Analyze Documents

When you view a document, you can view the document results and manipulate the document's data in multiple ways. For example, you can use selectors to flip through the panels in a panel stack or display different attribute elements or metrics in a grid or graph.

To View and Analyze a Document

1. Click the name of the document to run it. By default, the document opens in Presentation Mode.

2. If the document has multiple layouts, tabs are displayed at the top of the screen. Click a tab to select which layout to display.

   Each layout functions as a separate document, with its own grouping, page setup, and so on, but the layouts are generated into a single PDF document. For an example, see Understanding the Parts of a Document.

3. If the document is grouped, you can display pages (or subsets) of data. Select the group to display from the drop-down list. For an example, see Grouping Documents: Page-By.

   Grouping the data sets up a type of hierarchy within the document, and an inherent or implied sort order for the data. The data is first sorted by the leftmost field in the Grouping panel, then by the next field, and so on. To reorder the grouping, you can rearrange the items in the Grouping panel.

4. Use selectors such as buttons and lists to select which panel is displayed in a panel stack. For steps, see How to Use Selectors to Change the Data Displayed in a Document.

   A panel stack is a collection of individual panels, stacked on top of each other. Each panel provides a different predefined view of the data from the same document. Only one panel can be displayed at a time. Flip from panel to panel to display the set of information that you want to see together. For example, each panel can display a different grid, and the selector allows you to choose which panel, and thus which grid, to view. For example images of using selectors to change the data displayed in a document, see Interacting with a Document: Selectors.

5. Use selectors such as radio buttons and drop-down lists to change the data that is displayed in a grid report, graph report, or panel. For steps to choose items for each different selector type, see How to Use Selectors to Change the Data Displayed in a Document.

   For example, you can use a checkbox selector to pick which regions or which metrics to display on a grid. A selector can be a slider, which you move to select the minimum and maximum metric values to display on a graph. For example images of using selectors to change the data displayed in a document, see Interacting with a Document: Selectors.

6. Reset all the selectors and groups on the document to their initial values, without re-executing the document. This is helpful if you want to start over and make different selections. To reset, click the menu icon on the right, and select Reset Selections.
7. You can open links to other documents, to reports, or to web pages. A linked object displays a hand pointer when you hover the cursor over it. Click the object to open the default link. If the object has multiple links, you can click to view a list of the links. For more detailed steps, see How to Use a Link to Open a Report or Document.

To Analyze Reports

A report can be displayed as a grid, a graph, or as both a grid and a graph at the same time.

1. You can view a report as a grid or a graph. Click View: Graph or View: Grid , at the top left of the grid or graph report, to switch views.

2. You can add totals to a grid. Hover the cursor over the header of the data to total, click , and point to Show Totals. Select the total functions (such as Average or Total) to use, and click OK.

   For example, a grid contains region and employee, and the revenue and profit metrics. If you show totals for employees, a total is calculated and displayed for all employees in each region. If you show totals for regions, a grand total that contains all regions is calculated and displayed.

3. You can sort the objects displayed on a grid.
   • To quickly sort the grid, hover the cursor over the row or column header of the data to sort, and click . Select either Sort ascending or Sort descending.
   • To sort the data based on multiple conditions at the same time, hover the cursor over the row or column header of data to sort, click , and select Advanced Sort. For further steps, see .
4. You can move the objects displayed on a grid. You can move an object to a different column or row, or you can pivot it from the rows to the columns, or the columns to the rows. Hover the cursor over the row or column of data to move, click , and point to Move. Select where to move the selected object. For more detailed steps, see How to Sort and Pivot in Documents.
5. You can drill on the objects displayed on grids and you can drill in on graphs.

   • For grids: Objects that can be drilled on are displayed with an underline. To view the destination object of the drill, hover over the underlined object. To drill to that destination, click the underlined object. To return to the document, use the MicroStrategy back button. For example, you can drill from a state to the cities in that state. To esize columns after drilling down on objects. To resize the grid after drilling, click-and-drag the column header and size accordingly.

     If the destination is not a drill, the object is linked to a report or another document. Clicking the object will execute the default link. To drill on this object, hover over the underlined object, click , and click the drill.

     Drilling lets you explore data beyond the data immediately visible in a grid. You can drill through a grid to analyze data that is closely related to the original data. For example, you can drill from year down to month, or from state to county.

   • For graphs: To drill in, right-click on the graph and select Drill. Then select the option that you want to view. For example, if a graph shows sales by year, you can drill in to view sales by quarter or month. To sort the graph, right-click on the graph and select Sort Graph… In the Advanced Sort Dialog, define the sort order by selecting one or more sort items and whether to sort in ascending or descending order. For example, if a graph shows the sales by region, you can sort the regions alphabetically from the beginning (ascending) or from the end (descending).
6. In a graph, hover over a graph item to view additional information about that item.

7. Export a grid or graph to a PDF file or an Excel spreadsheet. Click on the title bar of the grid or graph, and select either Export to PDF or Export to Excel. For more detailed steps, see How to Export a Grid or Graph Report from a Document.

   This provides additional flexibility to share and print your data, so that you do not have to export the entire document.

To Analyze Widgets

Interact with and format widgets such as Gauges and Time Series Sliders. Widgets are interactive graphs that dynamically update when you select a new set of data. For example, you can use the graph controller in the Time Series Slider to select a time range for data. Widgets can be used with either Flash or HTML5.

For steps to analyze each different type of widget, see Introduction to Analyzing Data Using Widgets.

To email, export, print, and share the document

1. Email the document. Click the menu icon on the right, and select Send Now. For descriptions of the various options, see How to Email a Report or Document.
2. Export the document to a PDF file, Excel spreadsheet, or HTML file for further analysis. Click the menu icon on the right, point to Export, then select the export file format. For more details, including information about exporting layouts and groups, see Export a Document.

3. Add the document to your History List right now, or subscribe to it on a schedule.

   Your History List stores report and document results. You can use it to keep shortcuts to previously run documents, like a favorites list in a web browser, and to view the results of scheduled documents.

4. Print the document. Click the menu icon on the right, and select Print. For information about printing layouts and groups, see How to Print a Document.
5. Refresh the document to provide real-time monitoring to ensure that the document cache is still valid. Click the menu icon on the right, and select Refresh.

6. Save a personal view of the document. Click the menu icon on the right, and select Create Personal View. Type a name for the view, and click OK.

   A personal view is your own custom copy of the document that includes every change that you made to the document, such as choosing selector items and sorting. Using personal views can save you time, because the data that you want to analyze is already selected in your custom view. For more details on the changes that are saved and an example of using a personal view, see Save a Personal View of a Dashboard, Document, or Report.

7. Share the document by allowing other users and groups to view or modify it.