Title and instructions

You can customize a prompt's title and instructions, which are displayed to users when they are answering the prompt.

Think about a name and instructions carefully, with your users in mind. The title and instructions you provide for a prompt can make the difference between users finding prompted report execution confusing and users completing rapid report execution and displaying exactly the data they want to see.

Example of an ineffective prompt title and instructions

You create an Attribute Element prompt. You select the Year attribute, from which the user will be asked to select one or more attribute elements (years) to see data displayed for. You name this prompt "Attribute element prompt" and you provide the following instructions: "Choose an attribute element."

This title and instructions are not useful to the majority of users, who likely do not know what an attribute element is. A better choice is described below.

Example of a useful prompt title and instructions

You create an Attribute Element prompt. You select the Year attribute, from which the user will be asked to select one or more attribute elements (years) to see data displayed for. You name this prompt "Year(s)" and you provide the following instructions: "Select one or more years for which you want to see data."

This title makes sense to all users and defines the prompt generally enough so it can be easily used by report designers on other reports. The instructions are useful not only because it uses language that users will understand, but also because it is more than just a repeat of the title. It provides basic information to the user who may never have used a prompt before, and it emphasizes that more than one year can be chosen, in case a user missed that information at the top of the prompt screen.

You can determine the title and instructions for a prompt on the New Prompt page. See the appropriate procedure below for the type of prompt you want to create, for steps to enter a title and instructions when creating a prompt.