MicroStrategy ONE
Linking from documents
A link is a connection in a document to another document, a report, or a web page. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, he can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region. This is a form of drilling, where the user has drilled from region to store. The source document could also link to the underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well. The source could link to a web page that contains economic information about the region.
Linking documents is a tool to present investigative workflows. You can use links to navigate from data at one level to different levels of aggregation. For example, a document contains data about salaries and bonuses at the departmental level. One link on department can display a document with information about individual employees, while a second link displays information for the various business units. Another link executes a breakdown by the projects that the department is currently working on. Or you can use an object (such as an attribute element) on a document to trigger the execution of another document or a report that is substantially different from the original document. For example, a user viewing an Employee detail document can click a link to execute a Regional Sales Breakdown document, or click a link on a Profit and Loss report to view a Departmental Summary dashboard.
Different objects on a document can have different links. For example, the Region attribute in a regional revenue document can link to a yearly revenue document, while the Revenue metric can link to a document with revenue forecasts and other key performance indicators.
A link can also connect a text field or an image to a web page. When the document is viewed as a PDF or on the Web, a user can click the link to navigate to the link's target, which opens in a new window. If you prefer, you can define the link so that the target opens in the same window as the document, effectively replacing it.
Links are functional only in MicroStrategy Web (in all modes except Design Mode), although you can create them in both MicroStrategy Developer and MicroStrategy Web. To allow a user to link from a text field or an image to a web page in PDF View in MicroStrategy Developer, as well as in all non-Flash modes in MicroStrategy Web, define the control as a hyperlink. For details and examples, see Defining hyperlinks in documents.
Links in documents can:
-
Be created on a text field or image (the source)
-
Be created from an attribute, metric, hierarchy, or object prompt on a Grid/Graph (the source)
The Grid/Graph must be displayed as a grid.
-
Be created from an attribute on a widget
-
Execute a report, a web page, or another document (the target)
You can execute a web page from a text field or image only.
-
Open the target in either a new window or the same window (replacing the source)
-
Answer prompts in the target in a variety of ways, including using existing prompt answers from the source, using the objects selected in the source, running the prompts, sending a list of elements, and others
-
Be created in either MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web, but are functional only in MicroStrategy Web.
The following table describes different options that allow a user to interact with a document. The table helps you to decide what to create to achieve your goals.
|
To: |
In: |
Create: |
|---|---|---|
|
Link to a web page |
MicroStrategy Web PDF View in MicroStrategy Developer |
A text field or image that is defined as a hyperlink. A user can click a hyperlink on an image or a text field to open a web page. Hyperlinks work in PDF View in MicroStrategy Developer and in Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. |
|
Link to a web page |
MicroStrategy Web |
A link. A user can click a link on an image or a text field to open a web page. Links work in all modes, except Express Mode, in MicroStrategy Web. |
|
Link to a report or a document |
MicroStrategy Web |
A link. A user can click a link on an image, a text field, or an object in a Grid/Graph (displayed as a grid or as a widget) to run another document or a report. Links work in all modes, except Express Mode, in MicroStrategy Web. See Linking documents to other documents and to reports (drilling). |
|
Link to a report or document and pass context |
MicroStrategy Web |
A link containing prompt information. This is the same as the link described above, except that the target document/report contains a prompt and the link contains information to answer that prompt. Information can therefore be passed from the source document to the target. |
|
Link on a Grid/Graph (not an object on a Grid/Graph) |
MicroStrategy Web |
A link to the dataset. You can link a Grid/Graph to its related dataset report. This type of link creates a text field, separate from the Grid/Graph, that executes the dataset report. |
|
Drill on a Grid/Graph |
Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web |
Enable drilling in the Grid/Graph. (A new object or link does not have to be created.) You can drill on a Grid/Graph in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web. You can drill down, up, or across attributes, custom groups, and consolidations displayed in a Grid/Graph, if drilling is enabled. |
|
Interact with panel stacks |
MicroStrategy Web, and especially Flash Mode |
Selector. A selector allows the user to:
See Providing interactivity to users: Selectors and Layering information in an interactive document. |
|
Display different objects on a Grid/Graph |
MicroStrategy Web, and especially Flash Mode |
Selector. A selector allows a user to display different metrics or different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations in a Grid/Graph. |
For documents displayed on mobile devices, you can create links to reports and other documents. You can also create links that interact with applications installed with the mobile device, such as email or text messaging. For examples and instructions, see the MicroStrategy Mobile Analysis Help.
Prerequisites for working with links
Before you begin creating links, you should be familiar with creating reports, documents, and prompts. For resource material, see the following:
-
For information on creating reports and prompts, including descriptions of the different prompt types, see About prompts.
-
For information on creating documents, see Designing and creating documents.
-
For information on drilling, see Drilling on a report. For information on drill maps, see About drill maps and associations.
-
For information on hierarchies and how they are structured, see the Hierarchies chapter in the Project Design Help.
Terms used in links
Before you begin creating links, it is helpful to know and understand the following terms:
-
Link: A connection in a document to another document, a report, or a web page. A link lets an analyst execute another document or report (the target) from a document (the source), and to pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. Links are functional in Interactive Mode and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.
-
Default link: Is used when a user clicks the linked object. If the object has multiple links, the user can right-click the linked object to access the other links.
-
Hyperlink: A connection in a document to a web page. In contrast to a link, a hyperlink is functional in PDF View in MicroStrategy Developer and in Express Mode, Interactive Mode, and Editable Mode in MicroStrategy Web.