Displaying data on the fly: dynamic aggregation

When you create a non-OLAP Services report in MicroStrategy, data is retrieved from the data warehouse and aggregated to the logical level determined by the objects on the report.

Dynamic aggregation allows metric values to be aggregated at different levels, depending on the attributes included on the report, without having to re-execute it against the data warehouse. Dynamic aggregation occurs when the attributes included on the report layout changes—for example, 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 the attributes included on the report layout change, metric values are dynamically aggregated to the new level of the report.

For example, a report with revenue data and attributes for year and region displays revenue data for each region during each year. You can move the attribute for year from the report layout to the Report Objects pane to display a region's revenue data for all years rather than display each yearly revenue total separately.

Metrics can also be moved between the report layout and the Report Objects pane, but this does not affect the level of aggregation for the report.

By default, the Analytical Engine selects the best aggregation function to use for each metric. However, you can also specify the function for each metric. You can use any of the standard predefined subtotal functions or define your own functions using user-defined subtotals.

For more detailed information on dynamic aggregation, refer to Dynamic Aggregation.