MicroStrategy ONE
Adding a link to a Heat Map widget
Linking allows users to connect from a widget in a document (the source) to another document or a report (the target). In MicroStrategy Web, the user can then click the link in the widget to view the target to compare data or retrieve additional information.
If you add a link to a Heat Map widget, a Links menu is displayed when a MicroStrategy Web user hovers the cursor over an attribute element in the widget. The user can click a link in the Links menu to open the target.
For example, the Region attribute in the Heat Map widget shown below is linked to the Top 2 Employees by Call Center report. This report is prompted for region, and the link passes the current region to the report. In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web, the user hovers the cursor over Northeast, then points to Links in the tooltip, to display the available links, as shown below:
When the user clicks the link Top 2 Employees by Call Center, the target report is displayed. Only the call centers in the Northeast region are included, as shown below:
For detailed information about passing prompt answers to the target, see Linking in widgets.
Links are functional in MicroStrategy Web (in all modes except Design Mode), although you can create them in both MicroStrategy Developer and MicroStrategy Web.
Prerequisites
Before creating links, you should:
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Create the source and target documents and reports.
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Create the Heat Map widget in the target document. For instructions to create a Heat Map widget, see Defining Heat Map widgets.
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Know what types of prompts the targets require and how they will be answered. The following table describes prerequisites for different prompt answer methods.
Prompt Answer Method |
Prerequisites |
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Answer with the same prompt |
The same prompt is used in the target and source. |
Default answer |
The target prompt contains a default answer. |
Dynamically |
The target prompt is an attribute element prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. If you create the link in MicroStrategy Web, you can select Dynamically for value prompts. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help. |
Empty answer |
The prompt should not be required. |
Static element list |
The target prompt is an attribute element prompt. |
Current unit |
The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. |
All valid units |
The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object(s) that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt. |
To add a link to a Heat Map widget
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Open the document in the Document Editor. How?
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Double-click the widget Grid/Graph to enable edit mode. A red hashed border displays around the Grid/Graph, and the menu options and toolbar change.
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Right-click the attribute to use as link, and then select Edit Links. The Link Editor opens.
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If this is not the first link created for the object, click New. If it is, continue with the next step.
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Browse (click ... next to Run this report or document) to find and select the target report or document.
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Select a prompt in the Target prompts list.
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Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list (unless otherwise indicated, each method is available for all prompt types):
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Answer with the same prompt. The same prompt answers that were used to execute the source are used in the target. To use this method, the target and the source must use the same prompt.
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Prompt user. The user is prompted to provide answers manually when the target is executed.
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Default answer. The prompt is answered by the default prompt answer for the prompt in the target report.
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Empty answer. The prompt in the target is ignored, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted to provide answers.
If the prompt is required, the prompt is still executed when a user clicks this link, since a prompt answer must be provided.
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Dynamically. The prompt is answered using the object selected in the source.
Available for attribute element prompts only.
If you create the link in MicroStrategy Web, you can select Dynamically for value prompts. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.
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Static element list. This method overrides the prompt answers from the source with a list of elements. Once you select this method when you are creating the link, the Element List area becomes available, allowing you to select the elements that will be passed as answers to the element list prompt in the target.
Available for attribute element prompts only.
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Current unit. Similar to the Dynamic prompt answer method, where the prompt is answered using the object selected in the source.
Available for hierarchy prompts only.
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All valid units. Any object to the left of or above the user selection in the source is used as the prompt answer for the target. In other words, this method passes all the selections made on the source, rather than just the selection made for the link.
Available for hierarchy prompts only.
For examples of each of the prompt answer methods, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target. For a list of prompt types, see the Building Query Objects and Queries chapter in the Basic Reporting Help.
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Repeat the above steps, starting with Apply prompt answers, for each prompt in the target.
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Specify the prompt answer method for any other prompts
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Any other prompts are those prompts that are not in the target when you are creating the link, such as prompts added to the target later. By default, the Prompt user method is selected for these prompts, but you can change the method. For more information on how these prompts occur, including examples, see Specifying how prompts are answered in the target.
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Select Any other prompt in the Target prompts list.
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Select a Prompt Answer Method from the following list; only these methods are available for the Any other prompt option:
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Answer with the same prompt
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Prompt user
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Default answer
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Empty answer
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See the previous list of prompt answer methods for brief descriptions of each.
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Rename the link
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By default, links are named Link1, Link2, and so on. To rename the link, click Rename, and replace the name with new text.
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You can help identify the link for analysts by using the name of the target report and/or describe how its prompts are answered.
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Create another link on the same object
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To create additional links from the same object, continue with the steps below. Otherwise, continue with Specify whether a new window is used. For an example of multiple links, see the Linking from Documents chapter in the Document Creation Help.
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Click New, and define the link as described above, starting with Define the link.
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By default, the first link that is created is set as the default link, which is used when a user clicks the object in MicroStrategy Web or double-clicks it in MicroStrategy Developer. To set a different link as the default, select it in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Set as default. For details on default links, see Specifying the default link when multiple links are available.
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You can set the order that the links are displayed in the right-click menu. Select a link in the list at the top of the dialog box, and click Move Up or Move Down to re-order the links.
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By default, the target report or document opens in the same window as the source. To have the target open in a new window, which allows both the source and the target to be visible simultaneously, select the Open in a new window check box.
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Click OK to close the Link Editor.
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To exit edit mode, press ESC. You are returned to the source document.