"Qualify on a metric" prompts (Metric prompts)

Before You Begin

This topic assumes that you are familiar with the concepts in Prompts and About filter definition prompts.

Steps to create a "Qualify on a metric" prompt

The "Qualify on a metric" prompt, also called a Metric prompt, allows users to create their own instant filter for data returned for one of the metrics on the report. You create a Metric prompt by selecting one or more metrics. Users will be able to define their filters based on these metrics.

For example, your report contains the attribute Region and the metric Revenue. You want users to be able to define the amount of revenue they want to see data for, showing any geographical region which satisfies the user's selected metric condition.

You create a metric prompt, which prompts the user to enter a value for which all revenue data will be displayed that is greater than the value entered by the user. Using the MicroStrategy Tutorial project data, you might define the default answer for the prompt to be Revenue > $1,000,000.

When you apply this prompt to the report and execute the report using the default answer, the report appears as shown in the following image.

The metric(s) that you choose for the prompt do not have to appear on the report itself. For example, a store manager needs a report to show sales data for products whose current inventory falls below a certain count. However, the report does not necessarily need to display inventory counts for those products.

When answering the prompt, users can define their filters based on the value, rank, or percentage of the metric.

This type of prompt is sometimes referred to as a metric qualification prompt and is used in qualifications. Both filters and custom groups use qualifications, which are the actual conditions that must be met. An example is "Revenue > $1 million". Every filter contains at least one qualification, while qualifications are used to define custom group elements, which are the components that make up a custom group.

Use Metric prompts in the qualifications of filters and custom group elements. For a table of where to use all prompts, see Adding a prompt to a report, metric, filter, or custom group.

Prerequisites

Before you create this type of prompt, you should know which metrics you want the user to choose from. For a detailed description of metrics, see Metrics. Additionally, if you want to use the results of a search in the prompt, create the search object. You can also create it while creating the prompt.

To create a "Qualify on a metric" prompt

If you are in the process of creating a prompted metric qualification, begin at step 4 of this procedure. This step places you at the correct page when the wizard is accessed from the Filter Editor to create a prompted metric qualification.

1. Open the Prompt Generation Wizard. How?

2. On the Welcome page, choose Filter definition prompt, then select Qualify on a metric.

3. Click Next. The "Qualify on a metric" page opens.

   • To select the metric(s) for which users can define their filters

   • The prompt will display the metric(s) on which users define their filter criteria.

4. Select a metric on which to qualify by doing one of the following:

   • To use a specific metric, select Choose a metric object. Enter the name of the metric, or click ...(the browse button) to find one.

   • To use a set of metrics from a search, select Use the results of a search object. Do one of the following:

   • To use an existing search, click ... (the browse button). Navigate to the search object, select it, and click OK to return to the Prompt Generation Wizard.

   • To create a new search, click New. The Search for Objects dialog box opens. Enter your search criteria and save the search. Then browse to and select your new search object or specify the name of the search object. (For more detailed instructions to create a new search object, see Search for Objects dialog box.)

   • To select the metrics manually, select Use a predefined list of metrics. Use the buttons described below to create the list.

   • Add opens the Select Objects dialog box, which allows you to choose the metrics for the list.

     Once a metric has been selected, this button is replaced by Modify, which opens the Select Objects dialog box so you can select additional metrics.

   • Remove deletes the selected metric from the list.

   • Clear deletes all the metrics in the list.

   • Up and Down arrows move the selected metric to change the order the objects are displayed in the prompt.

5. Click Next. The General Information page opens.

   • To specify a title and instructions

   • For considerations when determining a title and description, see Title and instructions.

6. Type a Title, which is used as the default object name when you save the prompt, although you can change it. The title is also displayed to users when the prompt is run during report execution.

   • To display a blank title, type a space in the Title field. If you leave Title blank, a default name, such as Region for an attribute prompt on Region, is displayed when the prompt is run.

7. Type text in the Instructions field, which is displayed when the prompt is run during report execution.

   • To display blank instructions, type a space in the Instructions field. If you leave Instructions blank, default instructions, such as Qualify on Region for an attribute prompt on Region, are displayed when the prompt is run.

8. To determine how the prompt appears when it is executed in MicroStrategy Web, click Modify. The Web Options dialog box opens. This dialog box displays options for prompt style and style properties. You can also configure how the user can define the metric qualification in the prompt when the prompt is executed in MicroStrategy Web. For instructions, see Defining how a prompt is displayed in MicroStrategy Web.

   • To allow personal answers

   • Personal answers allow a user to save prompt answers for this prompt, and then reuse the answers on any report that this prompt is used on. For a more detailed description of personal answers and how they can be used, see Allowing personal answers for prompts.

9. To determine whether personal answers can be saved for this prompt, select one of the following options from the Personal answers allowed drop-down list:

   • None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the prompt, he must answer it manually (if it is required) or ignore it.

   • One: Only one personal answer can be saved for this prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A user can keep the personal answer, or add or delete selections. He can save his changes as a new personal answer, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.

   • Multiple: Multiple personal answers can be named and saved, allowing different answers for the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a different one), the personal answers are available. The user can select one of them, or answer the prompt manually.

   • To define prompt restrictions

10. To require a minimum number of qualifications, select the Minimum number of qualificationscheck box. Enter the minimum.

11. To restrict the number of allowed qualifications, select the Maximum number of qualificationscheck box. Enter the maximum.

12. To require that the user answer the prompt at run time, select the Promptanswerrequired check box.

    If you select Prompt answer required without providing default answers, the report cannot execute on a schedule. For information on how required prompt answers, default answers, and schedules interact, see the Advanced Prompts chapter in the Advanced Reporting Help.

13. Click Next. The Default Prompt Qualification Selection page opens.

    • To specify a default answer

    • A default answer can allow users to complete report execution more quickly, since they do not need to answer the prompt but can simply run the report using the default answer. The user can select the default, or create his own qualification. For considerations when determining a default answer, see Default prompt answers. You do not need to specify a default answer if you do not want a default answer to appear for users.

14. If you do not want to define default qualifications, click Finish. The Save As dialog box opens.

15. To define default qualifications:

    • To create the qualification, click Add. Create a filter using theQualification Editor that opens. When you save the filter, you are returned to the Prompt Generation Wizard. The qualification is displayed in the table.

      Once you add a default, the Add button is renamed Modify. Click it to modify the qualification or add additional qualifications.

    • Clear deletes all the default qualifications. Click Finish. The Save As dialog box opens.

    • To save your prompt

16. Select the folder in which to save the new prompt, enter a name, and click Save to return to MicroStrategy Developer.

    If you were creating a prompted metric qualification, you are returned to the Filter Editor after you click Finish. You do not save the prompt as a separate object. To return to that procedure, click Creating a prompted metric qualification.

You can now add your new prompt directly to a report (in the report filter), or indirectly by adding the prompt to a filter or custom group. For instructions, see:

• Adding a prompt to the Report Filter pane in the Report Editor

• About adding a prompt to a filter's definition in the Filter Editor

• Adding a prompt to a custom group's definition

For a table showing how to add each prompt type to objects, see Reports: Adding a prompt to a report, metric, filter, or custom group.

Related Topics

• Filters

• Prompted filters

• Prompted custom groups

• Conditional metrics

• Prompt Generation Wizard