also have access to various report objects that have already been created, so you can place
them on the report and provide that report with its definition. If you have the appropriate
privileges, you can create report objects yourself, or you can use report objects that have
been created by other report designers.
This chapter also shows you how to add user-friendly additions to a report, such as a drilling
map or other capabilities.
Most of the tasks in this chapter are performed in MicroStrategy Web. Some are performed
in MicroStrategy Developer, and are clearly labeled.

This chapter assumes you are familiar with all the other chapters in this guide. The other
chapters contain introductory information on the user experience with basic functionality in
the MicroStrategy environment.

Before you begin

Before you begin building query objects and queries, you should review these items:
l Report designer role
l Developing a business query and report design: Best practices

Report designer role

This chapter primarily discusses software functionality that is only available to users who
have privileges equivalent to Developer or Web Professional roles in MicroStrategy (or a
broader set of privileges, such as those provided to the Administrator role). If you are not
sure which privileges are assigned to your user name in the MicroStrategy environment,
contact your system administrator.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 134

Basic Reporting Guide

Report designers design a reporting context or environment in which report analysts can
successfully analyze business data. This environment allows report analysts to work within
defined limits, ensuring that business data can be easily and quickly analyzed, as well as
making sure that only reasonable queries are submitted to the database. Reasonable means
that irrelevant data sets cannot be created, nor can huge amounts of data be retrieved from
your data source, which can hamper system performance.
These roles allow a defined group of report designers to be trained on more advanced report
functionality, while report analysts can manipulate reports without needing to understand the
details of creating reports. Report analysts are not required to have a thorough
understanding of the project. These users can analyze data, generate new reports from
existing reports through drilling, and create quick and easy reports using Report Builder,
which can all be performed in a controlled, user-friendly environment.
For example, a report designer might design a report for the sales department that displays
data on the organization’s annual regional revenue, including product brands. The report
designer places the attributes Customer Region, Category, and Brand on the report, and the
metrics Profit, Revenue, and Revenue Rank by Region. (To view this actual report, see the
Brand Performance by Region report in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.) A report analyst
can then execute this report and drill to see details about revenue and profits for only the
states in the Northeast region. Another report analyst can execute the same report, drill on a
different object on the report, such as the brand Son, and view revenue and profits for a
single item in the product line that concerns him.
There are numerous ways to design reports, each one giving users a slightly different data
analysis experience. For example, you can design reports that prompt users for an answer
about the type of data they want to view, before the report is run. Each user then sees report
results specific to how he answered the prompts. A prompted report might allow users to
select from certain attribute elements to create their own personalized version of the report.
(Elements of an attribute are the values of an attribute. For example, 2011 and 2012 are
elements of the Year attribute, while New York and London are elements of the City
attribute.)
A report designer can also add to a report a selection of extra functionality for users. For
example, drill maps define specific paths for users to navigate through the data. Drilling is a
report manipulation method through which the user requests additional information that is
directly related to the information available in the current report. After running a report, you
can allow users to drill to various levels on the report. For example, with a drill map in the
Brand Performance by Region report discussed above, a report analyst might drill from the
regional level down to the State level, then down to the City level, then drill further down to
view data for individual customers. Each drilling displays a new report.
Each of these report design methods is described in this chapter:
l For information on creating prompts and adding them to a report, see Asking for user
input: Prompts, page 206.
l For information on drilling, see Drilling into related data, page 90 in Chapter 3, Analyzing
Data.
l For information on drill maps, see Enabling drilling and customizing drill maps, page 286.
l For information on creating metrics, see Calculating data on a report: Metrics, page 144.
l For information on creating a report, see Creating a grid report, page 251.

135 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Developing a business query and report design: Best

practices
Before you create a report, you need to gather information from your user community, your
project designer, your database administrator, and your MicroStrategy software. Some best
practices are described here.

Gather information about your user audience

Ask yourself who the audience is for the report you plan to create. Questions you should
have answers to include:
l What is the main topic area the report needs to address? In other words, at a general
level, what do users need to know?
l What level of detail do users need? For example, sometimes executive level users only
want to see a few key metrics of certain data. Other analysts may need to see very
detailed financial numbers or inventory counts.
l What types of reports do users expect?
l Higher level executives sometimes have expectations on how data is displayed in a
report, so it can be helpful to ask what types of reports they are used to receiving, and
whether it is important to try to adhere to that data display style.
l For all user communities, determine whether they are willing to learn a new report
format or whether it will be easier for them to receive reports in a style they have
become used to. For example, some users adopt MicroStrategy so they can read
spreadsheets of data more easily. A standard MicroStrategy grid report can be a good
style to start with when introducing spreadsheet users to MicroStrategy reports.
l Who makes up your universe of users?
l If your universe of users is extremely diverse, consider making reports as flexible as
possible for each user who executes them, by adding prompts to the report. A prompt
asks users questions about the results they want to see on a report, and then submits
the appropriate report query to the data source. For details on prompts, see Asking for
user input: Prompts, page 206.
l Your universe of users may include different security requirements. For example, you
may need a single report for a group of users, but that group includes both external and
internal users, and you want to restrict some data from external view. You must confirm
that appropriate security is in place for a report’s underlying objects, and that security
filters are in place to control row-level access to data. Object-level security is performed
using ACLs, or access control lists.
Security filters and ACLs are generally implemented by your system administrator, but
one or both may be under the control of your project designer. See the System
Administration Guide for details on security filters, ACLs, and other security features.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 136

Basic Reporting Guide

Gather information about your data source

If you need an introduction to or refresher on data sources, review Understanding your data
sources, page 119.
Make sure the data your organization stores can support the information your users want to
analyze in a reporting environment. Questions you should ask include:
l Does your organization gather the data that users want to see reports on?
l Is your data organized in such a way that it can be used? Is the data reliable, and is it
clean? One way to check on the reliability of your data is to create some simple grid
reports designed to validate whether your data reflects your understanding of reality.
For example, if you have a good sense of how many customers own two or three of your
organization’s products, create a report that shows basic data on the count of customers
who purchased those specific products over the past few years. If the numbers you see in
the report do not come close to what you expected to see, it is worthwhile to spend some
time with your database administrator to address the reliability of the data stored in your data
source.

Gather information about your MicroStrategy project

Many of the objects within a project are generally created by the project’s designer when the
project is first created. Since you use these objects to design reports, it can be useful to
understand your project’s design, and specifically how the project’s objects reflect the actual
data in your organization’s data source. In this way, you can choose objects to use on reports
with full knowledge of the data source tables that data is coming from when the report is
executed.
For details on general project design and data modeling, see the Project Design Guide.
Questions you should ask about your project include:
• Do objects exist in the MicroStrategy metadata which match what users want to see on
reports? If not, you or another report designer can create them.
l MicroStrategy provides flexibility in combining information from your data source into
specific objects which reflect the concepts that make sense to your users. Consolidations
and custom groups are just two examples of ways you can present data to your users in a
way that does not directly reflect your data source’s storage structure. For an introduction
to consolidations and custom groups, see Adding consolidations and custom groups ,
page 288.
l What VLDB (Very Large Database) properties have been set? These settings affect how
the SQL is written when a report sends a SQL query to your data source. VLDB properties
are usually determined by an administrator, but some may also be defined by a project’s
designer. All VLDB properties are described in detail in the (missing or bad snippet).
l What project configuration settings have been set that will affect reports or documents?
Ask your project designer about any configuration settings made for the project as a
whole, because most reports and report objects revert to the project’s settings when no
object-specific or report-specific settings override them.

137 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Locate or create time-savers

Consider the following approaches to report creation:
l Before you create a report, search through MicroStrategy to see whether a similar report
already exists that can serve the same purpose as the report you intend to create. This
can save you time and help you avoid unnecessary duplication in your MicroStrategy
metadata.
l Before you create the finished report, use Microsoft Excel, Paint, PowerPoint, or another
tool to create a mock-up of the report you intend to design. Send the mock-up to your user
community to gather their feedback on its usefulness. This can save you valuable time
creating a complex, finished report that may have to be redone.
l If you format the orientation of text in cells (for example, its vertical or horizontal alignment
within a cell), you can use an autostyle to apply that same orientation to all reports you
design. To do this, create an autostyle with the desired vertical and horizontal alignment
(see Preset formatting: Autostyles, page 51). While creating the autostyle, from the
Format menu select Row or Column, select Values, and choose your text alignment
on the Alignment tab. Then right-click the project, select My Preferences, select the
Grid tab, and select General. From the Default style drop-down list, select your new
autostyle to be applied to all reports you create.

Quick report creation: Building a new report

If you are already familiar with MicroStrategy objects that are used to create a report, and
you need to create a report quickly, MicroStrategy’s Report Builder steps you through the
process of quick report creation.
Quick reports can be useful to test out a basic report design concept for a more complex
report, as described in Locate or create time-savers, page 138. Before you spend time
creating, formatting, and fine-tuning a complex report, you can create a basic report quickly
and ask users to provide feedback on its general usefulness in answering their business
queries. Once you feel confident that your basic report design includes the appropriate
objects, you can move on to create any additional objects necessary and to create the more
complex, final report.
While Report Builder itself provides limited access to certain objects and functionality during
report creation, when you are finished with Report Builder, it opens your new report in
Design Mode if you have design privileges. In Design Mode you can add, edit, or remove
objects freely, and you can provide additional functionality for users who will later execute the
report to perform data analysis.
To create a report quickly using Report Builder, see Creating a report for analysis, page 129.
To create objects, see Creating and saving objects, page 141. To create a report from
scratch, see Creating a grid report, page 251.

MicroStrategy objects
All reports have specific business objects placed on them. Those objects determine what
data is gathered from your data source, how that data is calculated, and how the results are

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 138

Basic Reporting Guide

displayed when each report is run. Therefore, to create a report, you must first determine
whether the objects you want to place on it already exist. If they do not, you must learn how
to create the objects you want.
Objects used on reports include such things as:
l Attributes: An attribute is a business concept, such as Product, Employee, Month, and
so on. Attributes provide a context for metrics (described below). Attributes based on the
data in your data source should have already been created by your company’s project
designer. An attribute on a report serves as a label for a group of metrics. To use attributes
on a report, see Providing business context to a report: Attributes, page 143.
l Metrics: A metric is a business measure or key performance indicator, such as
Revenue, Profit, Employee Headcount, or Probability of Purchase. From a practical
perspective, metrics are the calculations performed on data stored in your database, the
results of which are displayed on a report. A metric on a report shows a list of values used
for analytical calculations. To create metrics and use them on reports, see Calculating
data on a report: Metrics, page 144.
l Filters: A filter sifts the data in your data source to bring back the information that
answers exactly what you require. To create filters and use them on reports, see Filtering
data on a report: Filters, page 169.
l Prompts: A prompt is a question the system presents to a user during report execution.
How the user answers the question determines what data is displayed on the report. To
create prompts and use them on reports, see Asking for user input: Prompts, page 206.
The objects you can create in MicroStrategy fall into one of three groups: schema objects,
application objects, and reports and documents.
l Schema objects: Schema objects are generally created by a project designer and
include such things as facts, attributes, hierarchies, and transformations. Schema objects
are building block objects; they are used to create application objects. For information on
how to create these types of objects, see the Project Design Guide.
l Application objects: These objects are used to create reports. Application objects are
generally created by a report designer and are built from schema objects. This chapter
describes how to create these types of objects. Samples of each type of application object
are located in the Public Objects folder in the Tutorial project.
l Report and document objects: Reports (and documents, if you own MicroStrategy
Report Services) are built from application objects. Reports and documents are the
objects that display the results calculated from your data for analysis purposes. Reports
and documents are generally created by a report designer. This chapter describes how to
create these types of objects.
The objects in each group, and their related icons, are shown in the following diagram. Take
a moment to familiarize yourself with the icons for application objects and reports, so you can
quickly identify objects you want to use in the MicroStrategy interface:

139 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Application objects must be created and saved within a project before they can be used on
reports.

MicroStrategy projects
Conceptually, a project in MicroStrategy is the environment in which all related reporting is
done.
The image below shows the default projects that appear if all default installation options were
accepted during MicroStrategy installation. The projects in the image below include
MicroStrategy Tutorial and My First Project, as well as other sample projects.

A typical project contains reports, filters to qualify the report data, metrics that calculate the
data, attributes that provide context for the metric data, and mathematical functions. Projects

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 140

Basic Reporting Guide

generally also contain other schema objects and application objects. This chapter introduces
you to basic attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts. For detailed information on and
examples of other report objects, see the Advanced Reporting Guide. For interface-specific
information on report objects, click Help.
The image below shows some dashboards in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, within the
Billing Managers folder on the left. Objects within a selected folder on the left (in this case,
the folder called Billing Managers) appear on the right side of the screen.

Generally, a report designer places various MicroStrategy objects such as filters, metrics,
and attributes on reports, thus creating reports for business users to run and analyze.
If you do not have a working project yet, you can use the Tutorial project with most of the
procedures in this chapter to learn how to create the various report objects in MicroStrategy.
For information about what the Tutorial project is and how to access it, see About sample
data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, page 3.

Creating and saving objects

Before you create a report to display your business data, you must have objects to place on
the report. These objects define what business data will be displayed in any report on which
the objects are placed.
In MicroStrategy, you use editors to create and save the report-related objects you intend to
use on reports. Steps to create several types of objects are in this chapter.
When a saved object is placed on a report, the definition you gave to that object becomes
part of the report’s definition, and in turn affects the SQL that is sent to your data source
when the report is run. The SQL determines the appropriate data to be gathered, calculated,
and displayed on this report. In this way, the objects you create and place on a report
determine the results a user sees when he runs the completed report.

141 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Quick object creation

The quickest way to create an object is to create a shortcut object, which is simply a shortcut
to an existing object. Because a new shortcut object must be based on an existing object,
other objects must already exist in your project. If your project does not yet contain objects,
see the following sections of this chapter to create the objects you need to place on reports.
Shortcut objects are stand-alone objects in MicroStrategy that represent links to other
objects, such as reports, filters, metrics, and so on. Shortcut objects make navigating among
objects easy and quick, because you can locate specific report objects in the most useful
folders within a project. Creating shortcuts to objects in different locations facilitates access
to these objects without having to duplicate them.
Shortcuts also make project maintenance easier by eliminating the need to maintain
numerous duplicate copies of objects. Using shortcuts, when you want to change any
properties of an object, you only have to modify the original object and these changes are
reflected in all shortcuts linked to this object. You can also edit the original object by right-
clicking one of its shortcuts and selecting Edit. The original object is displayed in the editor.
For steps to create shortcuts to existing objects, see Quick object access: Creating shortcuts
to objects, page 142.

Quick object access: Creating shortcuts to objects

The quickest way to access an existing object to place on a report is to create a shortcut to
the object, called a shortcut object. A shortcut object is simply a link, or shortcut, to an
existing object in a MicroStrategy project. You can place a shortcut object in a location that is
most convenient for you. By creating shortcut objects for the objects you commonly use in a
project, you can make the report creation process quicker and easier.
For example, you use the Units Sold metric frequently when you create new reports. You
want to create a shortcut to the Units Sold metric, which resides in the project’s Metrics
folder, and you want the shortcut to be saved in the My Objects folder. Locate the Units Sold
metric by expanding the Metrics folder, then expanding the Sales Metrics folder. Right-
click the Units Sold metric and choose Create Shortcut. In the Browse to Folder dialog
box that opens, navigate to the My Objects folder and click OK. The Units Sold shortcut
object is created in the My Objects folder.
Prerequisites
l DHTML must be enabled. For steps, click Help in MicroStrategy Web.
l Because a new shortcut object must be based on an existing object, other objects must
already exist in your project. If your project does not yet contain objects, your report
designer or object designer can create the objects you need to place on reports.

To create a shortcut object from the original object

1. In MicroStrategy Web, right-click the object for which you want to create a shortcut
and select Create Shortcut. A dialog box opens.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 142

Basic Reporting Guide

2. Navigate to the folder in which to create the new shortcut and click OK. The shortcut is
created in the specified folder. For example, you can save shortcuts in your My
Objects folder within your project.
3. By default, the name of the shortcut is the same as the name of the object. To rename
the shortcut, right-click the object and select Rename. Type a new name for the
object and click the Apply icon . The name of the shortcut is updated.

Providing business context to a report:

Attributes
Attributes are the business concepts reflected in your stored business data in your data
source. Attributes provide a context in which to report on and analyze business facts or
calculations. While knowing your company’s total sales is useful, knowing where and when
the sales took place provides the kind of analytical depth users require on a daily basis.
For example, you have a report containing the Month, Year, and Region attributes, as well
as a Revenue metric. When executed, the report displays your company’s revenue for each
region, during each month and year for which data is available. Because of the attributes on
the report, a substantial amount of information is available, including which regions produced
the least revenue and which years saw the highest growth in revenue. If you remove the
attributes from the report, you can only find out how much revenue the company made in
total. An attribute on a report serves as a label for a group of metrics.
As you can see from the examples above, when you place attributes on a report, you should
choose attributes that make sense together when they are on the same report.
Attributes are created by the project designer when an organization’s project is first created.
If you do not already have a company project running, you can use the sample Tutorial
project that comes with MicroStrategy. For details on accessing the Tutorial project, see
About sample data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, page 3.
The elements of a business attribute are the unique values for that attribute. For example,
2006 and 2007 are elements of the Year attribute, while New York and London are elements
of the City attribute. On a report, attributes are chosen to build the report, but once the report
is executed, the attribute’s elements are displayed in the rows or columns.

To see sample attributes in the Tutorial project

1. Open the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and log in to MicroStrategy Web.

2. On the left, click Create and select New Report. Then select Blank Report. The
report opens in Design Mode.
3. On the left, click Attributes and explore the various attributes within each folder.
For details on creating attributes, see your MicroStrategy project designer or the Project
Design Guide.

143 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Calculating data on a report: Metrics

Metrics are MicroStrategy objects that represent business measures and key performance
indicators. From a practical perspective, metrics are the calculations performed on data
stored in your database, the results of which are displayed on a report. Metrics are similar to
formulas in spreadsheet software.
It is not an overstatement to say that the focus of almost any report is its metrics. Most of the
decisions you make about the other objects to include on a report depend on the metrics you
use on the report. Questions such as “What were the sales for the eastern region during the
fourth quarter?” or “Are inventory counts being consistently replenished at the beginning of
each week?” can easily be answered by metrics.
Specifically, metrics define the analytical calculations to be performed against data that is
stored in the data source. A metric is made up of data source facts and the mathematical
operations to be performed on those facts, so that meaningful business analysis can be
performed on the results. A metric on a report shows a list of values used for analytical
calculations.
Metric creation is usually the responsibility of advanced analysts.

Metrics terminology
The following terms are used throughout this guide and the MicroStrategy Web Help and the
Advanced Reporting Guide to describe aspects of metrics. It is useful to understand their
relationship to each other if you want to develop a logical approach to creating metrics.
Metric formula: A metric’s formula is made up of a mathematical function and the
business facts stored in your data source. A metric’s formula can also consist of other
metrics.
Metric expression: A metric’s expression is made up of all the metric components
displayed when a metric is opened in the Function Editor: formula (described above), level,
condition (if any), and transformation (if any).
Metric definition: A metric’s definition includes the metric’s expression, plus any
software settings applied to the metric.

Viewing and working with metrics: The Function Editor

You use the Function Editor mode of the Metric Editor to create and save most metrics, and
to edit most existing metrics. The Function Editor is shown in the image below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 144

Basic Reporting Guide

To access the Function Editor

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the left, click Create, then select New Metric. The Metric
Editor opens in Function Editor mode.
2. Select the function to use to calculate data in the metric. You can narrow the list of
functions displayed in the pane by doing one of the following:
l To search for the function by name, type the function's name in the search field.
l Choose a function category from the drop-down list, such as Math Functions or Financial
Functions. The pane is updated to include only the functions that belong to the selected
category.
When you select a function, a description of the function is displayed at the bottom of the
dialog box. Click Details to view more information about the function, such as syntax
and examples.

To open an existing metric in the Function Editor

Click any metric within the MicroStrategy software to open that metric and view the metric’s
definition.

145 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Most metrics open in Function Editor mode in the Metric Editor. Compound metrics and
custom metrics open in Formula Editor mode in the Metric Editor. For details on compound
and custom metrics in the Formula Editor, click the MicroStrategy Web Help.

All of the terms in the definitions above are described in the following pages.

Providing business context: Calculating metric levels

A metric’s formula must be calculated within the context of a business concept. For example,
a report with the metric called Revenue on it could show a list of company revenue — but in
what context? Revenue generated by a particular salesperson, or by your company’s top five
best-selling products? Revenue earned last year, or lost due to lost sales leads last quarter?
Revenue data alone is meaningless without at least one business attribute to provide context
to the metric data. If you add the attribute Year, revenue for the current year makes sense.
A metric, therefore, must be calculated in relation to some attribute if the metric is to have
meaning on the report. Therefore, every metric definition must include a reference to the
attribute that you want to provide context to the metric’s calculation of data.
For an introduction to attributes, see Providing business context to a report: Attributes, page
143.
Level of calculation for a metric
As noted above, a metric must be calculated within the context of a business attribute - but
which attribute? Most reports contain more than one attribute. For example, on a report
containing the Revenue metric and the attributes Month and Year, is revenue calculated and
displayed by month? Or is it calculated and displayed by year?
Another way to ask this question is, at what level is the Revenue metric calculated? Is it
calculated at the higher-level Year attribute or the lower-level Month attribute? To
understand an attribute’s level, picture a hierarchy of related business attributes. An example
is shown below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 146

Basic Reporting Guide

The example above shows a hierarchy of all the attributes that relate to the business concept
of Time. (These attributes and this Time hierarchy are part of the sample Tutorial project.)
The attribute Year is higher than Quarter, Month, or Day, because it appears above those
other attributes. The highest level attribute is usually the attribute that reflects the most-
inclusive business concept. In this hierarchy, Day is the lowest-level attribute and reflects the
least-inclusive business concept.
In another example, suppose that your company is an Internet-based retailer and has its call
centers all over the U.S. Your company therefore stores its employee data in your data
source within the concept of geographical regions within the U.S. The related business
attributes within this idea of geographical region become part of the Geography hierarchy.
An example using sample data from the Tutorial project is shown below:

147 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

In the Geography hierarchy above, Country is the highest-level attribute and Employee is the
lowest-level attribute.
A metric’s level (sometimes called dimensionality) determines the level at which the metric is
calculated. Therefore, every metric must have a level as part of its definition. By default, a
metric is calculated at the report level, which means it is calculated at the level of the attribute
on the report in which the metric is placed.
When more than one attribute is on a report, as is generally the case, a metric is calculated
by default at the level of the lowest-level attribute that is on the report. The lowest level is
usually the attribute that reflects the least-inclusive business concept. For example, a report
shows your company’s revenue listed by month and year. The report therefore contains the
Revenue metric and the attributes Year and Month. Is the Revenue metric going to be
summed up and displayed by year? Or is it going to be summed up and displayed by month?
The metric results by default are calculated to reflect monthly sales data, since Month is a
less-inclusive, or lower-level, concept than Year.
Determining calculation level
In MicroStrategy, the level at which a metric is calculated is displayed in both the Function
Editor and the Formula Editor.
In the Function Editor, the level appears in the Level area, as shown below, where it is listed
as Report Level:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 148

Basic Reporting Guide

In the Formula Editor, the level appears within curly braces, as shown below.
l {~} denotes the default metric level. If the default level is changed, the name of the
attribute that represents the new level appears between the curly braces.
l {~+} denotes that the metric is calculated at the level of the lowest attribute on the report,
which is the default calculation level for a metric.

149 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Following are examples of metric formulas with the level displayed at the end of the formula:
Sum(Revenue - Cost){~+}
Sum(Abs (Revenue - Cost)){~+}
The level at which a metric is calculated can be changed. In a report that shows Revenue,
Year, and Month, which means the metric on the report measures revenue by year and
month, you might change the Revenue metric’s level from the default of Month (which is the
level of the lowest attribute on the report,) and redefine the level as Year. The metric then
calculates at the Year level, and the report results display yearly sales data. This metric
appears in the Formula Editor as:
Revenue {Year}
For examples of more complex metrics with various levels, see the Advanced Metrics
chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Metrics that do not use a level

Certain types of metrics can only have a level applied to their constituent parts, not to the
metric as a whole. These restricted metrics are called compound metrics. See Metrics made
up of metrics: Compound metrics, page 156 for a description and examples of these types of
metrics.

Components of a metric
The pieces, or components, of a metric include such things as the metric’s mathematical
formula, the business context in which to calculate the formula, and so on. When you define
the components that make up a metric and then adjust any specific settings for the metric,
you create a definition for that metric.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 150

Basic Reporting Guide

A metric definition contains some components that are required, and some components that
are optional. The components you decide to include in the metric’s definition are based on
the calculations you want to be performed on the data in your data source, and thus the
results to be displayed when that metric is placed on a report and the report is executed.

Required metric components

All metrics require the following components as part of the metric’s definition:
l Mathematical formula, which includes a mathematical function
l Business level at which to calculate the formula
Both required metric components are described below.

Mathematical formula
A metric definition must contain a formula, which determines the data to be used from your
data source and the calculations to be performed on that data. An example of the formula of
a metric is
Sum(Cost)
where Cost is a fact stored in the data source. (Facts are one type of business data, typically
numeric, stored in a data source.) The metric formula above calculates the sum of all costs
recorded in the data source, to determine a measure of a company’s expenditures.
A metric formula can be made up of facts in the data source (as in the example above),
business attributes in the data source, or other metrics that have already been created. The
following examples of metrics show these different formula options:
l Metric made up of facts: (Sum(Profit) + Sum(Cost))
This metric’s formula adds all profits recorded in the data source, adds all costs recorded
in the data source, and then adds the cost total to the profit total.
l Metric made up of attributes: Count(Employee)
This metric’s formula counts the total number of company employees recorded in the data
source. (An attribute is a business concept that is reflected in your stored business data,
such as Year or Customer or Product. Attributes provide a context in which to evaluate
metric data.)
l Metric made up of other metrics: [This month’s profit] - [Last
month’s profit] / [Last month’s profit]
This metric’s formula subtracts last month’s profit (a metric) from this month’s profit
(another metric), then divides the result by last month’s profit to determine the percent
difference in profit from last month. Existing metrics can be part of a newly created metric’s
formula, and thus they become part of the new metric’s definition.
A metric that contains other metrics is called a compound metric. Compound metrics
are discussed in Metrics made up of metrics: Compound metrics, page 156.

151 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you are familiar with SQL syntax, a metric’s formula is included in the SELECT clause of a
SQL statement.
A metric formula that is shared among many metrics is called a base formula; for details, see
Required metric components, page 151.

Function
Most metrics must also have a mathematical function as part of the metric formula. The
function is part of the formula.
In the examples above, the functions are Sum and Count. If a formula did not have a
function, a metric formula might consist solely of the Cost fact or the Profit fact, and the data
results of such a formula would simply be the extensive list of all the costs or profits ever
recorded in the tables in your data source.
The default function for every formula made up of facts is Sum. The default function for every
formula made up of attributes is Count.
Once your formula is in the Function Editor, you can change the function, of course.
MicroStrategy provides over a hundred functions that can be a part of all calculations,
whether simple or complex. For a description and examples of every function available, see
the Functions Reference . You can also create your own functions. See the Advanced
Reporting Guide for information on creating your own functions.

Optional metric components

Optional components that can be added to a metric include:
l Arithmetic operators, page 152
l Filtering metric data: Conditionality, page 152
l Time-series analysis: Transformation, page 154
l Base formulas, page 156

Arithmetic operators
A metric’s formula can also contain one or more arithmetic operators. You can add an
arithmetic operator to a metric’s definition in the Formula Editor (to access the Formula
Editor, from the Function Editor click the Switch to Formula Editor link). Place the
cursor in the appropriate location in the metric’s formula and type the operator, such as + or
-. When you are finished changing the formula, click Validate to validate your formula.

Filtering metric data: Conditionality

When you filter data in your data source, you screen a broad set of data and extract the
specific information you want to see. For example, you have a report that displays monthly
operations data, such as operating income, payroll, overtime, and so on. This report provides
a good overall view of your monthly numbers. You decide you want to see the same metric
calculations on the same data, but you want to restrict payroll numbers to contractors’ payroll

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 152

Basic Reporting Guide

only, and only for your subsidiaries in the northwest region. You can create a filter consisting
of Employee=Contractor and Region=Northwest. You then apply this filter to the report, and
your results appear and are calculated for only the data that your filter specifies.
A filter is a condition placed on data from your data source. A filter placed on a report as a
whole screens overall report data. You can also apply a filter directly to an individual metric
on a report. A filter applied this way screens only the data related to that individual metric.
The filter becomes part of that metric’s definition.
In this context, the filter is called a condition and the metric to which the filter is applied is
called a conditional metric. A condition is not required in a metric’s definition; this is an
optional metric component. Applying conditionality to a metric forces the calculation of a
metric to be qualified by the metric’s filter irrespective of what is specified in the report filter, if
one exists.
For example, you want to create a report with multiple metrics: Cost, Profit, and Sales. You
want to apply a time filter, January 2007, so that users only see data for January, 2007 when
the report is executed. To achieve this, you create a report filter for January 2007 and place it
on the report. However, for one metric, Sales, you want to show all the values for the entire
year 2007. You want this one metric to ignore the filter on the report. By creating a condition
for the Year=2007 and adding it to the Sales metric’s definition, when the report is run the
Sales metric ignores the report filter (January 2007) and uses its own condition (2007) to
calculate and display the sales for the entire year 2007.
To apply conditionality to a metric, you define a filter (a condition) as part of the metric’s
definition so that only data that meets the filter conditions is included in that metric’s
calculation.

To determine whether a metric has a condition applied to it

1. Click the metric you want to see the definition for. The metric opens in the Function
Editor.
2. The metric’s condition is shown in the Condition area:
l In the example below, there is no filter displayed in the Condition area, so this metric has
no condition applied to it.

153 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l In the example below, the Condition area shows the Web Sales filter, so this metric has a
filtering condition as part of its definition. The condition filters data by looking at only those
sales that occurred on the web.

While you can only use one filter on a metric, that single filter can contain multiple filtering
criteria.
For details on filters generally and on creating various types of conditions for filters, see
Filtering data on a report: Filters, page 169.
For information to create and use a conditional metric, as well as additional examples on
conditionality, information on conditional metrics with multiple conditions and levels, and
details on how conditional metrics interact with report filters, see the Advanced Metrics
chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Metrics that do not accept a condition

Certain types of metrics can only have a condition applied to their constituent parts, not to the
metric as a whole. These restricted metrics are called compound metrics. See Metrics made
up of metrics: Compound metrics, page 156 for a description and examples of these types of
metrics.

Time-series analysis: Transformation

A transformation applies offset values, such as “four months ago,” to a metric on a report. A
transformation is not required in a metric’s definition; this is an optional metric component.
Transformations are generally added to metrics that are designed to do time-series analysis,
for example, to compare values at different times, such as this year versus last year, or
month-to-date. Transformations are useful for discovering and analyzing time-based trends
in your data.
Transformations are created as a separate object and then added to a metric.
Transformations are schema objects, so you must have the appropriate privileges to create
or modify them.
When a transformation is created and applied to a metric, you have created a transformation
metric. A transformation metric is a metric that assumes the properties of the transformation

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 154

Basic Reporting Guide

applied to it. For example, you create a metric to calculate revenue. If you add a
transformation named Month to Date to that metric, the new metric (a transformation metric)
calculates month to date revenue, or the sum of revenue this month, up to today’s date. The
following image shows the resulting report from this example:

Any transformation can be included as part of the definition of a metric, and multiple
transformations can be applied to the same metric.

To determine whether a metric has a transformation applied to it

1. Click the metric whose definition you want to see.

2. If the metric has a transformation, it is shown in the Transformation area of the
Function Editor, as shown in the images below:
l In the example below, there is no transformation displayed in the Transformation area, so
this metric has no transformation applied to it.

l In the example below, the transformation transforms Month to Last Month and Day to Last
Month’s Day, so this metric has a transformation as part of its definition.

155 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For details to use a transformation with a metric, and for more information on metrics that
use transformations, refer to the Advanced Metrics chapter of the Advanced Reporting
Guide. For information on creating transformations, see the Project Design Guide.
Metrics that do not accept a transformation
Certain types of metrics can only have a transformation applied to their constituent parts, not
to the metric as a whole. These restricted metrics are called compound metrics. See Metrics
made up of metrics: Compound metrics, page 156 for a description and examples of these
types of metrics.

Base formulas
A base formula is a standard metric formula that is saved and then used in multiple metrics. A
base formula is typically a common expression used in a large number of metrics.
A base formula saves time. As you create metrics, you do not have to type the common
formula repeatedly but can instead re-use the formula by adding the base formula to each
new metric.
A base formula used in a metric is linked to that metric as a shortcut. This means that when
you update the base formula, it is automatically updated in all metrics in which it is used.
Base formulas only contain calculation information; they do not include level information or
conditionality, and you cannot use them to perform transformations or calculate subtotals.
For steps to create a base formula, add a base formula to a metric, or remove the base
formula from a metric, see the MicroStrategy Developer help (formerly the MicroStrategy
Desktop help).
To see the full expression for a metric that contains a base formula, in Developer, open the
metric in the Metric Editor, and then, in the Metric metricname is defined as area, select
Formula.

Metrics made up of metrics: Compound metrics

Certain types of metrics can only have a level, condition, or transformation applied to their
constituent parts, not to the metric as a whole. These metrics are called compound metrics. If

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 156

Basic Reporting Guide

a metric contains any of the following elements, it is a compound metric and can only have
levels, conditions, and transformations applied to its individual parts:
l A metric is a compound metric if it uses a non-group function, which includes OLAP
functions and scalar functions. (For details on the all functions available in MicroStrategy,
see the Functions Reference.)
l A metric is a compound metric if it consists of two or more existing metrics joined by an
arithmetic operator (+, -, *, and /).
Each of these compound metric types is described with examples below.
One advantage of compound metrics compared to simple metrics is that compound metrics
can use smart totals. Smart totals define the evaluation order for the final calculation. For
more information on smart totals, see Totals and subtotals, page 161.

Compound metric with an arithmetic operator

The following example shows a compound metric that uses an arithmetic operator to create
a metric formula out of existing metrics:
Sum(Cost) + Sum(Profit)
where Cost and Profit are metrics. The addition operator (+) between the two metrics
makes this a compound metric.
The same metric is shown in the Formula Editor within the Metric Editor in the image below.
It is a compound metric because it contains an arithmetic operator (+) that creates a formula
out of two existing metrics, Cost and Profit. The level of the metric is indicated between curly
braces ({ }) in the metric definition. {~+} denotes that the metric is calculated at the level of
the lowest attribute on the report, which is the default calculation level for a metric. Each
constituent metric has its own level, and you can change the default level for the individual
metrics. No level exists for the entire compound metric as a whole.

Levels, conditions, and transformations cannot be set on a compound metric, although they
can be applied separately on the constituent metrics that make up the compound metric. For

157 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

more information on compound metrics and examples of compound metrics used in reports,
refer to the Advanced Metrics chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Compound metric with a non-group function

The following example shows a compound metric that uses a non-group function:
RunningAvg(Cost)
where Cost is a metric. The Cost metric is part of the definition of the RunningAvg(Cost)
compound metric. The compound metric’s formula contains a non-group function, Running
Average.
The same metric is shown in the Function Editor within the Metric Editor in the image below.
It is a compound metric because it contains a non-group function, Running Average.
Because it uses a non-group function, the Function Editor displays the value list and
parameters for the function, rather than level, condition, and transformation options. The
Cost metric is the input value of the function.

If you switch to the Formula Editor, you do not see the syntax for the level, as you did in the
previous example (see Compound metric with an arithmetic operator, page 157). You do not
use a level, condition, or transformation with a compound metric. You can apply a level,
condition, or transformation to the Cost metric that is used in this compound metric, by
editing the Cost metric.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 158

Basic Reporting Guide

Creating a metric
You create a metric using the Metric Editor. You can also use the Metric Editor to modify an
existing metric. For an image of the Metric Editor, see Viewing and working with metrics: The
Function Editor, page 144.
When you create a metric, you define its formula, enable a total or subtotal if you want, and
determine a function for dynamic aggregation. The following steps walk you through this
process in the Metric Editor.
After you create a metric, you can then include it on a report. When placed on a report, the
metric becomes part of the report’s definition and determines the data displayed each time
the report is executed. For steps to add a metric to a report, see Reports: Adding metrics to a
report, page 258.

To create a metric

1. From the MicroStrategy home page, click New Metric . If you are on a folder

page, click Create on the icon bar on the left, then select New Metric. The Metric
Editor opens in Function Editor mode.
2. Select the function to use to calculate data in the metric. You can narrow the list of
functions displayed in the pane by doing one of the following:
l To search for the function by name, type the function's name in the search field.
l Choose a function category from the drop-down list, such as Math Functions or Financial
Functions. The pane is updated to include only the functions that belong to the selected
category.
When you select a function, the function is added to the metric and a description of the
function is displayed at the bottom of the dialog box. Click Details to view more
information about the function, such as syntax and examples.

To define the metric’s formula

Different options are available depending on the type of function selected above:
l If you selected a grouping function, such as Sum, Average, First, or Maximum, you define
the metric's expression, as well as optional components such as level, condition, and
transformation. Do one of the following:
l To specify the expression by typing the name of an object, type the name of the object in
the Function field. As you type, matching objects are displayed in a drop-down list.
You can type multiple objects, such as Revenue-Profit.
l To specify the expression by choosing an object, click the Browse icon . The
Select... dialog box opens. Navigate to and select an object, or search for the object.
l Depending on the function that you selected, you may be able to define parameters for
the function. Click the Function Parameters icon .

159 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l If you selected a non-grouping function, such as data mining, date, OLAP, and ranking
functions, you are presented with options to define the input values (called arguments) for
the function, as well as any parameters you can use to determine the behavior of the
function. For guidance on arguments and parameters for the selected function, click
Details at the bottom of the dialog box. Perform the following steps:
a. Depending on the function that you selected, you may need to determine
arguments. For each argument listed, type a value or click the Browse icon to
find the metric, fact, prompt, or other compatible object to use as input values of the
function.
An argument is the input value of a function. For example, you can select the Profit
fact as the argument of the Average function, to calculate the average profit.
b. Depending on the function that you selected, you may need to define parameters.
For each parameter listed, type a value or select the parameter value from the drop-
down list.
Parameters determine the behavior of the function. For example, the NTile function
requires two parameters, Ascending and Tiles. Ascending controls whether the
NTiles are ordered in ascending or descending order, while Tiles determines the
number of splits.

To select subtotal functions

You can determine which aggregation functions can be used to calculate subtotals for a
metric. When the metric is added to a report and the report is run, users can display subtotals
for the metric by selecting from the functions that you have made available. See Totals and
subtotals, page 161 for details on subtotals.
1. Click the Options icon . The Advanced Metric Options dialog box opens.

2. In the list of categories on the left, click Subtotals.

3. Select the default function to use to calculate report subtotals from the Function for
default subtotal drop-down list.
4. You can select additional functions that will be available to calculate subtotals for the
metric. To do this, click the expand icon next to Select the subtotals you want
available for this metric. Select the subtotal types to be available to the user
when the report is run, and clear any subtotal types that you do not want to be
available.

To select a dynamic aggregation function for OLAP Services

Dynamic aggregation allows you to change the level of report aggregation as users move
objects off the report grid and into the Report Objects pane, and vice versa. You can define
the dynamic aggregation function.

For an overview of OLAP services, see OLAP Services, page 13. For details to set up and
use dynamic aggregation, see the Reports chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 160

Basic Reporting Guide

1. In the list of categories on the left, click General.

2. Select the function to be used for the report aggregation from the Dynamic
Aggregation function drop-down list.
3. Click OK to return to the Function Editor.

To save your new metric

1. Click Save to save your changes. The Save As dialog box opens.
2. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the metric. Type a Name and
Description for the metric, and click Save. A confirmation message displays. Click
OK. Your new metric is saved.
The metric you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see Reports: Adding
metrics to a report, page 258.
A metric definition can also include a level, condition, and transformation. To apply a level,
condition, or transformation to your metric, see the sections listed below:
l Components of a metric, page 150
l Components of a metric, page 150
l Components of a metric, page 150

Joins for rank metrics

If you create a rank metric, which is a metric that ranks attribute elements by numbering
them, for example, 1 through 10, you must set the metric’s join type to outer. If the default
inner join is used on a rank metric, some of the ranks (and therefore, the ranked attribute
elements) may not appear on the report because an inner join does not include elements
with null values in the result set. But an element with a null value may have a rank. With an
outer join, all rows are displayed on the report even if there is no result displayed for some of
the elements for some of the metrics on the report. For steps to set a metric’s join type, see
Determining how metric data is combined: Metric join types, page 74 in Chapter 3, Analyzing
Data.

Totals and subtotals

You can enable subtotals and grand totals for a metric, so that analysts can display them on
a report at run time. You must decide what function will be used to calculate a subtotal or
grand total for a given metric. You can enable several different subtotals from which analysts
can choose, depending on their analysis needs.
To see an example of a report with subtotals and a grand total, in the Tutorial project open
the Subtotals report, which is displayed below. The example below shows subtotals for
each region, an additional subtotal for each quarter (encompassing all regions), and a grand
total at the bottom of the report.

161 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Grand totals (usually called totals) and subtotals allow users to control how metrics are
further calculated at different levels (such as by quarter, by year, by region, and so on), and
they can be applied dynamically by the analyst to any report on which a metric is used that
has the totals or subtotals enabled.
When you enable a total or subtotal for a metric, you select a function by which the metric
should be aggregated to display the total or subtotal. You can use one of many standard
functions such as total, count, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and others.
You can also create your own functions to be used with subtotal calculations. For details on
creating your own function, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.
For more advanced information on subtotals, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Applying a grand total or subtotals to a metric

The following steps show you how to enable a grand total or subtotals for a metric. When the
metric is added to a report and the report is run, users can display subtotals for the metric by
selecting from the functions that you have made available. Steps are also provided below to
remove totals and subtotals so that they cannot be displayed on a report.

To enable totals or subtotals for a metric

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric for which you want to enable a grand total or
subtotals. The Metric Editor opens in either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor
mode, depending on the type of metric you chose to edit.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 162

Basic Reporting Guide

2. Click the Options icon . The Advanced Metric Options dialog box opens.

3. In the list of categories on the left, click Subtotals.

4. Select the default function to use to calculate report subtotals from the Function for
default subtotal drop-down list.
5. You can select additional functions that will be available to calculate subtotals for the
metric. To do this, click the expand icon next to Select the subtotals you want
available for this metric. Select the subtotal types to be available to the user
when the report is run, and clear any subtotal types that you do not want to be
available.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save to save the metric with its newly enabled total and/or subtotals. A
confirmation message displays.
8. Click OK to close the Metric Editor.

To remove a grand total or subtotals from a metric

You may want to remove, or disable, a grand total or subtotals for a particular metric. For
example, if the metric counts inventory numbers, subtotals may be irrelevant and should
therefore not be displayed on a report.
1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric for which you want to enable a grand total or
subtotals. The Metric Editor opens in either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor
mode, depending on the type of metric that you chose to edit.
2. Click the Options icon . The Advanced Metric Options dialog box opens.

3. In the list of categories on the left, click Subtotals.

4. To prevent a grand total from appearing when the metric is used on a report, from the
Function for default subtotal drop-down list, select None.
5. To prevent any subtotals from appearing when the metric is used on a report, click the
expand icon next to Select the subtotals you want available for this
metric. Clear all subtotal types.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save to save the metric. A confirmation message displays.
8. Click OK to close the Metric Editor.
When this metric is used on a report in the future, the removed totals or subtotals cannot be
displayed as part of the report.

Smart totals
Smart totals are also referred to as smart metrics. Smart totals are used on compound
metrics.

163 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Smart totals allow you to change the default evaluation order of a compound metric. For
details on what a compound metric is, see Metrics made up of metrics: Compound metrics,
page 156. Smart totals calculate subtotals on individual elements of the compound metric.
For example, a smart metric uses the formula Sum (Metric1) / Sum (Metric2) rather than
Sum (Metric1/Metric2).
The smart metric property is available for compound metrics and for some simple metrics
which combine two or more calculation formulas with arithmetic operators. To enable or
disable smart metrics, use the Allow Smart Metric check box on the Advanced Metric
Options dialog box in the Metric Editor.
For example, consider the following report.

Year Revenue Discount Ratio of Discount to Revenue

2005 $200 $50 25%

2006 $100 $50 50%

If you choose to display the grand total for the report without using smart totals for the Ratio
of Discount to Revenue metric, you get the following results.

Year Revenue Discount Ratio of Discount to Revenue

2005 200 50 25%

2006 100 50 50%

Total 300 100 75%

However, the Total value in the last column is incorrect; it is displaying a sum of the
percentages of the Ratio of Discount to Revenue metric. To calculate a meaningful total
value for this metric, enable smart totals by editing them in the Metric Editor and selecting the
Allow Smart Metric option. When you select the Allow Smart Metric check box, you get
the following correct results.

Year Total Sales Discount Sales Ratio of Discount Sales to Total Sales

2005 200 50 25%

2006 100 50 50%
Total 300 100 33.33%

A more complex business example for smart totals is provided in the Advanced Metrics
chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 164

Basic Reporting Guide

To enable or disable smart totals for a metric

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric for which you want to enable or disable smart
totals. The Metric Editor opens in either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor
mode, depending on the type of metric that you chose to edit.
2. Click the Options icon . The Advanced Metric Options dialog box opens.

3. From the left, click General.

4. Do one of the following:
l To enable smart metrics, select Allow smart metric.
l To disable smart metrics, clear Allow smart metric.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Save to save the metric. A confirmation message displays.
7. Click OK to close the Metric Editor.

Formatting a metric
Metrics can be formatted independently of the report(s) on which they appear. When you
format a metric, you can format the metric’s column or row header, and you can also format
the data that will appear for that metric.
You can apply special formatting to numeric values that appear when a metric is calculated,
such as currency, percentages, and date format style. You can apply special font styles and
sizes, and you can determine cell background colors or patterns. This formatting can help
analysts more easily identify specific data. For example, you might have all sales data appear
in a blue font, while profit data appears in a bold green font.
Metric formatting can be performed using either of the following interfaces:
l Metric Editor: Use this method to format one metric at a time. Formatting changes made
using this method affect the metric no matter which report the metric is included on. For
details on accessing the Metric Editor, see Viewing and working with metrics: The
Function Editor, page 144.
l Find and Replace feature: Use this method to format a number of metrics at one time with
the same format.

For information about using the Find and Replace feature to format metrics, see the
Advanced Reporting Guide. For specific steps to use the feature, as well as information on
each option in the software, open the Find and Replace feature from Developer’s Tools
menu, and then click Help.

For information to format metric data on a report so that the formatting applies to that report
only, see Formatting for easier data analysis, page 276.

165 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Formatting a metric’s header and values

You can format a metric’s display of numeric values, font styles and sizes, cell display colors,
and so on. You can select different formatting options for metric column headers (the title of
the metric) and metric values (the numbers calculated by the metric and displayed in the
report). This formatting, called metric-level formatting, is used to display the metric when the
metric is placed on a report. You can override metric-level formatting in a specific report by
defining formatting options on the report (except for graph colors, as described below). For
more information on metric formatting at the report level, including how the different levels
work together, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.
You can format the:
l Number display: Determine how numeric data is displayed. For example, you can
format numbers to appear as dollars and cents, as percentages, or even as scientific
notation. You can also determine whether the values appear with or without decimal
places.

Number formatting is only relevant for metric values. If a number appears in your report
results that does not reflect a metric calculation, such as a list of product identification
numbers, you cannot format the data.

l Alignment: Control vertical and horizontal alignment of data within a cell, and select
whether or not to wrap text. For example, you can right justify and pad the data.
l Font: Select the font name, script, size, and color of the data; whether the font is bold,
underlined, or italicized; and whether to strikeout the text.
l Borders: Select the style and color of the border line. You can select which borders (top,
bottom, left, and right) are displayed, or hide all the borders.
l Background: Apply a background color, including a gradient.
l Graph: Apply a background color for a metric when it is displayed as a series in a graph
report. (Available for metric headers.)

By default, the graph color that you define for a metric overrides any default color schemes for
the graph report, although you can disable this metric formatting. For more detailed steps, see
Defining a graph color for metrics, page 45.

To format metric values or headers

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric you want to format. The Metric Editor opens in
either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor mode, depending on the type of metric
that you chose to edit.
2. Click the Format icon . The Format dialog box opens.

3. Select the area of the metric to format by selecting one of the following from the drop-
down list at the top left:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 166

Basic Reporting Guide

l To format the metric column headers (the titles), select Metric Headers.
l To format the metric values (the numbers calculated by the metric), select Metric
Values.
4. From the left, select the type of formatting to define for the metric:
l Number
l Alignment
l Font
l Borders
l Background
l Graph (available only for metric headers)
Select the appropriate options to define the formatting for the metric. Click Help to
see details on all the available options.
5. Repeat the appropriate steps above to add additional formatting as desired.
6. Click OK to save your selections and close the Format dialog box.
7. Click Save to save the metric with your new formatting. A confirmation message
displays.
8. Click OK to close the Metric Editor.

Customizing a metric number format

You can create a custom format syntax for metric values to be displayed on the report.
Following are some examples of common customized formatting you can apply to a metric:
l Cut off decimal numbers automatically after a certain number of digits, or truncate the
leading zero in a decimal so that 0.2 becomes .2.
l Align decimals down a column, rather than left-aligning or right-aligning.
l Include strings that always appear with the calculated value, such as “this month”,
“sales=”, or “Customer no.”.
l Provide a specialized date or time format, such as Feb 3, 06 or 01h 32m.

To create a custom metric format

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric you want to format. The Metric Editor opens in
either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor mode, depending on the type of metric
that you chose to edit.
2. Click the Format icon . The Format dialog box opens.

3. Select the area of the metric to format by selecting one of the following from the drop-

167 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

down list at the top left:

l To format the metric column headers (the titles), select Metric Headers.
l To format the metric values (the numbers calculated by the metric), select Metric
Values.
4. From the list of categories on the left, select Number.
5. Select Custom.
6. Enter your custom format syntax in the Custom field. See the Advanced Reporting
Guide for a table of formatting symbols you can use and examples you can replicate.
7. Click OK to save your settings and close the Format dialog box.
8. Click Save to save the metric with your custom format. A confirmation message
displays.
9. Click OK to close the Metric Editor.

Asking for user input into a metric’s definition

You can allow the user who executes the report that contains the metric, to decide for himself
certain aspects of the metric’s formula. This lets each individual user define the report results
he sees. To do this, you include a prompt in the metric’s definition. You can make use of
prompts in any metric where you want to let each user impact the formula of the metric, by
having the user enter a specific number that makes sense for that user.
For example, if you create a tax metric that calculates tax numbers on sales, you can let each
user who executes the report enter the sales tax for his own state. Thus, the report’s results
will reflect the information each user wants to see.
To add a prompt to your metric’s definition, use the following high-level steps:
1. Decide what prompt type you need for your metric. Prompt types that you can use in a
metric definition are listed in the table in Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric,
or filter, page 264.
2. Follow the steps in this chapter to create that prompt; for the appropriate procedure,
see Creating a prompt, page 213.
3. Then follow the steps in this chapter to add the prompt to your metric’s definition; see
Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.

Editing a metric
You can open an existing metric in the Metric Editor. The metric is ready to be edited.
1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the metric you want to format. The Metric Editor opens in
either Function Editor mode or Formula Editor mode, depending on the type of metric
that you chose to edit.
2. Use the information above for various metric components and types of metrics to edit
your metric according to your needs, as follows:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 168

Basic Reporting Guide

l To change the formula or the function in the formula, see Components of a metric, page
150 or Creating a metric, page 159.
l To change or add an arithmetic operator, see Components of a metric, page 150.
l To change or add totals or subtotals, see Totals and subtotals, page 161.
l To edit the appearance of a metric or its values, see Formatting a metric, page 165.
l To create a custom number format, see Formatting a metric, page 165.

Additional metric functionality

In the Advanced Reporting Guide, you build on your knowledge of metrics that you have
learned in this guide. You learn about creating various types of advanced metrics such as
level metrics, non-aggregatable metrics, and transformation metrics. You can find
information on the following advanced metrics topics in the Advanced Reporting Guide:
l Compound metrics: Learn details about compound metrics, how they work with smart
subtotals, and additional information and examples.
l Level metrics: Learn about targets, grouping, filtering, and how to use level metrics with
filters, along with additional information and examples.
l Conditional metrics: Learn about conditional metrics with multiple conditions and with
metric levels, how they work with report filters, and additional information and examples.
l User-defined subtotals: Learn about these custom subtotals by following the detailed
examples.
l Metric-specific VLDB properties: Learn how to use certain VLDB (Very Large
Database) properties in MicroStrategy to customize the SQL queries to your database.
l Metric column aliases: Learn about the information you can change for a metric,
such as the column name as it appears in the SQL for a report, data type, and byte length.
l Metric functions: Learn how to use various functions that are particularly useful or
commonly used in metrics.
l Custom plug-in functions: Learn how to use custom functions to make a metric
relevant to your business environment.
l Metric creation using Command Manager: Learn how to automate the metric
creation process.

Filtering data on a report: Filters

A report filter is the part of a MicroStrategy report that screens data in your data source to
determine whether the data should be included in or excluded from the calculations of the
report results. A brief introduction to filters is provided for report analysts in Chapter 4,
Answering Questions about Data, in the section Filtering data, page 82. Review this
information if you are new to creating report filters. It describes how to view a filter’s definition
for a given report. This can be a useful way to create an effective filter, because you can copy
parts of an existing filter’s definition when creating a new filter. You can even use an existing
filter within a newly created filter.

169 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you are familiar with SQL syntax, a filter is equivalent to the WHERE clause in a SQL
statement.
Filters are helpful in clarifying large quantities of data and only displaying subsets of that
data, so reports show users what they really need to see. For example, you want to
determine the number of injuries to your delivery personnel in 2005 that may have been due
to bad winter weather in the northeastern U.S. You also want to know the time of day when
most injuries occurred. You place the Delivery Location and Delivery Time attributes on your
report. You also place the Number of Reported Injuries metric on the report. But you only
want the report to display injuries in your northeast region during the winter of 2005. Without
a filter, you would have to sift through a lot of report data on your own. By creating a filter that
includes Northeast Region, January 2005, and February 2005, and using that filter on the
report, the data displayed when the report is executed is limited to that geographical region
and season.
In another example, consider the following diagram, which shows a table of data filtered by
three different filters.

Each filter returns a different result set. Filters ensure that the report results contain only the
data that answers the specific business query the report was designed to answer. It is
important to design the correct filter to retrieve the desired data.
Filters are most commonly used on reports, to filter all the data the report would otherwise
retrieve from the data source and display to users. However, filters can also be used with a
specific object on a report, such as on a metric. A filter placed on a metric only filters data
related to that metric. When used on a metric, a filter essentially “goes with” the metric so that
whatever report the metric is placed on, the filter is always part of that metric. (This type of
metric is called a conditional metric. For details on conditional metrics, see the Advanced
Reporting Guide.)
Filters are an important part of almost all reports. Understanding how to create a filter is an
important skill in making the best use of the data in your data source. This section describes
the different types of filters available in MicroStrategy and shows you how to create a simple
filter of each type.
Basic knowledge of formal logic is useful in understanding report filters and their concepts,
but it is not a prerequisite to learn how to create filters.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 170

Basic Reporting Guide

Many of the reports and filters used as examples in this section already exist in the
MicroStrategy Tutorial project. You can follow the steps presented in this chapter to create
filters, or you can view the saved samples in the Tutorial project. For information on the
Tutorial project and how to access it, see About sample data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial
project, page 3.

A note on terms: filter, qualification, condition

A filter is composed of one or more qualifications. Qualifications define the conditions that the
data must meet to be included in a report, for example, “Region = Northeast” or “Revenue >
$1 million”. If a filter contains more than one qualification, the qualifications are joined by an
arithmetic operator such as AND or NOT. For details on using operators to join filter
qualifications, see Joining filter qualifications with operators, page 196.

Creating or editing filters: The Filter Editor

You can create and save a filter using the Filter Editor. You can also use the Filter Editor to
modify an existing filter. The Filter Editor is accessible from MicroStrategy Web.

To access the Filter Editor

In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page opens as
shown below:

To create a filter, see Types of filters, page 172 to determine which kind of filter you need.
Then follow the related procedure for the filter type you choose to create.

171 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To edit a filter, click on the filter in MicroStrategy Web. The filter opens within the Filter Editor.
For details on each filter type, see the appropriate section below. For details on each option
in the software, click Help.
After you create a filter, you can then include it in a report, a metric, or some other report
object. When placed on a report, a filter becomes part of the report’s definition and affects
the data displayed each time the report is executed. For steps to include a filter on a report,
see Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260.

Types of filters
Select a filter type from this list, and then specify the information that is required for the type
of filter you are creating.
Filter types include the following:

Filter Type Filter Name What Data It Is Designed To Filter

Attribute qualifications Attribute form Filters data related to a

qualification business attribute’s form(s),
These types of qualifications restrict data such as ID or description.
related to attributes on the report. Create a filter
based on attribute • For example, the attribute
forms. Customer has the forms ID,
First Name, Last Name,
For details, see Address, and Birth Date. An
click here. attribute form qualification
might filter on the form Last
Name, the operator Begins
With, and the letter H. The
results show a list of
customers whose last
names start with the letter
H.
Attribute Filters data related to a
element list business attribute’s elements,
qualification such as New York, Washington,
and San Francisco, which are
Create a filter elements of the attribute City.
based on attribute
elements. • For example, the attribute
Customer has the elements
For details, see John Smith, Jane Doe,
click here. William Hill, and so on. An
attribute element list
qualification can filter data
to display only those
customers specified in the
qualification by selecting the
In List option or all the
customers excluding those
specified in the qualification
by selecting the Not In List
option.
Set qualifications Metric set Filters data related to a set of

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 172

Basic Reporting Guide

Filter Type Filter Name What Data It Is Designed To Filter

These types of qualifications restrict data qualification attributes that are determined
based on the value, rank, or percentage of a based on the metrics
metric, or based on the relationships Create a filter associated with those
between the attributes on the report. based on metric attributes.
value or rank.
• For example, a metric set
For details, see qualification might filter data
click here. to display sales data for only
those products with an
inventory count below a
specified number.
Relationship Filters data based on a specific
set relationship between two
qualification attributes.
Create a filter • For example, a relationship
based on set qualification might filter
relationships data to display those stores
between selling Nike shoes in the
attributes. Washington, DC area.
For details, see
click here.
Shortcut qualifications Shortcut-to-a- Uses the result set of an existing
report report as is, or with additional
These types of qualifications restrict data qualification conditions, as a filter in a
related to existing report results or an different report.
existing filter. Create a filter
based on the • For example, you might use
results of an a shortcut-to-a-report
existing report. qualification by taking the
result set of one report
For details, see showing all customers in the
click here. Southwest region, placing
that result set as a filter into
a new report, adding a new
filter qualification for active
customers in the current
year, and displaying all
currently active customers in
the Southwest region.
Shortcut-to-a- Uses an existing filter as is, or
filter with additional conditions, in a
qualification report.
Create a filter • For example, you might use
based on an a shortcut-to-a-filter
existing filter. qualification by taking an
existing filter for Region =
For details, see Northeast and Year = 2006,
click here. placing it in a report, and
adding a new filter
qualification for Month of
Year = December.

173 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You can also create advanced qualifications such as attribute-to-attribute qualifications and
prompted filters. For more information on all types of advanced filters, refer to the Advanced
Filters chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Stand-alone filter vs. filter as part of report

This chapter primarily describes how to create stand-alone filters. A stand-alone filter is a
filter created as an independent MicroStrategy object. The stand-alone filter can then be
used on many different reports, as well as on metrics and other objects. However, in
MicroStrategy, filters can also be created as part of a given report, at the same time the
report itself is being created. These kinds of filters are generically called report filters. Report
filters are saved with the report’s definition. Therefore, a report filter cannot be used on any
other report.
However, a report filter can use any of the qualification types described in this chapter. Both
stand-alone filters and report filters accomplish the same results: the filter’s qualifications
determine the data to use when calculating the data displayed in a report.
For an example of a report filter and steps to create one during the report creation process,
see the procedure in Creating a report for analysis, page 129.

Filtering data based on business attributes: Attribute

qualifications
When you want to restrict report data to a certain subset of information, and your restriction
conditions are defined by an attribute’s forms or elements, you use an attribute qualification.
Attribute qualifications come in two types: attribute element list qualifications and attribute
form qualifications.

Attribute element list qualification

The elements of a business attribute are the unique values for that attribute. For example,
2006 and 2007 are elements of the Year attribute, while New York and London are elements
of the City attribute. On a report, attributes are chosen to build the report, but once the report
is executed, the attribute’s elements are displayed in the rows or columns.
The filter type called an attribute element list qualification qualifies (or filters) report data
based on a list of attribute elements belonging to an attribute. For example, the attribute
Customer has elements which are individual customer names. For a report containing the
attributes Region, Customer, and Income Range, you can use an attribute element list
qualification on the attribute Customer to obtain income data for only those customers you
specify in your filter’s list.

Attribute element list qualification example

You want to create a report that includes the revenue, cost, and profit by month for all
employees last year. However, certain months are not representative of the normal business
cycle, so they should be excluded from the report calculations. To do that, you create an

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 174

Basic Reporting Guide

attribute element qualification that excludes the months April, May, and December, which
are elements of the Month attribute.
The steps to create this attribute element list qualification are in the procedure below. The
example after the procedure shows how a report is affected when this filter is applied.

Creating a filter based on attribute elements

This procedure creates an attribute element list qualification based on the example
described above. It uses the sample MicroStrategy Tutorial project.

To filter data based on business attribute elements

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the attribute that has the elements by which you
want to filter a report's data. Alternatively, type the name of the attribute in the Find
field.
3. Right-click the attribute and select Add to Filter. You can also drag and drop the
attribute to the right pane. For the Tutorial example described above, browse to the
Attributes folder and select the Month of Year attribute.
The right pane displays fields similar to the image below:

4. To create the list of elements that the filter will use to filter data, perform the following
steps:

175 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

a. Click Select.
b. From the In List drop-down list, select one of the following:
l To define what attribute elements the filter should include data for, select In
List.
l To define what attribute elements the filter should exclude data for, select
Not In List.
For this Tutorial example, select Not In List.
c. The Available area on the left displays the elements that belong to the
attribute you chose for this filter. Select an element and then click the right arrow
to move the element to the Selected area. Press CTRL to select multiple
elements. If the Available list contains a large number of elements, use the
Search for field to locate the elements you want to select.
For this Tutorial example, select April, May, and December.
5. Click the Apply icon to create your filtering condition.
6. Click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
7. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Enter a name and description
for the filter in the Name and Description fields.
8. For this Tutorial example, name the filter Month and save it in the My Objects folder.
9. Click OK. Your new filter is saved.

If you have multiple qualifications, be aware that it is possible to unintentionally change the
evaluation order of a filter’s qualifications simply by adding a new qualification and not looking
at where the new qualification is added in the list of qualifications. For information on
changing the evaluation order of qualifications, see Editing a filter, page 205.

The filter you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see Reports: Adding a filter to
a report, page 260.
If you followed the Tutorial example in the procedure above, you created the Month filter
which excludes the months April, May, and December. Now see what happens to report
data when the filter is used on a report. Open the Basic Report from the Tutorial project,
located in Shared Reports\ MicroStrategy Platform Capabilities\
Advanced Reporting Guide. The Basic Report, part of which is shown below,
displays employee revenue, cost, and profit for all months of the year:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 176

Basic Reporting Guide

In the Basic Report, Leanne Sawyer’s contribution to revenue is $2,411,912. Next, add your
Month filter. To do this, from the Home menu click the Design icon. From the left pane,
navigate to where you saved your Month filter, and drag the filter into the report’s filter pane.
When you re-execute the report, it looks like the following image:

177 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

(To see the filtered report shown above, open the report named Filter - Month Report Filter
from the Tutorial project, located in Shared Reports\MicroStrategy Platform
Capabilities\Advanced Reporting Guide.) In this filtered report, the metrics
have different values than in the unfiltered Basic Report. Sawyer’s contribution to revenue is
now $1,813,538. In the unfiltered Basic Report, the data was retrieved from the data
warehouse for all months of the year. In the filtered report, the data for the months April,
May, and December is not retrieved from the data warehouse, so the metrics cannot include
this data in their calculations. As this filtered report shows, your top revenue-producing
employees can be very different if you exclude the months April, May, and December.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 178

Basic Reporting Guide

Attribute form qualification

Attribute forms are additional descriptive information about a business attribute. Most
attributes only have the forms ID and Description. But an attribute can have many other
forms. For example, the attribute Customer has the forms First Name, Last Name, Address,
Email Address, and so on. A form is a descriptive category for any data your organization
saves about any of its attributes.
Attribute form qualifications allow you to filter report data based on an attribute form. For
example, to return data for only those customers whose last names start with the letter H,
you can create an attribute form qualification defined with the form Last Name, the operator
Begins With, and the letter H as the value.

Attribute form qualification example

A report includes the revenue, cost, and profit for all employees. You want to view the data of
only those employees whose last name begins with the letter B. To do this, create a filter that
qualifies on the Last Name form of the attribute Employee. The steps to create this attribute
form qualification are listed below. The example after the procedure shows what happens to
report data when the filter is used on a report.

Creating a filter based on business attribute forms

This procedure creates an attribute form qualification based on the example described
above. It uses the sample MicroStrategy Tutorial project.

To filter data based on business attribute forms

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the attribute whose form you want to filter a report's
data by. Alternatively, type the name of the attribute in the Find field.
3. Right-click the attribute and select Add to Filter. You can also drag and drop the
attribute to the right pane.
The right pane displays fields similar to the image below:
For this Tutorial example, choose Employee.

4. To create the list of forms that the filter will use to filter data, perform the following
steps:

179 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

a. Select Qualify.
b. From the first drop-down menu, select the form you want to filter data based on.
For this Tutorial example, click Last Name.
c. From the next drop-down menu, select the operator that describes how you
want to filter the data.
For this Tutorial example, click Begins With.
d. In the last field, type the value to use to qualify on the attribute form. This is the
value that will be compared against the data in your data source.
Depending on the operator you have selected, you may need to enter multiple
values. For example, the operator Between requires two values.
For a date attribute form, you can compare the form to a dynamic date, which is
a fixed offset of the current date, such as one month ago. For more information
on dynamic dates, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.
For this Tutorial example, type B.
5. Click Apply to create your filtering condition.
6. Click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
7. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Type a Name and
Description for the filter.
For this Tutorial example, name the filter Employee Last Name = B and save it in
the My Objects folder.
8. Click OK. Your new filter is saved.

If you have multiple qualifications, be aware that it is possible to unintentionally change the
evaluation order of a filter’s qualifications simply by adding a new qualification and not looking
at where the new qualification is added in the list of qualifications. For information on
changing the evaluation order of qualifications, see Editing a filter, page 205.

The filter you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see Reports: Adding a filter to
a report, page 260.
If you followed the Tutorial example in the procedure above, you created the Employee Last
Name = B filter which excludes all employees except those whose last name begins with the
letter B. Now see what happens to report data when the filter is used on a report. Open the
Basic Report from the Tutorial project, located in Shared Reports\MicroStrategy
Platform Capabilities\Advanced Reporting Guide. The Basic Report,
shown in the image below, displays data for all employees:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 180

Basic Reporting Guide

Next, add your Employee Last Name = B filter. To do this, from the Home menu click the
Design icon. From the left pane, navigate to where you saved your Employee Last Name =
B filter, and drag the filter into the report’s filter pane. When you re-execute the report, it
looks like the following image:

181 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The report displays the revenue of only those employees whose last names begin with the
letter B.

Filtering data based on dates

This filter is an attribute form qualification that enables you to filter data based on an attribute
with a date data type. For example, you can create a date qualification on the Day attribute to
return data for only those days between January 1, 2011, and February 6, 2011.
Use the following procedure to create a date qualification filter. The example after the
procedure shows what happens to report data when the filter is used on a report.

Creating a filter based on dates

This procedure creates a date qualification based on the example described above. It uses
the sample MicroStrategy Tutorial project.

To qualify on a date

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the attribute with the date data type on which you
want to qualify. Alternatively, type the name of the attribute in the Find field.
3. Right-click the attribute and select Add to Filter. You can also drag and drop the
attribute to the right pane.
For this Tutorial example, select the Day attribute.
The right pane displays fields similar to the image below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 182

Basic Reporting Guide

4. Select Qualify.
5. From the first drop-down menu, select the form you want to filter data based on.
For this Tutorial example, click the ID attribute form.
6. From the next drop-down menu, select the operator that describes how you want to
filter data.
7. For this Tutorial example, select Between.
8. In the last field, type the value(s) or click the calendar to select a date to use to qualify
on the attribute form. This is the value that will be compared against the data in your
data source.
If you are using a date range in your filter, click the calendar again to select the second
date. For example, if you want to filter data so the report shows results between
January 1, 2011 and February 6, 2011, click the calendar and select January 1, 2011,
then click the calendar again and select February 6, 2011.
You can compare the form to a dynamic date, which is a fixed offset of the current
date, such as one month ago. For more information on dynamic dates, see the
Advanced Reporting Guide.
For this Tutorial example, use the drop-down list to select the date range January 1,
2011 to February 6, 2011.
9. Click the Apply icon to create your filtering condition.
10. Click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
11. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Type a Name and
Description for the filter.
For this Tutorial example, name the filter Date Filter and save it in the My Objects
Folder.
12. Click OK. Your new filter is saved.

If you have multiple qualifications, be aware that it is possible to unintentionally change the
evaluation order of a filter’s qualifications simply by adding a new qualification and not looking
at where the new qualification is added in the list of qualifications. For information on
changing the evaluation order of qualifications, see Editing a filter, page 205.

The filter you created can now be added to reports. For steps, see Reports: Adding a filter to
a report, page 260.
If you followed the Tutorial example in the procedure above, you created the Date Filter
which excludes all data except the data gathered between January 1, 2011 and February 6,
2011. Now see what happens to report data when the filter is used on a report. Open the
Basic Report from the Tutorial project, located in Shared Reports\MicroStrategy
Platform Capabilities\Advanced Reporting Guide. The Basic Report,
shown in the image below, displays all employee revenue:

183 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Notice the revenue amount of Leanne Sawyer. Next, add your Date Filter. To do this, from
the Home menu click the Design icon. From the left pane, navigate to where you saved
your Date Filter, and drag the filter into the report’s filter pane. When you re-execute the
report, it looks like the following image:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 184

Basic Reporting Guide

The report displays the revenues of employees for only the specified date range. Notice the
new revenue amount for Leanne Sawyer.

Filtering data based on attribute relationships or

metrics: Set qualifications
This type of filter allows you to generate data in a report based on a set of attributes. The set
of attributes is generated dynamically based on either the metrics associated with those
attributes or the relationships between the attributes.

185 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For example, a metric set qualification might limit the data displayed on a report to sales
numbers for only those products whose current inventory count falls below a certain number.
The system must first generate the set of products with the specified inventory count; then it
can generate the sales numbers for that set of products.
A relationship set qualification might limit the data displayed on a report to those bank
customers who have checking accounts but not savings accounts. In this example, the
system must first generate the set of customers with checking accounts; then it can generate
the subset of those customers without savings accounts.
For details and steps, see:

Metric set qualification

A metric set qualification lets you define the attributes to be used in a filter by restricting the
attributes in the set based on the value, rank, or rank percentage of a metric associated with
the attributes. For example, a store manager wants to see sales numbers for products
whose current inventory count falls below a certain level. A metric set qualification lets the
manager restrict data based on a set of attributes, in this case certain products, based on a
metric value, rank, or rank percentage, in this case, inventory count below a certain level.
The resulting report displays the sales data for only those products with inventory counts
below the threshold value. This report does not necessarily display the inventory figures for
those products.

Filters and metric calculations: Output, Break By, and rank

A metric set qualification is additionally defined by an output level and a break by setting. The
output level specifies the level at which the metric is calculated, and the break by setting
allows you to choose the level at which to restart counting rank or percent values for a metric.
For more information and examples on output level and break by, see the Advanced
Reporting Guide. For an explanation of levels, see Components of a metric, page 150.
You can also designate a level at which to stop counting rank or percent values for a metric
and then restart the count. See the Advanced Reporting Guide for details and an example to
use the BreakBy property in a metric set qualification.

Creating a filter based on metric value or rank

Use the following steps to create a simple metric set qualification. For more details on any of
the options, click Help.

To filter data based on a metric value, rank, or rank percentage

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the metric on which you want to filter data.
Alternatively, type the name of the metric in the Find field.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 186

Basic Reporting Guide

3. Right-click the metric and select Add to Filter. You can also drag and drop the
metric to the right pane.
The right pane displays fields similar to the image below:

4. From the first drop-down menu, select an operator that describes how you want to
filter data, such as Equal To or Less Than.
5. In the field on the right, type a metric value to use for the metric qualification. This is the
value against which the metric calculation will be compared.
6. Depending on the operator you selected from the previous drop-down menu, you may
need to type multiple values. For example, the operator Between requires two values.
7. Click the Apply icon to create your filtering condition.
8. Click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
9. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Enter a Name and
Description for the filter, and click OK. Your new filter is saved.

If you have multiple qualifications, be aware that it is possible to unintentionally change the
evaluation order of a filter’s qualifications simply by adding a new qualification and not looking
at where the new qualification is added in the list of qualifications. For information on
changing the evaluation order of qualifications, see Editing a filter, page 205.

The filter you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see Reports: Adding a filter to
a report, page 260.

Relationship set qualification

A report must list customers from the same region as a specific customer, Hugh Abarca. You
need to use the relationship between customer and customer region to filter the report. A
relationship set qualification lets you restrict data based on the relationship between two
attributes, in this case Customer and Customer Region.
The image below shows a section of the report without the relationship set qualification
added. Notice that all customers are listed regardless of customer region.

187 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

In a relationship qualification, you create a relationship between two attributes and then
place a filter on that relationship. In this case, a relationship between customer Hugh Abarca
and Customer Region is created and the report is filtered to show only customers in the
same region as Hugh Abarca.

Relationship filters are considered set qualifications because they create a subset of
attributes from the whole. They are created using either the Set qualification or Advanced
qualification option in the Filter Editor. The Set qualification option provides an interface to
guide you through the process, whereas the Advanced qualification option allows you more
control by letting you use commands. For more information on the Advanced qualification
option, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Filters and attributes: Output level

A relationship set qualification lets you determine the output level, which is the level at which
the set should be calculated. Using the example above, to create a report that shows
customers in the same region as Hugh Abarca, you need to set the output level to Customer
Region and the filter qualification to Hugh Abarca.
For details on levels, see How data is aggregated on a report: metric level, page 89. For
more information on the output level, see the Advanced Reporting Guide

Creating a filter based on relationships between attributes

Use the following steps to create a simple relationship set qualification. For more details on
any of the options, click Help or see the Advanced Reporting Guide.

A filter based on relationships between attributes is created from MicroStrategy Developer.

To create a filter based on relationships between attributes

1. Log in to a project in Developer. On the File menu, point to New, and choose Filter.
The Filter Editor opens.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 188

Basic Reporting Guide

If the New Filter dialog box is displayed, click the Empty Filter icon. If you do not
want this dialog box to be shown in the future, select Don't show this dialog in
the future. Click OK. For more information about Object templates, see the
Designing Reports chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.
If you are using the MicroStrategy Tutorial to create the example mentioned above,
log in to the MicroStrategy Tutorial project. Create a new report containing the
Customer Region and Customer attributes, and the Revenue metric. To create a new
report in Developer, see the MicroStrategy Developer Help.
2. Double-click the Filter definition pane at the top right. The Filtering Options pane
opens.
3. Click the Add a Set qualification option, and click OK. The Set Qualification pane
opens.
4. Select Relationship from the Type drop-down list. The Set Qualification pane
expands, similar to the image below:

5. Set the output level, which is the level at which the set is calculated. To do this, browse
by clicking ... (the browse button) next to the Output Level to locate the level at which
you want the set calculated. Select the attribute, and click OK. (For an explanation of
levels, see How data is aggregated on a report: metric level, page 89.)
If you are using the Tutorial, set the output level to Customer Region.
6. In the Filter Qualification area, choose a filter in one of the following ways:
To use an existing filter, click Browse. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder
that contains the filter, select the filter, and click OK.
To build a new filter, click Create. The Qualification Editor opens. (You may notice
that this editor is similar to the Filter Editor.) Click Help for steps to use the
Qualification Editor to create a filter. When you are finished, click Save and Close.

189 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

If you are using the Tutorial, create a filter with an attribute qualification for Customer =
Hugh Abarca.
7. By default, the Filter Qualification chosen applies to the whole report and not just the
relationship filter. You can change this option by clicking Advanced and clearing the
Also apply this qualification independently of the relationship filter
box. For more information on this option, see the Advanced Reporting Guide
If you are using the MicroStrategy Tutorial, clear the default so the Hugh Abarca filter
is applied only to the relationship. Otherwise, when the report is executed, the only
row in the report will be Hugh Abarca, with no other customers from his region
included.
8. Click OK to close the Set Qualification pane.
9. Click Save and Close on the Filter Editor toolbar. The Save Filter As dialog box
opens.
10. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Enter a Name and
Description for the filter, and click OK. Your new filter is saved.
11. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter. Enter a Name and
Description for the filter, and click Save. Your new filter is saved.

If you have multiple qualifications, be aware that it is possible to unintentionally change the
evaluation order of a filter’s qualifications simply by adding a new qualification and not looking
at where the new qualification is added in the list of qualifications. For information on
changing the evaluation order of qualifications, see Editing a filter, page 205.

The filter you created can now be added to a report. If you are using the MicroStrategy
Tutorial, apply the filter to the report you created above. For steps, see Reports: Adding a
filter to a report, page 260.

Filtering data based on existing filters or report results:

Shortcut qualifications
You can use existing report results or existing filters as the basis of a new filter. These types
of filters are called shortcut qualifications, because you are creating a shortcut to an existing
report or to an existing filter. Details and steps to create each type are below:

Shortcut-to-a-report qualification
The results of an existing report can be used as a filter for another report. You can use the
first report itself as a filter inside a new report. This type of filter is called a shortcut-to-a-
report qualification.

To be used as a shortcut-to-a-report qualification, a report cannot contain any of the following

objects or be of any of the following report types:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 190

Basic Reporting Guide

l Consolidations
l Custom groups
l Freeform SQL reports: Reports created using MicroStrategy’s Freeform SQL functionality
l MDX cube reports: Reports that draw their data from an MDX cube source such as SAP
Business Intelligence Warehouse (SAP BW), Microsoft Analysis Services (Analysis
Services), or Hyperion Essbase (Essbase)
For example, consider the Basic Report shown below, which has no filter. Notice that
Leanne Sawyer has earned $2,411,912 in revenue.

191 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Create a new filter. Drag and drop the Revenue By Brand report into the right pane of the
new filter, and save. Open the Basic Report and drag and drop your newly-created filter to
the Report Filter pane, to use the Revenue By Brand report as a filter in the Basic Report.
Finally, re-execute the Basic Report.
With its new filter, the Basic Report displays the revenue generated by each employee only
for those brands specified in the results of the Revenue by Brand report. The filtered Basic
Report is shown below. Notice that Leanne Sawyer has now earned only $1,655,540 in
revenue.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 192

Basic Reporting Guide

You can perform the example above on your own. The Basic Report and the Revenue By
Brand report are located in Shared Reports\MicroStrategy Platform
Capabilities\Advanced Reporting Guide.
You can also use a report as a filter and then add additional qualifications to expand the
overall filter definition. For example, you can take the result set of one report showing all
customers in the Southwest region, place that result set as a filter into a new report, and add
a new filter qualification for active customers in the current year. The new report displays all
currently active customers in the Southwest region.
This approach shows you the value of creating some basic, relatively simple reports in your
project, such as a report for customers in a specific region. Then you can make use of these
basic reports within shortcut-to-a-report filters to make the filter creation process quicker.

Shortcut-to-a-report qualification and OLAP Services

If you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services, be aware that a report’s view definition does not
affect how the report is used in a shortcut-to-a-report qualification. A report’s data definition
is the query that is sent to the database to retrieve information for the report, whereas the
report’s view definition determines how much of the retrieved information is displayed in the
report. When you use a report as a filter, the report’s entire data definition is considered; any
view definitions do not influence the filter conditions.
For an introduction to MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see Determining whether you have
OLAP Services.

Creating a filter based on the results of a report: Shortcut-to-a-report

qualifications
Use the following steps to create a simple shortcut-to-a-report qualification. For more details
on any of the options, click Help.

To use a report as a filter in a shortcut-to-a-report qualification

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the report that you want to use as a filter.
Alternatively, type the name of the report in the Find field.
3. Right-click the report and select Add to Filter. Alternatively, drag and drop the
report to the right pane.

You cannot use a report containing a consolidation or custom group, a Freeform SQL
report, or an MDX cube report as a shortcut to a report.

The report is added to the right pane as shown in the image below:

193 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

4. Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter, type a Name
and Description for the filter, and click OK. Your new filter is saved.
The shortcut-to-a-report filter you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see
Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260.

Shortcut-to-a-filter qualifications
A shortcut-to-a-filter qualification allows you to move an existing filter into a new filter, and
apply the new filter to a report. You can also add additional conditions to the new filter and
then apply the new filter to the report. For example, Filter 1 contains two conditions, A and B.
You can use Filter 1 as the basis of a new filter, and then add another condition C to the new
filter. The data that is filtered for must then satisfy all three conditions A, B, and C to be
included in any report which uses the new filter. Note that Filter 1 remains unchanged
throughout this process.
For example, you are a manager in New England, responsible for stores in Boston,
Providence, and Greenwich. Your project contains a filter called Stores In My Region, which
is defined as the Boston, Providence, and Greenwich stores. A second filter, called the
Women’s Clothing filter, includes the categories Blouses and Dresses. A third filter, All Days
in December 06, is a date range that includes all the days in the month of December, 2006.
To study December sales in your stores for women’s clothing, you create a new filter. The
new filter includes a shortcut to each of the three filters. Use this new filter in your report. The
original three filters are unchanged, which is useful for other reports that use one or more of
those filters.
You can also use an existing filter as a base for a new filter and then add additional
qualifications to expand the overall filter definition. For example, you can take a filter that
screens data for all customers in the Southwest region, place that filter into a new filter, and

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 194

Basic Reporting Guide

add a new filter qualification for active customers in the current year. The new filter screens
data for all currently active customers in the Southwest region.
This approach shows you the value of creating some basic, relatively simple filters in your
project, such as a filter for customers in a specific region. Then you can make use of these
basic filters within shortcut-to-a-filter filters to make the filter creation process quicker.

Creating a filter based on another filter

Use the following steps to create a simple shortcut-to-a-filter qualification. For more details
on any of the options, click Help.

To create a filter based on another filter

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.
2. In the pane on the left, navigate to the filter that you want to use in the new filter.
Alternatively, type the name of the filter in the Find field.
3. Right-click the report and select Add to Filter. You can also drag and drop the filter
to the right pane.
The filter is added to the right pane as shown in the image below:

4. Add desired conditions to the filter. Navigate to the appropriate report object in the
pane on the left. Right-click and select Add to Filter. Define the conditions in the
right pane.

195 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

5. Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the filter, type a Name
and Description for the filter, and click OK. Your new filter is saved.
The filter you created can now be added to a report. For steps, see Reports: Adding a filter to
a report, page 260.

Joining filter qualifications with operators

When a filter has multiple qualifications, they are always joined by operators. When
qualifications are joined, operators govern the interaction between different filtering
conditions and thus affect the evaluation order of qualifications in a filter.
Whenever you have more than one qualification in a report filter, you can define the operator
as any of the following:
l AND
l OR
l OR NOT
l AND NOT
The AND operator is the operator assigned by default when more than one qualification is
added to a filter. You can change the default AND operator by simply clicking or right-clicking
on the word AND, and selecting a different operator.
For more information on advanced operators to apply to a report limit, see Appendix B:
Logical and Mathematical Operators for Filtering in the Advanced Reporting Guide.
For more information on changing evaluation order among qualifications in a filter, see
Editing a filter, page 205.

The AND operator

By default, the operator AND is inserted between filter qualifications.
The following images show the initial report with no filter, and the resulting report after two
filter qualifications are applied and joined with AND. The initial report with no filter appears as
follows:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 196

Basic Reporting Guide

After the filter (Year = 2010) And (Region = Northeast) is applied to the initial report,
the report appears as follows:

The following diagram shows the impact of the AND operator on a result set:

197 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The shaded area represents the report’s result set, which contains only revenue generated
in the Northeast in 2010.

The OR operator
For those familiar with logic terminology, the OR operator acts as an inclusive OR, not an
exclusive OR.
The following images show the initial report with no filter, and the resulting report after two
filter qualifications are applied and joined with OR. The initial report with no filter appears as
follows:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 198

Basic Reporting Guide

After the filter (Year = 2010) Or (Region = Northeast) is applied, the report appears
as follows:

The following diagram shows the impact of the OR operator on a result set:

199 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

As represented by the shaded areas, revenue generated in either 2010, or the Northeast, or
in both 2010 and the Northeast, is returned in the result set.

The OR NOT operator

The following images show the initial report with no filter, and the resulting report after two
filter qualifications are applied and joined with OR NOT. The initial report with no filter
appears as follows:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 200

Basic Reporting Guide

After the filter (Year = 2010) Or Not (Region = Northeast) is applied, the report
appears as follows:

The following diagram shows the impact of the OR NOT operator on a result set.

201 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

In this case, revenue generated in 2010 in any region (including the Northeast), or revenue
generated in all other years in any region except for the Northeast, is returned in the result
set.

The AND NOT operator

The following images show the initial report with no filter, and the resulting report after two
filter qualifications are applied and joined with AND NOT. The initial report with no filter
appears as follows:

After the filter (Year = 2010) And Not(Region = Northeast) is applied, the report
appears as follows:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 202

Basic Reporting Guide

The following diagram shows the impact of the AND NOT operator on a result set.

As shown by the shaded area, revenue generated in 2010 in any region except the
Northeast is returned in the result set.

Changing the operator which joins filter qualifications

The following steps show how to change the operator that joins filter qualifications.
Changing the operator can affect the evaluation order among qualifications in a filter. For
more information on changing evaluation order among qualifications in a filter, see Editing a
filter, page 205.

To change the operator between filter qualifications

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Filter. The New Filter page
opens.

203 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. From the pane on the left, add more than one qualification to the pane on the right. For
steps to create filter qualifications, see Creating or editing filters: The Filter Editor,
page 171.
3. In the right pane, right-click the operator and then choose the required operator, as
shown in the image below:

Asking for user input into a filter’s definition

You can allow the user who executes the report that contains the filter, to decide for himself
certain aspects of the filter’s definition. This lets each individual user define the report results
he sees. To do this, you include a prompt in the filter’s definition. You can make use of
prompts in any filter where you want to let each user impact the results of the filter, by having
the user enter a specific number, date, or text that makes sense for that user. For examples
of prompts, see Asking for user input: Prompts, page 206.
To add a prompt to your filter’s definition, use the following high-level steps:
1. Decide what prompt type you need for your filter. Prompt types that you can use in a
filter’s definition are listed in the table in Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or
filter, page 264.
2. Follow the steps in this chapter to create that prompt; for the appropriate procedure,
see Creating a prompt, page 213.
3. Then follow the steps in this chapter to add the prompt to your filter’s definition; see
Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 204

Basic Reporting Guide

Editing a filter
You can make changes to an existing filter using the Filter Editor. For an image of the Filter
Editor and more information on working with filters, see Creating or editing filters: The Filter
Editor, page 171.
When you edit a filter, you can add a new qualification, change the operator in a qualification,
or remove a qualification that is part of the filter’s definition. You can also change the
evaluation order of qualifications.
l To add qualifications, see Types of filters, page 172 to determine the type of qualification
you want to add, then use the appropriate section for the type of filter you choose.
l To change operators between qualifications, see Joining filter qualifications with
operators, page 196.
l To remove a qualification from a filter, open the filter, click the Remove condition icon
to the left of the qualification you want to delete.
l To change the evaluation order of qualifications in a filter, see the options below.

Changing the evaluation order of qualifications in a filter

Qualifications at the top of a filter are evaluated first. To change the evaluation order, you can
perform a number of steps depending on the final evaluation order that you want to achieve:
l You can move qualifications up and down in the order so that they are evaluated before or
after other qualifications. Qualifications must be indented at the same level to be able to
move them above or below one another. To do this, in MicroStrategy Web click Shift Up
or Shift Down next to the qualification. The qualification is moved up or down
accordingly.
l You can group qualifications so that they are evaluated together. The filter must contain at
least 3 qualifications to be able to group qualifications. To do this, in MicroStrategy Web
click Shift Left or Shift Right between 2 qualifications that you want to group together.
The qualifications are grouped together and moved together either to the right (indented)
or to the left.
l When you add or remove a qualification, you are changing the evaluation order. To add
qualifications, see Types of filters, page 172 to determine the type of qualification you want
to add, then use the appropriate section for the type of filter you choose. To remove a
qualification from a filter, open the filter, and click the Remove condition icon to the left
of the qualification you want to delete.
l When you change an operator between qualifications, you may be changing the
evaluation order of qualifications. For steps to change operators between qualifications,
see Joining filter qualifications with operators, page 196.

Additional filtering functionality

The Advanced Reporting Guide provides detailed information about the following advanced
features:

205 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Attribute-to-attribute qualifications: Learn about creating reports that compare two

attributes, using their respective attribute forms.
l Dynamic dates: Learn how to filter on fixed offsets of the current date.
l Break by property for set qualification filters: Learn about the level at which to restart
counting rank or percent values for a metric.
l Metric-to-metric comparisons: Learn how to create a filter that dynamically compares the
values of two metrics.
l Output levels for set qualification filters: Learn how to specify the level at which the metric
is calculated for a set qualification.
l Custom expressions: Learn about creating custom metric expressions to fit particular
needs.
l Joint element lists: Learn about using attribute elements from different attributes to filter
the report result set.
l Imported filter elements: Learn how lists of data from existing files can be imported into the
filter definition.
l Report object prompts: Learn how to have the results of one report be included in a
prompt, and how to specify a search object or specify a predefined list of objects to choose
from during report execution.

Asking for user input: Prompts

A prompt is a question the system presents to a user during report execution. How the user
answers the question determines what data is displayed on the report when it is returned
from your data source.
For example, an analyst in an accounting company needs a report designed to show actual
revenue and forecasted revenue for his company’s clients. However, the analyst does not
want to see data for every corporation his company does business with; he is only interested
in seeing revenue and forecasts for certain corporations and only for the current year.
The report designer can create one prompt that asks users to select which corporations they
want to see data for, and another prompt that asks users what year they want to see data for.
The report designer places the prompts on a report. When the analyst executes the report,
he is prompted to answer these questions before the report’s SQL query is sent to the data
source, and as a result the report displays revenue and forecast numbers for only those
corporations and the year that this analyst is interested in seeing.
A report designer can include one or more prompts in any report. Prompts are an effective
tool for the report designer, because:
l Prompts allow each user who executes the report to request individualized sets of data
from your data source when he answers the prompts and runs the report. Effectively,
each user creates his own filter for the report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 206

Basic Reporting Guide

l Prompts can allow the report designer to create a smaller number of reports overall, using
more inclusive objects, rather than having to create numerous, more specific reports that
are individualized to each analyst.
l Prompts allow the report designer to ensure that the objects on a report are the latest
available objects in the project. This is possible using a search object in a prompt. When a
user launches a prompt by running a report, the search object goes through the project
and retrieves the latest objects that fit the search criteria the report designer defined.
Thus, no matter when the prompt was created, each time a user executes the report, the
user chooses prompt answers from a list of the most up-to-date objects available in the
project, including objects that may not have existed when the prompt was created.
l Prompts allow users to keep the objects on their saved reports up-to-date, because users
can save a prompted report so that the objects within the prompt remain connected to the
original objects within the project that they were originally based on when the prompt was
created. If objects are modified or deleted in the project, the report can reflect those
changes the next time the prompted report is run.
With prompts, you can let the user decide how to restrict the data to be returned from the
data source.
For information on using prompts in a report to be displayed on an Apple® iPhone® or
iPad®, or an Android device, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration
Guide.
A prompt is similar to a filter (see Filtering data on a report: Filters, page 169) because a
prompt determines the specific data to be displayed on a report. The difference, from a
report designer’s perspective, is that you create a filter for a report to provide a single,
specific definition for the report. A filtered report then displays the same set of data to every
user who executes that report. In contrast, a prompt dynamically modifies the contents of a
report. With prompts, users can determine the objects (attributes, attribute elements,
metrics, and so on) they want to be part of, or excluded from, the report query that is sent to
the data source. Therefore, a prompt can be seen as a way for users to create their own filter
for a given report. For example:
l Users can choose from among several existing filters to determine exactly what filter will
screen the data on the report they are about to execute. To achieve this, create an Object
prompt that contains existing filters and place that Object prompt on a report. Then the
user can choose which filter to apply to the report.
l Prompts allow a report to have a dynamic report definition, which users can change each
time they submit the query by choosing different answers when prompted. If you create an
Attribute prompt containing the Year attribute, users are prompted to select the year for
which they want the report results. The report can be run the first time by selecting 2005
and then a second time by selecting 2006.

Prompts and security filters

Security filters in MicroStrategy restrict a user’s ability to access or view certain objects within
a given MicroStrategy project. As a result, a security filter can limit the data a user sees on a
report, even if the report is designed to display a broader set of data. For example, a report
shows revenue data for all geographical regions of the U.S., but a set of users may have a
security filter assigned to their MicroStrategy user accounts that limits the display of data to
only the Northeast region.

207 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For prompts, this means that users who have a security filter assigned to them may only see
certain prompt answers to choose from when they execute a prompted report, even when
the prompt creator has explicitly defined a broader set of prompt answers to be available to
users of that report.
When describing what prompt answers will be available to users, this manual assumes that
no security filter restricts an individual user’s access to certain objects or object elements.
However, most environments use security filters, so it is important to be aware of the
potential impact of a security filter on a user’s experience when answering a prompt.
Consider this possibility when designing a specific prompt for your users’ reporting needs.
For details on security filters, see the System Administration Guide.

Components of a prompt
The pieces that make up a prompt control how a prompt appears and how it functions. These
components include the following:
l Answer requirement: This component lets you determine whether users will be required
to answer the prompt or an answer will be optional. If an answer is required, a report with
this prompt cannot be executed until an answer is provided.

Keep in mind that, because a report with a required prompt cannot be executed until an
answer is provided, a report with this type of prompt is not a good choice to be subscribed to.
This is because the subscription will be unable to answer the required prompt and thus unable
to execute the report. The subscription is then automatically invalidated and deleted. To avoid
this scenario, always add a default prompt answer when you make an answer required.

l Default prompt answers: This component lets you include a pre-selected answer for the
prompt, which the user can then accept, replace with a different answer, or accept and
add more answers.
l Personal answers: This component lets a user save prompt answers for a specific prompt,
and then reuse the answers on any report that uses the prompt. Personal answers are
saved for each prompt and each user, but they can be used on different reports. Allowing
users to save personal answers can help reduce the storage space taken up by saved
static reports.
l Title and instructions: This component lets you provide a useful name for the prompt,
which can significantly impact how straightforward or complex a user finds prompts to be.
You can also include instructions on how to use the prompt.
Consider your users’ needs as well as the purpose of the report and the objects on it when
you decide on these options.
These prompt components are defined from the Create Prompt page. See Creating a
prompt, page 213 for steps to access the Create Prompt page. Each prompt component is
described below.

If you plan to apply a schedule to a prompted report, the decisions you make about answer
requirements and default answers will affect how the report is filtered when it is automatically
executed on schedule. For a table showing how various combinations of these options affect
how a scheduled report is filtered when executed, see the Advanced Prompts chapter in the
Advanced Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 208

Basic Reporting Guide

Answer requirements
You can either require users to answer a prompt when they execute a report, or you can
make an answer optional.
l Required: A required prompt means at least one prompt answer must be selected from
the available choices, or the report cannot be executed.
l Optional: An optional prompt does not require a prompt answer to be selected. The
report can be executed without any input from the user.
If you determine that a prompt must be answered, consider also providing a default answer.
Default answers allow users to execute prompted reports quickly because they can simply
accept the defaults. Default answers are especially useful if you have a large number of
users of a given report who will likely choose the same answer for the prompt. See Answer
requirements, page 209.
To specify whether an answer is required or optional, select the Prompt answer is
required check box on the New Prompt page. See the appropriate procedure below for
the type of prompt you want to create, for steps to select this setting when creating a prompt.

Default prompt answers

You can specify default answers for prompts. Users can then do one of the following:
l Execute the report using the default answer(s)
l Select a different answer
l Keep the default answer and add additional answers
Providing default answers allows users to execute prompted reports more quickly, because
they can simply accept the defaults with a single click and run the report. Default answers are
particularly useful if a large percentage of your users will answer the prompt the same way. A
common example is a prompt on the Year attribute, from which users can choose the
attribute element (for example, 1998, 2005, or 2006) they want to see data for. If many users
will choose the current year every time they run the report, then providing the current year as
the default answer can save users time. Additional scenarios where default prompt answers
can be useful:
l If a user subscribes to a report. This is common for mobile users. When the subscription is
delivered to a user’s mobile device, the prompts are answered automatically using the
default answers defined by the designer. So, the mobile user can simply open his device
and view the executed report.
l If a report is being used as the destination of a link in a widget, document, or report (the
source of the link). When the user clicks the link to a report from the source, the default
answer defined by the designer allows the link to directly open the destination report
without requiring the user to answer prompts before they can see the report.
If default answers are not provided for prompts, users must take the time to answer each
prompt question individually, unless answers are not required. The default prompt answer is
always displayed when a value prompt is used, even if the default prompt answer was
cleared and then the report is reprompted.

209 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

You can determine whether to have prompts in a report automatically answered when the
report is run, using default prompt answers.

To specify a default prompt answer

1. In MicroStrategy Web, create a prompted report. For steps to include a prompt on a

report, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
2. From the toolbar, select Run Report.
3. Select the answer that you want to save as the default prompt answer and click Run
Report to execute the report.
4. Click Save As. The Save Options dialog box opens.
5. To save the current prompt answers as the default prompt answers, click Advanced
Options and then select the Set the current prompt answers to be the
default prompt answers check box. For more information on the other available
options while saving a prompted report, see Saving a report, page 271.
6. Click OK. Your selections are applied to the report and it is saved.
This sets the prompt answers that you selected while answering the prompted report, as the
default prompt answers to be used the next time the report is run.

Personal answers
You can allow personal answers, so that a user can save prompt answers for a specific
prompt, and then reuse the answers on any report that the prompt is used on.
Personal answers can save time, for example, when a prompt answer involves complicated
metric qualifications. Allowing users to save personal answers can help reduce the storage
space taken up by saved static reports. Personal answers also provide consistency, to
ensure that the same prompt answers are used across a number of reports.

Personal answers are saved for each prompt and each user, but they can be used on different
reports. Users can save prompt answers without having to save the report itself.

When you create a prompt, you can allow no, one, or multiple personal answers:
l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.
l One: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 210

Basic Reporting Guide

In MicroStrategy Web, while creating a prompt, you can allow personal answers for the
prompt, if the administrator has enabled personal answers in the default settings for prompts.
An administrator can change this default setting for prompts from the Preferences Menu.

Examples of each option follow. While they are simple examples, they illustrate how the
different types of personal answers work.

Example: No personal answers

Create an attribute element list prompt (see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form,
attribute element, or metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218 for steps) on Region, and do
not allow personal answers (select None for the Personal answers allowed option).
Name the prompt No personal answers.
Create a report with Region, the Revenue metric, and the No personal answers prompt.
Execute the report, and select Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast at the prompt. Save
the report as a prompted report rather than a static one (select the Keep report
prompted check box in the Save As dialog box; for more information see Saving reports
with prompts, page 123).
Re-execute the report. You are not able to select a saved personal answer from your
previous report execution, but instead you must enter your prompt answers again.

Example: Single personal answer

Create an attribute element list prompt on Region, and allow a single personal answer.
Name the prompt Single personal answer.
Create a report with Region, the Revenue metric, and the Single personal answer prompt.
Execute the report and select Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast at the prompt. Select
the Remember this answer check box, which saves your selections as a personal
answer. Save the report as a prompted report.

It is not required to save a report in order to save the personal answer. However, save the
report for this example.

Re-execute the report. Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast are displayed automatically
as the default answer. You can continue executing the report or change the prompt
selections by adding or deleting regions. Delete all the regions from the prompt answers, and
replace them with Southeast, Southwest, and South. Do not clear the Remember this
answer check box. These regions are now saved as the personal answer.
Re-execute the report. Southeast, Southwest, and South are displayed automatically as the
default answer. Delete all the regions from the prompt answers, and replace them with just
Central. Clear the Remember this answer check box. The personal answer is now
cleared.
Re-execute the report. Since no personal answer exists, no prompt answers are displayed.
You must enter your prompt answers manually.

Example: Multiple personal answers

Create an attribute qualification prompt on Region, and allow multiple personal answers.

211 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Create a report with Region, the Revenue metric, and the prompt that you created above.
Execute the report, and select Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast at the prompt. Save
the prompt answer (select the Save this answer when report is run check box),
naming it Eastern Regions. Save the report as a prompted report.

It is not required to save a report in order to save the personal answer. However, save the
report for this example.

Re-execute the report. No default prompt answers are displayed, but you can select Eastern
Regions, the personal answer that you created previously, by clicking the Load Answers
icon. Instead, select Southeast, Southwest, and South for prompt answers. Save them as a
personal answer, naming it Southern Regions. Set this personal answer as the default
(select the Set as default check box).
Re-execute the report. Southeast, Southwest, and South are displayed as the default
prompt answers, since they were defined as the default above. Clear the prompt answers,
and replace them with Central. Do not save it as a personal answer.
Re-execute the report. Southeast, Southwest, and South are displayed as the prompt
answers, since they are still the default. You can select Eastern Regions or Southern
Regions (the current selection) as personal answers.
When you click Load Answers, you can view the personal answers created previously.
You can delete and rename these personal prompt answers by clicking the More Options
link. You cannot edit the contents of personal answers.

Title and instructions

You can customize a prompt’s title and instructions, which are displayed to users when they
are answering the prompt.
Think about a name and instructions carefully, with your users in mind. The title and
instructions you provide for a prompt can make the difference between users finding
prompted report execution confusing and users completing rapid report execution and
displaying exactly the data they want to see.

Example of an ineffective prompt title and instructions

You create an Attribute Element prompt. You select the Year attribute, from which the user
will be asked to select one or more attribute elements (years) to see data displayed for. You
name this prompt “Attribute element prompt” and you provide the following instructions:
“Choose an attribute element.”
This title and instructions are not useful to the majority of users, who likely do not know what
an attribute element is. A better choice is described below.

Example of a useful prompt title and instructions

You create an Attribute Element prompt. You select the Year attribute, from which the user
will be asked to select one or more attribute elements (years) to see data displayed for. You
name this prompt “Year(s)” and you provide the following instructions: “Select one or more
years for which you want to see data.”

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 212

Basic Reporting Guide

This title makes sense to all users and defines the prompt generally enough so it can be
easily used by report designers on other reports. The instructions are useful not only
because it uses language that users will understand, but also because it is more than just a
repeat of the title. It provides basic information to the user who may never have used a
prompt before, and it emphasizes that more than one year can be chosen, in case a user
missed that information at the top of the prompt screen.
You can determine the title and instructions for a prompt on the New Prompt page. See the
appropriate procedure below for the type of prompt you want to create, for steps to enter a
title and instructions when creating a prompt.

Creating a prompt
You create a prompt for a report when you want to let the user decide what restrictions the
data must meet to be displayed on the report.
Prompts can be placed on a report, and they then become part of the report definition. They
can also be used in a filter, metric, or custom group.

This chapter covers prompts placed on reports, filters, and metrics. Prompts used on custom
groups are covered in the Advanced Prompts chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

The image below shows the Create Prompt page, where you select the type of prompt you
want to create. See Types of prompts, page 214 for details on each prompt type.

213 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To access the Create Prompt page

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens with a list of the types of prompts that you can create.
2. To create a new prompt, click on the type of prompt that you want to create.
See the sections that follow for the type of prompt you want to create. You can see specific
details on each option in each page of the wizard by clicking Help.
After you create a prompt, you then place the prompt on any report so it becomes part of the
report’s definition and any user who executes that report must interact with the prompt. For
steps to include a prompt on a report, see Adding a prompt to a report.

Types of prompts
The correct prompt type to create depends on what report objects you want users to be able
to base a filter on to filter data.

Prompt Type Prompt Name What Data it Allows Users to Define

Object prompts Object Users can use this prompt to add more data to a report.
prompt Users select objects (such as attributes or metrics) they
This type of prompt want to add to the report. Users can also choose from
allows users to select among a selection of filters, to apply a filter that is most
objects to include in a useful for their analysis purposes.
report, such as
attributes, metrics, or For steps, see Filtering data based on metrics,
filters. attributes, or other objects: Object prompts, page 239.

Hierarchy Hierarchy Users can select prompt answers from one or more
Qualification Qualification attribute elements from one or more attributes. The
Prompts Prompt attribute elements they select are used to filter data
displayed on the report. This prompt lets you give users
This type of prompt the largest number of attribute elements to choose
allows users to from when they answer the prompt to define their
determine how the filtering criteria.
report's data is filtered
based on attributes in a For example, on a report displaying profit forecasts, if
hierarchy. the prompt lets users select from the Product hierarchy,
one user might choose to see forecasts for certain
electronic products, while another user might select
different electronics products, or all media products.
For steps, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute
form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification
Prompts, page 218.
Attribute Attribute Users can select prompt answers from a list of attribute
Qualification Qualification elements from a single attribute. This prompt is more
Prompts Prompt restrictive than the Hierarchy prompt, because the user
has fewer attribute elements to select answers from.
This type of prompt
allows users to For steps, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute
determine how the form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification
report's data is filtered Prompts, page 218.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 214

Basic Reporting Guide

Prompt Type Prompt Name What Data it Allows Users to Define

based on attribute
form.
Attribute Element Attribute Users can select prompt answers from a limited list of
List Prompts Element List specific attribute elements. This prompt is the most
Prompt restrictive of the Hierarchy Qualification, Attribute
This type of prompt Qualification, and Attribute Element List prompts,
allows users to because the user has the fewest number of attribute
determine how the elements to select answers from.
report's data is filtered
based on attribute For steps, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute
element. form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification
Prompts, page 218.
Metric Metric Users can define a metric qualification, which
Qualification Qualification determines what data should be displayed for one or
Prompts Prompt more specific metrics on the report.
This type of prompt For steps, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute
allows users to form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification
determine how the Prompts, page 218.
report's data is filtered
based on metrics.
Value prompts Date prompt Users enter a specific date for which to see data. This
prompt is used in a filter.
This prompt type lets
users select a single Numeric Users enter a specific number, up to 15 digits, which is
value, such as a date or prompt then used as part of a filter, or within a metric, to look
a specific text string, for specific numeric data.
and filter report data
based on their If a user enters more than 15 digits for a numeric
selection. prompt, the data is converted to scientific notation. If
precision is needed beyond 15 digits, you should use a
For steps, see Filtering Big Decimal value prompt instead.
data based on a single
value or string: Value Text prompt Users enter a word or phrase, which is then used as
prompts, page 243. part of a filter to look for specific data with that text.
Big Decimal Users can enter up to 38 digits, to search for numeric
prompt data with the Big Decimal data type assigned to it.
Long Users enter up to 10 digits, to search for numeric data.
prompt
Level prompts Level Levels are explained in Components of a metric, page
prompt 150.
This prompt type allows
users to specify the Level prompts are covered in the Advanced Prompts
level of calculation for a chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.
metric.

Most of the prompt types in the table above are explained in detail in the sections that follow.
Level prompts are covered in the Advanced Prompts chapter of the Advanced Reporting
Guide.

215 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Choosing the right prompt type

Use the table below as a reference when choosing which prompt to create, to help you
provide the reporting results that your users need.

User Needs Solutions

Restrict the Prompts used on filters in a report are more restrictive than other prompts in terms of
amount of the number of attribute elements from which a user can select prompt answers. For
data details on prompts used on a filter, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form,
displayed attribute element, or metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218.
on a report
Increase • Object prompts are more inclusive in terms of the data that is displayed on the
the amount resulting report, because the user can select additional objects to include on the
of data report. To create an Object prompt, see Filtering data based on metrics, attributes,
displayed or other objects: Object prompts, page 239.
on a report
• In general, the more answers an analyst is allowed to select for a prompt, the more
information is displayed on the report. The maximum number of answers a user
can provide is determined by one component of all prompts, called an answer
requirement. You can allow users to select more answers for a prompt by setting or
changing the maximum number of answers. For details, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
Answer • The Attribute Element List prompt and the Object prompt are generally the simplest
prompts prompts for a user to answer. Users simply click one or more objects they want to
that are see data for and execute the report. The user does not have to create a filtering
easier to definition as with other prompts.
use
• Any prompt increases the complexity for a user when running a report. This can be
alleviated by providing good descriptions for the prompts so that users are clear
about the questions they are answering. For an example of an effective prompt
description, see Components of a prompt, page 208.

Choose a Users can choose from among several existing filters to determine exactly what filter
report filter will screen the data on the report they are about to execute. To do this, create the
from filters you want users to be able to choose from, then create an Object prompt made
among a up of existing filters, and then place that Object prompt on a report. To create an Object
selection of prompt, see Filtering data based on metrics, attributes, or other objects: Object
filters prompts, page 239.
Select a You can use a search object in most prompts. A search object will search for and
prompt display specific objects at the moment the user accesses the report and the prompt
answer appears. This lets users select their answers from the most up-to-date hierarchies,
from the attributes, metrics, or other objects in the project. To do this, create a search object,
most up-to- then during prompt creation choose the search object rather than choosing specific
date attributes or other objects to prompt the user with. For steps to create a search object,
objects in see the prompt creation procedure below for the prompt you want to create. Steps to
the project create a search object are within the prompt creation steps.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 216

Basic Reporting Guide

User Needs Solutions

Restrict the The three Hierarchy and Attribute prompts are designed to be increasingly restrictive in
number of the number of objects they allow users to select answers from. These three prompts
attribute are listed below, in increasing order of restrictiveness:
elements
users can • Hierarchy Qualification Prompt: Allows users the widest number of objects to
choose choose answers from.
from when • Attribute Qualification Prompt: More restrictive than the Hierarchy prompt. Allows
answering a fewer objects for users to choose answers from.
prompt
• Attribute Element List Prompt: The most restrictive of the three prompts. Allows the
fewest objects for users to choose answers from.
Select from The Attribute Element List prompt provides a filter option. You can use this option to
a create a filter that will display to users a specific list of attribute elements, based on
reasonable the condition defined in the filter. For example, you create a filter to display the top 20
subset of a customers in terms of revenue or the top 10 employees in terms of sales. Place this
long list of filter in the Attribute Element prompt, and place the prompt on a report. To create an
attribute Attribute Element prompt, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form, attribute
elements, element, or metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218.
for
example, a
list of
customer
names

Stand-alone prompt vs. prompt as part of report or filter

This chapter primarily describes how to create stand-alone prompts. A stand-alone prompt is
a prompt that is created as an independent MicroStrategy object. A stand-alone prompt can
then be used on many different reports, as well as on filters, metrics, and other objects, and
can be used by other report designers. A stand-alone prompt gives report designers
flexibility.
However, in MicroStrategy, prompts can also be created as an intrinsic part of a given report,
at the same time the report itself is being created. Prompts created as part of a report are
saved with the report’s definition. Therefore, a prompt created as part of a report cannot be
used on any other report.
Prompts can also be created as an intrinsic part of a filter, at the same time the filter itself is
being created. Prompts created as part of a filter are saved with the filter’s definition.
Therefore, a prompt created as part of a filter cannot be used on any other filter.
No matter how a prompt is created, whether stand-alone or as part of another object, each
approach allows you to create most prompt types described in this chapter. Both stand-alone
prompts and prompts created as part of another object accomplish the same results: the
user is presented with one or more questions to answer, and the answers determine the
data used when calculating the results displayed on a report.

217 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form, attribute

element, or metric: Qualification Prompts
These types of prompts let users define the filtering criteria for a report. While answering the
prompt, the user actually goes through the process of creating a filter for the report. You
create the prompt to define constraints for which objects can be used to create the filter.
Filtering criteria might include certain attributes in a hierarchy, specific attribute forms or
attribute elements, or certain metrics.
For example, if you create a Hierarchy Qualification prompt, you can specify a hierarchy from
which users can select attributes or attribute elements to create a filter with. (The option to
create this prompt in the Create Prompt page is called “Hierarchy Qualification Prompt”.)
Users are presented with a prompt similar to the following image when they execute the
report:

When creating the prompt shown above, the report designer chose the Time hierarchy, so
users could choose any attribute within that hierarchy for which to see data. The prompt
shown above is asking the user to select from the attributes listed, or the user can also
browse to a specific attribute’s elements and select one or more of those elements. Then the
user drags a desired attribute or element into the filter’s Definition pane on the right-hand
side. (Alternatively, the user can use the Attribute Qualification pane to select an attribute for
the filter.) By being able to interact with this prompt, each user can create his own filter with
which to screen the data that appears on the resulting report.
You can add these types of prompts to a stand-alone filter, so that the prompt is presented to
any users who run a report on which that filter is placed. Alternatively, you can place these

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 218

Basic Reporting Guide

types of prompts directly on a report. Either way, these types of prompts allow users to
specify conditions that data must meet to be included in report results.
For a table of where to use all prompts, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or
filter, page 264.
You can create the following types of prompts:
l Hierarchy Qualification Prompt: This prompt lets the user create a filter by
selecting from any attribute or attribute element that is part of one or more hierarchies you
specify. The attribute elements the user selects then become the filter for the report when
it is sent to your data source. To create a Hierarchy Qualification prompt, see Filtering data
on an attribute, attribute form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification Prompts, page
218.
l Attribute Qualification prompt: This prompt enables the user to filter (or qualify)
the report based on the attribute forms or the attribute elements of the specified attribute.
To create an Attribute Qualification prompt, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute
form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218.
l Attribute Element List prompt: This prompt enables the user to filter the report
based on a specified set of attribute elements from a given attribute. To create an Attribute
Element List prompt, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form, attribute element, or
metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218.
l Metric Qualification prompt: This type of prompt enables the user to filter (or
qualify) the report based on a specific metric. To create a Metric Qualification prompt, see
Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form, attribute element, or metric: Qualification
Prompts, page 218.
After you have created a prompt, you can incorporate it into a report as described in Reports:
Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.

Hierarchy Qualification prompts

The Hierarchy Qualification prompt allows users to create their own report filter using
attributes and attribute elements from:
l A specific hierarchy
l Specific hierarchies returned by a search object
l All hierarchies in the project
For an explanation of what a hierarchy is, see Hierarchies, page 87.
For example, analysts want to be able to monitor the aging of various accounts receivable
transactions by customer. You create a report with the Customer attribute and various
Accounts Receivable-related metrics on it. (The report and its metrics are shown below.)
You want users to be able to select any corporations or parent corporations to view past-due
amounts for, when they execute the report.
You create a Hierarchy Qualification prompt which asks the user to choose an attribute or
attribute elements from the Organization hierarchy. Then you add the Hierarchy Qualification
prompt to the report.

219 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

When you execute the report and respond to the prompt by choosing the Global Enterprises
HQ corporation, the report appears as shown in the following image. (This image shows only
part of the resulting report.)

The Hierarchy Qualification prompt allows users to select from the widest number of attribute
elements when they are choosing prompt answers to define their filtering criteria. The
Attribute Qualification prompt is more restrictive, and the Attribute Element List prompt is the
most restrictive, allowing users to choose from the fewest number of attribute elements to
define their filter criteria.

To create a Hierarchy Qualification prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Hierarchy Qualification Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To select the hierarchy

Select the hierarchy which contains the attributes the user will be prompted to choose from
as he creates the filter for the report.
On the Definition tab, choose one of the following options and, as necessary, specify the
required information for your chosen option:
l All hierarchies: Select this option to let the user choose attributes from all the
hierarchies in the project.
l Choose a hierarchy: Select this option to present the user with a specific hierarchy
from which to choose attributes and elements.
l Click Select Hierarchy, select the hierarchy or specify the name of the hierarchy, and
then click OK.
l Use a predefined list of hierarchies: Select this option to allow the user to choose
attributes from a list of hierarchies that you select.
l To add hierarchies, click Add, select the hierarchy or specify the name of the hierarchy,
and then click OK.
l To delete a hierarchy from the list, highlight it and click Remove.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 220

Basic Reporting Guide

l To remove all the hierarchies from the list, click Clear.

l Use the result of a search object: Select this option to browse to and select a
previously created search object or specify the name of the search object. A search object
will search for and display specific project objects when the user executes the report. This
lets you prompt the user with the most up-to-date objects in the project.
l Click Select Search, select the search object or specify the name of the object, and then
click OK.

To determine the attribute forms which are displayed to the user

Once users select a hierarchy, the prompt displays the related attributes and attribute
elements for users to select their filter criteria from. The attribute forms can also be
displayed.
An attribute form is a descriptive aspect of an attribute. Most attributes have at least two
forms, ID and description (Desc). For example, the Product attribute has an attribute
form called ID, which is made up of ID numbers that represent each attribute element
(each product). The attribute form Last Name contains the last names for each attribute
element, such as each customer in the Customer attribute, or each employee in the
Employee attribute. Your project designer determines which attribute forms users see
directly in a report’s results (the report display forms), and which attribute forms users
can see displayed in the Object Browser, for browsing purposes (the browse forms).
You can select which of these display types users can select from when they answer the
prompt.
From the Displayed forms drop-down list, select one of the following options:
l All attribute forms: This option allows users to see and select from attribute elements
within all attribute forms. It is the default choice.
l Browse forms: This option allows users to see and select from only the attribute forms
defined as browse forms. All attribute forms defined as browse forms are displayed in the
Data Explorer when the user browses the related attribute.
l Report display forms: This option lets users see only the attribute forms defined as
report display forms. All attribute forms defined as report display forms are included in
report results for a report that uses the related attribute.
l Custom display forms: This option allows you to specify a customized set of attribute
forms to display to users by selecting each attribute form from a list. In the list of attribute
forms in the bottom left, select the attribute forms that you want to display, then click the
Add icon to add the attribute forms to the list on the right. You can select more than one
attribute form at the same time by pressing CTRL and clicking additional attribute forms.
This option is available if the Choose an attribute option above is selected

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.

221 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you save
the prompt, although you can change it.
l Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To restrict the number of prompt answers.

1. To require users to answer the prompt before running the report, specify whether the
prompt requires an answer. Select the Prompt answer is required check box. If
you require an answer, it is a good idea to also provide a default answer, otherwise a
subscription to this report will fail.
2. Set the maximum and/or minimum number of prompt answers allowed, if desired.
Select the Minimum number of qualifications and/or the Maximum
number of qualifications check boxes, and type the numbers in the fields.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:
l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.
l One: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, from the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation style
such as Tree or Shopping Cart for the prompt. Depending upon the option you
select, the prompt is displayed to the user when the report is executed.
The following image shows the Tree display style:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 222

Basic Reporting Guide

The following image shows the Shopping Cart display style:

2. To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width and/or the Fixed textbox height check boxes, and specify the
size of the prompt's text fields and options in the fields.

Specifying the size of the textbox can be beneficial when users answer prompts on a
smaller screen of a mobile device.

223 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

1. To determine how prompt options are arranged, from the Orientation drop-down
list, select Vertical or Horizontal.
2. To determine the number of prompt answers displayed in a row or column (depending
on alignment), select the Items per column/row check box and enter the number
in the field.
3. You can determine whether to allow users to use a search box to locate prompt
answers. Searching for objects allows analysts to quickly locate specific objects to use
to answer the prompt. From the Show search box drop-down list, select one of the
following options:
l To display the search box, select True.
l To not display a search box, select False.
4. If the search box is enabled, you can ensure that users use the search box to locate
answers, by selecting the Make search required check box.

If you are using the Shopping Cart display style, you can select the Use folder structure
check box to display the prompt choices in a folder structure. This option, available for search
objects only, is useful when the same object with the same name is saved in multiple folders.

l Select the Do not show empty folders check box if you do not want the search result
to display empty folders.
l To allow users to navigate above the root folder when searching, select the Allow
navigation above search root check box.

To specify how qualifications are displayed in the prompt

1. On the Qualification tab, determine the types of qualification expressions allowed in
the prompt by selecting an option from the Expression type allowed drop-down
list.
2. Determine the default condition (for example, Select or Qualify) that is displayed in the
prompt by selecting an option from the Default expression type drop-down list.
3. Determine the default qualification operator (for example, Greater than or Less than)
that is displayed in the prompt by selecting an option from the Default condition
operator drop-down list.
4. Determine how many elements are listed in each prompt answer list by selecting the
Maximum number of elements per list check box and entering the number in
the field.
5. To allow users to import a list of attribute elements from which they can choose, select
the Allow element import check box.
6. Determine the default logical operator that is used between conditions by selecting an
option from the Default operator between conditions drop-down list.
7. To allow users to modify expressions, select the Allow modification of the
logical operator check box.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 224

Basic Reporting Guide

To ensure that users can only use a single condition operator (AND/OR) between all
of the conditions in an expression, select the Use a single logical operator
between all conditions option.
To ensure that users can choose a default operator to use between each condition, select
the Allow the user to set independent logical operators between conditions
option.

To save your prompt

Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name and
Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
You can now add your new prompt to a report or filter. For a table showing how to add each
prompt type to a report, metric, or filter, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or
filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

Attribute Qualification prompts

The Attribute Qualification prompt can be used to create a more focused prompt than the
Hierarchy Qualification prompt. You determine a single attribute from which each user who
executes the report can select elements to define his report filter. You can also let users
select an attribute from a set of attributes, and then select elements from their chosen
attribute.
For example, your report contains the attribute Region and the metric Revenue. You want
users to be able to select specific geographical regions of the country for which to see
revenue data, from among all regions.
You create an Attribute Qualification prompt, which prompts the user to choose attribute
elements from the Region attribute. Using the MicroStrategy Tutorial project data, you might
choose the following default answers for the prompt:
l Northeast
l Northwest
l Southeast
l Southwest
When you apply this prompt to the report and execute the report using the default answers,
the report appears as shown in the following image.

225 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The Attribute Qualification prompt is more restrictive than a Hierarchy Qualification prompt
but less restrictive than an Attribute Element List prompt. The Hierarchy Qualification prompt
allows users to select from the widest number of attribute elements when they are choosing
prompt answers to define their filtering criteria. The Attribute Element List prompt is the most
restrictive, allowing users to choose from the fewest number of attribute elements to define
their filter criteria.

To create an Attribute Qualification prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Attribute Qualification Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To select the attribute from which the user can create the filter
You must determine which attribute will be displayed to the user when the user is
prompted. (Alternatively, you can present the users with a list of attributes from which
the user selects one attribute.) The user then selects elements from that attribute to be
part of the filter he creates to filter data for the report.
On the Definition tab, choose one of the following options:
l Choose an attribute: You can present the user with a specific attribute to select
elements from.
l Click Select Attribute, select the attribute or specify the name of the attribute, then click
OK.
l Use a predefined list of attributes: Select this option to allow the user to choose
attributes from a list of attributes that you select.
l Click Add, select the attributes, then click OK.
l To delete an attribute from the list, select the attribute, then click Remove.
l To remove all the attributes from the list, click Clear.
l Use the results of a search object: A search object will search for and display
specific project objects when the user executes the report. This lets you prompt the user
with the most up-to-date objects in the project. Use this option to present the user with a
list of attributes, from which he can choose one.
Click Select Search, select the object or specify the name of the object, then click
OK.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 226

Basic Reporting Guide

To determine which attribute forms to display to the user

The prompt displays the related attribute elements for users to select their filter criteria
from. The attribute’s forms can also be displayed.
An attribute form is a descriptive aspect of an attribute. Most attributes have at least two
forms, ID and description (Desc). For example, the Product attribute has an attribute
form called ID, which is made up of ID numbers that represent each attribute element
(each product). The attribute form Last Name contains the last names for each attribute
element, such as each customer in the Customer attribute, or each employee in the
Employee attribute. Your project designer determines which attribute forms users see
directly in a report’s results (the report display forms), and which attribute forms users
can see displayed in the Object Browser, for browsing purposes (the browse forms).
You can select which of these display types users can select from when they answer the
prompt.
From the Displayed forms drop-down list, select one of the following options:
l All attribute forms: This option allows users to see and select from attribute elements
within all attribute forms. It is the default choice.
l Browse forms: This option allows users to see and select from only the attribute forms
defined as browse forms. All attribute forms defined as browse forms are displayed in the
Data Explorer when the user browses the related attribute.
l Report display forms: This option lets users see only the attribute forms defined as
report display forms. All attribute forms defined as report display forms are included in
report results for a report that uses the related attribute.
l Custom display forms: This option allows you to specify a customized set of attribute
forms to display to users by selecting each attribute form from a list. In the list of attribute
forms in the bottom left, select the attribute forms that you want to display, then click the
Add icon to add the attribute forms to the list on the right. You can select more than one
attribute form at the same time by pressing CTRL and clicking additional attribute forms.
This option is available if the Choose an attribute option above is selected.

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
1. On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you
save the prompt, although you can change it.
2. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To restrict the number of prompt answers.

1. You can specify whether the user is required to answer the prompt before running the
report. To require users to answer the prompt, select the Prompt Answer is
Required check box.

227 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. Set the maximum and/or minimum number of prompt answers allowed, if desired.
Select the Minimum number of qualifications and/or the Maximum
number of qualifications check boxes, and enter the numbers in the fields.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:
l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.
l Single: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, from the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation style,
such as Textbox, for the prompt. Depending upon the option you select, the prompt is
displayed to the user when the report is executed.
The following image shows the Textbox display style:

The following image shows the Radio Button display style:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 228

Basic Reporting Guide

The following image shows the Pull Down display style:

The following image shows the List display style:

229 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

1 To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width and/or the Fixed textbox height check boxes, and specify the size
of the prompt's text fields and options in the fields.
• Specifying the size of the textbox can be beneficial when users answer prompts on a
smaller screen of a mobile device.
2 To determine how prompt options are arranged, from the Orientation drop-down list,
select Vertical or Horizontal.
• To determine the number of prompt answers displayed in a row or column
(depending on alignment), select the Items per column/row check box and
enter the number in the field.
3 You can determine whether to allow users to use a search box to locate prompt
answers. Searching for objects allows analysts to quickly locate specific objects to use to
answer the prompt. From the Show search box drop-down list, select one of the
following options:
• To display the search box, select True.
• To not display a search box, select False.

The Show search box option is not available if you are using the Textbox display style.

4 If you are using the Shopping Cart display style, you can select the Use folder
structure check box to display the prompt choices in a folder structure. This option,
available for search objects only, is useful when the same object with the same name is
saved in multiple folders.
• Select the Do not show empty folders check box if you do not want the search
result to display empty folders.
• To allow users to navigate above the root folder when searching, select the Allow
navigation above search root check box.

For an Attribute Qualification prompt that uses a search object and the Tree display style, the
Use folder structure check box is selected and cannot be changed.

To specify how qualifications are displayed in the prompt

5 On the Qualification tab, determine the types of qualification expressions allowed in
the prompt by selecting an option from the Expression type allowed drop-down list.
6 Determine the default condition (for example, Select or Qualify) that is displayed in the
prompt by selecting an option from the Default expression type drop-down list.
7 Determine the default condition operator (for example, Greater than or Less than) that is
displayed in the prompt by selecting an option from the Default condition operator
drop-down list.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 230

Basic Reporting Guide

8 Determine how many elements are listed in each prompt answer list by selecting the
Maximum number of elements per list check box and entering the number in
the field.
9 To allow users to import a list of attribute elements from which they can choose, select
the Allow element import check box.
10 To allow users to browse the elements in attribute qualification, select the Allow
element browsing in attribute qualification check box.
11 Determine the default logical operator that is used between conditions by selecting an
option from the Default operator between conditions drop-down list.
12 To allow users to modify expressions, select the Allow modification of the logical
operator check box.
• To ensure that users can only use a single condition operator (AND/OR) between
all of the conditions in an expression, select the Use a single logical operator
between all conditions option.
• To ensure that users can choose a default operator to use between each condition,
select the Allow the user to set independent logical operators between
conditions option.

To save your prompt

13 Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name
and Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
You can now add your new prompt to a report, metric, or filter. For a table showing how to
add each prompt type to a report, metric, or filter, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report,
metric, or filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

Attribute Element List prompts

The Attribute Element List prompt allows a user to choose from a list of attribute elements to
be included in a filter or custom group. This is generally the simplest prompt for users to
answer, because it offers the fewest number of answers to choose from and does not
require the user to create a filtering “statement”.
You define the specific attribute elements to be displayed in the prompt, by using one of the
following methods:
l Selecting all elements associated with an attribute
l Creating a filter that returns a limited list of elements from one attribute
l Selecting specific attribute elements one by one

231 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For example, your report contains the attribute Region and the metric Revenue. You want
users to be able to select specific geographical regions of the country for which to see
revenue data, from among only eastern U.S. regions.
You create an attribute element list prompt, which prompts the user to choose from three
attribute elements in the Region attribute. Using the MicroStrategy Tutorial project data, you
might use all three regions as default answers for the prompt:
l Northeast
l Mid-Atlantic
l Southeast
When you apply this prompt to the report and execute the report using the default answers,
the report appears as shown in the following image.

The Attribute Element List prompt is the most restrictive, allowing users to choose from the
fewest number of attribute elements to define their filter criteria. The Hierarchy Qualification
prompt allows users to select from the widest number of attribute elements when they are
choosing prompt answers to define their filtering criteria. The Attribute Qualification prompt is
more restrictive than the Hierarchy Qualification prompt, but less restrictive than the Attribute
Element List prompt.

To create an Attribute Element List prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Attribute Element List. The New Prompt page opens.

To determine the attribute whose elements the user will be able to choose from
The prompt will display the related attribute elements for users to select their filter criteria
from.
On the Definition tab, click Select Attribute. Select the attribute whose elements are
displayed in the prompt and click OK. Users select their filter criteria from a list of these
attribute elements.

To define the specific elements the user will be able to choose from
Choose one of the following options:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 232

Basic Reporting Guide

l List all elements (no restriction): This option displays all of the attribute’s
elements to the user when he is answering the prompt.
l Use a pre-defined list of elements: This option lets you select specific attribute
elements to display to the user.
l Click Add, select the elements, then click OK.
l To delete an element from the list, select the element, then click Remove.
l To remove all the elements from the list, click Clear.
l Use a filter to reduce the number of elements: This option is useful for
attributes with a large number of elements, such as Customer or Employee. You can
create a filter that returns a specific set of customers, for example, the top 100 customers
this month.
Click Select Filter, select the filter or specify the name of the filter, then click OK.

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
1. On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you
save the prompt, although you can change it.
2. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To restrict the number of prompt answers

1. You can specify whether the user is required to answer the prompt before running the
report. To require users to answer the prompt, select the Prompt Answer is
Required check box.
2. Set the maximum and/or minimum number of prompt answers allowed, if desired.
Select the Minimum number of answers and/or the Maximum number of
answers check boxes, and enter the numbers in the fields.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:
l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.

233 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Single: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, you can determine the presentation style used to display the prompt
to the user. The default is Shopping Cart. From the Display style drop-down list, select
one of the following:
l Radio Button: This prompt lets users select an attribute element option by
selecting a radio button.
l Check Box: This prompt lets users specify attribute elements by selecting check
boxes.
l Pull Down: This prompt lets users select an answer from a drop-down list.
l List: This prompt lets users select prompt answers from a list.
l Shopping Cart: This prompt lets users add attribute elements to a list of selected
attribute elements.
l Calendar: This prompt lets users answer the prompt by selecting a date on a
calendar. This option is available if a date/time attribute such as Month of Year is
selected.
l Barcode Reader: This prompt lets users answer the prompt by scanning or
typing a bar code.
l Geo Location: This prompt lets users filter the attribute element list based on their
current geographical location.

Styles for prompts for mobile devices, including the Calendar, Barcode Reader, and
Geo Location display styles, display when the prompt is viewed on a mobile device
with MicroStrategy Mobile. Certain styles are available for specific types of
Attribute Element List prompts. For more information on displaying prompts for
mobile devices, see the Allowing users to filter data: prompts section of the
MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

2. To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width and/or Fixed textbox height check boxes, and specify the size of
the prompt's text fields and options in the fields.
Specifying the size of the textbox can be beneficial when users answer prompts on a
smaller screen of a mobile device.
3. To determine how prompt options are arranged, from the Orientation drop-down

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 234

Basic Reporting Guide

list, select Vertical or Horizontal.

To determine the number of prompt answers displayed in a row or column (depending
on alignment), select the Items per column/row check box and type a number in
the field.
4. You can determine whether to allow users to use a search box to locate prompt
answers. Searching for objects allows analysts to quickly locate specific objects to use
to answer the prompt. From the Show search box drop-down list, select one of the
following options:
To display the search box, select True.
To not display a search box, select False.
5. To require using the search box to locate prompt answers, select the Make search
required check box.
6. If you are using the Shopping Cart display style, you can select the Use folder
structure check box to display the prompt choices in a folder structure. This option,
available for search objects, is useful when the same object with the same name is
saved in multiple folders.
Select the Do not show empty folders check box if you do not want the search
result to display empty folders.
To allow users to navigate above the root folder when searching, select the Allow
navigation above search root check box.
7. For the Barcode Reader prompt style, to specify the attribute form used to look up item
barcodes, select an attribute form from the Barcode mapping attribute form
drop-down list.
8. For the Geo Location prompt style, from the Select location mapping level drop-
down list, select the level at which you wish to filter elements in the attribute. For
example, select City to filter the attribute elements by the current city in which the
mobile device is located.
9. To select the attribute whose elements you want to filter, click Select Attribute,
browse to and select the attribute, and then click OK.

To save your prompt

Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name and
Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
You can now add your new prompt to a report, metric, or filter. For a table showing how to
add each prompt type to a report, metric, or filter, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report,
metric, or filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

235 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Metric Qualification prompts

The Metric Qualification prompt allows users to create their own instant filter for data
returned for one of the metrics on the report. You create a Metric Qualification prompt by
selecting one or more metrics. Users will be able to define their filters based on these
metrics.
For example, your report contains the attribute Region and the metric Revenue. You want
users to be able to define the amount of revenue they want to see data for, showing any
geographical region which satisfies the user’s selected metric condition.
You create a Metric Qualification prompt, which prompts the user to enter a value for which
all revenue data will be displayed that is greater than the value entered by the user. Using the
MicroStrategy Tutorial project data, you might define the default answer for the prompt to be
Revenue > $1,000,000.
When you apply this prompt to the report and execute the report using the default answer,
the report appears as shown in the following image.

The metric(s) you choose for the prompt do not have to appear on the report itself. For
example, a store manager needs a report to show sales data for products whose current
inventory falls below a certain count. However, the report does not necessarily need to
display inventory counts for those products.
When answering the prompt, users can define their filters based on the value, rank, or
percentage of the metric.

To create a Metric Qualification prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Metric Qualification Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To select the metric(s) for which users can define their filters
The prompt will display the metric(s) on which users define their filter criteria.
On the Definition tab, choose one of the following options:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 236

Basic Reporting Guide

l Choose a metric: Users will be able to filter their report data based on the metric you
select.
Click Select Metric and select a specific metric or specify the name of the metric to use
in the prompt.
l Use a predefined list of metrics: Select this option to allow the user to choose
metrics from a list that you select.
l Click Add, select the metrics, then click OK.
l To delete a metric from the list, select the metric, then click Remove.
l To remove all the metrics from the list, click Clear.
l Use the results of a search object: A search object will search for and display
specific project objects when the user executes the report. This lets you prompt the user
with the most up-to-date objects in the project. For example, you can let the user select a
metric from a search for all metrics with “Revenue” in the name.
Click Select Search, select the object or specify the name of the object, then click OK.

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
1. On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you
save the prompt, although you can change it.
2. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To restrict the number of prompt answers.

1. You can specify whether the user is required to answer the prompt before running the
report. To require users to answer the prompt, select the Prompt Answer is
Required check box.
2. Set the maximum and/or minimum number of prompt answers allowed, if desired.
Select the Minimum number of qualifications and/or the Maximum
number of qualifications check boxes, and enter the numbers in the fields.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:

237 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.
l Single: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, from the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation
style, such as Textbox, for the prompt. Depending upon the option you select, the
prompt is displayed to the user when the report is executed.
2. To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width and/or the Fixed textbox height check boxes, and specify the
size of the prompt's text fields and options in the fields.
Specifying the size of the textbox can be beneficial when users answer prompts on a
smaller screen of a mobile device.
3. To determine how prompt options are arranged, from the Orientation drop-down
list, select Vertical or Horizontal.
To determine the number of prompt answers displayed in a row or column (depending
on alignment), select the Items per column/row check box and enter the number
in the field.
4. You can determine whether to allow users to use a search box to locate prompt
answers. Searching for objects allows analysts to quickly locate specific objects to use
to answer the prompt. From the Show search box drop-down list, select one of the
following options:
l To display the search box, select True.
l To not display a search box, select False.

The Show search box option is not available if you are using the Textbox display style.

5. To show the object path (folder hierarchy), select the Use folder structure check
box. This option, available for search objects, is useful when the same object with the
same name is saved in multiple folders. If you are using the Shopping Cart display
style, you can select the check box to display the prompt choices in a folder structure.
l Select the Do not show empty folders check box if you do not want the
search result to display empty folders.
l To allow users to navigate above the root folder when searching, select the Allow
navigation above search root check box.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 238

Basic Reporting Guide

For a Metric Qualification prompt that uses a search object and the Tree display style,
the Use folder structure check box is selected and cannot be changed.

To specify how qualifications are displayed in the prompt

1. On the Qualification tab, determine the default condition operator (for example,
Greater than or Less than) that is displayed in the prompt by selecting an option from
the Default conditionoperator drop-down list.
2. Determine the default logical operator that is used between conditions by selecting an
option from the Default operator between conditions drop-down list.
3. To allow users to modify expressions, select the Allow modification of the
logical operator check box.
l To ensure that users can only use a single condition operator (AND/OR) between
all of the conditions in an expression, select the Use a single logical operator
between all conditions option.
l To ensure that users can choose a default operator to use between each condition,
select the Allow the user to set independent logical operators
between conditions option.
4. To allow users to specify the output level of metrics, select the Display output
level selector check box.

To save your prompt

Click SaveAs, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name
and Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
You can now add your new prompt to a report, metric, or filter. For a table showing how to
add each prompt type to a report, metric, or filter, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report,
metric, or filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

Filtering data based on metrics, attributes, or other

objects: Object prompts
Object prompts provide users the ability to add additional objects to a report. You can let
users select from almost any object available in MicroStrategy. The objects the user selects
in the prompt are placed on the report. This essentially allows users to create their own
reports, although you use the Object prompt to control what objects they can choose to
include on their reports.
For example, you can create a prompt that allows users to choose from a list of existing
stand-alone filters to apply to the report. Or, you can create a prompt that displays the Day,

239 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Month, Quarter, and Year attributes to users, so the user can specify the granularity of the
report. Object prompts enable you to provide versatile reports to users.
The Customer Distribution Trend report contains two Object prompts. The report’s display is
shown below:

The first prompt, called Demographics List, contains a set of attributes that users select one
or more answers from. Answer choices include the attributes Customer Income Range,
Customer Age Range, and Customer Gender. The second prompt, called Psychographic
List, contains another set of attributes users can choose from. Its answer choices include the
attributes Customer Education, Customer Household Count, Customer Housing Type,
Customer Marital Status, and so on.
By separating the user’s choices into two Object prompts, the designer is able to group the
attributes according to user analysis needs. In this case, a user can focus on customer
demographics and customer psychographics separately when the user is considering what
data to see in the resulting report. Additionally, data for various combinations of
demographics and psychographics can be compared by running the report again and
answering the prompts differently.
Object prompts can be used in many places, including the following:
l Object prompt containing attributes: Any place that can accept a list of attributes.
l Object prompt containing metrics: Embedded in a Set qualification filter, as well as any
place that accepts metrics.

One prompt can contain different types of objects, such as both metrics and attributes, or
attributes and custom groups. However, if the prompt mixes metrics with another type of
object, either the metrics or the other objects are removed when the prompt is executed in a
report. For a more detailed explanation, see the Advanced Prompts chapter in the Advanced
Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 240

Basic Reporting Guide

For a table of where to use all prompts, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or
filter, page 264.

Creating Object prompts

When you create an Object prompt, you can decide whether users can select from a
specified list of MicroStrategy objects, or you can define a specific search that presents an
up-to-date set of objects for users to select from. Including a search object in the Object
prompt, rather than specifying the exact object names, allows users to select from new
objects that might not have been part of the project when you first created the prompt.

To create an Object prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Object Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To create the list of objects from which the user can select
You can only use objects of one type in an Object prompt. For example, you can include
metrics or attributes in a single Object prompt, but not both. To prompt for multiple object
types in the same report, you must create an Object prompt for each object type.
On the Definition tab, choose one of the following options:
l Use a pre-defined list of objects: This option lets you define a specified list of
objects.
l Click Add, select the objects, then click OK.
l To delete an object from the list, select the object and click Remove.
l To remove all the items from the list, click Clear.
l To change the order in which the objects are displayed in the prompt, select an object
and click the Up and Down arrows to move the selected object.
l Use the results of a search object: A search object will search for and display
specific project objects when the user executes the report. This lets you prompt the user
with the most up-to-date objects in the project.
Click Select Search, select the object, then click OK.

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
1. On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you
save the prompt, although you can change it.

241 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To restrict the number of prompt answers

1. You can specify whether the user is required to answer the prompt before running the
report. To require users to answer the prompt, select the Prompt Answer is
Required check box.
2. Set the maximum and/or minimum number of prompt answers allowed, if desired.
Select the Minimum number of answers and/or the Maximum number of
answers check boxes, and enter the numbers in the fields.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:
l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.
l Single: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, from the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation style,
such as Check box, for the prompt. This is how the prompt is displayed to the user.
2. To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width and/or the Fixed textbox height check boxes, and specify the
size of the prompt's text fields and options in the fields.
Specifying the size of the textbox can be beneficial when users answer prompts on a
smaller screen of a mobile device.
3. To determine how prompt options are arranged, from the Orientation drop-down
list, select Vertical or Horizontal.
To determine the number of prompt answers displayed in a row or column (depending
on alignment), select the Items per column/row check box and enter the number
in the field.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 242

Basic Reporting Guide

1. You can determine whether to allow users to use a search box to locate prompt
answers. Searching for objects allows analysts to quickly locate specific objects to use
to answer the prompt. From the Show search box drop-down list, select one of the
following options:
l To display the search box, select True.
l To not display a search box, select False.
1. If you are using the Shopping Cart display style, you can select the Use folder
structure check box to display the prompt choices in a folder structure. This option,
available for search objects, is useful when the same object with the same name is
saved in multiple folders. Use the up and down ordering arrows to reorder prompt
objects.
To allow users to navigate above the root folder when searching, select the Allow
navigation above search root check box.
2. For an object prompt that uses a search object and the Tree display style, the Use
folder structure check box is selected and cannot be changed. You can select
whether or not empty folders are shown in the tree when the prompt is executed.
Select or clear the Do not show empty folders check box. Note that selecting it
can impact performance.

The search object must search within subfolders. For background information on search
objects and steps to create them, see the MicroStrategy Developer Help (formerly the
MicroStrategy Desktop Help).

To save your prompt

Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name
and Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
You can now add your new prompt to a report, metric, or filter. For a table showing how to
add each prompt type to a report, metric, or filter, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report,
metric, or filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

Filtering data based on a single value or string: Value

prompts
Value prompts are useful when the result desired on the report is a single value, such as a
specific date, a number, or a specific word or phrase. The Value prompt is designed to return
report results based on the data type assigned to the data in your data source.
For example, you want a report that lists all employees whose age is less than 40 years. You
create a report with the Employee attribute and the Employee Age attribute. You create a
Numeric Value prompt while you are creating the report. The Numeric Value prompt

243 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

contains the Employee Age attribute, the operator Less than, and a Maximum Value set at
50.
Using the MicroStrategy Tutorial sample data, if you execute the report and answer the
prompt by specifying 40 as the Employee Age, the final report looks like the following:

Value prompts are typically used on a filter, where they become part of the filter’s definition,
but they can also be used on a metric as part of the metric’s formula. The filter or metric is
then placed on a report.
Because they are often used in filters, Value prompts can be created directly in the Filter
Editor at the same time you create the filter in which you want to place the Value prompt.
When created this way, a Value prompt is part of the filter’s definition and is not a stand-
alone prompt, so it cannot be added to another filter. To create a stand-alone Value prompt,
create it in the New Prompt page. This gives you and other designers the flexibility to create
a Value prompt once and add it to various filters.
For a table of where to use all prompts, see Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or
filter, page 264.
The different types of Value prompts are:
l Date prompt: This Value prompt type asks users to type or select a date, and returns
data that has the date data type assigned to it and that matches the user’s entered date.
For example, the Date prompt can be useful when added to a filter that screens data
based on Year=2006. The prompt lets users select a specific date within the year of the
filter’s condition. Date prompts are used in filters which qualify on a date.
l Numeric prompt: This Value prompt type asks users to type a numeric value. Numeric
Value prompts accept integers or decimals up to 15 digits of precision. Numeric prompts
can be used in any filter that needs a number input from the user, such as a metric

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 244

Basic Reporting Guide

qualification. For information on metric qualification filters, see Filtering data based on
attribute relationships or metrics: Set qualifications, page 185.

If a user enters more than 15 digits for a numeric prompt, the data is converted to scientific
notation. If precision is needed beyond 15 digits, you should use a Big Decimal value prompt
instead.

l Text prompt: This Value prompt type asks users to type a string of text. Text prompts
are commonly used in attribute form qualification filters. For information on attribute form
qualification filters, see Filtering data based on business attributes: Attribute qualifications,
page 174.
l Big Decimal prompt: This Value prompt type asks users for a “big decimal” value. Big
Decimal Value prompts accept integers and decimals up to 38 digits of precision.

Big Decimal prompts should be used in expressions that require high precision, such as
qualifying on a Big Decimal attribute ID.

l Long prompt: This Value prompt type asks users for a long integer value. Long
prompts accept integer numbers up to 10 digits.
Long prompts can be created in MicroStrategy Developer. The ability to create a Long
Value prompt is not enabled in the Prompt Generation Wizard by default. To enable Long
Value prompts:
a. Double-click your project to open it.
b. From the Tools menu in Developer, select My Preferences. The My
Preferences dialog box opens.
c. Expand the General category on the left, and select Prompts.
d. Select Add long prompts to the list of available value prompts.
e. Click OK to save your changes.

Creating Value prompts

To create a Value prompt

1. In MicroStrategy Web, on the Home page, click New Prompt. The Create Prompt
page opens.
2. Click Value Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To define the prompt type to be presented to the user

Specify the type of Value prompt:

245 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l Date and Time prompt: This prompt lets users filter for data related to either a
specific date or a range of dates.
l Numeric prompt: This prompt lets users filter numeric data, usually based on a metric.
l Text prompt: This prompt lets users filter text data, usually based on attribute forms.
l Big Decimal prompt: This prompt lets users filter data based on a big decimal value
for a metric.

To specify a title and instructions

For considerations when determining a title and description, see Components of a
prompt, page 208.
1. On the General tab, type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you
save the prompt, although you can change it.
2. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during
report execution.

To define a range within which the user’s answer must fall

1. You can specify whether the user is required to answer the prompt before running the
report. To require users to answer the prompt, select the Prompt Answer is
Required check box. For considerations about required and optional prompt
answers, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
2. To restrict the user to entering values within certain ranges:
l Select the Minimum value check box and enter the lowest value allowed for the
prompt answer.
l For a Date prompt, this is the earliest date.
l For a Text prompt, this is the fewest number of characters allowed in the text string.
l Select the Maximum value check box and enter the highest value allowed for the
prompt answer.
l For a Date prompt, this is the latest date.
l For a Text prompt, this is the maximum number of characters allowed in the text string.

To allow personal answers

Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse
the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For more information on personal
answers, and how they can be used, see Components of a prompt, page 208.
To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the
following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 246

Basic Reporting Guide

l None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must
answer it manually (if it is required).
l Single: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep
the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new
personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
l Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different
answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different
one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the
prompt manually.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. On the Style tab, from the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation style,
such as Textbox, for the prompt. This is how the prompt is displayed to the user.

Styles for prompts displayed for mobile devices, such as Slider, Stepper, and Switch,
display when the prompt is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile.
Certain styles are available for specific types of Value prompts. For a general
overview of displaying prompts on mobile devices, see the Allowing users to filter
data: prompts section of theMicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide.

The options are:

l Textbox: This prompt lets users type a value directly into a field.
l Slider: This prompt lets users specify a numeric value on a horizontal slider.
l Stepper: This prompt displays a numeric value. Users can use the increment and
decrement buttons to increase or decrease the value displayed.
l Switch: This prompt lets users choose between two choices, On and Off.
l Wheel: This prompt displays a wheel or row of wheels the user can move up or
down to specify a value.
l Geo Location: This prompt lets users filter results based on their current
geographical location.
l Barcode Reader: This prompt lets users answer the prompt by scanning or
typing an item's bar code.
2. Depending on the prompt's type and display style, you can specify other available
formatting options:
l To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are of a fixed size, select the Fixed
textbox width check box and type a value in the field.
l For the Date and Time prompt, to allow users to select time before running a report,
select the Allow user to select time check box.

On mobile devices, the Date and Time prompts are displayed as a calendar by default. If
the Allow user to select time check box is selected, the Date and Time prompts are

247 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

displayed as wheels on an iPhone or iPad, and as a date/time stepper on an Android

device.

l For the Numeric prompt, to specify a value for the prompt when it is set to the on
position, type a value in the On value field. To specify a value for the prompt when it is
set to the off position, type a value in the Off value field.
l To specify the interval between numeric values that are displayed in the prompt, type a
value in the Interval field. For example, in a Numeric prompt with the display style set to
Slider, a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 50, and an interval of 5, users can
select values such as 5, 10, 15, and so on.
l For prompts with the display style set to Geo Location, to specify whether the prompt is set
using latitude or longitude, select Latitude or Longitude from the Location coordinate
drop-down list.
l To format how numeric values are displayed in the prompt, click Number
Format,select a number formatting style and click OK to apply changes.

To save your prompt

Click Save As, navigate to the folder where you want to save the prompt, type a Name
and Description for the prompt, and click OK. Your new prompt is saved.
All Value prompts must be added to either a metric or a filter (depending on the type of Value
prompt and what you want it to do), and then the metric or filter is added to a report.
For a table showing how to add each prompt type to a report, see Reports: Adding prompts
to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
You can also set a default prompt answer, which allows the user to complete report
execution quickly, as they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report
using the default answer. For steps to specify a default prompt answer, see Components of
a prompt, page 208.

Editing a prompt
You can edit any prompt by clicking it in MicroStrategy Web. The prompt opens in Edit mode.
For steps to edit a prompt, see Types of prompts, page 214 to determine the type of prompt
you are editing, and then use the appropriate section to make changes to any aspect of the
prompt.

Additional prompt functionality

The Advanced Reporting Guideprovides detailed information about the following advanced
features:
l Prompts in scheduled reports: Learn about how prompted reports work when they are on
a set schedule to be executed, and what the special requirements are for scheduled
reports with prompts.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 248

Basic Reporting Guide

l Level prompts: Learn about creating a Level prompt that lets users determine what level a
metric is aggregated at, as well as any target or grouping associated with the metric’s
level.
l Dynamic dates: Learn about defining a date that is a fixed offset of the current date.
l System prompts: These are special built-in prompts, such as the User Login system
prompt. Additional information and examples can be found in the System Administration
Guide.

Designing a report’s structure: Templates

A template is the structure that underlies any report. A template specifies the set of
information that the report should retrieve from your data source, and it also determines the
structure in which the information is displayed in the report’s results. A template’s structure is
the location of objects on the template, such as showing that metrics have been placed in the
report’s columns, and attributes have been placed in the rows; the Revenue metric has been
placed to the left of the Revenue Forecast metric so that a user reading left to right can see
current revenue before seeing forecasted revenue; and so on.
When you are creating a report, you place various MicroStrategy objects on the report’s
template. Objects can include attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts, as well as other
objects such as custom groups and consolidations which are introduced in the Advanced
Reporting Guide. Filters and prompts further restrict and refine the data displayed on the
executed report. When a report is executed, the data related to all the objects on the
template that have satisfied the filtering conditions of the report filter are displayed on the
report using the format specified by the template.
MicroStrategy comes with a set of pre-created report templates which you can use to build
your own reports. These templates let you create a new report quickly because the template
already contains common objects and basic filters. When you create any new report, you can
start with an existing template, which will shorten the time it takes to produce the finished
report. The Create Report page opens whenever you create a new report in MicroStrategy
Web, and this is where you can select an existing template on which to base the new report.
The templates on the Create Report page are shown in the image below:

249 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

The diagram below shows the template and filter for a report, as well as the executed report
that results from what is defined on the template.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 250

Basic Reporting Guide

Whenever you initiate the creation of a new report, the system automatically creates a
template and a basic, empty report filter. Although you may not specifically define and use a
separate template or report filter object, a template and empty filter are a logical part of every
report’s definition.

Creating a grid report

A report is a MicroStrategy object that represents a request for a specific set of formatted
data from your data source. In its most basic form it consists of two parts:
l A report template (usually simply called a template), which is the underlying structure of
the report.
l The report-related objects placed on the template, such as attributes, metrics, filters, and
prompts.
To create a report that accurately answers a specific business query, be sure you
understand the fundamental MicroStrategy objects that make up a report, as described in
MicroStrategy objects, page 138. This section assumes you have a basic understanding of
each object presented in this chapter. For information on the specific objects that make up a
report, refer to the following:
l Attributes: See Providing business context to a report: Attributes, page 143.
l Metrics: See Calculating data on a report: Metrics, page 144.
l Filters: See Filtering data on a report: Filters, page 169.
l Prompts: See Asking for user input: Prompts, page 206.
l Templates: See Designing a report’s structure: Templates, page 249.
l Consolidations and custom groups: See the Consolidations and Custom Groups chapter
in the Advanced Reporting Guide.
A simple report generally has at least one attribute, one metric, and one filter. It is not
necessary to have all these objects in the report, but the data returned is more meaningful if
all these objects are present in the report.
For example, if you create a report with just one attribute, such as Customer, and run the
report, it returns a list of all the attribute elements for that attribute. In this case, you see a list

251 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

of names for every customer who has done business with your company and is in your
database. Likewise, if you add just one metric to an otherwise blank report, you see all
revenue data for all time, for all regions.
If you add a metric and an attribute to the same report, such as the Customer attribute and
the Revenue metric, the report data begins to become useful because you can view what
revenue each customer brought to your stores. However, for most organizations, this is still a
prohibitively large report.
If you add a report filter to the report, you can limit the data to a specific area of interest. For
example, you can define a specific geographic region and a time period by adding a few
additional attributes to the report, such as Region and Year. Then you can add a filter to see
only your most profitable Northeast region customers for the past year. The resulting report
can display those customers in your Northeast region who brought in the most revenue last
year.

It is not required that the objects in a filter are also part of the report itself. In this example,
adding the Region and Year attributes to the report lets the report’s users see the context of
the report’s results.

This section describes how to design a report with basic reporting components, such as
attributes, metrics, and filters, in MicroStrategy Web using the Report Editor. It provides
procedures to create a new report and add attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts to the
report. It also provides a procedure to modify an existing report.
If you use the MicroStrategy Tutorial project to perform the examples in the procedures that
follow, you can become familiar with the Report Editor environment and the features it offers.
The Tutorial project offers an opportunity to use MicroStrategy even if your organization
does not yet have its own data available in a MicroStrategy project.

Prerequisites
To create a report that displays your organization’s data, you must have a MicroStrategy
project already created, and you must have the appropriate MicroStrategy privileges to
perform the necessary tasks. If you plan to use the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its
sample data with the following procedures, you only need the privileges necessary to
perform the procedures; it is not necessary to have your own project set up in MicroStrategy.
Each of these requirements is discussed below.

A working project with data objects

Before you create your own reports, you must have a working MicroStrategy project
containing objects that reflect your business data. (If you do not yet have your own working
project, you can use the Tutorial project to practice procedures in this book. The Tutorial
project is discussed below.) A project must contain objects that reflect your business data, so
that those objects can be placed on a report and, when the report is executed, the
appropriate business data can be retrieved from your data source.
Business objects that must already be created within a project include the following:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 252

Basic Reporting Guide

l Facts, for example Revenue or Units Sold, are business measurements, which take the
form of data stored in your data source, or variables. Facts are typically numeric and
suitable for aggregation. They are used to create metrics as well as other objects in
MicroStrategy.
l Attributes are business concepts that answer questions about facts, such as when,
where, and so on. Attributes provide a context for reporting those facts.

Your project may already contain other objects in addition to attributes and facts, such as
metrics, filters, and prompts. Facts and attributes are the minimum objects that must already
be created. They are usually created by your project designer when the project itself is
created.

For example, on a report that contains the Year attribute and a Units Sold metric (based on a
Units Sold fact), you can view how many units were sold during a given year. Without any
attribute on this report, the report can provide information only about how many units were
sold overall; it cannot answer questions about who purchased the units, when, where, and
so on.
Detailed information about creating projects, as well as about facts, attributes, and how to
create these objects can be found in the Project Design Guide.
If you do not have a working project yet, you can use the Tutorial project with the procedures
in this chapter to learn how to create the various report objects in MicroStrategy. For
information on the Tutorial project and how to access it, see About sample data and the
MicroStrategy Tutorial project, page 3.

Report design and creation privileges

As a MicroStrategy user, you must have the appropriate privileges assigned to you, to be
able to create reports and report objects, as follows:
l For MicroStrategy Web, the group of privileges assigned to most report designers is called
Web Professional.
l For MicroStrategy Developer, the group of privileges assigned to most report designers is
called Developer.
See your administrator for any questions about privileges assigned in MicroStrategy.

Creating a report with the Report Editor

You can use the Report Editor available in MicroStrategy Web to create a new report or
modify an existing report. The Report Editor displays the report as it will be seen by the user
and includes toolbars, menus, and panels that allow you to change how the report is
displayed.
To modify a report’s template, filter, or any other aspect of the report’s definition, you can use
Design Mode within the Report Editor. A new report automatically opens in Design Mode. It
is also accessible within an existing report through the Home menu of the Report Editor
interface.

253 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Design Mode allows you to create or edit the report’s template and definition. A report’s
definition is the definitions of all the objects that are included on the report when the report is
designed, as well as any formatting applied to the report.

Creating a quick report

If you are already familiar with MicroStrategy objects that are used to create a report, and
you need to create a report quickly, you can use MicroStrategy’s Report Builder to create a
report. However, the Report Builder tool limits you to only adding certain objects to the report
while you are using the tool. Once you finish creating a report in Report Builder, you can
continue to modify the report in the Report Editor and add additional objects.
To use Report Builder to create a quick report, see Creating a report for analysis, page 129.

Opening the Report Editor with a blank report template

Templates are introduced in Designing a report’s structure: Templates, page 249.
Once objects are added to it, a template specifies the set of information that the report should
retrieve from your data source, and it also determines the structure in which the information
is displayed in the report’s results.
This section contains steps to open Design Mode in MicroStrategy Web with a blank report
template, so you can create a new report.

To access a blank report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to the project in which you want to create a report.
If you are using the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its sample data, log in to the
Tutorial project.
2. Click the MicroStrategy icon and select Create Report.
3. Click Blank Report. A blank report template is displayed, and you are ready to
design a new report.
The following image shows Design Mode displaying a blank report template in
MicroStrategy Web.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 254

Basic Reporting Guide

For a description of each area or pane of the MicroStrategy Web Report Editor and
Design Mode, see MicroStrategy Web Report Editor interface, page 312.
4. Use the following sections to add attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts to your new
report. Almost all reports have one or more attributes, one or more metrics, and one
filter.
l Attributes: See Reports: Adding attributes to a report, page 255.
l Metrics: See Reports: Adding metrics to a report, page 258.
l Filters: See Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260.
l Prompts: See Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.

Reports: Adding attributes to a report

Attributes are MicroStrategy objects that represent the business concepts reflected in your
stored business data in your data source. Attributes provide a context in which to report on
and analyze business facts or calculations. While knowing your company’s total sales is
useful, knowing where and when the sales took place is much more helpful for analysts. For
details on attributes, see Providing business context to a report: Attributes, page 143.

255 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Selecting the right attributes

When you choose attributes to place on a report, select attributes that make sense together.
For example, Product Supplier and Customer Income Bracket do not make much sense
when their related data is displayed side-by-side on a report. It is difficult to imagine a metric
that can be included on a report with these attributes, which would calculate useful report
results which would be meaningful for both these attributes.
However, the Customer Income Bracket attribute makes sense when it is combined with the
Product attribute on a report, where they might allow an analyst to consider a list of products
preferred by higher and lower income bracket customers. The Product Supplier attribute
makes more sense when combined with any or all of the attributes Ship Date, Rush Orders,
Weeks to Ship, or some other attribute related to the supply chain.

To add an attribute to a report

If you are using one of your organization’s projects, this procedure assumes attributes have
been created. Attributes are usually created by your project’s designer. If attributes need to be
created, see the Project Design Guide.

1. In MicroStrategy Web, create a new report in Design Mode. See Creating a report
with the Report Editor, page 253.
2. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to your project’s attributes folder and open
it.
l If you are using the Tutorial project, open the Schema Objects folder, then open
the Attributes folder. Select any attribute to use for the next step. In this
procedure, Category attribute from the Products folder is used.
l To search for an attribute in your project, type the name of the attribute in the Find
text field and press Enter or click the Find icon.
3. To add an attribute to the report, do one of the following:
l Drag and drop the attribute to the desired location on the report’s grid.
l Double-click the attribute to add it to the report.
l Right-click the attribute and select Add to Grid as shown in the image below, then
move it to the desired location on the report’s grid.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 256

Basic Reporting Guide

Attributes are commonly displayed in a report’s rows, although you can add attributes to
a report’s column, if you want. To add an attribute to a column, do one of the following:
• Drag and drop the attribute to the Drop objects here to add columns area of
the grid.
• Right-click the attribute name, select Move and select To Columns.
4. The attribute appears in the row or the column section of your report’s template
depending upon where it is added, as shown in the image below:

257 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

5. Repeat the steps above to add additional attributes to your report, if you wish.
6. Almost all reports have one or more attributes, one or more metrics, and one filter. If
you need to, use the following sections of this manual to add additional objects to your
new report:
l Metrics: See Reports: Adding metrics to a report, page 258.
l Filters: See Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260.
l Prompts: See Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
7. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Reports: Adding metrics to a report

Metrics are MicroStrategy objects that represent business measures and key performance
indicators. From a practical perspective, metrics are the calculations performed on data
stored in your database, the results of which are displayed on a report. For details on
metrics, see Calculating data on a report: Metrics, page 144.

To add a metric to a report

If you are using one of your organization’s projects, this procedure assumes at least one
metric has been created. If you need to create metrics, see Calculating data on a report:
Metrics, page 144.

1. In MicroStrategy Web, create a new report in Design Mode. See Creating a report
with the Report Editor, page 253.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 258

Basic Reporting Guide

2. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to your project’s metric folder and open it.
l If you are using the Tutorial project, open the Public Objects folder, then open the
Metrics folder. Select any metric to use in the next step. In this procedure, the
Average Revenue metric from the Sales Metrics folder is used.
l To search for a metric in your project, type the name of the metric in the Find text
field and press Enter or click the Find icon.
3. To add a metric to the report, do one of the following:
l Drag and drop the metric to the desired location on the report’s grid.
l Double-click the metric to add it to the report.
l Right-click the metric and select Add to Grid as shown in the image below, then
move it to the desired location on the report’s grid.

Metrics are commonly displayed in a report’s columns, although you can add metrics
to a report’s row, if you want. To add a metric to a row, do one of the following:
l Drag and drop the metric on the row in the report grid.
l Right-click the Metrics header, select Move and select To Rows.
4. The metric appears in the row or the column section of your report’s template
depending upon where it is added, as shown in the image below:

259 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

5. Repeat the steps above to add additional metrics to your report, as needed.
6. Almost all reports have one or more attributes, one or more metrics, and one filter. If
you need to, use the following sections of this manual to add additional objects to your
new report:
l Attributes: Reports: Adding attributes to a report, page 255.
l Filters: Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260.
l Prompts: Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
7. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
once your report has one or more attributes and metrics in it, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
8. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Reports: Adding a filter to a report

A filter screens data in your data source to determine whether the data should be included in
or excluded from the calculations of the report results. A filter is not required in a report,
although reports without filters are more likely to return too much data to be displayed
effectively. If a filter is added, it should make sense with the objects already on the report.
For details on filters in general and the various types of filters, see Filtering data on a report:
Filters, page 169. You need to know what type of filter you want to have when you add it to a
report.
Filters can be added to a report in two ways:
l If a filter object has already been created in your project (this is a stand-alone filter), use
the To add a stand-alone filter to a report, page 261 procedure below.
l If a separate filter has not already been created, you can create a filter directly in the
report. However, be aware that the filter cannot be used as an independent object on
other reports. To create a filter within the report, use the To create a filter directly within a
report: Embedded filters, page 262 procedure below.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 260

Basic Reporting Guide

To add a stand-alone filter to a report

If you are using one of your organization’s projects, this procedure assumes at least one filter
has been created. If you need to create filters, see Filtering data on a report: Filters, page 169.

1. In MicroStrategy Web, create a new report in Design Mode. See Creating a report
with the Report Editor, page 253.
2. If the Report Filter pane is not displayed above the report, display it by clicking the
Filter icon on the toolbar.
3. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to the folder where your filter is located and
open it.
l If you are using the Tutorial project, open the Public Objects folder, then open
the Shared Filters folder. Select any filter to use in the next step. In this
procedure, the Top 5 Customers By Revenue filter from the Customer Analysis
Filters folder is used.
l To search for a filter in your project, type the name of the filter in the Find text field
and press Enter or click the Find icon.
4. To add a filter to the report’s Filter pane, do one of the following:
l Drag and drop the filter on the Report Filter pane.
l Double-click the filter to add it to the Report Filter pane.
l Right-click the filter and select Add to Filter as shown in the image below.

261 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

5. Repeat the steps above to add additional filters to your report, as needed.
6. Almost all reports have one or more attributes, one or more metrics, and one filter. If
you need to, use the following sections of this manual to add additional objects to your
new report:
l Attributes: Reports: Adding attributes to a report, page 255.
l Metrics: Reports: Adding metrics to a report, page 258.
l Prompts: Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
7. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
once your report has one or more attributes and metrics in it, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
8. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

To create a filter directly within a report: Embedded filters

1. In MicroStrategy Web, create a new report in Design Mode. See Creating a report
with the Report Editor, page 253.
2. If the Report Filter pane is not displayed above the report, display it by clicking the
Filter icon on the toolbar.
3. Select the object you want to base your filter on:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 262

Basic Reporting Guide

l To base your filter on an object that is part of the report's definition, select Report
Objects from the bottom left to open the Report Objects pane if it is not already
open. Select the object you want to base your filter on. The object can be an
attribute or a metric.
l To base your filter on the results of another report, select All Objects from the
bottom left to open the All Objects pane if it is not already open. Navigate to and
select the report you want to base your filter on.
4. To add the selected object to the report’s Filter pane, do one of the following:
l Drag and drop the object on the Report Filter pane.
l Right-click the object and select Add to Filter as shown in the image below.

5. Depending on the type of object you added to the filter, a new set of choices may
appear. The links below provide steps to filter data based on the object you chose:
l If you are filtering based on an attribute, see one of the following:
l Filtering data based on business attributes: Attribute qualifications, page 174.
l Filtering data based on business attributes: Attribute qualifications, page 174.
l Filtering data based on business attributes: Attribute qualifications, page 174.
l If you are filtering based on a metric, see Filtering data based on attribute
relationships or metrics: Set qualifications, page 185.

263 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l If you are filtering based on the results of another report, see Filtering data based on
existing filters or report results: Shortcut qualifications, page 190.
l If you are filtering based on a filter, see Filtering data based on existing filters or
report results: Shortcut qualifications, page 190.
l If you are creating an advanced filter, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.
6. Click the Apply icon to apply your new filter condition to the report.
7. You can add additional conditions to the report's filter by repeating the steps above to
add another object to the filter and define the condition.
8. Almost all reports have one or more attributes, one or more metrics, and one filter. If
you need to, use the following sections of this manual to add additional objects to your
new report:
l Attributes: See Reports: Adding attributes to a report, page 255.
l Metrics: See Reports: Adding metrics to a report, page 258.
l Prompts: See Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264.
9. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
once your report has one or more attributes and metrics in it, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
10. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter

You need to know what type of prompt you will be using when deciding where and how to
add it to a report, a metric, or a filter. For example, Object prompts are most commonly
placed directly on a report, but can also be placed in the condition part of a metric’s definition
in the Metric Editor, depending on the type of object in the Object prompt.
Use the following table when considering how and where to add a prompt to a report, metric,
or filter:

Filter Name Add To Report Add To Add To Add To Add To Filter Editor: Filter
Editor: Report Report Metric Definition Pane
Template Editor: Editor: Editor:
Definition Report Page-by Definition
Pane Filter Pane Pane Pane

Hierarchy No Yes No No Yes

Qualification
prompt
Attribute No Yes No No Yes
Qualification
prompt
Attribute No Yes No No Yes
Element List
prompt

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 264

Basic Reporting Guide

Filter Name Add To Report Add To Add To Add To Add To Filter Editor: Filter
Editor: Report Report Metric Definition Pane
Template Editor: Editor: Editor:
Definition Report Page-by Definition
Pane Filter Pane Pane Pane

Metric No Yes No No Yes

Qualification
prompt
Object Prompts
Object prompt of Yes No Yes Yes Added as part of an
attributes advanced qualification
Object prompt of Yes No Yes Yes No
metrics
Object prompt of No Yes No Yes Yes
filters

Object prompt of No Yes No No Yes

reports
Value Prompts
Date prompt No No No No Added as part of an attribute
form qualification, on an
attribute form of Date data
type
Numeric prompt, No No No Yes Added as part of a metric set
Long prompt, or qualification, as a metric
Big Decimal value comparison
prompt
Text prompt No No No No Added as part of an attribute
form qualification, on an
attribute form of a text data
type

Add To Report Add To Report Add To Report Add To Metric Add to Filter
Editor: Template Editor: Report Editor: Page-by Editor: Definition Editor: Filter
Definition Pane Filter Pane Pane Pane Definition Pane

Procedure Reports: Reports: Reports: Reports: Reports:

Adding Adding Adding Adding Adding
prompts to a prompts to a prompts to a prompts to a prompts to a
report, metric, report, metric, report, metric, report, metric, report, metric,
or filter, page or filter, page or filter, page or filter, page or filter, page
264 264 264 264 264

265 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Adding prompts in the Report Editor

Adding a prompt to the Template definition pane in the Report Editor

You can add Object prompts to the Template definition pane of the Report Editor.
This procedure assumes you have already created and saved a prompt. For steps to create
an Object prompt, see Filtering data based on metrics, attributes, or other objects: Object
prompts, page 239.

To add a prompt to the Template definition pane in the Report Editor

1. In MicroStrategy Web, if you are creating a new report, open Design Mode. For steps
to do this, see Creating a report with the Report Editor, page 253. If you are adding the
prompt to an existing report, from the Home menu in the Report Editor, select
Design.
2. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to the folder where the prompt you want to
add to the report is located and open it.
To search for the prompt, type the name of the prompt in the Find text field and press
Enter or click the Find icon.
3. Drag and drop the prompt to the desired location on the report’s grid. Alternatively,
right-click the prompt and select Add to Grid as shown in the image below, then
move it to the desired location on the report’s grid.

4. Add more prompts or other objects to the report if desired.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 266

Basic Reporting Guide

5. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
and if you want to see how a prompt works for a user, once your report has one or
more attributes and metrics in it and you have added a prompt, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
6. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Adding a prompt to the Report Filter pane in the Report Editor

You can add Filter Definition prompts to the Report Filter pane of the Report Editor. You can
also add an Object prompt that is made up of filters or reports.
This procedure assumes you have already created and saved a prompt. For steps to create
a filter definition prompt, see Filtering data on an attribute, attribute form, attribute element,
or metric: Qualification Prompts, page 218. To create an Object prompt, see Filtering data
based on metrics, attributes, or other objects: Object prompts, page 239.

To add a prompt to the Report Filter pane in the Report Editor

1. In MicroStrategy Web, if you are creating a new report, open Design Mode. For steps
to do this, see Creating a report with the Report Editor, page 253. If you are adding the
prompt to an existing report, from the Home menu in the Report Editor, select
Design.
2. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to the folder where the prompt you want to
add to the report is located and open it.
To search for the prompt, type the name of the prompt in the Find text field and press
Enter or click the Find icon.
1. Drag and drop the prompt onto the Report Filter pane. Alternatively, right-click the
prompt and select Add to Filter as shown in the image below:

267 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

2. Add more prompts or other objects to the report if desired.

3. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
and if you want to see how a prompt works for a user, once your report has one or
more attributes and metrics in it and you have added a prompt, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
4. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Adding a prompt to the page-by pane in the Report Editor

Page-by lets you turn a long report into a set of individual pages. The pages are created
based on the objects on the report, allowing users to see manageable subsets of otherwise
large quantities of data. For background information on page-by fields, see Grouping data by
page, page 63.
You can add Object prompts to the page-by pane of the Report Editor.
This procedure assumes you have already created and saved a prompt. For steps to create
an Object prompt, see Filtering data based on metrics, attributes, or other objects: Object
prompts, page 239.

To add a prompt to the page-by pane in the Report Editor

1. In MicroStrategy Web, if you are creating a new report, open Design Mode. For steps
to do this, see Creating a report with the Report Editor, page 253. If you are adding the
prompt to an existing report, from the Home menu in the Report Editor, select

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 268

Basic Reporting Guide

Design.
2. In the All Objects pane on the left, navigate to the folder where the prompt you want to
add to the report is located and open it.
To search for the prompt, type the name of the prompt in the Find text field and press
Enter or click the Find icon.
3. Drag and drop the prompt onto the page-by pane.
The image below shows an Object prompt called Object Prompt on Metric in the
page-by pane:

4. Add more prompts or other objects to the report if desired.

5. If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source,
and if you want to see how a prompt works for a user, once your report has one or
more attributes and metrics in it and you have added a prompt, from the toolbar select
Run Report.
6. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

Adding prompts in the Metric Editor

Adding a prompt to a metric’s definition in the Metric Editor

You can add the following prompt types to a metric’s definition in the Metric Editor:

269 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l An Object prompt of attributes, to allow the user to select the attribute at which to
calculated the metric. For steps to create a level metric, see the Advanced Reporting
Guide.
l A Numeric prompt, Big Decimal prompt, or Long prompt, which are all types of a Value
prompt.
l You can use a Value prompt in the formula of a metric. For example, a user can enter
the tax rate to be multiplied by the Revenue fact. For steps, see To add a prompt to a
metric’s definition in the Metric Editor, page 270 below.
l For a non-group function, you can use a Value prompt as the input values of the
function. For more information about non-group functions, see Metrics made up of
metrics: Compound metrics, page 156.

You can create a conditional metric, which filters data for that metric. As part of the filter on
the metric, you can use a prompt. For steps to create a conditional metric, see the Advanced
Reporting Guide.

To add a prompt to a metric’s definition in the Metric Editor

This procedure assumes you have already created and saved a prompt. For steps to create a
Value prompt, see Filtering data based on a single value or string: Value prompts, page 243.

1. In MicroStrategy Developer, select File, point to New, and then select Metric. The
Metric Editor opens.
2. Create your metric’s formula. Use the Object Browser on the left to locate the prompt
to add to the metric’s definition.
If the Object Browser is not displayed, from the View menu select Object Browser.
3. Drag the prompt onto the Definition pane at the bottom right, as shown in the image
below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 270

Basic Reporting Guide

4. Save the metric, and add it to a report. For steps to do this, see Reports: Adding
metrics to a report, page 258.
If you want to see what your report looks like when executed against the data source, and if
you want to see how a prompt works for a user, once your report has one or more attributes
and metrics in it, from the View menu select Grid View.

Saving a report
After you create or modify a report, you must save the report so that you and others can
execute it in the future. When you save a report, its name and its definition such as the
template, report filtering criteria, and report formatting information are stored in the
MicroStrategy metadata repository.
You can select options for prompted reports, such as whether to keep the report prompted.
You can also save reports as filters or templates, as follows:
l Saving a report as a filter allows you to use the saved report to filter a different report. For
example, if you have a report that returns basic data such as revenue for the year 2008,
you can save the report as a filter and then use the new filter on other reports; in this
example, the filter would restrict data on other reports to revenue in the year 2008.
l Saving the report as a template allows you to use the saved report as a base on which to
build other reports. For example, if you have a report that returns basic data such as
countries and revenue, you can save the report as a template on which you build several
other reports, all of which contain country and revenue data but also contain additional
data as appropriate for each report.
Saving a new report creates a predefined report. Other users can then execute that report to
analyze the data it shows, and they can limit or reformat the data results according to their
own analysis needs. To execute the report, double-click the report to retrieve and display the
most recent data from your data source.

271 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To save a report

This procedure assumes you have either finished creating a new report or modifying an
existing report, and you have the report open in the Report Editor. For steps to create a
report, see Creating a grid report, page 251.
1. From the Home menu, select one of the following:

l To save a report, select Save. If you are saving changes to a report that has already been
saved, your changes are saved automatically. Otherwise, the Save As dialog box opens.
Select the appropriate options to save your report, as described in the steps below.

If the report has already been saved and contains prompts, the report is automatically
saved as a prompted report with the Filter and Template set as prompted, and the Set the
current answers to be the default prompt answers check box selected. To select different
prompt options, select Save As from the Home menu instead of Save, as described in the
option below.

l To save a copy of an existing report using a different name or to specify prompt options for
an existing report, select Save As. The Save As dialog box opens. Select the appropriate
options to save your report, as described in the steps below.
1. Browse to the folder in which you want to save the report. You can create a new folder
in which to save the report. To do so, click the Create New Folder icon. The Create
Folder dialog box is displayed. To create a new folder:
a. In the Folder field, enter a name for the folder. You cannot create a folder with
the same name as an existing folder.
b. In the Description field, enter a description for your folder.
c. Click Create Folder.
2. If you are saving a prompted report, you can choose whether or not to keep the report
prompted when the report is executed again. Select the Keep report prompted
check box. Expand the Advanced Options, then select one of the following:
l To save the prompt answers you specified and automatically skip the prompt selection
page when running the report, select the Save report as static option. The next time
the report is run, the saved answers will automatically be used to answer the prompts and
run the report. The prompt selection page will not be displayed to users.
l To display the prompt selection page each time the report is run, select the Save report
as prompted option, then perform the following steps:
a You can determine which prompts will be presented to users when the report
is run. You can choose to display prompts that are part of the report's filter,
prompts that have been placed on the report's template, or both. Select one
of the following:
— To present users only with prompts that have been added to the report's
filter, select the Only filter will be prompted option. The next time
the report is run, users will only be prompted to provide answers for filter

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 272

Basic Reporting Guide

definition prompts. Answers for prompts that have been placed on the
report's template, such as objects that users have selected in an object
prompt or levels selected in a level prompt, are saved with the report
definition and do not need to be provided by the user.
— To present users only with prompts that have been added to the report's
filter, select the Only filter will be prompted option. The next time
the report is run, users will only be prompted to provide answers for filter
definition prompts. Answers for prompts that have been placed on the
report's template, such as objects that users have selected in an object
prompt or levels selected in a level prompt, are saved with the report
definition and do not need to be provided by the user.
— To present users only with prompts that are part of the report's template,
select the Only template will be prompted option. The next time
the report is run, users are only prompted to select objects for prompts
that have been placed on the report's template. Answers for prompts that
have been added to the report's filter are saved with the report definition
and do not need to be provided by the user.
— To present users with all prompts, regardless of whether they have been
added to the report's filter or the report's template, select the Filter and
template will be prompted option. The report is saved so that
object prompts, level prompts, and filter definition prompts all remain
active.
b You can choose to use the prompt answers you specified as default prompt
answers to be used the next time the report is run. Do one of the following:
— To use the prompt answers as default prompt answers, select the Set
the current prompt answers to be the default prompt
answers check box.
— To save the report without default answers, clear the Set the current
prompt answers to be the default prompt answers check
box.
3. To save the report as a filter, perform the following steps:

a Click the Filter tab.

b Select the Keep filter prompted check box. Expand the Advanced
Options and choose one of the following:
▫ To save the prompt answers that have been selected for the report and
automatically use them as answers each time the user runs a report to
which the report-as-filter has been added, select the Save filter as
static option. The report-as-filter is not prompted when a report it has
been added to is run.
▫ To present the prompt selection page to the user each time the user runs
a report to which the report-as-filter has been added, select the Save

273 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

filter as prompted option. The report-as-filter is prompted when the

report it is added to is run.
4. To save the report as a template, perform the following steps:
a Click the Template tab.
b Select the Keep template prompted check box. Expand the Advanced
Options and choose one of the following:
▫ To save the prompt answers that have been selected for the report and
automatically use them as answers each time the user runs a report that
is based on the report-as-template, select the Save template as
static option. The report-as-template is not prompted when a report that
is based on it is run.
▫ To present the prompt selection page to the user each time the user runs
a report that is based on the report-as-template, select the Save
template as prompted option. The report-as-template is prompted
when a report that is based on it is run.
5. In the Name and Description fields, type a name and description for the report.
6. Click OK to save the report. If a report with the same name already exists in the folder,
the Confirm Overwrite dialog box appears. Click Yes if you want to replace the
existing report.
After you create and save a report, you can include additional functionality on the report for
users, so they can explore report data more effectively and see related data. For details on
additional options you can add to a report, see Adding features for users, page 276.

Example for creating a new report

This section provides tutorials for designing a basic grid report in MicroStrategy Web.
Using the procedure below, you design the report called My Revenue by Region using the
Region attribute and the Revenue metric. The report on which it is based can be found in the
MicroStrategy Tutorial project in the following location: Shared Reports\Subject
Areas\Sales and Profitability Analysis. The report is shown in the image
below:

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 274

Basic Reporting Guide

Designing a report
The following procedure assumes you are using report objects from the MicroStrategy
Tutorial project and are making use of the sample Tutorial data. For details on the Tutorial
project, see About sample data and the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, page 3.
This procedure also assumes you are familiar with the Report Editor in MicroStrategy Web;
see MicroStrategy Web Report Editor interface, page 312 in Appendix A, Reporting
Interfaces in MicroStrategy for an introduction to the Report Editor functionality.

To design the Revenue by Region report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, click the

MicroStrategy icon and select New Report.
2. Select Blank Report. The report opens in Design Mode.
3. In the Object Browser on the left, click Schema Objects to open the Schema Objects
folder. Open the Attributes folder and then the Geography folder.
4. Double-click the Region attribute to add it to the Template pane.
5. In the Object Browser, browse to the Public Objects folder. (To do this, navigate back
to MicroStrategy Tutorial, then select Public Objects.) In the Public Objects folder,
select Metrics.
6. In the Metrics folder, open the Sales Metrics folder. Double-click the Revenue metric
to add it to the Template pane.

275 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

7. Click Save. The Save As dialog box opens. Browse to the folder where you want to
save your report, usually the My Reports folder. Save the report as My Revenue by
Region Web and click OK.
8. Click Run newly saved report to execute the report and display the results,
showing sample data from the sample data warehouse. When a report like this is built
using your organization’s objects, this view provides actual revenue numbers an
analyst can use for detailed reporting purposes.
9. From the Home menu, select Graph. This lets analysts compare data on a higher
level to see how various regions are doing in terms of revenue.

Adding features for users

You can provide several report manipulation capabilities for report analysts, by either
enabling them or creating and adding them to an existing report. These options provide an
interactive reporting experience to your users. You can also format the “No Data Returned”
message that appears in a report or document when no data is returned. For steps, see the
Document Creation Guide.
User features you should consider adding include:

Formatting for easier data analysis

If you created a report in MicroStrategy Developer, be sure to execute and look at your new
report in MicroStrategy Web as well. Make sure the report is visually pleasing, and if
necessary apply an autostyle to ensure the report is easy to read. A report designer can
create new autostyles in Developer and make them available in MicroStrategy Web.

Additional formatting ideas can be found in the Reports chapter of the Advanced Reporting
Guide.

Formatting row and column headers and cells

Analysts can apply a number of formatting characteristics to a report they have executed.
However, the report’s designer can apply a broader range of formatting options to a report,
so that users can more effectively understand the data displayed on the report, or to simply
achieve a pleasing and easy-to-read look. Formatting options available to analysts are
described in Chapter 2, Formatting a Report.

To format row and column headers and cells

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run the report that you want to format.

2. From the Format menu, select Advanced Grid Formatting. The Format:
Template dialog box opens.
If DHTML is disabled, click Go. The Format panel opens.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 276

Basic Reporting Guide

3. From the first drop-down list at the top of the dialog box, select the area of the grid to
change.
4. From the second drop-down list at the top of the dialog box, select whether to format
the All, Header, Values, Subtotal Names, or Subtotal Values of that area of
the grid.
5. Select one of the following tabs to access formatting options for your report. For
details about the options on each tab, click Help:
l Font: Change the font and color of letters and numbers in the report, and change
the background by applying gradients and other effects.
To change cell background (fill) color:
l If DHTML is enabled, use the Fill Color option on the Color and Lines tab.
l If DHTML is disabled, use the Fill Color drop-down list on the Font tab.
l Number: Specify a number format for values. For example, you can ensure that
certain metric values are displayed as percentages.
l Alignment: Specify how values and text are aligned within cells on the grid report.
l Color and Lines: Change the formatting of lines in your grid report, such as cell
borders.
To format cell borders:
l If DHTML is enabled, use the Borders options on the Color and Lines tab.
l If DHTML is disabled, use the Borders tab in the Format panel.
6. Click Apply to apply your formatting-related changes to the report.

Formatting empty cells and null values

Some cells within the tables in your data source may be empty because the data was not
available. This, along with other reasons, can cause cells in some reports to be empty. You
can determine how these empty or null values are handled for display within a report.
Determining a specific format for null values can be helpful for analysts who might otherwise
be confused on seeing one or more blank cells in a report.
In Freeform SQL reports, null values can occur when the report references unavailable
objects. For example, you map the attribute description and ID forms of the Region attribute,
but you only include the ID in the SELECT clause. When the report is executed, the
description cannot be displayed because it has not been retrieved from the data source.
For steps to format empty cells or null values, see Formatting null values and blank cells,
page 24 in Chapter 2, Formatting a Report.
Analysts can apply formatting for null values to a given report, if they want to.

277 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Merge, Lock, and Rename column and row headers

Merging column and row headers

You can merge row headers or column headers in the following ways:
l Merge any row headers that are repeated. All headers displaying the same value are
automatically merged into one header. For example, a report displays sales by
merchandise type, payment method, and total amount sold. If there is a row for each
merchandise type for each method of payment, all headers corresponding to a
merchandise type can be merged into one.
l Merge any column headers that are repeated. For example, if three metrics on the report
are related to Sales, do you want all three columns to have Sales in the header, or do you
want to merge these column headers into a single header? If merged, Sales appears only
once for the three related columns.

To merge the column or row headers of a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run the report that you want to format.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. Select the Merge check box in either or both the Rows and Columns areas. Click
OKto apply the changes.
If DHTML is disabled, select Merge Row Headersor Merge Column Headers,
then click Go.
4. Click OK to apply the changes.

Locking column and row headers

You can lock column and row headers at the top and side of a grid report, so that when a
user scrolls through a large report, the row and column headers remain visible. Row and
column headers can be locked independently of each other.
Prerequisite
DHTML must be enabled. For steps, click Help in MicroStrategy Web.

To lock the column or row headers of a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run a report.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 278

Basic Reporting Guide

3. Select the Lock check boxes in either or both the Rows and Columns areas,
depending on whether you want to lock rows, columns, or both.
4. Click OKto apply the changes.

Renaming row and column headers: Aliasing

Creating different aliases for different reports enables you to create flexible reports for many
different users. Different departments of the same company may have different names for
the same business measurement. For example, you create a metric named Sales. The
Sales department commonly refers to this metric as Revenue, while Marketing calls it Sales.
Use an alias to display the Sales metric as Revenue for Sales department reports. Metric
aliases help provide greater flexibility for naming conventions in situations such as this one.
Aliases also allow you to initially name metrics descriptively, including the level and condition
in the name, which can be helpful while you are designing reports. However, that name is
often too long and technical to be displayed for analysts on a report. The end users may not
need or want to know what the level is; they simply want to know what the metric represents
on their specific report. Aliases provide a second opportunity to name the metric for those
users, without changing the original name of the metric or its name on other reports.
For more details on aliasing and steps to create an alias on a report, see Renaming row and
column headers, page 25 in Chapter 2, Formatting a Report.

Formatting metrics on a specific report

You can format the data related to individual metrics on a report. Certain formatting choices
can help analysts more quickly identify important values or perform data comparisons.
For example, an analyst can instantly understand what a particular metric’s values mean
when they are preceded by a currency sign. Financial numbers are generally easier to work
with when a decimal is in place. Consider the type of data that is returned on the report you
are formatting, and apply formatting choices that enhance understanding of that data.

The procedure below formats a metric only within the context of the report that is open when
the formatting is applied to the metric. If the metric is also used on another report, the
formatting applied with this procedure does not appear on that other report. To format a metric
so that the formatting appears on every report in which the metric is used, see Formatting a
metric, page 165.

To format a metric on a specific report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run the report containing the metric to be formatted.

2. From the Format menu, select Advanced Grid Formatting. The Format:
Template dialog box opens.
3. From the first drop-down list at the top of the dialog box, select the metric to be
formatted.

279 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

4. You can format the metric’s column or row header, and you can format the metrics’
values that appear when the report is executed against your data source.
l To format the metric’s column or row header, from the second drop-down list at the
top of the dialog box, select Header.
l To format the metric’s values, from the second drop-down list at the top of the dialog
box, select Values.
5. Format any or all of the following aspects of the metric. The following steps describe
the most commonly used options; for details on every option in each tab, click Help.
l To format numbers: Select the Number tab. Choose a Category, then
choose how to format numbers for this metric.
l For example, if you select Date as your category, the Type list lets you choose
which date format to use, such as 4/12/06, April 12, 2006, 12/4/2006, and so on. If
you select Fixed as your category, you can determine the number of decimal places
to be displayed, whether you want numbers to be separated every three decimal
places, and whether negative numbers are allowed to be displayed.
l To format the alignment: Select the Alignment tab. Select an alignment
option. Text alignment determines how the content of each cell is aligned, for
example, centering the text. You can also select Horizontal and Vertical alignment,
and whether to wrap the text.
l To format the font: Select the Font tab. Select the Font that you want values
to appear in. You can also select a Size, a Style (Bold, Italic, and so on), and a
Color in which text should be displayed.
l To format the background and borders: Select the Color and Lines
tab. You can select a color to fill the cell background and the type of border to
display around the selected cells. You can also customize the border by selecting
the type of line and color used for each of the left, right, top, and bottom borders.
6. When you are finished formatting this metric, click OK to apply the formatting.

Formatting conditional values on a grid: Thresholds

Data in a report can be set up to appear with special formatting if it satisfies a particular
condition. The condition that the data needs to satisfy and the special formatting that it will
appear with are pre-determined by the user. For an introduction to thresholds, and for
prerequisites to define conditions and formatting, see Formatting conditional values on a
grid: Thresholds, page 20.
MicroStrategy Web comes with several default thresholds:
l Quick thresholds: Quick thresholds allow end users to apply green, red, or yellow colors or
symbols to metric values on your report. The end users can automatically format the
thresholds, and add them to a report quickly. See Formatting conditional values on a grid:
Thresholds, page 20.
l Visual thresholds: Visual thresholds allow end users to use range expressions (such as
Greater Than, Less Than, or Top N%) to determine whether a metric has met the
condition. If a metric meets the condition, the end users can apply special formatting to the

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 280

Basic Reporting Guide

values, or replace the values with an image or a symbol. See Formatting conditional
values on a grid: Thresholds, page 20.
l Advanced thresholds: A Web Professional can use advanced thresholds to apply
formatting to a report or a grid in a document, based on multiple metrics and more
complex expressions than a visual threshold. This allows for very specific conditions to be
defined. Advanced thresholds allow Web Professionals to create conditions based on
metrics or attributes, and a single advanced threshold can be based on multiple
conditions.
Steps are below to create an advanced threshold.

To create an advanced threshold

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the name of the report to run it.

2. From the Data menu, select Advanced Threshold Editor . The Advanced
Threshold Editor opens.

Specify the threshold's conditions

1. From the Filter On drop-down list, select the attribute or metric on which to base the
threshold.
2. If you are creating a condition based on a metric, do the following:
a. Select a comparison operator such as Greater Than or Less Than.
b. Enter a value in the field on the right or clickSelect Metric to choose another
metric to compare the original metric to.
c. Click the Apply icon to create the new threshold.

3. If you are creating a condition based on an attribute, do one of the following:

To define your condition by typing specific attribute form values:
a. Select theQualify option.
b. From the drop-down list on the left, select the attribute form on which to base
the condition. For example, you can qualify on the attribute element's ID form,
one of its description forms, or the DATE if the attribute is time-based.
c. From the next drop-down list, select a comparison operator such as Greater
Than or Less Than. The operators available for a selection depend on the
attribute form you chose above.
d. Do one of the following:
l To compare the attribute form to a specified value, type the value in the field.
l To compare the first attribute form to a second attribute form, click Select
Attribute, then select the second attribute form from the drop-down list.

281 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

e. Click the Apply icon to create the new threshold.

To define your condition by selecting attribute elements from a list:

a. Choose the Select option.
b. From the drop-down list on the left, selectIn List orNot In List. If you select
Not in List, then the attribute elements in the Selected list will not be included in
the threshold condition.
c. Move attribute elements from theAvailablelist to theSelectedlist. Elements in
the Selected list are included in the threshold condition.
To search for a specific element, use the Search for field. Select theMatch
casecheck box to return only items that match the upper and lower cases you
typed in the Search for field. For examples of searches, click Help.
d. Click theApply icon to create the new threshold.

Specify the formatting for the threshold

1. To specify how data that meets the threshold is formatted, click the threshold, then
click the Cell Formatting icon on the toolbar. The Format dialog box opens.

2. Specify a name for the threshold in the Name field, if desired.

3. To replace the threshold values with text, an image, or a quick symbol, select the
Replace Data check box and select one of the following from the drop-down list.

l Replace Text: Replace data with any text you specify. For example, a document
shows the financial values of various sales opportunities. For those sales
opportunities that have been lost, you might display the word LOST in red, rather
than displaying the financial value. A common use of this option is to display the
word EMPTY when a data value is null.
l If you select this option, type the text with which to replace the values in the
corresponding text field.
l Quick Symbol: Replace the normally displayed data with a common symbol. For
example, a document shows the financial contribution of various sales groups to
overall sales office activity. For the monthly trend column you could show either a
green plus + or a red minus – symbol to represent positive or negative contribution
trends.
l If you select this option, select the symbol with which to replace the values from the
corresponding drop-down menu.
l Image: Replace the normally displayed data with an image, such as an arrow or
green dot. You can specify the path to the image by typing the address using one of
the following:
l Absolute path: The default, for example, c:/images/img.jpg

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 282

Basic Reporting Guide

l Relative to HTML Document directory: A relative path from the document directory
where the image is stored, for example, images/img.jpg
l On the network: A path on the local area network, which is in a UNC (Universal
Naming Convention) format, for example, //machine_name/shared_folder/img.jpg
l On the web: A URL to an image file, for example:
http://www.microstrategy.com/images/img.jpg
4. To format the threshold values by adjusting the font, color, alignment, and other
options, make the appropriate selections within the Font, Number, Alignment, and
Color and Lines tabs. Click Help for more information on the options available.
5. You can create, edit, and delete thresholds:
l It is often convenient to make a copy of a threshold if you plan to create similar
thresholds in the report. To copy a threshold, select the threshold in the Advanced
Threshold Editor and clickCopy, then paste the copied threshold by selecting the
threshold and clickingPaste.
l To delete a threshold, select the threshold and click Delete Threshold .

l To move a threshold above or below other thresholds, select the threshold and
clickMove uporMove down.
l To add an additional condition to a threshold, select the threshold and clickAdd
Condition .

l To clear the conditions from a threshold, select the threshold and clickClear
Conditions .
l To determine whether to apply the specified background color to graph reports in
which thresholds are met, select theEnable Thresholds on Graph icon .

l To have an email automatically delivered to you or other users when the threshold
is met, click Create Email Alert or Create Mobile Alert . For details on
using the Alerts Editor, click Help.
6. Selectors provide dashboards with interactivity, allowing each user to change how he
sees the data. A selector can change panels, the focus of a Grid/Graph, or dynamic
text fields (a text field that is a reference to an object on a report) in a panel stack.
Selectors that contain attribute, custom group, or consolidation elements as selector
items can also include an option to display totals. The total is calculated for all the
selector items. A user can choose whether to display specific elements, all of the
elements at the same time, or the totals.
If you are formatting a grid in a document that is also the target of a selector, you can
specify whether to apply conditional formatting to the grid when metrics are selected in
the selector, when totals are selected, or for both metrics and totals. To determine
what parts of the report are formatted when a threshold is met, select one of the
following options on the toolbar:

283 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l To apply conditional formatting only when metrics are selected in the selector, click
the Format metrics only icon.
l To apply conditional formatting only when totals are selected in the selector, click
the Format subtotals only icon.
l To apply conditional formatting for both metrics and the Total option, click the
Format metrics and subtotals icon.
7. For steps to show totals in a selector, click Help.
8. To add another threshold condition, click Add a New Threshold , then repeat
the appropriate steps above.
9. Click OK to save changes and return to the report or document.

Removing the extra Metrics column from a report

You can determine whether the word “Metrics”, which usually appears in the column
headers, is displayed on a report. If you remove this column from the report, it is also
removed if you export the report.

To remove the extra 'Metrics' column from a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the name of a report to run it.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. Select the Remove extra column check box.

If DHTML is disabled, from the Format drop-down list, select Overlap Grid Titles, and
then click the Go icon.

4. Click OK to apply the changes.

Displaying or hiding attribute forms

An attribute is a business concept. An attribute form is descriptive information about an
attribute. For example, the attribute Customer can have the forms First Name, Last Name,
Address, Email Address, and so on. A form is a descriptive category for any data your
organization saves about any of its attributes. Just as an attribute element is a distinct
occurrence of an attribute, a form defines the attribute.
In Design Mode in MicroStrategy Web, report designers can choose which attribute forms
are displayed on a report. From the Report Objects panel, right-click any attribute form and
select the attribute forms you want to appear on the report.
You can choose to display or hide any attribute forms related to the attributes on your report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 284

Basic Reporting Guide

To display or hide attribute forms

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run the report that you want to format.

2. From the Data menu, select the Edit Attribute Forms icon. The Attribute
Forms dialog box is displayed. If DHTML is disabled, click Go.
3. From the Current Attribute drop-down list, select the attribute whose forms you
want to display.
4. Select the check boxes next to the attribute forms you want to display. In the Selected
Forms area, you can see what attribute forms are currently available for the given
attribute.
5. To specify a display order for the attribute forms, click the name of the attribute form to
highlight it. Then, click the up or down arrow on the right to reorder the selected form.
If DHTML is disabled, click the option in the Selected column for the attribute form to
move.
6. Click Apply to display the selected attribute forms in the report.

Letting users choose their own report filter

You can let each user choose the report filter that suits his analysis needs. You can also let
users design their own filters, within the constraints that you define. To provide this
functionality to users, you add prompts to a report.
An Object prompt that is made up of filters lets each analyst choose from among your chosen
set of filters, to apply the most useful filter for that analyst’s reporting needs. A filter definition
prompt allows analysts to design their own filters, within your chosen constraints, before the
report is executed against your data source.
This provides an opportunity for individual analysts to define the data that is returned from
your data source. For details on Object prompts and filter definition prompts, see Asking for
user input: Prompts, page 206.

Adding usability to a Report Services document

Report Services documents are described in Report Services dashboards and documents,
page 11 in Chapter 1, Getting Started with MicroStrategy Reporting. If you created a Report
Services document, look carefully at your final document before making it available to users,
and consider the following issues:
l Consider usability carefully. Be sure you have named the individual datasets on the
document with usable names. (A dataset is a set of data that can be displayed on a
document. A dataset can be a MicroStrategy report, a MicroStrategy Intelligent Cube, or
data imported directly from an external data source.)
For example, a general title such as Customer Behavior which appears above a list of
products and percentages for each product, makes it difficult for a user to intuitively
understand what to do with the numbers displayed. Perhaps from the context of the

285 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

overall document it seems clear that the percentages represent purchasing behavior by
customers for each of the products listed, but it is better to make this explicit in the title of
that dataset.
l Spend a higher percentage of your design time making the information understandable,
rather than adding “bells and whistles”. A clean, minimalist document is always easier to
derive useful information from than a busy, cramped, and distracting document.

Confirming your choice of graph style

When you first decide on a graph style to use, you generally choose a style that is compatible
with the data you want to display. Most graph styles have specific requirements for the type
of data that must exist on the report for the graph style to appear properly, as described in
Choosing a graph style, page 42 in Chapter 2, Formatting a Report.
After you have made this decision, consider your graph report from a usability perspective.
How easy is it for an analyst to get detailed data from the graph report?
For example, a pie graph is useful in many circumstances, but it usually only shows
percentages, which can leave an analyst unclear about specific numbers. A good alternative
might be a bar graph, which usually lists actual numbers for each attribute element.
For complete details on requirements and recommendations for each graph style available in
MicroStrategy, see the Graphing chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Enabling drilling and customizing drill maps

Analysts can drill through a report by clicking on an object on the report, to analyze data that
is closely related to the original report data. They can use drilling to expose an entirely
different object on a report to see what the data looks like within a different context. If you
need an introduction to drilling or a better understanding of how users experience drilling,
see Drilling into related data, page 90 in Chapter 4, Answering Questions about Data.
A drill map is a set of restrictions you can define that shape the directions that users can drill
(called a drill path) on a report. If a report does not have a drill map specifically defined, the
default paths available are based on the system hierarchy of the project. Any customized drill
map you create can override the default. You create a drill map using the Drill Map Editor.
Analysts can perform several procedures to personalize their drilling experience in a given
report. For example, an analyst can determine whether the drilled-from attribute
automatically appears on the drilled-to report. For more information on the personalizations
related to drilling that an analyst can define, see Controlling drilling behavior to affect report
results, page 91 in Chapter 4, Answering Questions about Data.
For more information on the default drill map, and steps and examples for creating a new drill
map, see the Drilling chapter of the Advanced Reporting Guide.

To enable or restrict drilling

1. In MicroStrategy Web, run the report that you want to enable drilling in.
2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 286

Basic Reporting Guide

3. From the Drill options drop-down list, select one of the following options to specify
how users can drill in the report:
l No drilling: Users cannot drill up, down, or across to any objects.
l Drill down only: Users can only drill down on objects on the report. They cannot
drill up or across to other objects.
l Drill anywhere: Users can drill up, down, and across to any objects available in
the drop-down list.
4. Click OK to apply the changes and return to the report.

Including totals and subtotals

If you enable grand totals and/or subtotals for a metric, an analyst can choose to display or
hide them on any report that contains the metric. You can also create a selection of subtotals
from which users can choose the subtotal function that best suits their analysis purposes.
For information, examples, and steps to enable grand totals and subtotals for a metric, see
Totals and subtotals, page 161.

Including sorted data

Analysts can sort data in various ways on a report. But the report designer can have report
data appear automatically in a given sorted order, saving analysts time and making some
data trends clear immediately. You can sort on any object placed on the report.
Information and an example for how to sort data in a column or row in either ascending or
descending order, called a Quick Sort, is in Sorting data, page 54 in Chapter 3, Analyzing
Data. Quick sorting is limited to one row or column of data.
For directions to create a more advanced sort for rows, columns, and pages, for either a grid
report or a graph report, see the Advanced Sorting section in the Advanced Reporting
Guide. Advanced sorting lets you sort by multiple rows and columns.

Hierarchical display of grouped attribute elements

For custom groups to display hierarchically, hierarchical display must be enabled for the
custom group and the item display of at least one custom group element must be expanded.
For information about creating custom groups and setting hierarchical display, see the
Custom Groups and Consolidations chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Grouping data by page: Adding objects to the page-by

field in a report
Page-by is the MicroStrategy functionality that lets you turn a long report into a set of
individual pages. The pages are created based on the objects on the report, allowing users
to see manageable subsets of otherwise large quantities of data.
Users can place report objects in the page-by pane of a report, if they wish. However, the
report’s designer can also place report objects into the page-by pane of a report. When a

287 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

user executes the report, the user is presented with a subset of what would otherwise be a
long list of data.
For images of the page-by feature, see Grouping data by page, page 63.

To add objects to the page-by field in a report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, open the report in Design Mode.

2. Select the object to include in the page-by pane from either the All Objects pane on the
left or from the report’s template. Drag and drop the object onto the page-by pane.

You can place more than one object in the page-by pane. If you decide to place multiple
related attributes in the page-by pane, be aware that order matters. Whatever you page-by
first (furthest to the left) affects the elements displayed in the other page-by fields. Place
multiple objects into the page-by pane in logical order, from left to right.

For a list of objects that can be used as pages, see Grouping data by page, page 63.
3. Save the report.

Adding consolidations and custom groups

A consolidation is a set of attribute elements grouped in a way that they were not originally
grouped within the project, so that you can use the consolidation (the newly consolidated
elements) just like a regular attribute on a report. For example, you might group the Month
elements into December, January, and February and call the consolidation Winter; then you
group March, April, and May into a consolidation called Spring; and so on. These names
appear on the resulting report.
When you create a consolidation, you do not change your organization’s data source
definitions or the MicroStrategy metadata definitions. Consolidations allow users to filter a
report on a row-by-row basis.
A custom group is a group of filters that bring back from your data source a specifically
defined set of attribute elements to be displayed on the report. Custom groups allow you to
group and display attribute elements in a way that is not defined in your data source. For
example, you might create filters to bring back data that is displayed as Top 5 Customers,
Top 5 Employees and Top 5 Items on the same report.
The table below compares consolidations and custom groups.

Consolidation Custom Group

Example Grouping specific months into seasons, Displaying Top 5 Customers, Top 5
and displaying the seasons on a report. Employees, and Top 5 Items on one report.
Structure Groups of attribute elements (such as Groups of filters (such as top 5 revenue-
January, February, and so on). producing customers, top 5 revenue-
producing employees, and so on).
How it Creates a virtual attribute to allow Applies different filters to different rows of a
works reporting on an attribute that does not report.
exist in the data model.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 288

Basic Reporting Guide

The following table outlines other differences between custom groups and consolidations.

Feature or Action Consolidation Custom Group

Arithmetic operations (row Yes, this can be done. No, this cannot be done.
level math)
Site of final calculation MicroStrategy Analytical Your data source.
Engine.
SQL efficiency High. Low. One pass for each custom group
element.
Recursive definition Yes. No.
Display mode Fixed at element level Flexible and expandable.
only.
Subtotals No. Yes.

For details on these differences, as well as business examples and steps to create
consolidations and custom groups, see the Consolidations and Custom Groups chapter of
the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Specifying maximum and minimum values: Report

limits
A report limit specifies a set of criteria used to restrict the data returned in a result set after
the report’s metrics are calculated. Because it is based on the report’s final metric values, the
report limit is applied after all the metrics are calculated. A report limit can make a report
more efficient to run, because less information is returned from the data source.
For an introduction to report limits and steps to apply a simple report limit, see Specifying
maximum and minimum values: Report limits, page 70 in Chapter 3, Analyzing Data.
For an explanation of the difference between a filter and a report limit, as well as examples of
each and how they affect a report, see the Filtering chapter in the Advanced Reporting
Guide.

Determining evaluation order of calculations

You can change the evaluation order of various objects on a report to affect how data is
calculated for a given report. You can change the evaluation order of consolidations,
compound smart metrics (which are compound metrics with smart totals enabled), report
limits, and subtotals.
The default evaluation order on a report is:
1. Compound smart metrics
2. Consolidations, which are evaluated by their relative position on the report grid:

289 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

l First, rows from left to right

l Then, columns from top to bottom
3. Report limits
4. Subtotals

Notice that the metrics that are included in the evaluation order are compound smart metrics.
A metric must have smart totals enabled for the evaluation order to affect it, otherwise the
metric is always calculated first. Only compound metrics can have smart totals enabled.

For steps to change the evaluation order of these objects on a report, see Evaluation order of
calculations, page 79 in Chapter 3, Analyzing Data.
For additional information on changing the evaluation order of objects on a report, see the
following chapters of the Advanced Reporting Guide:
l For the evaluation order of multiple consolidations, see the Custom Groups and
Consolidations chapter.
l For the evaluation order of all other report objects, see the Reports chapter.
For more information on compound metrics and smart totals, see Metrics made up of
metrics: Compound metrics, page 156 and Totals and subtotals, page 161.

Specifying the delivery options available to users

subscribing to a report
You can determine which delivery options are available to users subscribing to a specific
report. For example, you can specify which delivery schedules can be used to subscribe to
the report, or prevent users from subscribing to the report altogether. Restricting the delivery
schedules available when subscribing to a report does not affect the delivery schedules
available for documents that use the report as a dataset.

If an existing report subscription uses a schedule or report that has been made unavailable for
subscriptions, the report will not be delivered.

For general information on subscribing to reports and documents, see the MicroStrategy
Web Help. For steps to specify delivery options for users subscribing to a document, see the
Formatting Documents chapter in the Document Creation Guide.
You can create new schedules in Schedule Manager. For steps, see the Scheduling Jobs
and Administrative Tasks chapter in the System Administration Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 290

Basic Reporting Guide

To specify the delivery options available to users subscribing to a

report

1. In MicroStrategy Web, click the name of the report to run it.

2. From the Tools menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box
opens.
3. On the Advanced tab, select one of the following options under Schedules for
Subscriptions:
l To prevent users from subscribing to the report, select the Do not allow this
report to be scheduled option.
l To allow users to subscribe to the report using any schedule associated with the
MicroStrategy project in which the report is stored, select the Allow users to
subscribe to all schedules option.
l To specify the list of schedules users can select from when subscribing to the
report, select the Only allow users to subscribe to schedules in the list
below option. Schedules in the list on the right are available to users. Select a
schedule from the list on the left and click the Add icon to move it to the list on the
right.

Administrators can determine which schedules are included in the list on the left. For more
information, see the Web Administrator Help.

4. Click OK to apply your changes.

Modifying an existing report

This section shows you how to open an existing report in Design Mode. You can access the
Report Editor in MicroStrategy Web.

To modify an existing report

1. Open MicroStrategy Web and log in to the project that contains the report you want to
modify. For steps, see Starting MicroStrategy, page 1.
2. Locate and double-click the report you want to modify. The report opens in the Report
Editor interface.
3. From the Home menu, select Design. The report’s template is displayed within
Design Mode.
The following image shows Design Mode in MicroStrategy Web displaying the
template for the sample report called Revenue Forecast. On the right side of the

291 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

image, you can see the report objects on the template: the Subcategory attribute,
the Quarter attribute, and the Revenue Forecast metric:

4. Modify the report in whatever way you wish, as follows:

l To add an object to the report, see the appropriate procedure in this section,
depending on what you want to add:
l Reports: Adding attributes to a report, page 255
l Reports: Adding metrics to a report, page 258
l Reports: Adding a filter to a report, page 260
l Reports: Adding prompts to a report, metric, or filter, page 264
l To modify an object on the report, see the appropriate procedure(s) in this chapter,
depending on what object you want to edit and the changes you want to make to it:

To modify an attribute in a MicroStrategy Web report, open it in MicroStrategy

Developer to make your changes. The changes appear when you save the attribute
and the report in Developer and then open the report in Web.

l To modify a metric, see Editing a metric, page 168.

l To modify a filter, see Editing a filter, page 205.
l To modify a prompt, see Editing a prompt, page 248.
l To modify an attribute, see your project designer or the Project Design Guide.
l To remove an object from the grid report, right-click the object's header and
select Remove from Grid. The objects removed from the grid are still

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 292

Basic Reporting Guide

available in the Report Objects, if you want to add them back to the grid. To
remove an object from the grid and the Report Objects pane, right-click the
object's header and select Remove from Report.
l To add usability features to the report, see Adding features for users, page 276
5. Save the report. For details on how a report is saved, see Saving a report, page 271.

If you modify an object on a report and want to execute the report to see how your changes
appear, you must first save and close the report, then re-open the report to see your changes.

Creating other types of reports

You can create other kinds of reports:

Creating a graph report

A graph report provides a different way to display report data than in the standard grid
format. Depending on the graph style you choose, viewing report data in a graph can often
highlight trends or allow comparisons that are difficult when viewing data in a grid.
For details on designing a graph report, and for graph-related options and other details, see
the Graphing chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide. If you are working on a graph
report, you can also see window-specific information on graphing options by clicking Help.

Creating a Report Services document

A MicroStrategy Report Services document contains datasets from one or more reports.
This data is positioned and formatted, resulting in a single display of presentation quality. (A
dataset is a set of data that can be displayed on a document, Report Services dashboard, or
Visual Insight dashboard. A dataset can be a MicroStrategy report, a MicroStrategy
Intelligent Cube, or data imported directly from an external data source.)

293 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

When you create a document, you can specify the data that appears; control the layout,
formatting, grouping, and subtotaling of data; and specify the position of page breaks. In
addition, you can insert pictures and draw borders in the document. All of these capabilities
allow you to create reports that are suitable for presentation to management and for printing
boardroom quality material.
The image above shows a sample production and operational report document. It lists all
sales opportunities in the pipeline, and it groups those opportunities based on sales region,
sales district, and sales representative. This document also provides a snapshot of each
opportunity’s current status and measures key metrics such as unweighted and weighted
sales forecasts.
Sales managers can use this document to see a general overview of the sales pipeline and
to identify key opportunities and opportunity statuses. The data in this document can help
you evaluate sales opportunities for each sales representative and to prioritize those
opportunities that have a greater probability of being closed.
You must have MicroStrategy Report Services to be able to design and work with Report
Services documents. Detailed information to create and modify Report Services documents
can be found in the Document Creation Guide.
The document types that can be created in MicroStrategy include the following:
l Scorecards and dashboards: designed for visual impact, these documents provide a
distilled view of the business, organized in adaptive sections or zones.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 294

Basic Reporting Guide

l Managed metrics reports: with a quantitative focus, these documents present lists of
metrics or process-driven tabular views of the business.
l Production and operational reports: designed for production operations management,
these documents present data in hierarchical categories or bands and can span hundreds
of printed pages.
l Invoices and statements: these documents use transaction and sub-transaction level data
necessary for billing, collection, and customer service.
l Business reports: designed for financial and other statutory business reporting, these
documents present comprehensive data in print and electronic forms.

Creating an HTML document

HTML documents are a popular way to create dashboards and scorecards to display a
group of reports within the MicroStrategy platform. Dashboards and scorecards display and
distribute data from business intelligence projects. Scorecards typically follow a specific
methodology and are focused on key metrics within a business area. Dashboards, on the
other hand, tend to provide key metrics along with summary information.
HTML documents in the MicroStrategy platform are HTML containers or shells into which
you can place MicroStrategy reports and other graphics, and control the formatting and
appearance with style sheets. You can modify the appearance of an HTML document just
like any other HTML page, to include text, images, hyperlinks, tables, and one or more report
objects.
For details on how to create HTML documents, see the HTML Documents chapter in the
Advanced Reporting Guide.

Designing reports that use OLAP Services

OLAP Services lets MicroStrategy Developer, Web, and Office users make use of features
that slice and dice data in reports without re-executing SQL against the data source. This
improves performance by resulting in quicker data display within a report as users analyze
and manipulate the data.
If you own OLAP Services and analysts will be taking advantage of it, its features can be
useful for a report designer to understand. When you design a report, you should take into
account the fact that users can view subsets of data easily with an OLAP Services “view
report”. This can allow you to create larger and more inclusive reports, since analysts can
later create smaller reports, called view reports, made up of only that data they want to see.
Specifically, OLAP Services surfaces in a grid report in two places:
l The Report Objects pane
l The View Filter pane
Each of these features is described below. To see descriptions and images of these panes in
the Report Editor, see MicroStrategy Developer Report Editor interface, page 304.

295 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

View filters and view reports

Unlike a report filter that restricts how much data is retrieved from the data source, a view
filter dynamically limits the data being displayed on a report without re-executing the report
against the warehouse.
This feature allows analysts to create multiple reports out of a larger, parent report, without
stressing the system or your data source. It also allows different users to access the same
report cache but see different data according to their needs.
The advantage of using both standard report filters and view filters on a report is that the
report can use the standard report filter to bring back more data than can usefully be
displayed at any one time. The analyst can then use a view filter to change the data
displayed, as long as it falls within the data already retrieved from the database. The analyst
generates a view report, which is the result of a view filter. A view filter does not trigger re-
execution against the data source. This capability translates to improved response time and
decreased database load.
A report designer does not need to enable view filters for users to take advantage of them. If
you have OLAP Services, view filters can be used on any report on which a user wants to
use them.
For additional information on report caches and how they work with your data source, see
Report caches, page 119 in Chapter 5, Answering Prompts and Refreshing Data. For steps
to use a view filter, click Help.

Derived metrics
Derived metrics are metrics that a report analyst can use to perform calculations based on
report results. A derived metric performs a calculation on the fly with the data available in a
report without re-executing the report against the database. Derived metrics are created
based on existing metrics in the report. Since derived metrics are evaluated in memory, their
computation does not require any SQL execution in the database. They are evaluated on the
client for MicroStrategy Developer, or on Intelligence Server for MicroStrategy Web.
A report designer does not need to enable derived metrics for users to take advantage of
them. If you have OLAP Services, derived metrics can be used on any report on which a user
wants to use them.

Dynamic aggregation
Dynamic aggregation allows a report analyst to change the level at which the data on a
report is aggregated. (For an introduction to levels, see Components of a metric, page 150.)
The analyst can make the change on the fly, while reviewing the report data. Dynamic
aggregation occurs when report objects (such as an attribute or an attribute form) are moved
from the grid to the Report objects pane. As attributes are moved on and off the report
between the grid and the Report objects pane, metric values are dynamically recalculated at
the level of the objects remaining on the grid.
A report designer does not need to enable dynamic aggregation for users to take advantage
of it. If you have OLAP Services, dynamic aggregation can be used on any report on which a
user wants to use it.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 296

Basic Reporting Guide

To see an image of the Report objects pane, see MicroStrategy Developer Report Editor
interface, page 304.

Building a query using alternative data access

methods
Freeform SQL and Query Builder are MicroStrategy tools that provide you alternative
methods to access your business data and create reports.

Freeform SQL
Freeform SQL is a MicroStrategy tool that allows you to write your own SQL statements to
run directly against a data warehouse or operational data store, giving you full control over
accessing your data.
Traditionally, you use the MicroStrategy Engine to generate SQL to run against one specific
relational database to return results for a desired report. In addition to generating reports in
the traditional way, you can also use your own customized SQL statements to generate
reports from operational systems included in a MicroStrategy project. This capability can
save you time since you do not need to place the data into a data mart or data warehouse
first.
The Freeform SQL feature allows you to use your own SQL statements to access data from
various ODBC data sources, including relational databases, Excel files, and flat files, as long
as they are included in the MicroStrategy environment. Since you create your own SQL
statements to create reports with Freeform SQL, a strong knowledge of how to create and
use SQL statements is essential.
For detailed information on how to create a Freeform SQL report, see the Custom SQL
Queries chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

Query Builder
Query Builder is a graphical user interface that helps guide you when building SQL queries
that can adapt to different data models. Query Builder allows you to run queries against
ODBC data sources that are not easily modeled to an attribute and fact schema. This
includes databases that are a collection of flat tables rather than being defined into fact and
lookup tables.
Query Builder provides an easy way to quickly access your ODBC data sources without
having to write any SQL, which is required by the Freeform SQL tool. You can create queries
to be run against imported database tables, which allows you to begin reporting and analysis
with MicroStrategy without performing the project creation step of modeling attribute and fact
schemas. (The modeling step is necessary for MicroStrategy’s ROLAP Engine to define
attribute and fact schemas.) You can also import tables into a project’s Warehouse Catalog
using the Query Builder feature.
Query Builder allows you more control over the SQL generated against your database
systems, without the need for extensive knowledge on how to create SQL statements. A
basic knowledge of how SQL statements use tables, columns, and joins to build queries is
essential.

297 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For detailed information on how to create a Query Builder report, see the Custom SQL
Queries chapter in the Advanced Reporting Guide.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 298

 A
REPORTING INTERFACES IN
MICROSTRATEGY
If you are new to MicroStrategy, use this appendix to help you become familiar with where
things are in MicroStrategy Web and Developer.
If you are already familiar with MicroStrategy, use this appendix to identify icons and other
features you can take advantage of for quicker access to your most commonly used
functionality.
This appendix includes OLAP Services features as they appear in the described interfaces.
This information is useful if you own MicroStrategy OLAP Services. For background
information about OLAP Services, see OLAP Services, page 13.
The Developer and Web interfaces for creating and editing reports and documents can also
be accessed from within MicroStrategy Office, if you own it. For details on MicroStrategy
Office, see the MicroStrategy Office User Guide.

MicroStrategy Developer interface

The MicroStrategy Developer interface has three panes:
l Folder List: Where all the project folders that hold your reports and report-related
objects are accessible. The Folder List displays all the project sources, projects,
application and schema object folders, and the administrative functions for your business
intelligence system. When all panes are displayed, the Folder List is the center pane of the
Developer interface.
If the Folder List does not automatically appear when you log in to MicroStrategy
Developer, from the View menu select Folder List.
l Object Viewer: Where the contents of each folder, such as reports or report objects, are
displayed as you browse through folders in the Folder List. The right pane of the
MicroStrategy Developer interface is the Object Viewer.
l Shortcut Bar: This pane contains icons that allow you instant access to your favorite or
most frequently used folders. Simply click on a shortcut icon to jump immediately to the
folder to which it is linked. You can create a shortcut to any folder that appears in your
Folder List. You can add or remove shortcuts at any time. For steps, see Adding and

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 299

Basic Reporting Guide

removing shortcuts from the Shortcut Bar, page 300. When all panes are displayed, the
Shortcut Bar is the left pane of the Developer interface.

Adding and removing shortcuts from the Shortcut Bar

Shortcuts are icons on the left side of Developer that provide instant access to commonly
used folders. Shortcut icons are displayed within groups, called shortcut groups. The image
below shows the two default shortcut groups, Tutorial Shortcuts and Other Shortcuts. The
shortcut icons within the Tutorial Shortcuts group are displayed:

Use the following procedures to create new shortcut groups, add shortcut icons to groups,
and rename or remove icons and groups.

Creating a shortcut group

Shortcut icons are displayed within groups, called shortcut groups. By default, the Shortcut
Bar contains two shortcut groups, namely Tutorial Shortcuts and Other Shortcuts. You can
create additional groups of shortcut icons, which can be useful for large MicroStrategy
implementations.
You can view the shortcuts within each group by clicking the group name in the Shortcut Bar.
For example, when you click Tutorial Shortcuts in the Shortcut Bar, the Tutorial
Shortcuts group expands to display the shortcuts to the Tutorial project login, the Tutorial
project’s My Reports folder, the Tutorial project’s Public Objects folder, and so on. The image
above displays the Tutorial Shortcuts group and its default shortcut icons.

300 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

To create a shortcut group

1. Right-click an empty area of the Shortcut Bar and select Add Group.
2. In the Create a new shortcut group dialog box, type a name for the new group and
click OK. Your new shortcut group appears in the Shortcut Bar.

Adding a shortcut icon to a group

When you want to create a new shortcut to a commonly used folder or project, you must
create the shortcut icon within an existing shortcut group.

To add a shortcut icon to a group in the Shortcut Bar

1. On the Shortcut Bar, click the shortcut group to which you want to add your new
shortcut. Any shortcuts which are currently in the group appear in the Shortcut Bar.
2. In the Folder List, right-click the project or folder for which you want to create a
shortcut, and select Add to Shortcut Bar. A new shortcut icon appears in the
Shortcut Bar.

By default, the name of the shortcut icon is the same as the name of the folder or project for
which you created the shortcut. You can rename any shortcut icon by right-clicking it and
selecting Rename Shortcut.

Removing a shortcut icon from the Shortcut Bar

To remove a shortcut icon from the Shortcut Bar

1. Right-click the shortcut and select Remove from Shortcut Bar.

2. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

Removing a shortcut group from the Shortcut Bar

If you remove a group that has existing shortcut icons within it, the shortcut icons are deleted
also.

To remove a shortcut group

1. Click the shortcut group you want to remove. The shortcut icons which are currently in
the group appear in the Shortcut Bar.
2. Right-click an empty area of the Shortcut Bar and select Remove Group.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 301

Basic Reporting Guide

3. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes to remove the shortcut group. All shortcut
icons within this group are also removed.

Renaming a shortcut icon or shortcut group

By default, the name of a shortcut icon is the same as the name of the folder or project for
which you created the shortcut. You can rename any shortcut icon by right-clicking it and
selecting Rename Shortcut.

To rename a shortcut group

1. Click the shortcut group you want to rename.

2. Right-click an empty area of the Shortcut Bar and select Rename Group.
3. In the Rename a shortcut group dialog box, type a name for the shortcut group and
click OK. The shortcut group is renamed.

Navigating through Developer

Use the following menus and tools in MicroStrategy Developer to access the different
reporting features of MicroStrategy.

The menus, options, and icons available to you depend on your security privileges. For
example, if you do not have administrative privileges, you do not see the Administration
menu.

Developer menus
From the Developer menus, you can do the following.

Common Microsoft Windows-style menus and menu options are not included here, such as
the Edit menu, which contains Cut, Copy, Paste, and so forth.

Menu Description

File Create new objects and folders.

View Change the appearance of the object icons in the Object Viewer (Developer’s right-
hand pane). Show or hide the Status Bar, Shortcut Bar, and Folder List.
Go Move one level up in the Folder List or go directly to a project’s home page.

302 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Menu Description

Tools Use general Developer tools, such as:

• Search Editor
• Developer Preferences
• Change Password
Administration Access administrative functions, such as:
• Project Configuration Editor
• Database Instance Wizard
• Report Scheduler
• User Manager Integrity Checker
• Event Viewer
Schema Access project design tools such as the Project Creation Wizard and the Attribute
and Fact Creation Wizards.
Window Close all open editors with one click.
Help Access the online help system and useful MicroStrategy websites.

Developer interface icons

From the Developer toolbar, you can do the following:

Name Icon Description

Create a Creates a new report or report-related object. The objects you can
New Object create depend on your privileges and your location in the Folder
List.

Cut Cuts the selected objects. Use this to move or remove objects
from the My Personal Objects folder (and the folders within it).

Copy Copies the selected objects. Use this to duplicate objects.

Paste Pastes the objects you have cut or copied. Use this to move or
duplicate objects in the My Personal Objects folder (and the folders
within it).

Delete the Deletes the selected objects.

object
selected

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 303

Basic Reporting Guide

Name Icon Description

Rename the Renames the selected object in the My Personal Objects folder
object (and the folders within it).
selected

View Object Displays information about the selected object’s general properties
Properties such as type, location, description, creation and modification
dates, owner and user access.

Search Opens the Search Editor. Use this to search for report-related
objects.

Edit the Opens the appropriate editor for the selected object. Use this to
object change the settings of an object’s definition such as formatting,
selected sorting, defining totals or subtotals, assigning thresholds, and so
on.

Run Executes the selected report. Use this to view your business data
in an existing report.

View Lists options to change the display of the object icons in

Developer’s right-hand pane.

Show or hide Turns the Folder List display on or off. The Folder List displays all
the Folder the projects to which you have access, as well as the folders
List containing objects within those projects.

Refresh Refreshes the current display.

object with
latest
definition
Go to project Displays the home page of the current project.

Go one level Moves one level up in the Folder List. Use this for quick navigation
up among report-related objects and their folders.

MicroStrategy Developer Report Editor interface

If you have report designer privileges, you can use the Report Editor in either MicroStrategy
Developer or MicroStrategy Web to create new reports in MicroStrategy. (You can of course
also access these editors if you have other sets of privileges, such as Administrator, and so
on.) Use this section to familiarize yourself with the Report Editor interface. The following
image shows the Report Editor in Developer, with the sample Revenue Forecast report
ready to be edited within it:

304 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For details on report designer privileges and the report designer role, see Before you begin,
page 134 in Chapter 7, Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers.

Finding your way around the Developer Report Editor

Refer to the image above as you read about the various areas or panes in the Developer
Report Editor. You can perform the following tasks within the appropriate Report Editor
pane:
l Report Objects pane: (top left) (This pane appears only if you have MicroStrategy
OLAP Services. See OLAP Services, page 13 for details.) Where you can see a summary
of all the objects you have included on your report.
There may be more objects in this pane than are displayed on the executed report,
because OLAP Services lets analysts quickly remove or add objects from this pane
directly to the report template. When the report is executed, the MicroStrategy Engine
generates SQL that includes all the objects in this Report Objects pane, not just the
objects that are displayed in the report after it is executed. For details on using the Report
Objects pane, see Designing reports that use OLAP Services, page 295.
l Object Browser pane: (center left) Where you navigate through the project to locate
objects to include on the report. For details on report objects, see MicroStrategy objects,
page 138.
l My Shortcuts pane: (bottom left) Enables you to access any folder in the Object
Browser quickly. Creating shortcuts can save you time if you repeatedly browse to the

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 305

Basic Reporting Guide

same folders. For details on creating shortcuts, see Quick object access: Creating
shortcuts to objects, page 142.
l View Filter pane: (top right) (This pane is only available if you have MicroStrategy
OLAP Services. See OLAP Services, page 13 for details.) Where you apply a special kind
of filter to any object that is in the Report Objects pane. View filters do not modify the SQL
for the report like normal report filters do. Instead, view filters are applied to the overall
result set after the SQL is executed and results are returned from the data source. This
can help improve report execution performance. For details on using view filters, see
Designing reports that use OLAP Services, page 295.
l Report Filter pane: (center right) Where you add filtering conditions to a report.
Filtering conditions can be made up of attributes, metrics, advanced filter qualifications,
and shortcuts to an existing report filter. The Report Filter pane allows you to create a filter
without having to open a separate object editor (the Filter Editor). Simple filters can be
conveniently created by dragging and dropping objects from the Object Browser into this
pane to create a filter. For details on creating filters, see Filtering data on a report: Filters,
page 169.
l Report View pane: (bottom right) Where you define your report layouts by dragging
and dropping objects from the Object Browser onto this report view pane. You can create
a report to serve as a template for other reports; for details on templates, see Designing a
report’s structure: Templates, page 249.
l Page-by pane: (top of Report View pane) Where you place subsets of your report results
to be displayed as separate pages of the executed report. For details on adding page-by
functionality to a report, see Grouping data by page, page 63.

MicroStrategy Web interface

The MicroStrategy Web interface is a set of web pages where you can browse through
folders containing reports and objects, preferences, and so on for your projects. From the
various pages in MicroStrategy Web, you can perform a number of tasks with the reports,
objects, and preferences available on each page.

Navigating the report interface in MicroStrategy Web

When you execute and view a report in MicroStrategy Web, the interface allows you to
manipulate and explore the report data you are viewing.

The menus, options, and icons available to you depend on your security privileges. For
example, if you do not have administrative privileges, you do not see the Administration
menu.

Web menus
From the interface that is displayed when viewing an executed report in MicroStrategy Web,
you can perform the following.

306 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Common Microsoft Windows-style menus and menu options are not included here, such as
the Edit menu, which contains Cut, Copy, Paste, and so forth.

Menu Description

Home Create, save, export, subscribe to, and view the details of reports, and send reports to the
History List.
Change the view of a report by choosing Design, Grid, Graph, or Grid and Graph view.
Tools Convert the report to a document.
Change the display using the following report options:
• Merge or lock column and row headers
• Show color banding on the report
• Enable outline mode
• Show thresholds
You can also show or hide the following:
• Report filter
• View filter
• Object Browser
• MicroStrategy Web toolbars
• Pivot and sort buttons
• Page-by axis
• A list of reports related to the current report
Data Manipulate objects and data on the report.
For example, you can do the following:
• Swap the columns and rows
• Add objects to a report
• Edit view filter conditions
• Sort data
• Drill on a report
• View only specific data on the report by filtering on selections
• Reset, refresh, or re-prompt the report
• Insert a new metric
• Rename objects on the report
• Include attribute forms on the report
• Enable and customize totals
• Add and edit thresholds

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 307

Basic Reporting Guide

Menu Description

Format Format various aspects of a grid or graph report.

For example, you can do the following:
• Format the font, size, alignment, and colors of various objects on the grid or graph report
• Resize the columns and rows

Web interface icons

From the MicroStrategy Web toolbars, you can perform the following:

Name Icon Description

Save As Saves the report.

Undo The previous action performed is undone, and the

report returns to its status prior to the most recent
action.
Redo The previously undone action is redone, and the
report returns to its status prior to undoing the most
recent action.
Design Changes the report to Design Mode so that you can
modify the definition of your report.

Grid Displays the report as a grid, similar to a standard

spreadsheet style.
Graph Displays the report as a graph. MicroStrategy can
display data in numerous graph types and styles.
Grid and Graph Displays the report in both grid and graph views at the
same time on the screen.
Add to History Adds the report to the History List of the logged-in
List user. History List is an area in MicroStrategy Web
where you can store report results and document
results from various sources.
Print Lets you specify print settings for the report and print
the report.
Send Now Lets you send the report to specified email
addresses.
Schedule Opens the Subscribe to History List dialog box, which
delivery to lets you set up automatic delivery of a
History List report/document to your History List on a specific
schedule.
Export Exports all or a portion of the report in Excel, CSV,
HTML, or plain text format.

308 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Name Icon Description

PDF Lets you specify settings to convert and display

reports in PDF format.
Full Screen Maximizes your view of the report by removing most
Mode of the Web toolbars. You can toggle Full Screen Mode
on or off.
New Lets you create a new report using a pre-defined
report template.
Convert to Converts the report into a Report Services document.
Document The new document opens, with the report displayed
as a Grid/Graph in the Detail Header.
Report Objects Shows or hides the Report Objects pane, which
displays all objects in the report. This icon is available
only if you own MicroStrategy OLAP Services.

All Objects Shows or hides the All Objects pane, which lets you
search for, locate, and select objects that are part of
the project.
Notes Shows or hides the Notes pane, which lets you add a
new note or edit an existing note. Notes can include
details about the report, information on how the
report was created, reasons to use it, queries about
the data displayed, or anything useful to you and
other users who execute the same report.
Related Reports Shows or hides the Related Reports pane, which
displays a list of reports related to the objects in the
current report.
Page-by Axis Shows or hides the page-by pane. Page-by is used to
group large amounts of data into separate pages of
the report, allowing you to view a subset of data.
View Filter Shows or hides the View Filter pane, which lets you
apply a filter on-the-fly to any attribute or metric on
the report. This icon is available only if you own
MicroStrategy OLAP Services.
Report Details Shows or hides the Report Details pane, which
displays the report description and filter details for
the report. The Report Details pane may also display
the prompt details and template details of the report.
Prompt Details Shows or hides the Prompt Details pane, which
displays the prompt information for all prompts in the
report. The information includes the name of each
prompt and its answers.
Show Pivot Shows or hides pivot buttons on column headers of a
Buttons grid report. Pivoting lets you re-arrange the columns
and rows in a report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 309

Basic Reporting Guide

Name Icon Description

Show Sort Shows or hides the sort buttons on the column

Buttons headers of a grid report. The sort buttons let you
quickly sort the data in either ascending or
descending order.
Graph Zones Shows or hides the Graph zone list. This list displays
all the objects on the graph report and lets you move
them to and from the Categories, Series, and Metrics
zones on a graph report.
Report Options Lets you format a grid report.

Sort Lets you specify advanced sort options. You can sort
the data in rows or columns either in ascending or
descending order.
Drill Lets you customize the drill options for the attributes
of a report. For details on drilling, see Drilling into
related data, page 90.
Filter on Displays the rows and columns for the selected
Selections attribute in a report. For example, if a report has more
rows of information than you wish to view, you can
specify which rows to display.
Refresh Refreshes the current display.

Re-prompt Lets you answer the prompt again, thereby creating a

new filter for the report results.

Swap Rows and Moves all report objects in the rows of the report to
Columns the columns of the report, and moves all report
objects in the columns of the report to the rows of the
report.
Insert New Lets you create a new derived metric. Derived metrics
Metric are metrics that you can create based on existing
metrics in the report. This icon is available only if you
own MicroStrategy OLAP Services.
Rename/Edit Lets you rename an object in a report.
Objects
Edit Attribute Lets you select the attribute forms to be displayed on
Forms the report. For example, the Customer attribute can
have the forms such as First Name, Last Name,
Address, Email Address, and so on.
Toggle Attribute Shows or hides the attribute forms of an attribute in
Form Names the report.
Show Totals Shows or hides subtotals and grand totals included in
the report.

310 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

Name Icon Description

Edit Totals Lets you include or remove subtotals from the report.

Quick Displays the quick thresholds that you can add to a

Thresholds report. Quick thresholds apply green, red, or yellow
colors or symbols to metric values on your report.
Toggle Shows or hides thresholds on the report.
Thresholds
Visual Opens the Visual Threshold Editor, which lets you
Threshold Editor define and format a simple threshold.
Advanced Lets you create advanced thresholds based on
Thresholds multiple metrics and uses more complex expressions
Editor than a simple threshold.
Legend Shows or hides the legend in the graph report.

Data Values Shows or hides the data values in the graph.

Series by Row Uses the objects on the rows of the report as the
series (data markers) of the graph report. The objects
on the columns are used as the categories of the
graph report.
Series by Uses the objects on the columns of the report as the
Column series (data markers) of the graph report. The objects
on the rows are used as the categories of the graph
report.
Auto Arrange Rearranges the layout of a graph report. This helps
you to automatically reposition the layout of the
MicroStrategy pre-8.x graph reports containing
overlapping components when you open them in
MicroStrategy 8.x Web.
Apply Applies the specified number of categories and series
that are to be displayed on the graph.

Autostyle Applies a selected autostyle to quickly format a

report. An autostyle is a set of report formatting that is
predefined and can be applied to reports to create a
consistent look and feel.
Banding Applies or removes background colors for alternate
rows on a grid report. Banding helps you view and
analyze the data on a report.
Outline Enables or disables outline mode for the report. You
can use outline mode to collapse or expand sections
of related data in the report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 311

Basic Reporting Guide

Name Icon Description

Merge Column Merges multiple column headers that are identical

Headers into a single header.
Merge Row Merges multiple row headers that are identical into a
Headers single header.
Lock Row Retains the display of row headers when scrolling
Headers horizontally in a report so that when a user scrolls
through a large report, the row headers remain
visible.
Lock Column Retains the display of column headers when scrolling
Headers vertically in a report so that when a user scrolls
through a large report, the column headers remain
visible.
Auto Fit to Enlarges or shrinks the report so that all data on the
Contents report fits in the columns and rows.

Auto Fit to Enlarges or shrinks the report so that it fits in the

Window window.
Advanced Grid Lets you format the template of the grid report.
Formatting
Advanced Lets you format the graph report.
Graph
Formatting
MicroStrategy Displays a drop-down menu that provides access to
Projects, Home, Shared Reports, My Reports, History
List, My Subscriptions, Preferences, Create Report,
Create Document, and Logout.

MicroStrategy Web Report Editor interface

If you have Web Professional privileges, you can use the Report Editor in MicroStrategy
Web to create new reports. (You can of course also access this editor if you have other sets
of privileges, such as Administrator, and so on.) Use this section to familiarize yourself with
the Report Editor interface. The following image shows the Report Editor in Web, with the
sample Revenue Forecast report ready to be edited within it:

312 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

For details on report designer privileges and the report designer role, see Before you begin,
page 134 in Chapter 7, Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers.

Finding your way around the MicroStrategy Web Report Editor

Refer to the image above as you read about the various areas or panes in the Web Report
Editor. You can perform the following tasks within the appropriate Report Editor pane:
l Object Browser pane: (left-hand side) Where you navigate through the project to
locate objects to include in the report. In the Object Browser you can navigate to All
Objects in the project. If you have MicroStrategy OLAP Services, you can also choose to
navigate only through Report Objects:
l All Objects pane: Where you see the list of all the objects available in your project.
l Report Objects pane: (This pane appears only if you have MicroStrategy OLAP
Services. See OLAP Services, page 13 for details.) Where you can see a summary of
all the objects you have included on your report.
l There may be more objects in this pane than are displayed on the executed report,
because OLAP Services lets analysts quickly remove or add objects from this pane
directly to the report template. When the report is executed, the MicroStrategy Engine
generates SQL that includes all the objects in this Report Objects pane, not just the
objects that are displayed in the report after it is executed. For details on using the
Report Objects pane, see Designing reports that use OLAP Services, page 295.
l Notes pane: Where you can see the notes that include report details, such as
information on how the report was created, reasons to use it, or queries about the data
displayed.
l Related Reports pane: Where you can see a list of reports and documents related to
the objects in the current report.

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 313

Basic Reporting Guide

l Report Filter pane: (top right) Click Edit Report Filter to display the Report Filter
and View Filter panes:
l Report Filter pane: Where you add filtering conditions to a report. Filtering
conditions can be made up of attributes, metrics, advanced filter qualifications, and
shortcuts to an existing report filter. The Report Filter pane allows you to create a filter
without having to open a separate object editor (the Filter Editor). Simple filters can be
conveniently created by dragging and dropping objects from the Object Browser into
this pane to create a filter. For details on creating filters, see Filtering data on a report:
Filters, page 169.
l View Filter pane: (This pane is only available if you have MicroStrategy OLAP
Services. See OLAP Services, page 13 for details.) Where you apply a special kind of
filter to any object that is in the Report Objects pane. View filters do not modify the SQL
for the report like normal report filters do. Instead, view filters are applied to the overall
result set after the SQL is executed and results are returned from the data source. This
can help improve report execution performance. For details on using view filters, see
Designing reports that use OLAP Services, page 295.
l Page-by pane: (center right) Where you place subsets of your report results to be
displayed as separate pages of the executed report. For details on adding page-by
functionality to a report, see Grouping data by page, page 63.
l Template pane: (bottom right) Where you define your report layouts by dragging and
dropping objects from the Object Browser onto this report template pane. For details on
templates, see Designing a report’s structure: Templates, page 249.

314 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 1
INDEX

A saving an answer 122

adding applying a total and subtotal 160
filter to a report 260 attribute 5, 87
metric to a report 258 alias 27
prompt to a report 264 displaying an attribute form 284
usability features to a report 276 example 87, 143
alias hiding an attribute form 284
attribute 27 in a page-by field 64
column 25 keeping when drilling 95
consolidation 27 metric relationship 146
custom group 28 removing when drilling 95
metric 27 viewing sample 143
report 26 attribute-to-attribute qualification 205
row 25 Attribute Element List prompt 231
aligning text in a cell 138 attribute element list qualification 174
answer requirements for a prompt 209 Attribute Element prompt
answering a prompt 122 creating 232
overview 122 example 231
personal answer 122 attribute form qualification 179
creating 179

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 315

Basic Reporting Guide

example 179 metric join 78

Attribute prompt column
creating 226 alias 25
example 225 color banding 34
attribute qualification 174 hiding 29
creating 175 locking headers 278
example 174 locking name/header 36
audience for report creation 136 merging headers 278
autostyle objects on 5
applying 52 pivoting 68
creating 52 swapping data with rows 69
Command Manager and metric
B creation 169
banding 34 components
base formula 156 metric 150
Big Decimal prompt 245 prompt 208
adding to a metric 269-270 compound metric 157
creating 245 arithmetic operator 157
border of a report, formatting 37 example 151
Break By in metric set qualification 186 conditional
formatting. See threshold. 97
C
metric 153
calculating data 74
values in a report 20
calculation, changing order of 79
consolidation
categories in a graph report 45
adding to a report 288
cell
alias 27
aligning text 138
drilling and 91
formatting 24
creating
formatting, by a designer 276
autostyle 52
changing
filter. See also creating a filter. 171
graph color 44
metric 159
graph style 42
metric join 75

316 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

object 141 privileges required for 134

page-by field 65 quick report creation 128, 138
prompt. See also creating a Report Editor 253
prompt. 213
saving time 138
Report Services document 293
cross-tabular report 6
report. See also creating a
report. 251 custom expression 206

shortcut object 129 custom group

creating a filter 171 adding to a report 288

attribute form qualification 179 alias 28

attribute qualification 175 drilling and 91

date qualification 182 formatting 20

joining qualifications with an customizing

operator 196 drilling behavior 91
metric set qualification 186 function 169
shortcut-to-a-filter qualification 195 metric number format 167
shortcut-to-a-report qualification 193 Report Details pane 85
creating a prompt
Attribute 226 D

Attribute Element 232 data

Hierarchy 220 caching 119

Metric 236 calculating 74

Object 241 detail, showing 59

Value 245 filtering 82

creating a report 251 grouping with page-by 63

audience 136 outlining 59

best practices 136 pivoting 68-69

combining a template and a filter 127 refreshing 118

data source 137 source. See data source. 118

example 135, 274 summary, showing 59

in MicroStrategy Web 275 data source 118

prerequisites 252 alternative 297

joining fact tables 74

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 317

Basic Reporting Guide

refreshing report data 118 subtotal and 112

report creation and 137 threshold and 97
Date prompt 244 example 97
creating 245 dynamic aggregation 14, 296
date qualification 182
E
default answer for a prompt,
defining 209 editing
default evaluation order 79 filter 204
derived metric 14, 296 metric 168
Developer. See MicroStrategy prompt 248
Developer. 1
emailing a report 16
dimensionality. See level. 148
enabling drilling
document. See Report Services
document. 293 Developer 94

drill map 286 Web 94

drilling 90 evaluation order 79

anywhere 93 default 79

behavior 91 example

changing drilling options for a drilling 90

report 91 exporting
consolidation and 91 data 15
custom group and 91
F
down only 93
enabling fact 151

Developer 94 filter 82, 169

MicroStrategy Web 286 adding a prompt

Web 94 to a report filter 267

example 90 adding to a report 260

keeping parent attribute 95 attribute-to-attribute qualification 205

example 95 attribute qualification 174

methods 91 based on a date 182

page-by and 99 changing the operator between

qualifications 203
restricting 286

318 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

creating 171 a designer 276

in a report 262 formula
custom expression 206 base 156
diagram of 170 metric 151
editing 204 Freeform SQL 297
example 82, 170 function
imported element 206 custom plug-in 169
in SQL 169 example 152
joint element list 206 grand total 160
metric-to-metric qualification 206 in metric definition 152
qualification, joining with an non-group 158
operator 196
subtotal 160
relationship filter 188
report limit and 73 G
set qualification 185 grand total 79
shortcut-to-a-filter 194 graph 42
stand-alone vs. filter as part of category 45
report 174
color 44
type 172
color for a metric in a graph report 45
view 84, 296
creating 293
viewing filter definition 84
displaying a number in 51
Filter Definition prompt 218
example 42
adding to the report filter 267
object. See graph object. 51
example 218
series 44
Filter Editor 171
style. See graph style. 42
filtering data on a report 82
threshold 46
formatting
undo and redo formatting 51
cell 24
view 7
metric 165
graph object
metric, by a designer 279
moving 51
report 19
placement 43
row and column headers and cells, by
resizing 51

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 319

Basic Reporting Guide

graph style 42, 286 relationship set qualification 188

changing 42, 44 prompt 215
example 42 limit, report. See report limit. 70
minimum requirements for 43 locking column and row headers 278
grid logging in to
viewing 4 MicroStrategy Developer 2
Grid Graph view 8 MicroStrategy Web 1
formatting 39 Long prompt 245
adding to a metric 269-270
H
creating 245
hierarchy 87
example 87 M
Hierarchy prompt 219 maximum value in a report, specifying 70
creating 220 menus
example 219 Developer 302
HTML document 295 MicroStrategy Web 306
merging column and row headers 278
I
metric 144
imported filter element 206
alias 27
inner join for a metric 75
base formula 156
instructions for a prompt 212
column alias 169
J components 150

join, metric. See metric join. 75 compound. See compound

metric. 151
joint element list 206
condition. See conditional metric. 153
L definition 151
level 89 derived 13, 296
example 89 dimensionality. See level. 148
metric 169 formatting. See metric -
formatting. 165
metric calculation 146
formula. See metric formula. 151
output
function 152
metric set qualification 186

320 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

graph color for 45 hiding a column 29

in a page-by field 64 removing the extra Metrics column
from a report 284
in SQL 152
saving 160-161
join. See metric join. 74
viewing 144
level 146
Metric Editor 144
example 89
metric formula 151
operator 152
example 151
prompt. See Metric prompt. 236
metric join 74
qualification. See metric set
qualification. 186 creating 75
ranking 77 example 75
set qualification. See metric set inner 75
qualification. 186
outer 75
subtotal 160
type 74
tasks. See metric - tasks. 144
viewing 78
threshold 23
when to use an inner or outer join 77
total 160
Metric prompt 236
transformation 154
creating 236
type 144
example 236
VLDB property 169
metric set qualification 185
metric-to-metric comparison 206
Break By 186
metric - formatting
creating 186
by a designer 279
output level 186
by an analyst 165
MicroStrategy Developer
customizing a metric number
format 167 folder list 299

number format in a graph 51 interface 299

removing the extra Metrics column menus 302

from a report 284 Object Viewer 299
metric - tasks Report Editor 304
adding to a report 258 Shortcut Bar. See also Shortcut
creating 159 Bar. 299

editing 168 starting 1

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 321

Basic Reporting Guide

toolbar icons 303 creating 139, 141

MicroStrategy OLAP Services 13 diagram of types 139
cache and 121 editors and wizards 141
derived metric 13 prompt. See Object prompt. 239
designing a report using 295 saving 141
dynamic aggregation 14 Object prompt 239
view filter 13 adding to
MicroStrategy Tutorial 3 metric 270
MicroStrategy Web page-by 268
interface 306 report filter 267
menus 306 creating 241
Report Editor 312 example 239
starting 2 OLAP Services. See MicroStrategy
OLAP Services. 13
toolbar icons 308
opening a report 4
minimum number of prompt answers,
specifying 209 operator 196
minimum value in a report, specifying 70 AND example 196
moving a graph object 51 AND NOT example 202
arithmetic, in a compound metric 158
N
changing 203
null value 24
in a metric calculation 152
number format
in a report limit 71
customizing (metric) 167
joining filter qualifications 196
in a graph 51
OR example 198
Numeric prompt 245
OR NOT example 200
adding to a metric 270
order of evaluation. See evaluation
creating 245 order. 79
outer join for a metric 75
O
outline mode 59
object
outline of report data 62
adding to a report. See adding. See
also individual object output level
names. 138
filter 188

322 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

metric set qualification 186 prompt 122

relationship set qualification 188 answer requirements 209
answering 121
P
attribute element. See Attribute
page-by 63 Element prompt. 231
adding a prompt to 268 choose from all attributes in a
hierarchy. See Hierarchy
adding to a report 287 prompt. 219
creating 65 choose from an attribute element list.
drilling and 99 See Attribute Element
prompt. 231
example 63
components 208
removing from a report 66
example 206
parent attribute, keeping when drilling 95
Filter Definition. See Filter Definition
password 2 prompt. 218
permissions 2 Hierarchy prompt. See Hierarchy
prompt. 220
personal answer for a prompt 210
instructions 212
multiple 211
Level 215
none 211
metric. See Metric prompt. 236
saving 122
object. See Object prompt. 239
single 211
personal answer 122, 210
pivoting 68
properties 208
example 68
qualify on a metric. See Metric
position, modifying for a graph object 51 prompt. 236
prerequisites for qualify on an attribute. See Attribute
creating a report 252 prompt. 225

project 252 scheduled report and 208

printing a report 15 security filter and 207

privileges 2 stand-alone vs. part of report or

filter 217
report creation 253
system 249
report design 134
tasks. See prompt - tasks. 121
project 140
title 212
prerequisites 252
type. See prompt type. 214

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 323

Basic Reporting Guide

value. See Value prompt. 243 removing a page-by field 66

prompt - tasks report 251
adding to alias 26
page-by 268 cache 119
report 264 cell 6
report filter 267 column 5
answering 121 cross-tabbed 6
creating 213 data source 118
default answer, defining 209 data. See report data. 57
editing 248 design 274
number of answers, defining 209 details. See Report Details pane. 85
saving a report with 123 formatting ideas 19
prompt type 214 grand total 79
choosing 215 graph report 7
grid 6
Q
grid-graph 8
qualification 171
object 139
attribute-to-attribute 205
page-by 287
joining with an operator 196
prompted 123
metric set 185
row 5
relationship set 187
scheduled. See scheduled
shortcut-to-a-filter 194 report. 208
shortcut-to-a-report 190 sorting 57
Query Builder 297 subtotal 79
quick sort 57 tasks. See report - tasks. 251
type 6
R
report - tasks
rank metric 77
adding a consolidation 288
redo graph formatting 50
adding a custom group 288
refreshing data in a report 118
creating. See also creating a
relationship filter 187 report. 251
relationship set qualification 186-187 emailing 16

324 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

exporting 15 row
filtering 82 alias 25
opening 4 color banding 34
printing 15 formatting, by a designer 276
saving 271 locking headers 278
searching for a value 57 locking name/header 36
report analysis viii merging headers 278
Report Builder 129 objects on 5
report data pivoting 68
searching for 57 swapping data with columns 69
sorting 54
S
Report Data Options
sample data 3
aliasing options 28
saving
report limit 71
metric 160-161
report design viii, 135
object 141
Report Details pane
saving a report 271
customizing 85
page-by and 67
Report Editor 253
prompt and 123
accessing from Developer 254
scheduled report and prompt 208
Developer 304
searching for
MicroStrategy Web 312
data in a report 57
report limit 70
SQL string 58
creating 71
security filter and prompt 207
example 70
series in a graph report 45
maximum and minimum values 70
graph color for a metric 45
operator 71
set qualification 185
report filter and 73
metric 185
Report Services document 293
relationship 186, 188
adding usability to 285
shortcut-to-a-filter qualification 194
creating 293
creating 195
Report Wizard 127
example 194

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 325

Basic Reporting Guide

shortcut-to-a-report qualification 190 drilling and 112

creating 193 example 161
example 191 metric 161
Shortcut Bar removing 163
shortcut group user-defined 169
creating 300 support. See technical support. xvi
removing 301 system prompt 249
renaming 302
T
shortcut icon 300
tables, joining for a metric 74
adding to a group 301
technical support xvi
removing 301
template 249
renaming 302
diagram 249
shortcut object, creating 129
selecting 249
shortcut qualification 190
Text prompt 245
simple metric, creating 144
creating 245
size, modifying for a graph object 51
threshold 20
smart total 163
drilling and 97
sorting report data 54
example 20, 23
SQL
on a graph 46
filter in WHERE clause 169
title and instructions for a prompt 212
metric in SELECT clause 152
toolbar icons
searching for a string 58
Developer 303
viewing for a report 9
MicroStrategy Web 308
writing your own 297
total 79
zooming in on 9
applying to a metric 160
starting
example 161
MicroStrategy Developer 2
metric 161
MicroStrategy Web 1
removing 163
subtotal 79
smart total 163
applying to a metric 160
transformation metric 154
displaying on a report 80
Tutorial. See MicroStrategy Tutorial. 3

326 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.

 Basic Reporting Guide

U
undo graph formatting 50
usability features, adding to a report 276
user-defined subtotal 169

V
value
aligning in a cell 138
locating in a report 57
Value prompt 243
adding to a metric 270
creating 245
example 243
view filter 13, 296
regular filter vs. 84
viewing
a graph 7
filter definition 84
grid report 4
metric 144
SQL 9
VLDB property 169

W
Web. See MicroStrategy Web. 2

© 2017, MicroStrategy Inc. 327

Basic Reporting Guide

328 © 2017, MicroStrategy Inc.