MicroStrategy ONE

General Dialog

The General page lets you specify default options for MicroStrategy Web, including the language in which reports are displayed and whether or not to display save options that let you save a report as static or prompted. To access this page, see How to Access Project Defaults and User Preferences

Options denoted with an asterisk (*) are available only to you as the administrator. They do not appear as options in the User Preferences section that is accessible by users.

Fields

MicroStrategy Library Configuration: Enter the MicroStrategy Library URL, formatted as follows:

http://HOST_NAME:PORT/MicroStrategyLibrary/

Link to Community Connectors: Enter your MicroStrategy Community Data Connectors application URL, formatted as follows:

http://HOST_NAME:PORT/CommunityConnectors/

See Set the Community Connectors Application URL for more information.

Default start page: Select one of the following pages for the default start page:

  • Home: Displays folders, links to create objects, and links to import data by adding external files or uploading MicroStrategy files. This is the default home page.
  • Summary: Provides an overview of all of the areas in MicroStrategy Web and a list of related objects for each area. For example, in the summary of the My Reports area, the description shows a list of the folders and objects in that area.
  • History List: Contains links to the reports and documents that the user has subscribed to, as well as messages about reports and documents that the user runs.
  • My Subscriptions: Lists the user's subscriptions.
  • My Reports: Lists the reports, documents, and other objects that a specific user has access to.
  • Shared Reports: Lists the reports, documents, and other objects that are shared with all users.
  • Create Report: Contains links to templates for creating a new report.
  • Create Document: Contains links to template for creating a new document.
  • Create Dashboard: Creates a blank dashboard.
  • My Page: A page users can customize to display the areas that he uses most frequently. For example, the Shared Reports folder and the most recent objects can be displayed.
  • Current Start Page: Select this option to go back to the current start page if you have made another selection.
  • Last Document/Last Folder/Last Report: Select one of these options to revert back to the start page being used the last time you executed a report or document or browsed through a project folder.

Color Theme: Select the color theme you want to use to display MicroStrategy Web. A preview of the color theme is automatically displayed once you select an option from the drop-down list.

Language: Specify the language in which to display MicroStrategy Web pages. You can specify a number of locale and internalization options for Web. For details and steps, see Specifying locale and internationalization settings.

  • Number and Date Format: Specify the language in which to display numbers and dates in MicroStrategy Web. This setting, along with the Time Zone setting, ensures that object creation/modification dates and times are converted to your local time if the project information is in another time zone.

    The Number and Date Format and Time Zone settings do not affect the report execution dates and times shown in the History List.

  • Metadata: Specify the language in which to display the project metadata, such as attribute names. If the desired language is not listed, you may need to restart your web server.
  • Data: Specify the language in which to display the project data, such as attribute elements. If the desired language is not listed, you may need to restart your web server.
  • Intelligence Server: Specify the language in which all messages from the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server are displayed.
  • Measurement Units: Specify the unit of measurement that Web should use for horizontal and vertical rulers, the alignment grid, and the measurement and positioning of objects.
  • Time Zone: Specify the time zone in which you work. The default setting is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Dynamic HTML (also known as DHTML): Enable or disable Dynamic HTML optimization for MicroStrategy Web. Browser versions above Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7, or Mozilla Firefox 1.0 fully support DHTML. The default setting is Determine automatically, which means that DHTML optimization is automatically enabled if your browser supports the technology. Select No to use HTML only.

You can do the following in Web only if DHTML is enabled:

  • Create Report Services documents.
  • Automatically submit option selections in drop-down menus as soon as they are selected. Without DHTML optimization, Web requires you to select the option and then click OK or Apply.
  • Move, copy, or rename reports, documents, folders, or other objects while browsing through folder pages.
  • Drag and drop objects on or off a grid report.
  • Right-click objects in reports or folders to have quick access to formatting options and other functionality.
  • Enable outline mode in grid reports, which lets you group data, making longer reports easier to analyze.
  • Lock a grid report's column and row headings, so that when you scroll through a large report the column and row headings remain visible.
  • Add shortcut metrics, such as percent-to-total or rank metrics, to a grid report.
  • Open movable dialog boxes such as the Report Properties dialog box. If DHTML is disabled, option screens are displayed as panels that cannot be repositioned.
  • Display documents in Express Mode.

Select Show this option in user preferences to allow all project users the option for selecting Dynamic HTML optimization from the General user preferences page. To remove the option from that page for users, clear this checkbox. This checkbox is selected by default.

Accessibility Mode: If you use software that audibly reads what is on the page, select the Enable screen reader compatibility checkbox. Enabling this checkbox also enables a screen reader-compatible version of this online help. If you select this checkbox, users can view documents in Express Mode as they might in a static PDF file. This checkbox is cleared by default.

Drop down menus: Select or clear the Require mouse click to open menus checkbox to determine whether to require a mouse click to open menus. If the checkbox is cleared, menus open when a user places the cursor over them. This is only applicable when DHTML is enabled. This checkbox is selected by default.  

* Data display: Remove the white space at the beginning and end of warehouse data, such as attribute elements and custom group elements, by selecting the Trim leading and trailing white space for warehouse element data checkbox. This checkbox is cleared by default.

* Sort: Specify the following sort options:

  • Sort metrics hierarchically: Select whether to always sort metrics hierarchically or only in outline mode (default).
  • Number of criteria in sort editor: Specify the number of sorting criteria to be listed in the Sort Editor. The default value is 3. Users can create more complex sorts if they can define more sorting criteria.

* Search Page: Specify the following search options:

  • Maximum number of objects to return: Specify the maximum number of objects, such as reports and documents, that are listed in search results. The default value is 50.
  • Maximum number of concurrent searches: Specify the maximum number of concurrent searches by a user. For example, if you specify 2, a user may run two searches in two separate browser windows during a MicroStrategy Web session. The default value is 1.
  • Search for: The object types in the Selected list are included in searches by default. A user can override the default and select which object types to include in a specific search.
  • Allow Quick Search: Select whether or not Quick Search is used instead of the regular search. Quick Search uses an index to search for objects, and is therefore faster than the regular search. Quick Search provides suggestions and ranked search results as the user types search terms. Regular search uses a substring search, and returns only search results. Quick Search must be enabled, and a search index created, using MicroStrategy Developer. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Developer help.
  • Auto submit search query after number milliseconds: This option is only available only if Allow Quick Search is enabled. Specify the number of milliseconds to wait before the first suggestion search is automatically submitted to retrieve results. A user can select a different suggestion to retrieve results based on that suggestion. The default is 300 milliseconds.
  • Search from report grid view: This option is only available if Allow Quick Search is enabled. Select whether or not to allow searching when a grid report is being viewed. This type of search allows a user to search for an object in the project, and place the object on the report. A user can search for objects when creating a report, regardless of this setting.
  • In Search for, select which object types to search for in the grid report.

* Refresh report: Specify the source of the data that is used to update a report when the user clicks the Refresh or Re-run Report icon in a report or document.

To ensure that users cannot retrieve data from data sources, regardless of their privileges, select Retrieve data from the latest valid Intelligence Server cache(default). When this option is selected:

  • The Refresh option is displayed in the Data menu for all users and the Re-run Report option is disabled, regardless of the users' Web privileges.
  • Users can refresh the report from its cache by clicking the Refresh icon on the Standard toolbar or by selecting Refresh from the Data menu.

To ensure that only users with the Web re-execute report against warehouse privilege can see the latest data from the data sources when they select Refresh, select Re-run against the warehouse. When this option is selected:

  • For users who have the Web re-execute report against warehouse privilege: The Re-run Report option is available in the Data menu, but the Refresh option is not. Users can re-run the report with data from data sources by selecting Re-run Report.
  • For users who do not have the Web re-execute report against warehouse privilege: The Refresh option is available in the Data menu, but the Re-run Report option is not. Users can refresh the report from its cache by selecting Refresh.

* Document caching: Select Create or Update Dataset Caches For Document Executions From MicroStrategy Web to ensure that caches are created or modified for the dataset reports in Report Services documents when the documents are run. Since caching may decrease document execution performance the first time a document is run, consider that dataset caching may not be necessary if the datasets are used primarily within the context of documents and not as stand-alone reports. If this checkbox is cleared, the formatting of the documents is the only part of the documents that is cached; this results in the documents being executed more quickly than if the datasets and formatting are both cached. This checkbox is selected by default.

* Incremental fetch: Select from the following options:

  • Maximum number of attribute elements per block: Set the maximum number of attribute elements that are displayed at one time when Web retrieves lists of attribute elements in prompts, or the Filter Editor. The default value is 30. Additional attribute elements are returned by clicking the incremental fetch icons or .
  • Maximum number of report objects per block: Set the maximum number of report objects that are returned at one time when Web retrieves lists of report objects in prompts, the Report Filter editor, or the Object Browser. The default value is 30. Additional objects are returned by clicking the incremental fetch icons or .
  • These incremental fetch settings are not applicable to prompts and filter editors that contain predefined lists of elements or objects.

* Wait page: Set the frequency with which the wait page is refreshed during report execution. The default value is 3 seconds.

* Session timeout warning: Select Show warning ___ second(s) before session timeout to display a warning message before a user's login session expires. For example, to display a warning 45 seconds before the user's session expires, select this option and type 45 in the field. The default value is 60. The warning message is displayed when the user is viewing a report, Report Services document, or HTML document.

The value must be less than the total amount of time a user can remain idle before their session ends, which is defined by the User Session Idle Time or Web User Session Idle Time options (whichever is lesser). The value of both options are displayed under the Show warning ___ second(s) before session timeout option. For example, if a user has 10 minutes (600 seconds) before their session expires, you cannot specify a warning time of 20 minutes (1800 seconds) before the session expires. For detailed information on the User Session Idle Time and Web User Session Idle Time options, see the System Administrator Help.

* Administrator contact information: Enter the contact information for the system administrator in the field. This contact information appears when the user encounters an error generated by MicroStrategy Web. The contact information is not displayed for errors from sources other than MicroStrategy Web, such as Intelligence Server.

Font style: Specify options for the fonts or typefaces that are applied to the interface and reports in Web.

  • Fonts: Determine whether to use the default font settings or select specific fonts for use in Web. Select Custom to specify fonts. Once you select a font in the Available column, click the right arrow to move it to the Selected column. You can then select a font and click the up or down arrows to order them in the priority to use on reports. The default fonts are Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, and Microsoft Sans Serif.
  • Font size: Determine whether to use the default font settings or select a custom font size. To specify a custom font size, select Custom, then type a number in the field. The default value is 8.

Output Formats: Set printing and export options.

Select Re-use new window for each export, print, PDF action to reuse an existing PDF, Export, or Print window whenever one of these windows is already open in Web. Clear the checkbox to open a new window each time. The checkbox is cleared by default.

In Full Screen Mode Behaviour for Reports, specify whether or not reports are displayed in full screen mode in Web. The options are:

  • Read from Report (default): Reports are opened in full screen mode only if the report's full screen mode setting is enabled. Within reports, this setting is the Always open this report in full screen mode checkbox in the Grid Options dialog box.
  • Open every Report in Full Screen mode: All reports in the current project are executed in full screen mode by default.
  • Don't open any Report in Full Screen mode: Reports in the current project are not executed in full screen mode by default.

In Full Screen Mode Behaviour for Documents, specify whether or not documents display in full screen mode in Web. When you view a document in full screen mode, all of the menus, toolbars, and panels are hidden from view except the Standard toolbar and the Page-by field. This allows you to focus attention on the data itself and maximize the amount of the document that can be shown at one time. The options are:

  • Read from Document (default): The document is opened in full screen mode only if the document's full screen mode setting is enabled. Within reports, this setting is the Always open this document in full screen mode checkbox in the Document Properties dialog box.
  • Open every Document in Full Screen mode: All documents in the current project are executed in full screen mode by default.
  • Don't open any Document in Full Screen mode: Documents in the current project are not executed in full screen mode by default.

* OLAP Services Reports: Pre-9.x versions of the MicroStrategy Web client may not display correct formatting for OLAP Services reports created or edited and saved in version 9. The saved report may not function correctly if it is opened in an environment prior to version 9. If this describes your environment and circumstances, choose one of the following settings to determine how the system should handle reports from the Overwriting reports with MicroStrategy 9 OLAP Services Reports drop-down list:

  • Allow without a warning message: Web replaces older reports with MicroStrategy 9 reports without displaying a warning message.
  • Allow with a warning message (default): Web warns you before you attempt to make MicroStrategy 9 OLAP changes to an older report and save the version 9 report with the same name as the older report. If you select this option, the following message appears when you save the report: "The report you are about to replace will no longer function with older versions of MicroStrategy Developer or Web. Are you sure you want to continue?"
  • Prevent: MicroStrategy 9 reports do not overwrite existing reports. The following error message is displayed whenever you attempt to overwrite an older report: "You are not allowed to overwrite the selected report because the report being saved would not be accessible by users of an older version. Please try again with a different name."

This only applies to MicroStrategy 9 reports with OLAP Services features that are about to be saved, where the report, if saved, will overwrite an older versioned report. If users want to be able to view their older OLAP Services reports in an older environment, they must decide how to save MicroStrategy 9 reports so they do not overwrite the older reports.

Cart-style selections: Determine if items in cart-style prompts or the Report Filter and View Filter editors remain in the Available list even after they are moved to the Selected List.

Select Keep item in list of available answers when making selections in cart-style prompts or filter editors to ensure items you select are not removed from the Available list when you move then to the Selected list. This checkbox is cleared by default.

Qualification: Specify the following qualification options:

  • Default Operators for Metric Qualification: Determine the default operator (such as Greater Than or Equals) that is displayed in a report filter, view filter, or prompt when a user creates a metric qualification. When a user builds a metric qualification in a filter or prompt, the specified operator is displayed by default as long as it is compatible with the datatype of the metric.
  • Default Operators for Attribute Qualification: Determine the default operator (such as Greater Than or Equals) that is displayed in a report filter, view filter, or prompt when a user creates an attribute qualification. When a user builds an attribute qualification in a filter or prompt, the specified operator is displayed by default as long as it is compatible with the datatype of the attribute form.
  • Preserve white space in prompt answers and filter expressions: Determine how prompt answers and filter expressions are displayed. Select the checkbox to ensure that prompt answers and filter expressions are displayed closely together. This checkbox is cleared by default.

Hierarchy browsing: This feature allows you to specify what levels of detail are present when browsing hierarchies. If only one attribute is available for browsing and Expand attributes automatically when there is only one browsing option is selected, Web automatically expands the attribute. This checkbox is selected by default.

* Custom Visualizations: Select Enable Custom Visualizations Editor to d etermine whether or not to enable the Custom Visualizations Editor for the MicroStrategy SDK. The Custom Visualizations Editor allows users to display a report as a custom widget, or add a custom widget to a document.

Report Creation: Select whether to view created reports in design or execution mode.

Save and Copy Options: Specify save options, such as whether to save reports as prompted or static, and copy options.

Use Default Save Button Behavior to specify whether to display a confirmation message when users save changes to a report, document, or dashboard. This option also determines whether the Save icon or the Save As icon is displayed in the toolbar for reports and documents. The options are:

  • Ask before saving changes: Display a confirmation message when users save changes to a report, document, or dashboard.
  • Save: Do not display a confirmation message when users save changes to a report, document, or dashboard. For reports and documents, the Save icon is displayed in the toolbar.
  • Save As: Do not display a confirmation message when users save changes to a report, document, or dashboard. For reports and documents, the Save As icon is displayed in the toolbar.

Select Display advanced options to display advanced save options by default. The advanced save options allow users to choose whether to save reports as static or prompted, or whether to save the prompt answers provided when running the report as default prompt answers.

Use Save prompted report as to determine whether to save a report as prompted or static by default. If users save a report as prompted, they will be re-prompted the next time they run the report. If they save a report as static, their original prompt answers are saved and used as the default answers the next time they run the report.

  • Prompted (default): Select this option to save reports as prompted.
  • Static: Select this option to save reports as static.

Select Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt answers to use the prompt answers provided when running the report as default prompt answers the next time the report is run. This option is selected by default.

Select Copy names from all other languages to keep name translations when creating a copy of an object. When users create a copy of an object, and translations are available for this object's name in languages other than the one in which they are working, they can choose whether to keep or discard the name translations for the other languages. By default, translations for the other languages are discarded, and the name that they provide in the Name field when creating the copy is used to identify the copy for all users until new name translations can be provided for the other languages. This ensures that the names used to identify the original and the copy are different, regardless of the language in which they are displayed.

Select this option to keep the translations by default instead. The translations for the original object will be duplicated and saved with the copy. As a result, both the original object and the new copy will be displayed with identical names when viewed by users working in one of the other languages. This option is cleared by default.

Derived Elements: Select Warn that changes to stand-alone derived elements from within a report or document will only be local to such report or document to determine whether to display a confirmation message alerting users that changes to stand-alone derived elements only apply to the derived elements for the specific report or document in which the changes were made.

Object Management: Select Allow users to navigate to project root on Copy, Move and Create Shortcut dialogsto determine whether or not users can access the project root folder when moving, copying, or creating shortcuts. If this checkbox is cleared, users can only access the My Reports, Shared Reports, and My Objects folders. This checkbox is cleared by default.

Navigation bar: You can customize the navigation bar that displays on every page in Web. You can determine whether or not to display each of the following:

  • Show Feedback Option: Displays in the list under the user name. Select it to open the MicroStrategy Community page.
  • Display Home Button: Displays the Home button.
  • Display Folder Up Button: Displays the Folder Up button.

Image: By default, the In addition to URL based images, allow user to embed images within dashboards and documents checkbox is selected. Embedded images are portable and are available when the dashboard or document is opened offline. To allow only URL-based images in dashboards and documents, clear this checkbox.