Using prompts in documents

If the dataset in a document has a prompt in it, such as for the Region attribute or the Year attribute on which to report, a user is prompted the first time he or she views the document in PDF View. The prompts, which contain default answers, are displayed in a manner similar to a standard MicroStrategy report. After the prompts are answered, the document executes and displays the information according to the answers.

Prompts in documents limit the data that is displayed, thus acting as a filter. These value prompts affect how many rows of data are displayed but they do not determine which objects are returned from the data warehouse. You cannot use a prompt directly on a document or put a prompt into a Grid/Graph on a document—only attributes, consolidations, custom groups, and metrics can be used as data fields from the dataset. Object prompts on templates, which allow a user to select which objects to include in a dataset report, are not supported, unless you add the Grid/Graph as a shortcut.

Even when a shortcut is used, the object prompt does not appear in the Datasets pane; you cannot add it to the document as a separate object. When the document is executed, the object prompt is displayed and its answers are shown in the document results. This occurs just as if you had executed the dataset report as a stand-alone report. For instructions to add a Grid/Graph as a shortcut, see Adding Grid/Graphs as shortcuts: Linking Grid/Graphs to reports.

When you save a document after answering prompts, you can set whether your current prompt answers are saved as part of the document definition. A document does not contain prompts itself, but a document can include datasets that have prompts. The prompt answers are saved in the document definition and not in the report definition. That is, the prompt answers used in the document do not affect the report when the report is executed.

Depending on which option was selected, when the document is re-executed, the prompts are:

• Displayed with the saved answers shown as the defaults

• Displayed and the user needs to answer them

• Not displayed and the saved answers are used to resolve the prompts

For detailed instructions, see Saving documents with prompted datasets.

The order of prompts in documents

You can change the order that prompts are presented when the document is executed. For an example and procedure, see Ordering prompts in documents.

If you do not change the order of the prompts, the default prompt order is used, as described below.

If multiple reports are used on the document:

1. The prompts in the first dataset report are displayed to the user, then the second, and so on.

2. If a prompt is contained in more than one report, the prompt is displayed on the first dataset report only.

Within each dataset report, an ordered list of prompts is constructed using the following rules:

1. All non-prompt application objects (attributes, metrics, and so on) are ordered so that each object appears before its dependents.

2. Each object is replaced with any prompts that it contains.

3. If a prompt contains prompts, those prompts are added to the list immediately above the original prompt. (Prompts within another prompt must be answered before the original prompt can be answered.)

4. The previous step is repeated until each prompt in the report is listed.

5. Any duplicated prompts are eliminated. Each prompt is displayed only one time, and when it first occurs on this list of prompt.

For more information and examples, see the Document Creation Help.