In this exercise, you will learn to create several types of Prompts:
- Browse to the MicroStrategy TutorialPublic ObjectsReportsMy Exercises folder.
- Right-click | New | Prompt. You will see four radio buttons corresponding to each of the four types of Prompts described before.
- Select Filter definition prompt | Choose from an Attribute element list | Next.
The Filter definition prompt is commonly used in a pair with the Attribute element list option. Try the other three options to see the difference. Basically, these options will let the user build a Filter on the fly, or dynamically create a Filter qualification.
- Select the Call Center Attribute (Under Geography) | Next.
- Leave the default option (List all elements) | Next | Change Display properties Title and Instructions to anything you want | Set Minimum number of answers to 1 | Maximum number of answers to 3 | Set Prompt answer is required.
If you want to make a prompt optional, leave this last option unchecked.
- Click Next | Finish | Save the object as Choose your Call Center.
- Create a new Report with Call Center and Month Attributes, and the Revenue Metric | Add no Filter.
- In the Report editor, browse to the My Exercises folder | Drag and drop the Choose your Call Center Prompt into the Report Filter | Execute the Report. You should see a list of Attribute elements (red cubes) listing all Call Centers in the database. Select one, two, or three Call Centers from the US | Click Finish.
You can test the Prompt limits you established: the Prompt is required (click Finish without answering it) and you need a minimum of one and a maximum of three selections.
- When you execute the Report, you have the option to re-Prompt using the following button:
Re-Prompt button
- Try a few other selections to see how the result varies; also, check the SQL view and verify that the Call Centers selected appear in the WHERE clause | Save and Close | Name it Prompted Report. You will see the following options:
Different selections to see how the result varies
The first option, Static , will eliminate any Prompt within the Report definition, whereas the second option, Prompted, will keep them in the Filter, Template, or both.
- Select Prompted | Filter and template will be prompted | OK.
The first option, Only filter will be prompted, makes the template static if there are prompts inside it. The second option, Only template will be prompted, makes the filter static if there are prompts inside it. The third option, Filter and template will be prompted, will always prompt the user regardless of where the prompts are.
- Create another Prompt, right-click | New | Prompt.
- Select Object prompt | Next | Add | Browse and select Cost and Profit Metrics (inside the Sales Metrics folder) | OK.
- Select Next | Change Display properties Title and Instructions to anything you want | Finish | Name it Choose your Metric.
- Edit your Prompted Report (right-click | Edit) | Drag and drop the Choose your Metric Prompt into the Report's Template.
If the Object Prompt contains an object that usually can't go inside a Template, such as a Filter, this action would not be valid and thus MicroStrategy would not allow dropping it in the Report's Template.
- Execute the Report | You should see now two Prompts, one for the Filter (Choose your Call Center) and one for the Template (Choose your Metric).
- Select Cost and/or Profit Metrics | Select your Call Centers. Notice how your previous selection is active, since you left the corresponding checkbox marked |Select Finish (don't close the Report).
- We will now create a local Filter with a Value prompt. Go to the Design view | Drag and drop the Year Attribute into the Filter section | For Qualify On, choose from the ID drop-down.
- Leave the operator Exactly | In the dropdown below it, select Simple Prompt (which is the same as a Value Prompt).
- Leave Display properties as the default | Set Minimum value to 2014 and Maximum value to 2017 | Next | set the Default value to 2015 | Finish | OK | Save and Close | Use the same Prompt options as before (Filter and Template).
- Execute the Prompted Report. There are now three prompts. Answer them, and when you get to the Value Prompt, it should ask for the year | Type 2016 (Notice the default is set to 2015) | Finish | Save and Close | OK (in the Prompt options).
MicroStrategy won't validate that the input to a Value Prompt corresponds to the Attribute (in this exercise, Year). It only adds the user response to the WHERE condition. If the user responds with a value that is not valid, the Report will not return any results.