Developer Preferences: Reports category, Report Details preferences

Report details include such information as the objects included in the filter, how they are filtered, whether to include the report description, and so on. Report details are displayed in the Report Details pane, which can be displayed above the report when the report is opened. To see report details, open a report and select Report Details from the View menu.

The report details preferences in Developer Preferences allow you to specify which types of report details are displayed. These report details preferences override some of the report details properties that are configured in the Report Details Properties dialog box at the project level (in the Project Configuration Editor) and at the report level (in the Report Editor). For example, you choose prompt details as a report details preference. When you open a prompted report, the name of each prompt and its prompt answers are displayed in the Report Details pane. You cannot remove the prompt details display from that report, unless you remove prompt details as a report details preference. In the report itself, however, you can configure how the prompt details are displayed, such as whether the title of the prompt is displayed.

You can also choose to use the report details properties instead of these report details preferences. These properties are available at the project and report level. To use the report details properties, disable the report details preferences by clearing the Apply these Developer preferences to the Report Details check box. For more information about the report details properties and what they affect, see Configuring report details overview.

The report details preferences can also be disabled from within a report. For instructions and details, see Configuring report details overview.

Report Details preferences layout

From the Reports category on the left, you can specify the following Report Details preferences:

Show report details: Specifies whether the report details are displayed when a report is opened. By default, this check box is selected. Regardless of this setting, report details can be hidden or viewed manually after a report is opened (in the report, select Report Details from the View menu).

If you clear the Show report details check box, the rest of the options on this interface become unavailable.

Font Options: Formats the text of the report details, such as the font size and color.
Apply these Developer preferences to the Report Details: Specifies whether these report details preferences override some of the report details properties that are configured in the Report Details Properties dialog box at the project level (in the Project Configuration Editor) and the report level (in the Report Editor). By default, this check box is selected. To use the report details properties instead, disable the report details preferences by clearing this check box.

If Developer Preferences are applied, you can select the content of the report details, which can include any of the following:

Include report description: Displays the description of the report written by the creator or owner of the report.
Include prompt details: If the report has prompts, displays the name of each prompt, as well as the prompt answer that the user chose before the report was executed. Prompts help define and limit the data that is displayed in an executed report.
Include filter details: If the report has filters, displays the name of each shortcut filter, the definition of each report filter, and the definition the report limits.

A shortcut filter is a stand-alone filter that was created outside the context of the report. The filter is then added to the report to filter the report's results, but the filter itself remains stand-alone and can be used in other reports as well, at the same time. Changes made to a stand-alone filter are reflected in any reports that use that stand-alone filter as a shortcut. In contrast, a report filter is created within the report and cannot be used in another report.

If you select Include filter details, you can select either, both, or neither of the following:
Show definition of shortcut filters: Displays the definition, instead of the filter name, of any stand-alone filters that were added to the report as a shortcut.
Include view filter details: If the report has view filters, displays the view filter. View filters are not named, so the definition is displayed.

MicroStrategy OLAP Services allows view filters, which are a filter that can be applied by the user dynamically after the report has been executed and displayed. View filters allow users to filter report data after report execution, to see exactly what they need to see. The view report (the report with a view filter applied) does not retrieve its data from your data warehouse; it filters the data already displayed on the original report to create a more restricted view of that report (a view report).

Include metric details: Displays the names of the objects on the report and the definitions of the metrics on the report.
Include cache status: Displays whether the report used a cached set of data for its results. The cache status is displayed as Yes when the report retrieved its results from a saved cache of data on the Intelligence Server. The cache status is displayed as No when the report retrieved its data from your data warehouse.