"Qualify on an attribute" prompts (Attribute prompts)

Before You Begin

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

Steps to create a "Qualify on an attribute" prompt

The "Qualify on an attribute" prompt, also called an Attribute prompt, can be used to create a more focused prompt than the hierarchy prompt. You determine a single attribute from which each user who executes the report can select elements to define his report filter. You can also let users select an attribute from a set of attributes, and then select elements from their chosen attribute.

For example, your report contains the attribute Region and the metric Revenue. You want users to be able to select specific geographical regions of the country for which to see revenue data, from among all regions.

Report with Revenue for Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest

Of the three filter definition prompts for attributes, the attribute prompt is more restrictive than a hierarchy prompt but less restrictive than an attribute element prompt. The hierarchy prompt allows users to select from the widest number of attribute elements when they are choosing prompt answers to define their filtering criteria. The attribute element prompt is the most restrictive, allowing users to choose from the fewest number of attribute elements to define their filter criteria.

Use Attribute 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.

Both filters and custom groups use qualifications, which are the actual conditions that must be met, such as "Year=2026". 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.

Prerequisites

Before you create this type of prompt, you should know the following:

Which attributes you want the user to choose from.
How the attribute forms are displayed in reports. Use the attribute display properties to determine how the forms are displayed.

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 an attribute" prompt

If you are in the process of creating a prompted attribute 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 attribute qualification.

Open the Prompt Generation Wizard. How?
On the Welcome page, choose Filter definition prompt, then select Qualify on an attribute.
Click Next. The "Qualify on an attribute" page opens.
- To select the attribute from which the user can create the filter
- You must determine which attribute will be displayed to the user when the user is prompted. (Alternatively, you can present the users with a list of attributes from which the user selects one attribute.) The user then selects elements from that attribute to be part of the filter he creates to filter data for the report.
Select an attribute on which to qualify by doing one of the following:
- To use a specific attribute, select Choose an attribute. Enter the name of the attribute, or click ... (the browse button) to find one.
- To use a set of attributes from a search, select Use the results of a search object. A search object searches for and displays specific project objects when the user executes the report. This allows you to prompt the user with the most up-to-date objects in the project. 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 allow the user to choose attributes from a list of attributes that you specify, select Use a predefined list of attributes. Create the list using the buttons described below:
- To choose the attributes for the list, click Add, which opens the Select Objects dialog box. Select the attributes, then click OK to return to the Prompt Generation Wizard.
  
  Once an attribute has been selected, the Add button is replaced by the Modify button.
- To modify the list, click Modify, which opens the Select Objects dialog box. Add or remove attributes, then click OK to return to the Prompt Generation Wizard.
- To delete an attribute from the list, select the attribute and click Remove.
- To remove all the attributes from the list, click Clear.
- To change the order that the objects are displayed in the prompt, select an attribute and click the Up and Down arrows to move the selected attribute.
- To determine which attribute forms to display to the user
- The prompt displays the related attribute elements for users to select their filter criteria from. The attribute's forms can also be displayed.
- An attribute form is a descriptive aspect of an attribute. Most attributes have at least two forms, ID and description (Desc). For example, the Product attribute has an attribute form called ID, which is made up of ID numbers that represent each attribute element (each product). The attribute form Last Name contains the last names for each attribute element, such as each customer in the Customer attribute, or each employee in the Employee attribute. Your project designer determines which attribute forms users see directly in a report's results (the report display forms), and which attribute forms users can see displayed in the Object Browser, for browsing purposes (the browse forms). You can select which of these display types users can select from when they answer the prompt.
Select how to display the attribute forms, by choosing an option from the Displayed forms drop-down list:
- All attribute forms (the default) displays all attribute forms.
- Browse forms displays only the browse forms defined in the Display tab of the Attribute Editor.
- Report Display forms displays only the report display forms defined in the Display tab of the Attribute Editor.
- Custom forms, which displays only the attribute forms that you select (available only if Choose an attribute is selected).
  
  After you select Custom forms, the Select Forms button is enabled. Click Select Forms to display a list of attribute forms for the selected attribute. Select the attribute forms to display, then click OK to return to the Prompt Generation Wizard page.
  
  The actual number of attribute forms displayed during prompt resolution depends on the attribute definition and on how the project architect categorized the attribute forms. Use the attribute display properties to determine how the forms are displayed.
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.
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.
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.
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 attribute 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.
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
In the Max number of elements per selection field (optional), enter the maximum number of elements that a user can add to the prompt's attribute qualification. When the prompt is executed, a user cannot add more than this number if he selects the In List or Not in List operator.
To require a minimum number of qualifications, select the Minimum number of qualifications check box. Enter the minimum.
To restrict the number of allowed qualifications, select the Maximum number of qualifications check box. Enter the maximum.
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 Prompts in scheduled reports.
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.
If you do not want to define default qualifications, click Finish. The Save As dialog box opens.
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
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 attribute qualification, you are returned to the Filter Editor after you click Finish. You do not save the prompt as a separate object. Return to that procedure, beginning at this step.

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:

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.

"Qualify on an attribute" prompts (Attribute prompts)

Before You Begin

Prerequisites

To create a "Qualify on an attribute" prompt

Related Topics