MicroStrategy ONE

Creating summary metrics in documents

A summary metric is essentially a shortcut to a subtotal. It allows you to select the function to use to calculate the subtotal (that is, a summary). If you use a metric from a dataset report rather than a summary metric, the default subtotal function is used to subtotal the metric. This default subtotal function is set in the metric definition and cannot be changed in the document.

Other than this explicit aggregation, summary metrics are similar to other metrics used in documents. For instance, a summary metric is calculated differently depending on its location in the document. You can place the same summary metric in multiple locations in the same document.

For example, you need to add a count of employees calculated at the regional and grand total levels. The Revenue metric uses SUM as the default subtotal, but the COUNT function is needed in this case. Create a summary metric for Revenue that uses COUNT. This new summary metric is added to the Datasets pane with the name Count of Revenue. Drag the metric from the Datasets pane to the Region Header and to the Document Footer. When the PDF is generated, the same summary metric returns different values in the different positions. The metric in the Region Header calculates a regional count, and the Document Footer calculates a count for the entire document.

The Document Creation Help contains document samples of this example.

To create a summary metric

  1. Open the document in the Document Editor. How?

  2. Right-click the metric in the Datasets pane, point to New Summary Metric, and then select the function to use. The new summary metric is added to the appropriate dataset in Dataset Objects.

  3. If you need to, rename the summary metric:

      1. Right-click the summary metric in the Datasets pane and select Edit. The Input Metric Formula dialog box opens.

      2. Change the metric name and click OK.

You can now use the summary metric as you would any other dataset object. That is, you can drag and drop it from the Datasets pane to the Layout area to place it into the document.

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