Value Prompt

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 contains the Employee Age attribute, the operator Less Than, and a Maximum Value set to 40.

This example and an image showing the results of such a prompt can be found in the Answering Questions about Data chapter in the Basic Reporting Help.

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.

The different types of value prompts are:

• 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.

• 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 qualification. For information on metric qualification filters, see Metric Set Qualification.

  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.

• 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 element form qualification filters, see Attribute Form Qualification.

• 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 only in expressions that require high precision, such as qualifying on a Big Decimal attribute ID.

Long prompts cannot be created from MicroStrategy Web; they must be created in MicroStrategy Developer. For more information, see the Basic Reporting Help.

You can create a stand-alone prompt, or you can create a prompt that is embedded in a filter. A value prompt can be used in an Attribute form qualification or a Metric set qualification.

To create a Value prompt

Click Create on any page, point to New Prompt, and select Value Prompt. The New Prompt page opens.

To define the prompt type to be presented to the user

On the Definition tab, specify the type of value prompt:

• Date and Time prompt: This prompt lets users filter for data related to either a specific date or a range of dates.
• Numeric prompt: This prompt lets users filter numeric data, usually based on a metric.
• Text prompt: This prompt lets users filter text data, usually based on attribute forms.
• Big Decimal prompt: This prompt lets users filter data based on a big decimal value for a metric.

To define the title and description

1. Click the General tab.
2. Specify a title and instructions for the prompt in the Title and Instructions fields.

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 checkbox.
2. To set the minimum and maximum values that can be entered by the user, select the Minimum value and Maximum value checkboxes and type a value in the respective fields. You can specify a minimum value even if you do not specify a maximum value.
3. To determine whether users can save and reuse their prompt answers, and if so, how many prompt answers they can save for the prompt. From the Personal answers allowed drop-down list, select one of the following:
   • To keep prompt answers from being saved and reused, select None.
   • To save and reuse only one prompt answer, select Single.
   • To save and reuse multiple prompt answers, select Multiple.

To specify the layout and display style of the prompt

1. Click the Style tab.

2. From the Display style drop-down list, specify a presentation style, 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, only display when the prompt is viewed on a mobile device with MicroStrategy Mobile. Certain styles are only available for specific types of Value prompts. For a general overview of displaying prompts on mobile devices, see Introduction to Prompts for Mobile Devices.

   The options are:

   • Textbox: This prompt lets users type a value directly into a field.
   • Slider: This prompt lets users specify a numeric value on a horizontal slider.
   • Stepper: This prompt displays a numeric value. Users can use the increment and decrement buttons to increase or decrease the value displayed.
   • Switch: This prompt lets users choose between two choices, On and Off.
   • Wheel: This prompt displays a wheel or row of wheels the user can move up or down to specify a value.
   • Geo Location: This prompt lets users filter results based on their current geographic location.
   • Barcode Reader: This prompt lets users answer the prompt by scanning or typing an item's bar code.
3. Depending on the prompt's type and display style, you can specify other available formatting options:
   • To ensure that the prompt's text fields and options are of a fixed size, select the Fixed textbox width checkbox and type a value in the field.
   • To allow users to select time before running a report, select the Allow user to select time checkbox. This option is displayed only when you have selected Date and Time prompt type.
   • For the Switch prompt style, 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.
   • To specify the interval between numeric values that are displayed in the prompt, type a value in the Interval field. For example, in a Date & Time prompt with the display style set to Date and Time and an interval of 30 minutes, users can select times such as 9:00AM, 9:30AM, 10:00AM, and so on.
   • To specify whether the prompt is set using latitude or longitude, select Latitude or Longitude from the Location coordinate drop-down list.
   • To format how numeric values are displayed in the prompt, click the Number Format button. Select a number formatting style and click OK to apply changes.

To save the prompt

If you creating a prompt for a filter, click OK to save the prompt in the filter. You are returned to the New Filter page. To finish creating an attribute form qualification, begin at this step; to finish creating a metric set qualification, begin at this step.

1. To save the prompt, select Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
2. Specify a name, description, and the location in which to save the prompt and click OK.

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 Adding a Prompt to a Report.