Saving a prompted report

When you save a prompted report, you must choose whether to save your prompt answers with the report, so that the prompts are not executed when the report is run again, or to allow the prompts to be executed when the report is run again.

• You can save your prompt answers with the report. When you run the report in the future, you are not prompted again. (This is called saving the prompted report as a static report.) The prompt answers that you selected when you ran the report are saved to the report definition, and that definition is used every time that the report is run in the future.

• You can also save the report so that it prompts you or other users when the report is re-executed. You continue to be prompted every time that you run the report in the future. (This is called saving the prompted report as a prompted report.)

  You can also have your current prompt answers become the new default prompt answers when the report is run again. This can speed up report execution, because you can save your own preferred answers as the defaults, and then each time you re-run the report, when you are prompted you can simply click Finish to accept all the default answers.

The procedure below walks you through this process and describes each of the options.

To save a prompted report

1. When you save a prompted report, the Save Options dialog box opens, after you have named the report.

   To save a report, click Save on the File menu, or Save and Close on the toolbar of the Report Editor or Report Viewer. The Save Report As dialog box opens. Select the folder in which to save the report, then type the name of the new report. Click Save.

2. Select one of the following options:

   • To save the report with the currently displayed report and filter information, select Static. You will not be prompted when you run the report again. The current prompt answers are used from now on.

   • To be prompted when you run the report again, click Prompted. You will be prompted when you run the report again.

3. If you selected the Prompted option, determine whether or not to use the current prompt answers as the default prompt answers when you run the report again, as described below:

   • To save the current prompt answers as the default prompt answers, select the Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers check box. When you run the report again, you will be prompted, and you can choose to use the default answers or change them.

   • To use the default prompt answers defined in the prompt, clear the Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers check box. When you run the report again, you will be prompted, and you can choose to use the displayed default answers or change them. If default prompt answers have not been defined in the prompt, no default answers are displayed.

4. Select whether to use these prompt options as the default when you save any prompted report:

   • If you want these prompt options to be used as the default, select the Remember options next time check box. You can choose to use these options or change them.

   • If you do not want these prompt options to be used as the default, clear the Remember options next time check box.

     The Remember options next time check box applies to all prompted reports, not just the one that you are saving. If you want to change the options later, you must reprompt the report, and save the report again to access the Save Options dialog box. You cannot

5. If the report contains a shortcut to a stand-alone template or filter, the Advanced button is available. You must choose whether to embed a local copy of the stand-alone object or to retain the shortcut to the stand-alone object. If you do not make a choice, the object is saved as a local copy, and any changes made to the original object are not propagated to the report. For more information, including instructions, see Saving a report with a shortcut to a stand-alone template or filter.

6. Click OK to save the report.

Related Topics

• About prompts

• Saving a report