Refreshing the data displayed on a report

There are several ways that data shown on a report can be refreshed so that the report reflects the latest values in the data source.

• Prompted report: A report analyst can automatically refresh the data on a prompted report by answering the prompts differently than they have been answered during any previous execution of the report. Answering prompted reports is discussed in this chapter, in Answering report prompts.
• Report cache: A cache is the stored results of a report query that has already been executed. When the report is executed again, the system can quickly access the cache to display report data, rather than putting a load on the system to re-run the request to the data source. Caches are discussed in more detail below, including information on how to determine whether a report's results came from a cache or not. The following methods can be implemented to ensure refreshed data is accessible when a report is re-executed:
  • Delete a report's cache: A system administrator can delete a report's cache to ensure the data on that report is refreshed the next time it is executed. If the stored cache is deleted, the system is forced to submit the request through the data source again, thus gathering the most recent data.
  • Disable caching for a report: A system administrator can disable caching for a specific report, so that a cache of results is never created in the system when that report is executed. In this way, every time the report is re-executed, the query goes through your data source and thus returns the most recent data.