Strategy ONE

Creating and using stand-alone derived elements

A stand-alone derived element can be connected to matching attributes in reports connected to Intelligent Cubes and Grid/Graphs. This enables you to use a derived element in multiple reports and Grid/Graphs.

To use a derived element in multiple reports and Grid/Graphs, you must create a stand-alone derived element. There are two methods with to create a stand-alone derived element:

  • Create a derived element from within a report or Grid/Graph and then save it as a stand-alone object. You can use the Derived Elements Editor to create and save the derived element as a stand-alone derived element. You can use this method in MicroStrategy Developer and Web. For information on creating a derived element within a report or Grid/Graph using the Derived Elements Editor, see Using the Derived Elements Editor.

    Once you save a derived element as a stand-alone derived element, it can no longer be modified from within the report or Grid/Graph.

  • Create a stand-alone derived element outside of any report or Grid/Graph. You can use this method only in MicroStrategy Developer.

Once created, a stand-alone derived element has the following functionality:

  • All Group, Calculation, Filter, and All Other derived elements are saved as part of the derived element. You cannot select a subset of the derived elements; you must save and share the entire collection of derived elements.
  • A stand-alone derived element can only be connected to the attribute that was used to define the derived element.
  • The stand-alone derived element itself can be modified, but you cannot modify it from within a report or Grid/Graph. Any modifications for the derived element are applied to the derived element in all of the reports and Grid/Graphs that it is used in.
  • The stand-alone derived element can only be deleted if it is not used in any report or Grid/Graph. A list of reports and Grid/Graphs that use the derived element is displayed when you attempt to delete a stand-alone derived element.

Creating a stand-alone derived element

The steps below show you how to create a stand-alone derived element.

Prerequisites

  • You need the Define Derived Elements (Developer) and/or the Web Define Derived Elements (Web) privileges. These privileges are part of OLAP Services.

To create a stand-alone derived element

  1. In MicroStrategy Developer, log in to a project.
  2. Choose File > New > Derived Element. The Select Attribute dialog box opens.
  3. Browse to and select the attribute you want to base your derived element on, and then click Open. The Derived Element Editor opens.
  4. You can create Group, Filter, and Calculation derived elements to define your stand-alone derived element. With the exception any steps to access or close the Derived Elements Editor, you can use the same processes and techniques described in the following sections to create derived elements for a stand-alone derived element:
  5. Click Save and Close.
  6. Type a name and click Save. The derived element is saved as a stand-alone object.

You can now use your derived element in reports connected to Intelligent Cubes and Grid/Graphs in Report Services documents.

Using a derived element in multiple reports or Grid/Graphs

You can use a stand-alone derived element in multiple reports and Grid/Graphs in documents. To use a stand-alone derived element, you can connect the derived element to an attribute in a report connected to an Intelligent Cube or to an attribute in a Grid/Graph in a Report Services document. However, a derived element can only be connected to the attribute used to define the derived element.

For example, if a derived element is created on the Year attribute, this derived element can only be connected to the Year attribute in reports and Grid/Graphs. You cannot connect this derived element to any other attributes such as Quarter, Month, Category, Customer, and so on.

The steps below show you how to apply a stand-alone derived element to an attribute in a report or Grid/Graph.

To connect a stand-alone derived element to an attribute in a report or Grid/Graph

  1. Log in to a project in MicroStrategy Developer or Web.
  2. Open the report or Grid/Graph, as follows:
  • To access the Derived Elements Editor for a report:
    • Execute the report. Then view it in either Grid View or Grid and Graph View.

    • Right-click the attribute to apply a stand-alone derived element to, and click Derived Elements. The Derived Elements Editor opens.

      For the example scenario, right-click the Region attribute, and click Derived Elements.

  • To access the Derived Elements Editor for a Grid/Graph in a Report Services document:
    • Expand the document section that contains the Grid/Graph.
    • Double-click the Grid/Graph to edit it.

    • Right-click the attribute to apply a stand-alone derived element to, and click Derived Elements. The Derived Elements Editor opens.

      For the example scenario, right-click the Region attribute, and click Derived Elements.

To connect a stand-alone derived element to an attribute

If an attribute already has a derived element defined for it in the report or Grid/Graph, connecting a stand-alone derived element overwrites the existing definition.

  1. Click Link Derived Elements. The Select Derived Elements dialog box opens.
  2. Browse to and select the derived element to connect to the attribute, and then click Open.
  3. Click OK.

Editing stand-alone derived elements

Editing a stand-alone derived element updates the derived element in all reports and Grid/Graphs it is used in. Since these modifications are applied to multiple reporting objects, you can only update the stand-alone derived element itself, you cannot update it from a report or Grid/Graph that it is used in.

The steps below show you how to modify a stand-alone derived element.

To edit a stand-alone derived element

  1. In MicroStrategy Developer, log in to a project.
  2. Browse to and right-click a stand-alone derived element, and then select Edit. The Derived Element Editor opens.
  3. You can create and modify Group, Filter, and Calculation derived elements to define your stand-alone derived element. With the exception of any steps to access or close the Derived Elements Editor, you can use the same processes and techniques described in the following sections to create and modify derived elements for a stand-alone derived element:
  4. Click Save and Close.