Desktop Reporting Essentials

MICROSTRATEGY DESKTOP: REPORTING ESSENTIALS
Course Guide
Version: RPTESS-921-Oct11-Color
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7,272,212, 7,302,639, 7,324,942, 7,330,847, 7,340,040, 7,356,758, 7,356,840, 7,415,438, 7,428,302, 7,430,562,
7,440,898, 7,486,780, 7,509,671, 7,516,181, 7,559,048, 7,574,376, 7,617,201, 7,725,811, 7,801,967, 7,836,178, 7,861,161
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2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface Course Description.................................................................... 13
Who Should Take This Course.............................................. 14
Follow-Up Courses ................................................................ 14
Related Certifications............................................................. 14
Course Objectives ................................................................. 15
About the Course Materials ......................................................... 16
Content Descriptions ............................................................. 16
Learning Objectives ............................................................... 16
Lessons ................................................................................. 16
Opportunities for Practice ...................................................... 17
Typographical Standards....................................................... 17
MicroStrategy Courses .......................................................... 19
Core Courses......................................................................... 19
1. Introduction to
MicroStrategy
Business Intelligence
Lesson Description ................................................................... 21
Lesson Objectives ................................................................. 22
Business Intelligence Architecture............................................... 23
Source Systems (OLTP) ........................................................ 24
Data Warehouse (OLAP) ....................................................... 25
ETL Process .......................................................................... 26
Data Import ............................................................................ 26
Metadata Database ............................................................... 27
MicroStrategy Applications .................................................... 27
Lesson Summary......................................................................... 28
Table of Contents MicroStrategy Web for Professionals
6 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
2. Introduction to
MicroStrategy
Desktop
Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop......................................... 31
MicroStrategy Desktop........................................................... 31
MicroStrategy Architect.......................................................... 35
Administrative Functions........................................................ 35
Project Sources and Projects ...................................................... 37
Connect to a Project Source.................................................. 37
Administration Icon ................................................................ 39
Project Icons .......................................................................... 40
The Desktop Interface ................................................................. 42
Basic Navigation.......................................................................... 44
Desktop Menu Bar ................................................................. 44
Desktop Toolbar .................................................................... 45
Creating and Saving Objects....................................................... 47
Saving Objects....................................................................... 48
Shortcuts to Objects .................................................................... 49
Lesson Summary......................................................................... 51
3. Reports Lesson Description ................................................................... 53
What Is a Report?........................................................................ 55
Creating, Saving, and Viewing Reports....................................... 57
The Report Editor .................................................................. 57
Creating Reports.................................................................... 59
Saving Reports ...................................................................... 66
Running Reports.................................................................... 68
Report Display Views............................................................. 68
Report Details Properties....................................................... 69
Lesson Summary......................................................................... 73
Exercises: Reports in Desktop..................................................... 75
Create a Report ..................................................................... 75
Work with Design View.......................................................... 78
Use the Template Editor ........................................................ 79
Use an Existing Template and No Filtering Criteria............... 81
Extra Credit ............................................................................ 83
MicroStrategy Web for Professionals Table of Contents
4. Report Data
Manipulations
Data Manipulation........................................................................ 89
Drilling.......................................................................................... 90
What is Drilling?..................................................................... 90
Methods for Drilling................................................................ 91
Page-by ....................................................................................... 97
What Is Page-by? .................................................................. 97
Methods for Creating Page-by Fields .................................... 99
Data Pivoting ............................................................................. 101
Methods for Data Pivoting ................................................... 102
Subtotals.................................................................................... 103
Subtotals by Position ........................................................... 105
Subtotals Across Levels ...................................................... 106
Subtotals Group By.............................................................. 108
Sorting ....................................................................................... 110
Methods for Sorting ............................................................. 110
Outline Mode ............................................................................. 115
Using Outline Mode ............................................................. 116
Printing....................................................................................... 119
Exporting and E-mailing Reports............................................... 121
Removing Metrics Columns................................................. 122
Report Subscription in Desktop ................................................. 123
Subscribing a Report to the History List............................... 124
Subscribing a Report to Update Cache ............................... 126
Subscribing a Report to a Mobile Device............................. 127
Adding Notes to Reports and Documents ................................. 129
Lesson Summary....................................................................... 132
Exercises: Report Data Manipulations in Desktop..................... 133
Drilling and Page-By ............................................................ 133
Pivoting and Sorting............................................................. 138
Totals and Outline Mode...................................................... 141
Exporting Reports ................................................................ 146
E-mailing Reports ................................................................ 148
5. Report Style
Manipulations
Lesson Description ................................................................. 151
Lesson Objectives ............................................................... 152
Style Manipulation ..................................................................... 153
Formatting.................................................................................. 154
Methods for Formatting........................................................ 154
Autostyles ............................................................................ 157
Thresholds................................................................................. 159
Banding...................................................................................... 165
Locking and Resizing Columns and Rows ................................ 168
Graph Properties ....................................................................... 171
Display Data Labels............................................................. 171
Graph Title........................................................................... 173
Specify the Number of Categories and Series..................... 174
Nested Labels...................................................................... 176
Graph Undo/Redo................................................................ 178
Lesson Summary....................................................................... 179
Exercises: Report Style Manipulations in Desktop .................... 181
Formatting and Autostyles ................................................... 181
Thresholds ........................................................................... 185
Locking\Resizing Columns and Rows.................................. 190
Bar Graph ............................................................................ 194
Graph with Gauges.............................................................. 200
6. Filters Lesson Description ................................................................. 203
What Is a Filter?......................................................................... 205
Creating and Saving Report Filters............................................ 209
The Filter Editor ................................................................... 209
Creating a Simple Filter ....................................................... 210
Saving a Filter ...................................................................... 211
Types of Report Filters .............................................................. 211
Attribute Qualification........................................................... 212
Set Qualification................................................................... 215
Shortcut to a Report (Report As Filter) ................................ 217
Shortcut to a Filter (Filter Qualification) ............................... 218
Set Operators ............................................................................ 219
Lesson Summary:...................................................................... 224
Exercises: Filters in Desktop ..................................................... 225
Creating a Filter ................................................................... 225
Creating Another Filter......................................................... 226
Qualifying on a Metric .......................................................... 228
Combining Two Filters in a Report....................................... 230
7. Metrics Lesson Description ................................................................. 233
What Is a Fact?.......................................................................... 235
What Is a Metric?....................................................................... 237
Types of Metrics ........................................................................ 241
Simple Metrics ..................................................................... 241
Nested Metrics..................................................................... 242
Compound Metrics............................................................... 243
Metric Creation .......................................................................... 245
Metric Editor......................................................................... 245
Metric Components.............................................................. 248
Creating a Simple Metric...................................................... 249
Saving a Metric .................................................................... 250
Metric Formatting....................................................................... 251
Metric Value and Header Formatting................................... 251
Subtotals/Aggregation Tab .................................................. 252
Lesson Summary....................................................................... 258
Exercises: Metrics in Desktop.................................................... 259
Create a Simple MetricCost ............................................. 259
Create a Simple MetricRevenue ...................................... 261
Use the Created Metrics in a Report.................................... 262
Create a Compound MetricProfit Margin.......................... 263
Use Profit Margin in a Report............................................... 265
Display Subtotals ................................................................. 268
8. MicroStrategy OLAP
Services
Introduction to OLAP Services................................................... 275
Report Objects........................................................................... 276
Methods for Adding Report Objects..................................... 277
Methods for Removing Report Objects................................ 278
View Filters ................................................................................ 279
Derived Metrics.......................................................................... 282
Lesson Summary....................................................................... 285
Exercises: MicroStrategy OLAP Services.................................. 287
Using the Report Objects Window to Add Attributes ........... 287
Using View Filters ................................................................ 290
Create and Format a Derived MetricGrowth .................... 293
9. Prompts and
Searches
What Is a Prompt?..................................................................... 299
Creating Prompts................................................................. 300
Filter Definition Prompts ............................................................ 304
Creating Filter Definition Prompts........................................ 304
Using Filter Definition Prompts in a Report.......................... 313
Object Prompts.......................................................................... 314
Creating Object Prompts...................................................... 315
Using Object Prompts in a Report ....................................... 317
Value Prompts ........................................................................... 319
Creating a Value Prompt ..................................................... 320
Using Value Prompts in a Report......................................... 321
Other Prompt Topics.................................................................. 323
Creating Local Prompts ....................................................... 323
Re-prompting Inside Reports............................................... 324
Saving Reports with Prompts............................................... 325
Save and Reuse Prompt Answers....................................... 326
What Is a Search Object?.......................................................... 331
The Search for Objects Editor.............................................. 331
Saving Searches.................................................................. 334
Search-based Prompts ........................................................ 334
Lesson Summary....................................................................... 335
Exercises: Prompts and Searches............................................. 337
Create Filter Definition Prompts........................................... 337
Create Object Prompts ........................................................ 341
Create a Value Prompt ........................................................ 348
A. MicroStrategy Tutorial The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model ..................................... 352
Geography Hierarchy........................................................... 353
Customers Hierarchy ........................................................... 354
Time Hierarchy..................................................................... 355
Products Hierarchy .............................................................. 356
The MicroStrategy Tutorial Schema .......................................... 356
Geography Schema............................................................. 360
Customers Schema ............................................................. 361
Time Schema....................................................................... 362
Products Schema ................................................................ 363
Fact Tables Schema............................................................ 364
MicroStrategy Glossary .......................................................... 365
Index ......................................................................................... 409
PREFACE
Course Description
This 2-day course provides an overview of reporting, using MicroStrategy
Desktop. The topics covered in this course include:
Navigating the MicroStrategy Desktop interface
Building and manipulating reports, templates, basic filters, basic metrics,
prompts, and searches
Using the functionality and benefits of MicroStrategy OLAP Services
Preface MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials
14 Who Should Take This Course 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Who Should Take This Course
This course is designed for:
Project Architects
Desktop Developers
Administrators
SDK Developers
Follow-Up Courses
After taking this course, you might consider taking the following courses:
MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting
MicroStrategy Architect: Project Design Essentials
MicroStrategy Report Services: Document Essentials
Related Certifications
To validate your proficiency in the content of this course, you might consider
taking the following certifications:
Certified Project Designer
Certified Report Developer
Certified Platform Administrator
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Preface
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Course Objectives 15
Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Describe the MicroStrategy business intelligence architecture. (Page 12)
Describe the components of MicroStrategy Desktop, navigate the main
interface, and access project sources and projects. (Page 20)
Define the components that comprise a report and create simple reports
using Desktop. (Page 44)
Define the different types of report manipulations available and perform
these report manipulations using Desktop. (Page 78)
Define the different types of style manipulations available and perform these
style manipulations using Desktop. (Page 142)
Define the different types of report filters available in Desktop and create
each type using the Filter Editor. (Page 194)
Define the different types of metrics, and create them using the Metric
Editor in Desktop. (Page 224)
Describe the features provided by MicroStrategy OLAP Services, including
report objects, view filters, and derived metrics. Use the Report Objects
window, and create view filters and derived metrics in reports. (Page 264)
Define the different types of prompts, and explain how you can use search
objects inside prompts. Create prompts and searches in
Desktop. (Page 288)
16 About the Course Materials 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
About the Course Materials
This course is organized into lessons and reference appendices. Each lesson
focuses on major concepts and skills that help you to better understand
MicroStrategy products and use them to implement MicroStrategy projects.
The appendices provide you with supplemental information to enhance your
knowledge of MicroStrategy products.
Content Descriptions
Each major section of this course begins with a Description heading. The
Description introduces you to the content contained in that section.
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives enable you to focus on the key knowledge and skills you
should obtain by successfully completing this course. Objectives are provided
for you at the following three levels:
CourseYou will achieve these overall objectives by successfully
completing all the lessons in this course. The Course Objectives heading in
this Preface contains the list of course objectives.
LessonYou will achieve these main objectives by successfully completing
all the topics in the lesson. You can find the primary lesson objectives
directly under the Lesson Objectives heading at the beginning of each
lesson.
Main TopicYou will achieve this secondary objective by successfully
completing the main topic. The topic objective is stated at the beginning of
the topic text. You can find a list of all the topic objectives in each lesson
under the Lesson Objectives heading at the beginning of each lesson.
Lessons
Each lesson sequentially presents concepts and guides you with step-by-step
procedures. Illustrations, screen examples, bulleted text, notes, and definition
tables help you to achieve the learning objectives.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. About the Course Materials 17
Opportunities for Practice
A Workshop is a reinforcement and assessment activity that follows two or
more lessons. Because a Workshop covers content and applied skills presented
in several lessons, it is a separate section on the level of a lesson.
The following sections within lessons provide you with opportunities to
reinforce important concepts, practice new product and project skills, and
monitor your own progress in achieving the lesson and course objectives:
Review
Case Study
Business Scenario
Exercises
Typographical Standards
The following sections explain the font style changes, icons, and different types
of notes that you see in this course.
Actions
References to screen elements and keys that are the focus of actions are in bold
Arial font style. The following example shows this style:
Click Select Warehouse.
Code
References to code, formulas, or calculations within paragraphs are formatted
in regular Courier.New font style. The following example shows this style:
Sum(Sales)/Number of Months
Data Entry
References to literal data you must type in an exercise or procedure are in bold
Arial font style. References to data you type that could vary from user to user or
system to system are in bold italic Arial font style. The following example
shows this style:
Type copy c:\filename d:\foldername\filename.
Keyboard Keys
References to a keyboard key or shortcut keys are in uppercase letters in bold
Arial font style. The following example shows this style:
Press CTRL+B.
New Terms
New terms to note are in regular italic font style. These terms are defined when
they are first encountered in the course. The following example shows this
style:
The aggregation level is the level of calculation for the metric.
Notes and Warnings
A note icon indicates helpful information.
A warning icon calls your attention to very important information that

you should read before continuing the course.
Heading Icons
The following heading icons are used to indicate specific practice and review
sections:
Precedes a Review section

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. About the Course Materials 19
Precedes a Case Study
Precedes a Business Scenario
Precedes Exercises
MicroStrategy Courses
Core Courses
Implementing MicroStrategy: Development and Deployment
MicroStrategy Architect: Project Design Essentials
MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials
MicroStrategy Report Services: Document Essentials
MicroStrategy Report Services: Dynamic Dashboards
MicroStrategy Web for Professionals
MicroStrategy Web for Reporters and Analysts
*All courses are subject to change. Please visit the MicroStrategy Web site for the latest education offer-
ings.
1
INTRODUCTION TO
MICROSTRATEGY BUSINESS
INTELLIGENCE
Lesson Description
This lesson introduces you to the basic components of a business intelligence
architecture using MicroStrategy:
Source systems
Data warehouse
ETL process
Data Import
Metadata database
MicroStrategy applications
If you are already familiar with business intelligence systems, this lesson will
serve as a good refresher and will help you link the terminology and concepts
you already understand to a MicroStrategy environment.
Introduction to MicroStrategy Business Intelligence MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 1
22 Lesson Objectives 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Describe the MicroStrategy business intelligence architecture.
After completing the topics in this lesson, you will be able to:
List and define the components of a business intelligence architecture using
MicroStrategy. (Page 23)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Introduction to MicroStrategy Business Intelligence 1
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Business Intelligence Architecture 23
Business Intelligence Architecture
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
List and define the components of a business intelligence architecture using
MicroStrategy.
Business intelligence systems facilitate an ever-growing variety of applications
that begin with sophisticated analysis of atomic-level data and range to
proactive information delivery to system subscribers. The modern market
place requires todays business to be capable of analyzing itself at every level,
on demand. It also requires the delivery of relevant and timely information to
the right people at the right time. Finally, it requires that businesses have very
close and individualized contact with their customers.
A business intelligence architecture using MicroStrategy is shown in the
following diagram:
MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Architecture

This architecture has the following components:
Source systems
24 Business Intelligence Architecture 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
ETL process
Data Import
Metadata database
MicroStrategy applications
Source Systems (OLTP)
Source systems are typically databases, file sources, web sources or
mainframes that store transaction processing data. As such, they are an
OnLine Transaction Processing System (OLTP). Transaction processing
involves simple recording of transactions like sales, inventory, withdrawals,
deposits, and so forth.
The data in source systems have the following characteristics:
Data access is read/write (numerous selects, inserts, updates, and deletes).
Data is aligned by application (business activities and workflow).
Data formats are not necessarily uniform across different source systems.
Data history is typically limited to recent or current data.
A bank is one example of a business with many different types of source
systems. The average bank offers their customers a variety of services and,
therefore, needs these different types of source systems to support their
services, each of which has a different workflow.
For example, consider the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and the bank
teller. At an ATM, you can withdraw or deposit money as well as check your
account balance. However, if you need a money order, you have to go inside
and speak with a bank teller. The bank has different operational systems, each
designed to perform tasks that are specific to the service.
To take our example further, if a bank wanted to see a unified view of a
particular customersuch as a customers ATM activity, loan status, account
balances, money market account information, and so forthall of the
customers information from each of the different source systems would have
to be collected. After this data is collected, it is stored in a centralized data
warehouse.
Data Warehouse (OLAP)
A well-designed and robust data warehouse lies at the heart of the business
intelligence system and enables its users to leverage the competitive advantage
that business intelligence provides. A data warehouse is an example of an
OnLine Analytical Processing System (OLAP).
While source systems are designed and optimized for transaction processing,
data warehouses are designed and optimized for analytical processing.
Analytical processing involves manipulating transaction records to calculate
sales trends, growth patterns, percent to total contributions, trend reporting,
profit analysis, and so forth.
The data in a data warehouse have the following characteristics:
Data access is typically read-only (In SQL, mostly selects are used.
Generally very few inserts, updates, or deletes are used).
Data is aligned by business subjects.
Data formats are uniformly integrated.
Data history extends long term, usually 2 to 5 years.
A data warehouse is populated with data from the existing operational systems
with an ETL process.
Summary of Differences - OLTP vs. OLAP
The following table summarizes the differences between OLTP and OLAP
systems:
OLTP vs. OLAP Differences
OLTP OLAP
Organization By workflow
per application
By dimension and
business subject
Data Retention Short term
(2-6 months)
Long term
(2-5 years)
Data Integration Minimal or none High, as part of ETL
process
26 Business Intelligence Architecture 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
ETL Process
The extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process contains
information that facilitates the transfer of the data from the source systems to
the data warehouse.
Specifically, the ETL process does the following:
Stores information about the source system structure and content
Stores information about the data warehouse structure and content
Correlates source system structure and content to that of the data
warehouse
Provides information to the data extraction tools that physically execute the
transfer of data from the source systems to the data warehouse
Data Import
Data Import enables MicroStrategy customers to import data easily from
unmodeled data sources such as a local file, including Excel files, a relational
database, or by joining multiple tables from different sources into an
In-memory Intelligent Cube that can be reused in reports and Report Services
documents. The Data Import interface is flash-based and accessed through
MicroStrategy Web.
Data Storage Gigabytes Terabytes
Use Real time
Write & update
Evenly distributed
usage
Transactional data
Batch load
Reporting, read-only
Spiked usage (based
on time of warehouse
loads)
OLTP vs. OLAP Differences
OLTP OLAP
Metadata Database
The metadata database contains information that facilitates the retrieval of
data from the data warehouse when using MicroStrategy applications. It stores
MicroStrategy object definitions and information about the data warehouse in
a proprietary format and maps MicroStrategy objects to the data warehouse
structures and content.
MicroStrategy applications use the metadata database to translate user
requests into SQL queries and to translate the results of those SQL queries
back into MicroStrategy objects, like reports and documents.
The metadata also stores the definitions of all objects created with
MicroStrategy Desktop (for example, templates, reports, metrics, facts, and so
forth). The metadata enables the sharing of objects across MicroStrategy
applications by providing a central repository for all object definitions. It is
even used by MicroStrategy Intelligence Server to evaluate the most efficient
data retrieval scenario to guarantee optimal query performance.
MicroStrategy Applications
The MicroStrategy applications allow you to interact with the business
intelligence system. They allow you to logically organize data hierarchically to
quickly and easily create, calculate, and analyze complex data relationships.
They also provide the ability to look at data from many different perspectives.
A variety of grid and graph formats are available for superior report
presentation. You can even build documents, which enable you to combine
multiple reports with text and graphics.
In addition, you can use the MicroStrategy Software Developers Kit (SDK) to
customize the interface that users see and the functionality available to them.
In previous versions of MicroStrategy, the objects in a standard report had to
come from a single data source. MultiSource Option is a new add-on
component to Intelligence Server that removes this limitation. It enables you to
define a single project schema that uses multiple data sources. As a result, you
can now create a standard report that executes SQL against multiple data
sources.
For more information on MultiSource Option, refer to the

MicroStrategy Architect: Project Design Essentials course.
28 Lesson Summary 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you learned:
A business intelligence architecture using MicroStrategy has the following
components: source systems, data warehouse, ETL process, metadata
database, data import, and MicroStrategy applications.
Source systems or OnLine Transaction Processing Systems (OLTP) are
typically databases, source files, web sources, or mainframes that store
transaction processing data. This type of system involves simple recording
of transactions like sales, inventory, withdrawals, deposits, and so forth.
Data warehouses or OnLine Analytical Processing Systems (OLAP) are
designed and optimized for analytical processing. This type of system
involves manipulating transaction records to calculate sales trends, growth
patterns, percent to total contributions, trend reporting, profit analysis, and
so forth.
The extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process contains
information that facilitates the transfer of the data from the source systems
to the data warehouse.
Data Import enables MicroStrategy customers to import data easily from
unmodeled data sources into an In-memory Intelligent Cube that can be
reused in reports and Report Services documents.
The metadata database contains information that facilitates the retrieval of
data from the data warehouse when using MicroStrategy applications. It
stores MicroStrategy object definitions and information about the data
warehouse in a proprietary format and maps MicroStrategy objects to the
data warehouse structures and content.
The MicroStrategy applications allow you to interact with the business
intelligence system. They allow you to logically organize data hierarchically
to quickly and easily create, calculate, and analyze complex data
relationships. They also provide the ability to look at data from many
different perspectives.
2
INTRODUCTION TO
MICROSTRATEGY DESKTOP
Lesson Description
This lesson introduces you to the MicroStrategy Desktop application. It gives
you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the interface and learn some of
the basic functionality.
In addition to navigating the interface, this lesson introduces you to project
sources and projects, two of the highest-level objects in the MicroStrategy
environment.
Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 2
Lesson Objectives
Describe the components of MicroStrategy Desktop, navigate the main
interface, and access project sources and projects.
List and define the components of MicroStrategy Desktop. (Page 31)
Connect to a project source and access the projects within it. List and define
the components of a project. (Page 37)
Navigate the Desktop interface. (Page 42)
Navigate and use the Desktop menus and toolbars. (Page 44)
List the different ways to create and save new objects. (Page 47)
Create shortcuts to MicroStrategy objects. (Page 49)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop 2
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop 31
Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop
List and define the components of MicroStrategy Desktop.
MicroStrategy Desktop enables you to design, create, and maintain an entire
business intelligence system from a single interface by integrating the
following tools:
MicroStrategy Desktop (Designer or Analyst)
MicroStrategy Architect
Administrative functions, including tools to manage users, implement
security, and configure and maintain MicroStrategy Intelligence Server
This course teaches you the fundamental skills required to use MicroStrategy
Desktop Designer or Desktop Analyst. Each of the components of Desktop is
briefly described in this lesson.
For more information about MicroStrategy Architect, refer to the

MicroStrategy Architect: Project Design Essentials course. For more
information about administrative functions for MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server, refer to the MicroStrategy Administration courses.
MicroStrategy Desktop
Desktop is the next-generation business intelligence environment designed to
meet todays sophisticated business intelligence requirements. It brings
integrated querying and reporting, powerful collaborative analytics, and
investigative workflow to every desktop.
Desktop Versions
Desktop is available in two versions:
Desktop Analyst Simplified version that provides interactive slice and
dice capabilities to users.
32 Introduction to MicroStrategy Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Desktop DesignerFull-featured version that enables report developers to
design complex and sophisticated reports and documents.
The following is a comprehensive list of the features available in each version:
Desktop Version Comparison
Desktop Features
Desktop
Analyst
Desktop
Designer
Create and define derived metrics*

Use report objects window*

Use view filter editor*

Execute document**

Define derived elements*

Desktop Execute document**

Alias objects

Define object alias

Change user preference

Choose attribute form display

Configure toolbars

Drill and link

Modify report subtotals

Modify sorting

Pivot report

Re-execute report against warehouse

Save custom autostyle

Send to e-mail

Use data explorer

Use desktop

Use grid options

Use history list

Use report data options

Use report editor

Use thresholds editor

Use search editor

View SQL

Drill within Intelligent Cube

Add notes

Create application objects

Create new folder

Create shortcut

Edit notes

Save personal prompt answer

Schedule request

Use server cache

Use translation editor

View notes

Define and publish Intelligent Cube*
Publish Intelligent Cube*
Save derived elements*
Use Intelligent Cube Editor*
Save derived elements*
Create HTML container**

Desktop Features
Desktop
Analyst
Desktop
Designer
Use document editor**
Use bulk export editor***
Define transaction report***
Define freeform SQL, MDX, and query

builder reports
Format graph
Modify the list of report objects (use

object browser)
Use object browser
Use consolidation editor
Use custom group editor
Use data mart editor
Use design mode
Use drill map editor
Use filter editor
Use find and replace dialog
Use formatting editor
Use HTML document editor
Use link editor
Use metric editor
Use project documentation
Use prompt editor
Use SQL Statement tab in Datamart/Bulk

Export editor
Use subtotal editor
Use template editor

Desktop Features
Desktop
Analyst
Desktop
Designer
MicroStrategy Architect
MicroStrategy Architect is the innovative development environment designed
to meet todays sophisticated business intelligence requirements. Unique
techniques of mapping the business model to the underlying data structures
make MicroStrategy Architect the most flexible tool in the industry.It creates
business intelligence applications against terabyte-sized data warehouses
based on any industry business model, such as finance, banking, retail, or
pharmaceuticals. Through a user-friendly interface, you can create a rich
abstraction layer for a relational database. MicroStrategy Architect also
enables you to update the metadata, so changes are immediately and
transparently implemented for all users.
MicroStrategy Architects convenient database reference utility lets you view
column names and data types for any table in the data warehouse and speeds
application development by evaluating definitions in the logical model.
Advanced data models are simplified using the flexible schema definitions of
MicroStrategy Architect. You can use single columns, compound keys, or
user-defined expressions to define your schema objects.
Administrative Functions
Most of the administrative functionality for the business intelligence system is
found in the Desktop interface. The list below represents important
administrative functions that are offered by Desktop:
Use Translation Editor Bypass
Use VLDB property editor
View ETL Information
* Requires MicroStrategy OLAP Services

** Requires MicroStrategy Report Services
*** Requires MicroStrategy Distribution Services
Desktop Features
Desktop
Analyst
Desktop
Designer
User ManagementDesktop enables easy maintenance of users and user
groups. A host of powerful user and object management features enables you to
update access for current users, remove old users from the system, and copy
existing user profiles to new user accounts.
Comprehensive Security ModelIn any business intelligence solution, system
security is of paramount importance. Users with administrative privileges can
create and maintain the comprehensive security profiles required by todays
business intelligence applications. Access to application functionality,
MicroStrategy projects, all MicroStrategy objects, and database rows and
columns is controlled using MicroStrategy security privileges, roles, access
control lists, and security filters.
Intelligence Server AdministrationThrough the Desktop interface, users with
administrative privileges can change many of the MicroStrategy Intelligence
Server parameters. The MicroStrategy Administrator can configure settings
such as maximum report length, maximum user idle time, and report
prioritization.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Project Sources and Projects 37
Project Sources and Projects
Connect to a project source and access the projects within it. List and define
the components of a project.
To start Desktop:
1 On the Microsoft Windows Start menu, point to Programs, point to
MicroStrategy, point to Desktop, and select Desktop.
By default, Desktop will prompt you for login credentials for the last
project source to which you were connected.
2 If prompted, supply a valid login ID and password.
3 Click OK.
This action will connect you to a MicroStrategy project source.

Connect to a Project Source
The highest-level icon in the folder list of Desktop is the project source. Project
sources are the highest-level objects in the MicroStrategy environment. A
project source represents a connection to a metadata database or a
MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. Through a project source you can create,
manipulate, and administer MicroStrategy projects.
38 Project Sources and Projects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The following illustration shows the relationship between a project source, the
metadata database, and MicroStrategy projects:
Relationship Between Project Source and Projects
The illustration above depicts a direct project source, often referred to as a
2-tier project source. The first tier is Desktop, and the second tier is the
metadata database. This type of project source points directly to a
MicroStrategy metadata database. The icon representing direct, 2-tier project
sources looks like the following:
2-tier Project Source
Another type of project source is known as a server project source, often
referred to as a 3-tier project source. The first tier is Desktop, the second tier is
Intelligence Server, and the third tier is the metadata database. This type of
project source points to an Intelligence Server that is, in turn, connected to a
MicroStrategy metadata database. The icon representing a server, 3-tier
project source looks like the following:
3-tier Project Source
To connect to a project source:
1 In the Folder List, expand a project source.
2 In the Login window, type a valid login id and password.
3 Click OK.
There are two types of icons under the project source:
The Administration icon provides access to all of the administrative
functions for the particular project source.
Administration
All other icons are project icons that represent the MicroStrategy projects
stored in the metadata to which the project source is connected.
Project
Administration Icon
The Administration icon provides access to all of the administrative functions
for a project source.
By default, only users with administrative privileges can see the

Administration icon.
40 Project Sources and Projects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Without Intelligence Server, you are limited to the following administration
tools:
System MonitorsEnable you to access only the Change Journaling
Transactions monitor.
For more information on Change Journaling, refer to the

MicroStrategy Administration: Configuration and Security course.
Configuration ManagersEnable you to access several manages where you
create configuration objects such as database instances, schedules, events,
security roles, and languages.
Delivery ManagersEnable you to access the managers to create and
manage transmitters and devices.
User ManagerEnable you to create and manage users and user groups.
With Intelligence Server, you get many additional administrative tools that
enable you to control and monitor every aspect of the MicroStrategy
environment.
For more information on administration functionality, refer to the

MicroStrategy Administration courses.
Project Icons
A project is the intersection of a data warehouse, a metadata database, and a
user community. It contains objects such as reports, filters, templates, and
metrics.
To see the contents of a project:
1 Expand the project icon.
The project opens so you can view its contents.

By default, every project has the following folder structure:
If the Data Explorer does not display in the Folder List, in Desktop, on
the Tools menu, select Desktop Preferences. In the Categories list,
below the Desktop category, select General. In the Desktop - General
pane, under Data Explorer, select the Show the Data Explorer in the
desktop check box, and click OK. The Data Explorer should now
display in the Folder List.
Default Project Folders
Folder Description
History You use this folder to retrieve scheduled reports. This
folder is only available if you are using Intelligence
Server.
My Personal
Objects
You use these folders to store objects you create, that are
only visible to you. You can always create additional
subfolders here.
Public
Objects
This folder contains objects that can be viewed by all
users, depending on their permissions and privileges.
The Public Objects folder contains numerous subfolders
that are organized by object type.
Schema
Objects
This folder contains objects that represent the business
data model such as facts, attributes, and hierarchies.
Data
Explorer
This browsing tool contains hierarchies that enable you to
navigate the warehouse data and relationships for the
project.
42 The Desktop Interface 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The Desktop Interface
Navigate the Desktop interface.
In the Desktop interface, there are three main areas: the Folder List, the Object
Viewer, and the Shortcut Bar.
Folder List
By default, the Folder List is the middle pane in the Desktop interface. It shows
all of the project sources, projects, application and schema object folders, as
well as the administrative functions for the business intelligence system.
Most of these objects are described later in this lesson.

The Folder List may not automatically display when you initially log in to
Desktop.
To show the Folder List:
1 On the View menu, select Folder List.
Object Viewer
The right pane of the Desktop interface is called the Object Viewer. Much like
Microsoft Windows Explorer, you navigate through the folder structure in the
Folder List, and the objects contained in the folders are displayed in the Object
Viewer.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. The Desktop Interface 43
Shortcut Bar
The area to the left of the Folder List is called the Shortcut Bar. It displays
shortcuts to various Desktop functionality and folders. Again, like Microsoft
Windows Explorer, you can add shortcuts to any location that displays in your
Folder List. The individual shortcuts can also be organized into user-defined
shortcut groups, which is especially useful for large MicroStrategy
implementations.
When you open Desktop, you will already have two shortcut groups by
defaultTutorial Shortcuts and Other Shortcuts.
To show the Shortcut Bar:
1 On the View menu, select Shortcut Bar.
The Shortcut Bar opens on the left side of the Desktop window.
To add a shortcut to the Shortcut Bar:
1 On the Shortcut bar, click the shortcut group to which you want to add the
shortcut.
2 In the Folder List, right-click the location, such as a project or folder, you
want to add to the Shortcut Bar and select Add to Shortcut Bar.
Your new shortcut displays on the Shortcut Bar.

To remove a shortcut from the Shortcut Bar:
1 On the Shortcut Bar, right-click the shortcut and select Remove from
Shortcut Bar.
2 In the confirmation window, click Yes if you are sure you want to remove
the shortcut.
To create a new shortcut group:
1 On the Shortcut Bar, right-click an empty area and select Add Group.
44 Basic Navigation 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
2 In the Create a new shortcut group window, type a name for the shortcut
group.
3 Click OK.
Your new shortcut group displays in the Shortcut Bar.

Basic Navigation
Navigate and use the Desktop menus and toolbars.
Desktop Menu Bar
Desktop has the following menus available on the menu bar:
Desktop Menus
Menu Description
File Enables you to create new objects and folders
Edit Enables you to access the Cut, Copy, and Paste
functions typically found in a Microsoft Windows Edit
menu
View Enables you to change the appearance of the icons in the
Object Viewer. You can also show or hide the Status Bar,
Shortcut Bar, and Folder List from this menu.
Go Enables you to move one level up in the Folder List or go
directly to the project home page
Tools Enables you to access general Desktop tools such as the
Search Editor, Desktop Preferences, and the Change
Password window
Administration Enables you to access administrative functions such as
the Project Configuration Editor and the Database
Instance Wizard
Schema Enables you to access project design tools such as the
Project Creation Wizard and the Attribute and Fact
Creation Wizards
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Basic Navigation 45
The menus and options available to you depend on your security

privileges. For example, if you do not have administrative privileges,
you will not see the Administration menu.
Desktop Toolbar
The following table describes the main Desktop buttons:
Window Enables you to close all open editors with one click
Help Enables you to access the online help system and
provides links to useful MicroStrategy web sites
Desktop Menus
Menu Description
Desktop Toolbar Buttons
Name Button Description
New object Creates a new object. The objects
you can create from this button vary
depending on your privileges and
your location in the Folder List.
Cut Cuts the currently selected objects
Copy Copies the currently selected objects
Paste Pastes whatever you have cut or
copied
Delete the object
selected
Deletes the currently selected
objects
Rename the
object selected
Enables you to rename the currently
selected object
View object
properties
Opens the Properties window for the
currently selected object.
46 Basic Navigation 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The specific functionality of some of the toolbar buttons varies

depending on your location in the Folder List. For example, if you are
working in the Filters folder in a project, clicking New object on the
toolbar opens the Filter Editor. However, if you are working in the
Reports folder in a project, clicking New object opens the Report
Editor.
Search for objects
in the project
Opens the Search Editor
Edit the selected
object
Opens the editor for the currently
selected object
Run Runs the currently selected reports
View Enables you to change the
appearance of the icons in the
Object Viewer
Show or hide the
folder list
Toggles the Folder List display
Refresh object
with latest
definition
Refreshes the current display
Go to project Takes you to the home page for the
project in which you are currently
navigating
Go one level up Enables you to move one level up in
the Folder List
Update Schema Refreshes the warehouse structure
that is stored in memory. The
schema should be updated when
any structural changes are made to
the warehouse or datamodel.
Desktop Toolbar Buttons
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Creating and Saving Objects 47
Creating and Saving Objects
List the different ways to create and save new objects.
Creating Objects
There are three ways to access the editors and wizards used to create new
objects in Desktop:
On the File menu, select New, followed by the object you want to create,
like a report or filter.
On the toolbar, click Create a new object.
The New object button looks and functions differently depending on

your location in the Folder List.
Right-click in an empty area in the Object Viewer, select New, followed by
the object you want to create, like a report or filter.
If you right-click an object instead of an empty area in the Object

Viewer, you will not get the correct menu.
There are many different types of objects you can create in Desktop. They can
be grouped into three types of objectsschema objects, application objects,
and configuration objects. Schema objects are used to create application
objects. Application objects are used to create other application objects.
48 Creating and Saving Objects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Schema objects and application objects are represented in the following
illustration:
Schema and Application Objects
For more information on Configuration objects see the MicroStrategy

Architect: Project Design Essentials course.
Saving Objects
Depending on which object editor or wizard you are using, you can save objects
in the following ways:
On the File menu, select Save.
On the File menu, select Save As.
On the toolbar, click Save and New.
On the toolbar, click Save and Close.
The first time you save an object, the Save As window opens, which enables you
to specify the name and the location where the object will be saved. The default
save location is the folder in which you are working when you open the object
editor or wizard.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Shortcuts to Objects 49
Shortcuts to Objects
Create shortcuts to MicroStrategy objects.
A shortcut is simply a link to an existing MicroStrategy object in the project
and behaves similarly to the shortcut functionality available in Microsoft
Windows operating systems. Shortcuts to objects enable you to better organize
objects in a MicroStrategy project, while still maintaining standard locations
for those objects.
There are two ways to create shortcuts to existing MicroStrategy objects:
On the File menu, point to New, and select Shortcut. In the Open window,
locate the object for which you want to create the shortcut, and click Open.
The shortcut is created in your current location and is named after the
original object.
Right-click the object to which you want to create a shortcut and select
Create Shortcut. In the Browse for Folder window, select the location in
which you want to create the shortcut and click OK.
The shortcut is named after the original object.
An object with shortcuts pointed to it cannot be deleted until its

dependent shortcuts are deleted.
You can also edit the target of an existing shortcut.
To edit the target of a shortcut to an object:
1 In the Folder List, select the shortcut you want to edit.
2 On the File menu, select Properties.
OR
Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
3 In the Properties window, in the Categories list, select Shortcut.
50 Shortcuts to Objects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
4 Modify the Target property by browsing to the desired object or by typing in
the folder path to the desired object, as shown below:
Properties Window
5 Click OK to close the Properties window.
The shortcut is automatically renamed after the new target object.

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Lesson Summary 51
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you learned:
Desktop is the next-generation business intelligence environment designed
to meet todays sophisticated business intelligence requirements. It brings
integrated querying and reporting, powerful collaborative analytics, and
investigative workflow to every desktop.
Desktop is available in two versionsDesktop Analyst, a simplified version
that provides interactive slice and dice capabilities to users and Desktop
Designer, a full-featured version that enables report developers to design
complex and sophisticated reports and documents.
MicroStrategy Architect is the innovative development environment
designed to meet todays sophisticated business intelligence requirements.
The Administration icon provides access to all of the administrative
functions for a project source.
A project is the intersection of a data warehouse, a metadata database, and
a user community. It contains objects such as reports, filters, templates,
and metrics.
In the Desktop interface, there are three main areasthe Folder List, the
Object Viewer, and the Shortcut Bar.
There are three types of objects you can create in Desktopschema objects,
application objects, and configuration objects.
Schema objects are used to create application objects. Application objects
are used to create other application objects.
Shortcuts to objects enable you to better organize objects in a
MicroStrategy project, while still maintaining standard locations for those
objects.
A shortcut is simply a link to an existing MicroStrategy object in the project
and behaves similarly to the shortcut functionality available in Microsoft
Windows operating systems.
3
REPORTS
Lesson Description
This lesson introduces you to report definition and report creation in Desktop.
Reports MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 3
Lesson Objectives
Define the components that comprise a report and create simple reports using
Desktop.
Explain the components that make up a report. (Page 55)
Use the Report Editor to create and save reports. Execute reports and
change their display view. (Page 57)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Reports 3
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Report? 55
What Is a Report?
Explain the components that make up a report.
Reports are the focus of business intelligence analysis. They enable users to
gather business insight through data analysis. The results from any Desktop
report is often just a starting point for further business intelligence
investigations.
A report is a request for specific, formatted data from the data warehouse. It
consists of a template plus any desired filtering criteria, as shown below:
Components of a Report
A template specifies what information to retrieve from the data warehouse and
how this information will be displayed in the report results.
A report filter specifies the conditions that the data must meet to be included
in the report results.
56 What Is a Report? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
A view of a report is the actual view of a report subset. With MicroStrategy
OLAP Services, users have the ability to remove objects or filter within a result
set such that their view of the report result set is a subset of the overall result
set.
Creating report views requires MicroStrategy OLAP Services, an add-on

application. For more information on creating report views with
MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see the MicroStrategy OLAP Services
lesson starting on page 273.
When a report is executed, you obtain a formatted collection of all of the
objects (such as attributes and metrics) specified on the template that have
satisfied the filtering conditions of the report filter. For example, a report can
show you a list of stores in a specific region, the price and volume of stock for a
given period of time, or other important information. You can change the
reports formatting details to suit your requirements and preferences.
Whenever you create a report, you also create a template and a report filter.
Though you may not specifically define and use a separate template or report
filter object, these are the objects that logically make up a report definition.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Creating, Saving, and Viewing Reports 57
Creating, Saving, and Viewing Reports
Use the Report Editor to create and save reports. Execute reports and change
their display view.
The Report Editor
When you choose to create a new report, the Report Editor opens, as shown
below:
Report Editor
58 Creating, Saving, and Viewing Reports 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
You use the Report Editor to create and modify reports. It is a combination of
the Filter Editor, the Template Editor, the Object Browser, the Shortcut Bar,
the Report Objects window, and the View Filter definition window, and it
enables you, through one editor, to create your template and report filter for a
specific report. These components perform the following functions:
Report Filter definition windowEnables you to add attribute, metric, and
advanced filter qualifications, as well as copies or shortcuts to existing
report filter objects without having to open another object editor. Simple
filters can be created by dragging and dropping attribute elements from the
Object Browser (described below) into this window.
Template definition windowEnables you to define the report layout by
dragging and dropping objects from the Object Browser (described below)
into this window
Object BrowserAllows you to navigate through the project to locate
objects you wish to use in the report definition
My ShortcutsEnables you to jump to locations in the Object Browser. You
can customize your shortcuts as discussed in the previous lesson
For more information on customizing your shortcuts, see Shortcut

Bar starting on page 43.
Report Objects windowEnables you to see a summary of all of the objects
you have included on your template, even if they are not initially displayed
in the report view. The MicroStrategy Engine generates SQL that includes
all of the objects in this window, not just the ones that are displayed when
the report is run.
This window is only available if you have MicroStrategy OLAP

Services. For more information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see
MicroStrategy OLAP Services starting on page 273.
For more information on the MicroStrategy Engine, refer to the

MicroStrategy Engine Essentials course.
View Filter definition windowEnables you to filter on any object that is in
the Report Objects window. View filters do not modify the SQL for the
report. Instead, they are applied to the overall result set by the Analytical
Engine component of the MicroStrategy Engine. The cache for the report
contains the entire result set, but only the subset of information that meets
the view filter conditions displays in the report view.
This window is only available if you have MicroStrategy OLAP

Services. For more information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see
MicroStrategy OLAP Services starting on page 273.
A report cache is simply a report result set that is saved on

Intelligence Server. When you execute a report and a valid report
cache exists for your request, you can retrieve the results from the
report cache rather than having to query the data warehouse. In this
way, caching helps improve report performance. For more
information on report caching, refer to the MicroStrategy
Administration: Configuration and Security course.
Creating Reports
As mentioned, whenever you create a report you also create a template and a
report filter. Though you may not specifically define and use a separate
template or report filter object, these are the objects that logically make up a
report definition.
The Template
A template specifies what information to retrieve from the data warehouse and
how this information will be displayed in the report results. You can create
template objects separately using the Template Editor, or you can create them
in the Report Editor.
To define the template, you can either drag and drop objects from the Object
Browser into the template definition window, or you can right-click the object
in the Object Browser and select Add to Rows or Add to Columns. Each
object placed on the template becomes a row or column header, which
organizes the data in the final report result display. The empty cells below the
headers in the template are place holders for the actual data that will be
returned from the data warehouse after the report is executed.
The layout of a template can be cross-tab or tabular:
A cross-tab layout is useful for multidimensional analysis, like a report with
location information in the columns and corresponding sales information
in the rows, as shown below:
Example of a Cross-tab Layout
South North
Atlanta Miami Boston New York
Sales ($) 100 200 300 400
A tabular layout is useful for simple lists of information, like a column of
regions and a column of stores, followed by a columns of sales figures, as
shown below:
Templates may contain any of the following objects, in any combination:
AttributeRepresentation of a specific level of data calculation or
aggregation
ConsolidationVirtual attribute that is created based on existing
attribute elements. It enables you to analyze data at levels that do not
explicitly exist in the data warehouse. The following report demonstrates an
example of a consolidation that displays revenue information for each
customer income level:
Report with Consolidation
In this example, there are no low, middle, and high income levels
defined in the data warehouse, so you create these levels by grouping
together income ranges, which do exist in the data warehouse. For more
information on consolidations, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop:
Advanced Reporting course.
Example of a Tabular Layout
Region Store Sales($)
South Atlanta 100
South Miami 200
North Boston 300
North New York 400
Custom GroupCustom attribute grouping that is created based on filter
qualifications. It enables you to apply row-level filter conditions. The
following report demonstrates a custom group that displays revenue
information for the top 10 customers and the top 10 items:
Report with Custom Group
For more information on custom groups refer to the MicroStrategy

Desktop: Advanced Reporting course.
MetricCalculation built from facts in the data warehouse. All the metrics
are grouped together and bound to one axis (the rows or the columns).
For more information on metrics, see the Metrics lesson starting on

page 233.
Object PromptEnables you to select specific objects to include on the
report template at report run time.
For more information on object prompts, see Object Prompts starting

on page 314.
The Report Filter
in the report results.
You can create report filter objects separately using the Filter Editor, or you
can create them in the Report Editor. For this lesson, you will use the Report
Editor.
To define the report filter, you can drag and drop objects from the Object
Browser onto the report filter definition window.
Create a Simple Report
A simple report typically has at least one attribute, one metric, and a report
filter. Not all of these components are required, but the data returned is often
more meaningful when you use them.
Technically, you can create a report with just one attribute on its template.
When you execute the report, it returns a list of all the attribute elements for
that attribute. For example, a report containing just the Year attribute would
return a list of years from the data warehouse.
Adding a metric to the report provides another level of detail, enabling you to
learn more about the attribute on the template. Using the Year example again,
adding a sales metric to the template calculates total sales for each year.
Finally, a report filter enables you to limit the data to a specific area of interest.
For example, perhaps you only want to see sales information for the year 2005.
To launch the Report Editor:
1 In Desktop, on the File menu, point to New, and select Report.
2 In the New Grid window, in the list of report object templates, select Blank
Report.
3 Click OK.
To add an attribute to the template definition window:
4 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the desired
hierarchy to display the list of attributes included in that hierarchy.
5 Select an attribute and drag and drop it into the template definition
window.
OR
Right-click the attribute and select Add to Rows or Add to Columns.
To add a metric to the template definition window:
6 In the Object Browser, locate the metric you want to add to the template.
7 Double-click the metric to add it to the columns of the template.
OR
Drag and drop the metric into the template definition window.
OR
Right-click the metric and select Add to Rows or Add to Columns.
Recall that all metrics are grouped together and bound to one axis
(the rows or the columns).
To add a basic report filter condition:
8 In the Object Browser, double-click the desired hierarchy to display the list
of attributes included in that hierarchy.
9 Double-click an attribute to see a list of its attribute elements.
10 Select the attribute elements for which you want data returned and drag
and drop the attribute elements into the filter definition window.
Using Predefined Template and Filter Objects
The previous discussion taught you how to define the template and the report
filter from within the Report Editor. However, you can also create a report
using existing template and report filter objects.
If using an existing template object in a report, you have two options:
Replace with shortcut to template: Changes you make to the template
from within the Report Editor are propagated to the original template and
any other reports that use a shortcut to the template. Similarly, changes
made to the template object from within the Template Editor are
propagated to the report and any other reports that use a shortcut to the
template.
Replace with copy of template: Changes you make to the template from
within the Report Editor are not propagated to the original template.
Similarly, changes made to the template object from within the Template
Editor are not propagated to the report. This is also called a local template
and is the same as creating a template on the fly in the Report Editor.
To add a predefined template object:
1 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, browse to the template object
you want to add to the report definition.
2 Right-click the template object and select Replace with shortcut to
template or Replace with copy of template.
OR
On the Template menu, select Replace with shortcut to template or
Replace with copy of template.
If using an existing report filter object in a report, you have three options:
Add to Report Filter: Adds the report filter object to the report. You cannot
make changes to the report filter object from within the Report Editor, but
changes made to the report filter object from within the Filter Editor are
propagated to the report and any other reports that use the report filter
object.
You can continue to add other report filter conditions to the report
from within the Report Editor.
Replace Report Filter with a shortcut to this filter: Changes you make to
the report filter from within the Report Editor are propagated to the
original report filter and any other reports that use a shortcut to the report
filter. Similarly, changes made to the report filter object from within the
Filter Editor are propagated to the report and any other reports that use a
shortcut to the report filter.
You can continue to add other report filter conditions to the report
from within the Report Editor.
Replace Report Filter with a copy of this filter: Changes you make to the
report filter from within the Report Editor are not propagated to the
original report filter. Similarly, changes made to the report filter object
from within the Filter Editor are not propagated to the report. This is also
called a local or embedded filter and is the same as creating a filter on the
fly in the Report Editor.
Embed a copy of the template in the report: Changes you make to the
stand-alone template are not propagated to this report. Changes that you
make to the embedded template within this report are not propagated to
the template.
If you do not add a template to a report, a blank template is

automatically created. Although you may not specifically define and use
a separate template, a template is a logical part of every reports
definition. This template is created within the report, using the Report
Editor, and can only be used in that particular report; it cannot be saved
independently of the report and used in a different report
To add a predefined report filter object:
1 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, browse to the report filter
object you want to add to the report definition.
2 Right-click the report filter object and select Add to Report Filter, Replace
Report Filter with a shortcut to this filter, or Replace Report Filter with
a copy of this filter.
OR
Double-click the report filter object.
This method defaults to the Add to Report Filter option.

OR
Drag and drop it into the filter definition window.
This method defaults to the Add to Report Filter option.

Saving Reports
After you create a report, you can save the report, so you can execute it again in
the future. When you save a report, its name and definition (the template, all
report filtering criteria, and any report formatting) are stored in the
MicroStrategy metadata database. When you want to execute the report again,
you can double-click it to retrieve the latest results. Saving a report creates a
predefined report.
To save a report:
1 In a report, on the File menu, select Save.
2 In the Save Report As window, navigate to the location where you want to
save the report.
3 Name the report.
4 Click Save.
Reports, or any other object, can be saved into any folder. MicroStrategy
objects do not have to be organized into folders by object type. For example,
you can save a report into a folder with metrics and filters.
It is good practice to create and adhere to corporate standard naming

and storage conventions to make it easier to locate objects as your
MicroStrategy project grows.
The template and the report filter objects can also be saved as standalone
MicroStrategy objects, separate from the report, allowing them to be reused
later.
To save a template from the Report Editor:
1 On the Template menu, select Save Template As.
2 In the Save Template As window, browse to the location where you want to
save the template.
3 Name the template.
4 Click Save.
To save a report filter from the Report Editor:
1 On the Filter menu, select Save Filter As.
2 In the Save Filter As window, browse to the location where you want to save
the filter.
3 Name the filter.
4 Click Save.
Advanced Save Options
If you use a shortcut to a predefined template or report filter object to define
your report, you will see additional save options when saving your report.
These options give you several choices:
Create a local copy of the filterIf you choose this option, changes you make
to the report filter in the Report Editor are not propagated to the original filter
object, and vice versa. This is also called a local or embedded filter.
Retain the shortcut to the filterIf you choose this option, changes you make
to the report filter in the Report Editor are propagated to the original filter
object, and vice versa. Creating shortcuts allows you to take advantage of the
benefits of object reuse.
Create a local copy of the templateIf you choose this option, changes you
make to the template in the Report Editor are not propagated to the original
template object, and vice versa. This is also called a local or embedded
template.
Retain the shortcut to the templateIf you choose this option, changes you
make to the template in the Report Editor are propagated to the original
template object, and vice versa. Creating shortcuts allows you to take
advantage of the benefits of object reuse.
Remember options next timeIf you choose this option, your advanced save
options become the new default options for future advanced save actions.
Running Reports
To run a report:
1 In the Object Viewer, select the report you want to execute.
2 On the File menu, select Run.
OR
Double-click the report.
OR
Right-click the report and select Run.
OR
On the toolbar, click Run.
The report results display in the default report display view. The default
report display view is the report display view that was selected when the
report was last saved. Report display views are discussed in the
following section.
Report Display Views
There are five report display views:
Design ViewDisplays the Report Editor, so you can view and modify the
report definition
Grid ViewDisplays the report in a row and column format
Graph ViewDisplays the report as a graph
Grid Graph ViewDisplays the report as a grid and a graph, side-by-side
SQL ViewDisplays the SQL used to generate the report. Any Analytical
Engine steps that are taken after all of the data has been returned from the
data warehouse to produce the final report results are also displayed.
To change the report display view:
1 In the report results window, on the View menu, select the report display
view you want to see.
OR
In the report results window, on the toolbar, beside the View button, click
the arrow, and select the report display view you want to see.
To change a grid reports formatting using autostyles:
1 Run a report and change it to grid view or grid graph if necessary.
2 On the toolbar, in the autostyle drop-down list, select the autostyle you
want to use to format the report.
Report Details Properties
The Report Details Properties window enables you to configure what
information you want to display in the report details section and how it should
be presented. For instance, you can specify whether you want to display filter
details, the specific filter details to display, and how they should be formatted.
You can define how to display the operators within filter details, how to display
unanswered prompts, and many other formatting properties.
The image below shows the Report Details Properties window:
Report Details Properties Window
The Report Details Properties window consists of the following tabs:
General
The General tab of the Report Details Properties window contains
configuration options for the report, prompt, and filter details. The window
contains the following sections:
Report DetailsIncludes the report description, prompt details, filter
details, and template details. You can choose to include or omit any of this
information.
Prompt DetailsDisplays prompt related information for all prompts in
the report. You can choose to include or omit any of this information.
MiscellaneousYou can specify whether delimiters are used in report
details that display metadata objects, such as attributes and metrics. You
can also set aliases to display instead of the object name in Filter Details.
By default, each setting on this tab inherits the project setting defined in
Project Configuration/Project Definition/Document and Report setting.
Filter Details - Contents
The Filter Details - Contents tab of the Report Details Properties window
contains configuration options for the filter details, which displays information
about filters on the report. This tab enables you to select which filter
expressions to include (report filter, view filter, report limits, and so on) and
how the filters are displayed. For example, you can select whether to include
labels (that is, Report Filter, Report Limits, and so on) and the order in which
the filter expressions are displayed.
By default, each setting on this tab inherits the project setting defined in
Project Configuration/Project Definition/Document and Report setting.
The window contains the following sections:
GeneralEnables you to select whether to include or omit filter
sub-expressions
Additional OptionsYou can configure how the filters are displayed in the
Filter Details.
Filter Details - Other
The Filter Details - Other tab enables you to specify how logical operators and
other components of different qualification types are displayed. The Filter
Details - Other tab is shown below:
Template Details
The Template Details tab contains configuration options for the template
details, including attribute details and metric details.
To configure report details properties:
1 Open a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Report Details Properties.
3 Modify the properties as needed.
4 Click OK.
If you do not see the report details display in the Report details
window, you need to clear the Apply these Desktop preferences to
the report details check box under Desktop Preferences.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson your learned:
A report is a request for specific, formatted data from the data warehouse.
It consists of a template plus any desired filtering criteria.
A template specifies what information to retrieve from the data warehouse
and how this information will be displayed in the report results.
A report filter specifies the conditions that the data must meet to be
included in the report results.
A view of a report is the actual view of a report subset. With MicroStrategy
OLAP Services, users have the ability to remove objects or filter within a
result set such that their view of the report result set is a subset of the
overall result set.
When a report is executed, you obtain a formatted collection of all of the
objects (such as attributes and metrics) specified on the template that have
satisfied the filtering conditions of the report filter.
When you create a report, you also create a template and a report filter.
Though you may not specifically define and use a separate template or
report filter object, these are the objects that logically make up a report
definition.
You use the Report Editor to create and modify reports. It is a combination
of the Filter Editor, the Template Editor, the Object Browser, the Shortcut
Bar, the Report Objects window, and the View Filter definition window, and
it enables you, through one editor, to create your template and report filter
for a specific report.
After you create a report, you can save the report, so you can execute it
again in the future.
There are five report display viewsDesign View, Grid View, Graph View,
Grid Graph View, and SQL View.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Reports in Desktop 75
Exercises: Reports in Desktop

Complete these exercises in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project located in the
three-tier project source.
Create a Report
Overview
In this exercise, you will create a new folder called My Reports Exercises in the
My Reports folder. In the My Reports Exercises folder, you will create a report
to show the Revenue and Profit for all Call Centers during 2009. This report
will also show the Region to which each Call Center belongs. The first few rows
of the results should look like the following:
You will save this report as Revenue and Profit for 2009. You can use the
detailed instructions that follow if you want help.
76 Exercises: Reports in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Detailed Instructions
Create the My Reports Exercises Folder
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, expand the MicroStrategy Tutorial project,
expand the My Personal Objects folder, and select the My Reports folder.
2 On the File menu, point to New and select Folder.
3 Name the new folder My Reports Exercises.
Create the Report
4 In the Folder List, select your new My Reports Exercises folder to begin
working in it.
5 On the File menu, point to New and select Report.
6 In the New Grid window, leave Blank Report selected and click OK.
When the Report Editor opens, the Data Explorer is automatically

selected in the Object Browser. The System Hierarchy and other
user-defined hierarchies created for the project are listed.
Define the Template
7 In the Object Browser, double-click the Geography hierarchy.
8 Drag and drop Region into the rows of the template definition window.
You might find it easier to right-click the object and select Add to
Rows.
9 Drag and drop Call Center into the rows of the template definition window.
You might find it easier to right-click the object and select Add to
Rows.
10 In My Shortcuts, click Metrics.
11 In the Object Browser, double-click the Sales Metrics folder.
12 Drag and drop Revenue into the columns area of the template definition
window.
You can also right-click the object and select Add to Columns. You
can also double-click the metrics to place them into the columns of
your template.
13 Drag and drop Profit into the columns area of the template definition
window.
Your template definition should now look like this:
If your template looks slightly different, you may need to reposition

the attributes and metrics.
Specify the Report Filter Condition
14 In My Shortcuts, click Data Explorer.
15 Double-click the Time hierarchy.
16 Double-click the Year attribute.
17 Drag and drop 2009 into the report filter definition window.
18 In the Report Editor, click Run Report.
19 Compare your results to the expected report in the Overview section at the
beginning of this exercise.
Save the Report
20 In the report results window, click Save and Close.
21 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Revenue and Profit
for 2009.
22 Click Save.
Work with Design View
Overview
In this exercise, you will modify the Revenue and Profit for 2009 report to
show only the Call Centers in the Eastern USA.
Do not create a new report for this exercise. Modify your existing
Revenue and Profit for 2009 report.
The results should look like the following:
You will save this report to the My Reports Exercises folder and name it East
Revenue and Profit for 2009. You can use the detailed instructions that follow
if you want help.
1 Go to the My Reports Exercises folder and double-click the Revenue and
Profit for 2009 report you just created to run it.
2 In the report results window, from the View menu, select Design View.
3 In the Object Browser, double-click the Geography hierarchy.
4 Double-click the Region attribute.
5 Select Northeast.
6 While holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard, select Mid-Atlantic
and Southeast.
7 Drag and drop the three regions into the report filter definition window to
add them to your existing report filter condition, Year In list (2009).
Save the Report
8 On the File menu, select Save As.
9 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as East Revenue and
Profit for 2009.
10 Click Save.
11 On the toolbar, click Grid View to run the report.
13 In the report, click Save and Close to close the report.
Use the Template Editor
Overview
In this exercise, you will create a new template called Sales by Quarter and
Month. This new template can be reused in multiple reports, and you will use it
in your next exercise.
The template should have Quarter and Month attributes in the rows and the
Revenue and Units Sold metrics in the columns. The template should look like
the following:
You will save this template into a new folder, My Templates Exercises. You can
use the detailed instructions that follow if you want help.
1 In the Folder List, expand the My Personal Objects folder and select the
My Objects folder.
2 On the File menu, point to New and select Folder.
3 Name the folder My Templates Exercises.
4 In the Folder List, select the new My Templates Exercises folder to begin
working in it.
5 On the File menu, point to New and select Template.
6 In the New Template window, leave Empty Template selected and click
OK.
When the Template Editor opens, the Data Explorer is automatically

selected in the Object Browser. The System Hierarchy and other
user-defined hierarchies created for the project are listed.
7 In the Object Browser, double-click the Time hierarchy.
8 Drag and drop Quarter into the rows of the template definition window.
9 Drag and drop Month to the right of Quarter in the template definition
window.
10 In My Shortcuts, click Metrics.
12 Double-click Revenue to add it to the columns of the template.
13 Double-click Units Sold to add it to the right of Revenue in the columns of
the template.
Save the report
15 In the Template Editor, click Save and Close.
16 In the Save Template As window, name the template Sales by Quarter and
Month.
17 Click Save.
Use an Existing Template and No Filtering Criteria
Overview
To use an existing template, you must include it as part of a report. In this
exercise, you will use the Sales by Quarter and Month template from the last
exercise in a report with no filtering criteria.
Because there is no filtering criteria, the final result will include data from the
entire data warehouse. The first few rows of the result set will look like the
following:
You can use the detailed instructions that follow if you want help.
Create the report
1 In the Folder List, under My Personal Objects/My Reports, select the My
Reports Exercises folder to begin working in it.
2 On the File menu, point to New, and select Report.
3 In the New Grid window, keep Blank Report selected and click OK.
4 In the Report Editor, in My Shortcuts, click My Personal Objects.
5 In the Object Browser, double-click the My Objects folder.
6 Double-click the My Templates Exercises folder.
7 Right-click the Sales by Quarter and Month template, and select Replace
with shortcut to template.
For this report, you will not include any filtering criteria.
Save the report
8 On the toolbar, click Save and Close.
9 Save the report in My Reports Exercises folder as Sales by Quarter and
Month.
10 Click Save.
11 Click Retain the shortcut to the template.
12 Keep the Remember options next time check box selected.
13 Click OK.
14 In the Folder List, select the My Reports Exercises folder and double-click
your new report to run it.
16 On the toolbar, click Save and Close to close the report.
Extra Credit
Try this exercise if you have time and want a challenge.
1 The marketing manager in your business wants to run a special promotion
for customers paying by various payment methods. She would like to see a
report that shows how customers in different income brackets are paying
(in terms of Revenue) for their orders. She is specifically interested in the
Mid-Atlantic customer region for the Year 2009.
Customer Region, Income Bracket, and Payment Method are

attributes in the Customers hierarchy.
Be sure to filter on the Customer Region attribute of the Customers

hierarchy and not the Region attribute of the Geography hierarchy.
When you finish, your report should look like the following:
Feel free to save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder with a name of
your choosing. There are no detailed instructions for this Extra Credit exercise.
2 Now modify the previous report to find out the Revenue in 2009 for the
Mid-Atlantic customer region when customers used Visa as their preferred
payment method. This report would be useful when you need to decide
which items should go on promotion. The report result set should now look
like the following:
After saving the report, answer the following questions when you have
completed the exercise.
How many rows did this report return? ___________
How can you find the number of rows without actually counting them?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
4
REPORT DATA
MANIPULATIONS
Lesson Description
This lesson describes data manipulations that you can perform in Desktop
reports.
Report Data Manipulations MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 4
Lesson Objectives
Define the different types of report manipulations available and perform these
report manipulations using Desktop.
Describe and perform manipulations that enable you to look at report data
from different perspectives. (Page 89)
Explain the purpose of drilling and drill on reports in Desktop using a variety
of drilling methods and options. (Page 90)
Explain the purpose of page-by. Use page-by to segment data on a report in
Desktop. (Page 97)
Explain the purpose of data pivoting. Pivot data on a report in Desktop by
changing the order of objects in the rows or columns and moving objects
between the rows and columns. (Page 101)
Apply subtotals to a report in Desktop. (Page 103)
Sort data in a report in Desktop using a quick sort or an advanced
sort. (Page 110)
Explain the purpose of outline mode. Display a report in outline mode in
Desktop. (Page 115)
Print a boardroom quality report. (Page 119)
Export a report from Desktop to another application. Format and e-mail
reports as attachments. (Page 121)
Deliver reports to the history list, update caches, and mobile
devices. (Page 123)
View and add notes to reports and documents. (Page 129)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Report Data Manipulations 4
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Data Manipulation 89
Data Manipulation
Describe and perform manipulations that enable you to look at report data
from different perspectives.
This section covers report manipulations that enable you to change how data is
presented in a report, so you can see the data from different perspectives.
The following report data manipulations are covered in this section:
Drilling
Page-by
Data Pivoting
Subtotals
Data Sorting
Outline Mode
Printing, exporting and formatting e-mails
History lists, caches and mobile devices
Adding Notes
90 Drilling 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Drilling
Explain the purpose of drilling and drill on reports in Desktop using a variety
of drilling methods and options.
What is Drilling?
Drilling enables you to see data at levels other than that of the original grid or
graph. It helps you investigate the data on your report quickly and easily. The
following diagram shows how you can display additional detail through
drilling:
Drilling
In Desktop, you can drill down or up within a hierarchy or across to other
hierarchies. You can even drill to a completely different template.
Drilling down enables you to access data at a lower attribute level in the
same hierarchy. For example, if a report shows you sales by Month, you can
drill down to see sales by Day.
Drilling up does the opposite of drilling down. You can see data at a higher
attribute level in the same hierarchy. For example, you can drill up from the
Day level to the Month or Quarter levels.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Drilling 91
Drilling to other directions lets you view data at any level in any hierarchy.
For example, you could drill from Day in the Time hierarchy across to
Region in the Geography hierarchy.
Drilling to a template lets you follow an investigative workflow. A report
developer can set up a report so that drilling takes you to another report
with the same filter, but a different template.
A report developer configures the drill to template option by using

the Drill Map Editor. For more information on the Drill Map Editor,
refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting course.
By default, when you drill on a report, the original report remains open, and
the drilled-to report displays in a new window.
Methods for Drilling
When you drill on a report, you can drill on the entire report or only on part of
the report. There are several drilling methods you can use, all of which are
discussed below:
Methods for Drilling
Double-click an attribute elementDrills down one level for a single
element.
For example, if your report shows two years, 2009 and 2010, you can
double-click either 2009 or 2010 to drill down and see the quarter level
data for that year.
Right-click one or more elementsSelect one or more elements by holding
down SHIFT or CTRL to drill on them. Right-click to open a shortcut menu
that lists the possible drill directions and drill paths.
Use the Drill menu option or toolbar buttonDrills on either the entire
report or only selected items.
To use the menu or toolbar to drill:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Drill.
OR
On the toolbar, click the Drill.
Drill
If the toolbar buttons are not visible by default, on the View menu, click
Toolbar, and select Data.
3 In the Drill window, in the Selected object drop-down list, select the object
on which you want to drill. You can drill on attributes, compound metrics,
consolidations, and custom groups, as shown below:
Drill Window
4 In the Drilling options window, browse to the attribute to which you want
to drill.
5 Choose whether to keep the parent.
6 Choose whether to keep the thresholds.
7 Choose whether to inherit subtotals from parent.
8 Click OK to drill.
If you are using the page-by functionality on the original report, you
will also see the When drilling, add the current page-by element
as part of the filter check box. For more information on page-by, see
Page-by starting on page 97.
Keep Parent
The Keep parent option in the Drill window lets you determine whether or not
you want to add the attribute from which you drilled to the new drilled-to
reports template.
For example, consider the following report showing revenue by year. The
original report from which you are drilling is shown below:
Yearly Revenue Report
If you drill down to Month from Year 2009 and do not set Keep parent to Yes,
you see the following report, where Year has been replaced by Month:
Keep Parent Set to No
If, instead, you set Keep parent to Yes, you see the following report, where
Month is added to the template along with Year:
Keep Parent Set to Yes
If you leave Keep parent as Default, the Keep parent setting is inherited
from the report or project-level settings.
To set the Keep parent setting at the report level:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Report Data Options.
3 In the Categories list, expand General.
The General -Drilling pane, as shown below:
Keep Parent Set at Report Level
4 In the General-Drilling pane, in the Keep parent while drilling drop-down
list, select Yes.
5 Click OK.
6 In the report results window, on the File menu, select Save.
To set the Keep parent setting at the project level:
The following steps change the default setting for all reports in a
MicroStrategy project to keep the parent attributes while drilling.
1 In Desktop, while logged in to a MicroStrategy project, on the Tools menu,
select My Preferences.
2 In the My Preferences window, in the Categories list, expand Grid.
3 Select Drilling.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Page-by 97
4 In the Keep parent while drilling drop-down list, select Yes.
5 Click OK.
Page-by
Explain the purpose of page-by. Use page-by to segment data on a report in
Desktop.
What Is Page-by?
Page-by enables you to select and display subsets of your report results as
separate pages. This feature is most useful when you have extremely long
report results and scrolling is necessary to see all of the data.
98 Page-by 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Suppose you have the following report showing Revenue and Profit data
organized by Region and Quarter. Notice that only the first few result rows are
shown below:
Quarterly Region Revenue and Profit Report
You can page by Quarter to see only one quarters worth of data at a time:
Page-by Quarter
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Page-by 99
You can page by any of the following objects:
Attributes
Metrics
Hierarchies
Consolidations
Custom groups
Object prompt (attribute)
Object prompt (metric)only if the row or column does not contain a
metric
Object prompt (hierarchy)
Object prompt (consolidation)
Object prompt (custom group)
Methods for Creating Page-by Fields
To create page-by fields on a report:
1 Run a report.
2 On the toolbar, click View Page-by.
View Page-by
3 Drag and drop the objects you want to page by into the page fields pane that
display above the report results.
4 Use the drop-down list to select the specific data you want to see on the
report.
100 Page-by 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
5 In the report, on the File menu, select Save to save your page-by field
selections to the report definition.
Page Field Ordering
You can put more than one attribute into the page fields pane. The order of the
attributes in the pane can influence the list of attribute elements displayed for
subsequent attributes in the pane.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Data Pivoting 101
Suppose a retailer sells sporting goods in the United States. Some items are
available only in certain stores and not in others. For example, the stores in
Alaska sell snowshoes instead of surfboards, whereas the stores in Hawaii sell
surfboards instead of snowshoes. In a report with State and Item in the page
fields pane, the following results are possible:
State first, then ItemIf Alaska is selected for State, the list of attribute
elements for Item does not include surfboards. Similarly, if Hawaii is
selected for State, the list of attribute elements for Item does not include
snowshoes.
Item first, then StateIf snowshoes is selected for Item, the list of attribute
elements for State does not include Hawaii. Similarly, if surfboards is
selected for Item, the list of attribute elements for State does not include
Alaska.
Data Pivoting
Explain the purpose of data pivoting. Pivot data on a report in Desktop by
changing the order of objects in the rows or columns and moving objects
between the rows and columns.
Data pivoting enables you to rearrange the columns and rows in a report, so
you can view data from different perspectives. With data pivoting, you can do
the following:
Move objects from the row header to the column header
Move objects from the column header to the row header
Change the order of objects in the row header
Change the order of objects in the column header
Move objects from the row header or the column header to the page field
pane
Move objects from the page field pane to the row header or the column
header
Swap row headers and column headers
102 Data Pivoting 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Methods for Data Pivoting
You can pivot data in a report using any of the following methods:
Drag and drop objects to move them around on the template.
Select an object, and choose a data pivoting option from the Move menu.
Right-click an object, point to Move, and select an option from the menu.
Select an object and use one of the data pivoting buttons 0n the toolbar:
Data Pivoting Buttons
Swap Rows
and
Columns
Moves the data from the columns to the
rows, and from the rows to the columns
Move to
Row
Moves the selected object to the rows
Move to
Column
Moves the selected object to the
columns
Move to
Page
Moves the selected object to the
page-by field
Move Up Moves the selected object up
Move Down Moves the selected object down
Move Left Moves the selected object left
Move Right Moves the selected object right
Remove
from Grid
Removes the selected object from the
report template
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Subtotals 103
Depending on the current position of your selected object, some data

pivoting options may not be available.
Remember to save your report with the new locations of the objects.
Subtotals
Apply subtotals to a report in Desktop.
Subtotals reflect accumulations at selected attribute levels and can be applied
dynamically to any report. There are various subtotals available to you such as
count, minimum, maximum, average, and so forth.
To display subtotals on a report:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Subtotals.
104 Subtotals 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
3 In the Subtotals window, on the Definition tab, select the subtotals you
want to see on your report, as shown below:
4 Click OK.
5 In the report, on the File menu, select Save to save the subtotals to the
report definition.
Subtotals by Position
Consider a report with four attributes. If you show subtotals for all four
attributes, the report may be confusing, especially if you choose to display
several types of subtotals. Therefore, you may want to suppress all subtotals
except for a grand total, as shown below:
Subtotals by Position
If you want to see only grand totals:
1 Run a report.
want to see on your report.
4 Click Advanced.
5 In the Advanced Subtotals Options window, under Applied levels, select By
position.
6 From the appropriate drop-down lists (based on where your metrics are on
the template), select Grand Total.
7 Click OK to close the Advanced Subtotals Options window.
8 Click OK again to close the Subtotals window.
report definition.
Subtotals Across Levels
If there are several attributes on the report, subtotals can be turned on for
selected attributes only. For example, compare the following two reports. The
first report shows subtotals across Category only, as shown below:
Subtotals Across Category
The second report shows subtotals across Quarter only, as shown below:
Subtotals Across Quarter
This functionality gives you more control over the display of subtotals on your
report.
To display subtotals for selected attributes:
1 Run a report with more than one attribute on its template.
4 Click Advanced.
5 In the Advanced Subtotals Options window, under Applied levels, click
Across level.
6 Select the attributes across which you want to display subtotals.
report definition.
Subtotals Group By
Subtotals are typically accumulations of metrics based on the layout of
attributes on a report. However, subtotals may be grouped by any attribute on
a report regardless of the report layout. For example, compare the following
two reports. The first report shows subtotals across quarters. The Quarter
subtotal is broken down by Manager because the Manager attribute is listed to
the left of the Quarter attribute, as shown below:
Subtotals By Manager
The second report uses the subtotals group by functionality and displays
subtotals for each Quarter, regardless of the Manager:
Subtotals by Quarter
This functionality gives you more flexibility in deciding which subtotal to
display.
To display subtotals based on specific attribute groups:
1 Run a report with more than one attribute on its template.
4 Click Advanced.
5 In the Advanced Subtotals Options window, under Applied levels, click
Group by.
6 Click Add.
7 In the Group by Selection window, select the attributes on which you would
like to group subtotals.
8 Click OK to close the Group By Selection window.
110 Sorting 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
report definition.
Sorting
Sort data in a report in Desktop using a quick sort or an advanced sort.
Sorting enables you to specify the order in which the data in a report for a
particular row or column is presentedeither ascending or descending. You
can sort based on any object that you place on the template. You can also select
the sorting criteria and the sorting order.
Methods for Sorting
You have two options for sorting in Desktop:
Quick sortEnables you to select one column or row and sort it in either
ascending or descending order based on the data displayed. This option is
only available in grid view and grid and graph views.
Advanced sortEnables you to create more advanced sorts for rows,
columns, and pages and to sort by multiple objects. This option is available
in grid, graph, and grid and graph view.
Quick Sort
The first thing you must do to perform a quick sort is to run a report. Then
select the row or column header by which you want to sort the report. You can
then sort in the following ways:
Right-click the column or row header and select Sort rows by this column
(or just Sort if you right-clicked a row header), followed by either
Ascending or Descending.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Sorting 111
On the toolbar, select either Sort Ascending or Sort Descending:
If the toolbar buttons are not visible by default, on the View menu, click
Toolbar and select Data.
You can only sort by one row or one column when using the quick sort
method. If you sort by one column and then sort by another, you will
lose the order for the first sort. Advanced sorting lets you sort by
multiple rows and columns.
Advanced Sort
The advanced sort enables you to configure multiple sorts. You can select the
attributes or metrics you want to use to sort the report and the order in which
you want to sort by them. For attributes, you can also choose the attribute form
(for example, ID or description) by which to sort the attribute data.
Every sort has the following fields that you can change to create completely
customized sorting criteria:
Sorting Buttons
Sort
Ascending
Sorts the data in ascending order
Sort
Descending
Sorts the data in descending order
Sort Columns
Column Description
Sort By Name of the row or column or page-by field
Criteria If you are sorting on an attribute, you can choose the
attribute form by which to sort the attribute data. The
attribute form does not have to be displayed on the
report.
Order Order in which to sort the data, ascending or
descending
Included in the Advanced Sort window is an option for hierarchical sorting of
totals. When sorting on a metric, you can select the Sort metrics
hierarchically using check box and select a subtotal. Data is still grouped, but
the groups are sorted by the subtotal you select. Without this option, subtotals
are treated as normal metric values and are often separated from the data to
which they correspond.
The option to sort metrics hierarchically is only enabled when subtotals

exist on the report. For more information on totals, see Outline Mode
starting on page 115.
To create advanced sorts:
1 In a report, on the Data menu, select Advanced Sorting.
Total
Position
This option enables you to determine where totals are
displayed. The options are as follows:
Bottom: All totals are displayed together at the
bottom of the report. For example, on a report with
Year, Quarter, and Revenue, all Yearly and
Quarterly totals appear at the bottom of the report.
Top: All totals and subtotals are displayed together
at the top of the report. For example, on a report
with Year, Quarter, and Revenue, all Yearly and
Quarterly totals appear at the top of the report.
Inherit: Totals are displayed at the position set by
the Report Designer using the subtotals display
options.
Mixed: Totals are displayed in a sorted order like
any other metric value. The values of the metric
and the subtotal are mixed while performing the
sorting.
Parent
Position
This option is only available for custom groups. This
option enables you to govern where the custom group
header label appears with respect to its data
elements.
Sort Columns
Column Description
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Sorting 113
2 In the Sorting window, click the appropriate tab, Rows, Columns, or Pages,
depending on what you want to sort, as shown below:
Sorting Window
3 Click Add to add a new sort.
4 In the Currently defined sorts window, under Currently defined sorts,
change the values for Sort By, Criteria, Order, Total Position, and Parent
Position as appropriate.
If you are sorting a metric row or column and subtotals exist on your
report, you have the option of sorting hierarchically by subtotals.
Select the Sort metrics hierarchically using check box.
In the drop-down list, select the subtotal by which you want to sort.
5 Add additional sorts as necessary.
6 Use the up and down arrows to change the order of the sorts as necessary.
7 Click OK to apply the sorts.
8 In the report, on the File menu, select Save to save the sort selections to the
report definition.
Sorting on Page-by
Within the Advanced Sorting options, you can sort the page-by elements
(ascending or descending) based on either their ID or description. The image
below shows the Pages tab of the Sorting window:
Sorting on Page-by
For example, if you have a report with the Year attribute in the page-by field,
you can set the elements of the year to be displayed in ascending or descending
order. The image below shows the Year attribute elements sorted in
descending order:
Page-by on Year Attribute
To sort on page-by:
1 In the Sorting window, click the Pages tab.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Outline Mode 115
2 On the Pages tab, click Add.
3 At a minimum, specify the following columns: Sort By, Criteria and Order.
4 Click OK.
Outline Mode
Explain the purpose of outline mode. Display a report in outline mode in
Desktop.
Outline mode enables indented grouping of related attributes, much like
heading levels in a document outline. Outline mode is useful when users want
to display the same report at different levels very quickly. Review the following
example:
Product Revenue Report Without Outline Mode
116 Outline Mode 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The same report displayed in outline mode looks much better, as shown below:
Product Revenue Report With Outline Mode
Expanding and collapsing the different levels of the report does not execute
any SQL against the data warehouse. In addition, the report can be cached,
which also makes it faster than drilling to another attribute level.
Outline mode is only available when you have more than one object in
the rows of the report template.
Using Outline Mode
To enable outline mode, do one of the following:
On the Grid menu, select Display Outline Results.
On the toolbar, click Display Outline Results.
Display Outline Results
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Outline Mode 117
You can expand and collapse levels by clicking the numbered buttons above the
report. There will be one button for each column in the report. See the three
reports below for an example of how clicking these buttons can affect the look
of a report in outline mode. The initial report is shown below:
All Levels Displayed
When you click the 2 button, the information is rolled up as follows:
Category and Subcategory Revenue Displayed Only
118 Outline Mode 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Finally, when you click the 1 button, the information is completely rolled up
as follows:
Category Revenue Only
To see data totals for a collapsed level, you must enable subtotals. For
more information on subtotals, see Subtotals starting on page 103.
By default, reports in outline mode are displayed with all levels expanded.
To set an outline mode report to initially display with all levels collapsed:
1 Open a report in Grid view.
2 On the Grid menu, select Options.
3 In the Grid Options window, on the General tab, select Open with all
outline levels collapsed.
You also have the option to have an outline mode report open and
expanded to a specific level.
4 Click OK to close the Grid Options window.
5 In the report, on the File menu, select Save.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Printing 119
Printing
Print a boardroom quality report.
You can print a report in Grid, Graph, Grid and Graph, or SQL view. The
formatting you apply to the report in Desktop also applies to the printed copy
of the report.
You can print a report using one of the following methods:
On the File menu, select Print.
On the toolbar, click Print Preview.
Print Preview
120 Printing 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Clicking Print Preview opens the Print Preview window for your report, as
shown below:
Print Preview Window
In the Print Preview window, click Setup to open the Page Setup window,
which enables you to:
Change the page orientation, page numbering, and scaling
Adjust the page margins
Determine what information to display in the header and footer of the
printed report. You can choose to display page number, total number of
pages, date, time, project name, report name, template name, filter
name, report details, bitmap images, and user ID.
Choose the order in which to print pages if the report is particularly long
or has numerous page fields.
Remember to save your report with its new print options.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exporting and E-mailing Reports 121
Exporting and E-mailing Reports
Export a report from Desktop to another application. Format and e-mail
reports as attachments.
You can export a Desktop report or e-mail a Desktop report (as an attachment)
in any of the following application formats:
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Access
Plain text
HTML
PDF
To export a report:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, point to Export To, and select the application format in
which you want to see the report results.
You can manipulate the behavior of the export function using export options.
To access export options:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Export Options.
3 In the Export Options window, in the Application drop-down list, select the
application to which you are exporting.
4 On the General tab, change the settings as appropriate.
122 Exporting and E-mailing Reports 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The settings available on the General tab vary depending on your

selection for the Application list.
5 On the Appearance tab, change the settings to alter the appearance of the
exported report.
6 Click OK to exit the Export Options window.
7 In the report, on the File menu, select Save to save the export options to the
report definition.
To e-mail a report as an attachment:
1 Run a report.
2 On the File menu, point to E-mail report as, and select the application
format that you want to use to e-mail the report as an attachment.
After you select the attachment type, an e-mail message window opens
with the report file as an attachment. Depending on the size of the
report, this action may take a few moments.
3 Continue composing the e-mail as desired.
Removing Metrics Columns
Users can prevent the Metrics column title from displaying within a report
when viewing the report results in MicroStrategy Web or when exporting the
report results to PDF and HTML in Desktop.
To remove the metric column title:
1 In Desktop, create a new report or edit an existing report.
2 In Design View, select the Grid menu, select Options.
OR
In Grid View, on the Grid menu, select Options.
3 Click the Columns and Rows tab.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Report Subscription in Desktop 123
4 In the Columns and Rows tab, under Columns, select the Remove extra
column (Web only) check box, as shown below:
Grid Options Window
5 Click OK.
6 Save and close the report.
You will be able to see this change when viewing the report in
MicroStrategy Web or when you view the exported report in PDF or
HTML.
Report Subscription in Desktop
Deliver reports to the history list, update caches, and mobile devices.
124 Report Subscription in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
In Desktop, you can subscribe reports and documents to history list, cache and
mobile.
Subscribing a Report to the History List
You can subscribe a report or document to the history list from the right-click
menu or from the Report Editor.
To receive a report or document in the history list, you must subscribe to that
report or document. You can use the History List Subscription Editor to set the
subscription properties and schedule.
To subscribe a report to the History List:
1 Right-click the report, point to Schedule Delivery To, and select History
List, as shown below:
Subscribing a Report to the History List
2 Select a schedule and appropriate options and click OK. The different
options are depicted below:
History List Subscription Editor
To unsubscribe a report from the History List:
1 In Desktop, on the Tools menu, select My Subscriptions.
2 In the My Subscriptions window, right-click the subscription, and select
Unsubscribe.
3 In the Desktop window, click Yes.
Subscribing a Report to Update Cache
The updating cache option refreshes the existing cache for the selected report
with new data from the data warehouse. You can schedule a delivery to update
cache without having to execute the report. The option to schedule to update
cache is depicted below:
Subscribing a Report to Update Cache
To update the cache of a report or document, you must subscribe to that report
or document. You can use the Cache Update Subscription Editor to subscribe
to this update, as shown below:
Cache Update Subscription Editor
You can subscribe to update cache in the same way as subscribing

reports or documents to the history list.
Subscribing a Report to a Mobile Device
You can create a subscription to send a report or document to a mobile device.
To receive a report or document on a mobile device, you must subscribe
yourself to that report or document. The option to schedule delivery to a
mobile device is depicted below:
Subscribing a Report to a Mobile Device
Mobile users must have the use "MicroStrategy Mobile" and "Mobile
View Document" privileges.
Within the Mobile Subscription Editor, you can specify your desired schedule.
This schedule controls how often the report or document is sent, and when you
want this subscription to end, as depicted below:
Mobile Subscription Editor
You can subscribe to a mobile device in the same way as subscribing

reports or documents to the history list.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Adding Notes to Reports and Documents 129
Adding Notes to Reports and Documents
View and add notes to reports and documents.
You can actively collaborate online with other Desktop users using a powerful
featurenotes. You can think of notes as annotations or comments attached to
a report or a document, which enable you to communicate important
information about the report to the end users. For example, you can educate
users how to navigate through report results, find optimal drill paths, interpret
thresholds, and so on. End users, on the other hand, can share their feedback
by adding comments about the usability of the design or the relevance of
metrics.
Notes are linked to the report and document definition, but are not
saved with it. When you add, modify, or delete notes, you do not
invalidate the report or document cache.
The image below displays the Notes window:
Notes Window
130 Adding Notes to Reports and Documents 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
To view or add notes:
1 In Design View or Grid View, on the toolbar, click Notes, as shown below:
Notes Button
OR
2 In Design View or Grid View, on the View menu, select Notes.
3 Type your desired note in the lower text box, as shown below:
Adding Notes
4 Click Submit.
5 Click Close.
Your note will be added to the notes summary pane.

2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Adding Notes to Reports and Documents 131
To modify notes:
1 In the Notes window, click Edit.
2 Edit the notes in the window.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Lesson Summary
Drilling enables you to see data at levels other than that of the original grid
or graph. It helps you investigate the data on your report quickly and easily.
In Desktop, you can drill down or up within a hierarchy or across to other
hierarchies. You can even drill to a completely different template.
Page-by enables you to select and display subsets of your report results as
separate pages. This feature is most useful when you have extremely long
report results and scrolling is necessary to see all of the data.
Data pivoting enables you to rearrange the columns and rows in a report, so
you can view data from different perspectives.
Subtotals reflect accumulations at selected attribute levels and can be
applied dynamically to any report. There are various subtotals available to
you such as count, minimum, maximum, average, and so forth.
Sorting enables you to specify the order in which the data in a report for a
particular row or column is presentedeither ascending or descending.
You can sort based on any object that you place on the template. You can
also select the sorting criteria and the sorting order.
Outline mode enables indented grouping of related attributes. Outline
mode is useful when users want to display the same report at different
levels very quickly.
You can print a report in grid, graph, grid and graph, or SQL view. The
formatting you apply to the report in Desktop also applies to the printed
copy of the report.
You can export or e-mail a Desktop report as an attachment in any of the
following application formats: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft
Access, plaintext, HTML, and PDF.
In Desktop, you can subscribe reports and documents to history list, cache
and mobile devices.
You can actively collaborate online with other Desktop users using a
powerful featurenotes.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Report Data Manipulations in Desktop 133
Exercises: Report Data Manipulations in

Desktop
Drilling and Page-By
Overview
Create a report with Region and Category in the rows and Year and Revenue in
the columns. The first few rows of the initial report should look like the
following:
134 Exercises: Report Data Manipulations in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
After creating this report, modify it so that the data is displayed at a lower level
and is slightly easier to read. The modified report will look like the following:
Create the report
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder to
work in it.
4 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click Geography.
5 Drag and drop Region to the rows of the template.
6 In the Object Browser, click up one level.
7 In the Object Browser, double-click Products.
8 Drag and drop Category to the right of Region on the template.
Dragging and dropping objects to specific areas of a template takes

practice. As an alternative, you can right-click an object in the Object
Browser and select Add to Rows or Add to Columns to easily add
objects to a template.
10 In the Object Browser, double-click Time.
11 Drag and drop Year to the columns of the template.
12 In the My Shortcuts, click the Metrics folder.
14 Double-click Revenue to include it above Year, in the columns of the
template.
15 Drag your Revenue metric below Year in the columns. Your template
layout should look like the following:
Save the report
16 Click Save and Close.
17 Save the report in the My Report Exercises folder as Region, Category,
Year Sales.
18 Locate the report you just created and run it.
Drill on the report
20 On the Data menu, click Report Data Options.
21 On the Report Data Options window, expand the General menu and select
Drilling.
22 In the GeneralDrilling pane, in the Keep parent while drilling drop-down
menu, select No.
.
23 Click OK.
On the report, double-click the Year header to drill down to Quarter.

Double-clicking automatically drills down one level.
Every time a drill occurs a new report window is created.

24 In the new report, right-click the Category header, point to Drill, point to
Down, and then select Subcategory.
A new report window is created and displays data at the Subcategory

level. The first few rows and columns of your results should now look
like the following:
25 Right-click the Subcategory header, point to Move, and select To
Page-by.
26 Select Quarter and drag it into the page-by field to the right of Subcategory.
Save the report
29 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Region,
Subcategory, Quarter Sales - Page By.
30 Close all other report windows without saving them.
Pivoting and Sorting
Overview
Create a report with Region, Year, and Revenue on the template. The initial
results should look like the following:
Use pivoting and advanced sorting to change the report display to look like the
following:
The report is sorted ascending by Year and descending by Revenue

within each year.
Create the report
1 In the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder to work in it.
4 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click Geography.
5 Drag and drop Region to the rows of the template.
7 In the Object Browser, double-click Time.
8 Drag and drop Year to the columns of the template.
9 In My Shortcut, click the Metrics folder.
11 Drag Revenue to include it below Year in the columns of the template.
12 In the Report Editor, click Run.
13 Refer to the beginning of the exercise to verify your results.
14 On the Grid menu, point to Auto Style Selected, and select the Squares
autostyle.
15 Pivot Year from the columns to the rows by either dragging and dropping it
to the left of Region or by right-clicking Year, pointing to Move, and
selecting To Rows.
16 On the Data menu, select Advanced Sorting.
17 In the Sorting window, on the Rows tab, click Add to add the first object.
Under the Sort By column, you should see Year, under the Criteria
column, you should see ID, under the Order column you should see
Ascending. Leave these defaults.
18 Click Add again.
This adds the second object, Region, from the report, to the
Currently defined sorts window.
19 In the Sort By column, click Region, and use the drop-down list to select
Revenue.
20 In the Order column, select Descending. Leave the other defaults. Your
Sorting window should now look like the following:
21 Click OK to close the Sorting window.
Save the report
23 In the report, click Save and Close.
24 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as US Revenues by
Region - Pivoting and Sorting.
Totals and Outline Mode
Overview
Run the Sales by Region report, which can be found by using the search
functionality. You want to modify this report so you can see this same
information at the Subcategory level when needed. You also want to modify the
report so it displays subtotals.
Use the subtotals and outline mode functionality to change the report display
to look like the following:
Search for report
1 In Desktop, on the Tools menu, select Search for Objects.
2 On the Name and Location tab, in the Named box, type Sales by Region.
3 In the Look in box, browse to the \MicroStrategy Tutorial\Public
Objects\Reports folder and click OK.
4 Click Find Now. The search should look like the following:
5 In the Search Results window, double-click the Sales by Region report to
run it.
6 For the Region selection prompt, leave the default prompt selections and
click Next.
7 For the second Category selections prompt, leave the default selection of
Electronics and add the Books, Movies, and Music categories by
double-clicking each of them.
8 Click Next.
9 In the Summary screen, click Finish. The first few rows of the initial report
look like the following:
For more information about prompted reports, see What Is a

Prompt? starting on page 299.
10 In the report, on the View menu, select Design View.
11 In the Report Editor, in the template definition window, right-click the
Year attribute and select Remove from Report. You will see the following
message:
Be sure you select Remove from Report and not Remove from Grid.
13 In the template definition window, right-click the Region attribute and
select Remove from Report.
Enabling Subtotals
15 In the Report Editor, on the Data menu, select Subtotals.
16 In the Subtotals window, on the Definition tab, select the Total check box.
17 Click Advanced.
18 In the Advanced Subtotals Options window, click Across level, and select
both the Category and Subcategory check boxes.
20 Click OK to close the Subtotals window.
21 In the Report Editor, on the View menu, select Grid View.
The first few rows of the report now look like the following:
Enabling Outline Mode
22 In the report, on the Grid menu, select Display Outline Results. The first
few rows of the report now look like the following:
23 In the report, on the Grid menu, select Options.
24 In the Grid Options window, on the General tab, under Outline, click Open
with all outline levels collapsed.
26 Refer to the beginning of the exercise to verify your results.
27 In the report, on the File menu, select Save As.
28 In the Save Report As window, navigate to the My Reports Exercises
folder and save the report as Sales by Category and Subcategory -
Outline.
Save the report
29 Click Save to close the Save Report As window.
30 In the Save Options window, click Static, so you are not prompted when
you run this report again.
For more information about the Save Options window, see Saving
Reports with Prompts starting on page 325.
31 Click OK to close the Save Options window.
32 Close the Sales by Category and Subcategory - Outline report.
33 Close the New Search window. If prompted to save the search, click No.
Exporting Reports
Overview
Export the Employee Birthdays report (found in the Public
Objects\Reports\Subject Areas\Human Resources Analysis folder) to
Microsoft Excel so you can save it in your local machine. The first few rows of
the exported report should look like the following:
1 In the Folder List, expand the Public Objects folder, followed by the
Reports folder, followed by the Subject Areas folder, and select the
Human Resources Analysis folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Employee Birthdays report to
execute it.
3 In the report, on the Data menu, point to Export To, and select MS Excel.
You can specify pre-export and post-export Microsoft Excel macros,

a destination file, and whether or not to include Report Details and
the report SQL via Export Options. For more information on
accessing Export Options, see To access export options: starting on
page 121.
5 Close the Microsoft Excel workbook without saving it.
6 In Desktop, close the Employee Birthdays report without saving it.
E-mailing Reports
Overview
E-mail the Item and Order Tracking report (found in the Public
Objects\Reports\Business Roles\Operations Managers folder) as a PDF
attachment. The original report results should look like the following:
You will not be able to perform this exercise if an e-mail client is not
configured on your local machine.
1 In the Folder List, under Public Objects/Reports/Business Roles, select
the Operations Managers folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Item and Order Tracking report to
run it.
3 Accept all default prompt answers by clicking Next and then Finish.
5 In the report, on the File menu, point to E-mail report as, and select PDF
document.
6 A new e-mail message opens with the Item and Order Tracking report as a
PDF attachment. Close the e-mail message without saving it.
The default e-mail program set up on your local machine is used to

create the e-mail message.
7 In Desktop, close the Item and Order Tracking report without saving it.
5
REPORT STYLE
MANIPULATIONS
Lesson Description
This lesson describes style manipulations that you can perform in reports in
Desktop.
Report Style Manipulations MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 5
Lesson Objectives
Define the different types of style manipulations available and perform these
style manipulations using Desktop.
Describe and perform style manipulations in Desktop that enable you to
change the formatting of report data. (Page 153)
Make formatting changes to reports in Desktop. Create, save, and use
autostyles. (Page 154)
Explain the purpose of thresholds and apply thresholds to a report in
Desktop. (Page 159)
Explain the purpose of banding and apply custom banding to a report in
Desktop. (Page 165)
Lock row and column headers and resize columns in Desktop. (Page 168)
Describe some of the basic graph properties and modify a graph report in
Desktop. (Page 171)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Report Style Manipulations 5
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Style Manipulation 153
Style Manipulation
Describe and perform style manipulations in Desktop that enable you to
change the formatting of report data.
This chapter covers style manipulations that enable you to determine how
report data is formatted. You can change the look and feel of a report in
Desktop using various formatting methods.
The following report style manipulations are covered in this section:
Formatting in Desktop
Thresholds
Banding
Locking row and column headers
Resizing columns
Basic graph formatting
154 Formatting 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Formatting
Make formatting changes to reports in Desktop. Create, save, and use
autostyles.
Formatting involves changing the display of a report. You can format the look
and feel of your report by altering the number display, alignment, font, border,
and patterns for column and row axes, template object headers and values, and
subtotal headers and values.
Methods for Formatting
There are three ways to change the formatting properties on a report:
If the formatting toolbar is not visible by default, on the View menu,

click Toolbar and select Formatting.
You can right-click any object on your template and select Formatting. You
can also right-click the word Metrics to format all of the metrics on the
report in the same way. The Format Cells window opens for you to make
formatting changes. For example, if you run a report with Category on the
template, and you right-click the Category header, you would see the
following formatting options:
Formatting Options
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Formatting 155
You can use the Formatting toolbar to select the objects you want to format
and to make formatting changes:
Formatting Toolbar
Not all of the formatting options display in the Formatting toolbar

pictured above.
You can use the Format menu to select the objects you want to format using
the menu shown below:
Format Menu
The Format Cells window opens for you to make formatting changes.
To format objects on a report:
1 Right-click an object on the report, point to Formatting, and select the part
of the object you want to format (for example, headers, values, and so
forth).
You can also use the Formatting toolbar or the Format menu to
select the object you want to format. If you are using the Formatting
toolbar, you use the drop-down lists and buttons on the toolbar to
select the object and to make your formatting changes.
2 In the Format Cells window, make your formatting changes, as shown
below:
Formatting Window
3 Click OK.
Remember to save the report with its new formatting.
You can also use the Find and Replace tool to modify the format of sets
of metrics throughout a MicroStrategy project. For more information on
the Find and Replace tool, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop:
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Formatting 157
Autostyles
In addition to changing the report view, there are many formatting options that
you can change. For example, grid reports have autostyles. Autostyles are
predefined formatting schemes that are available when viewing a report in grid
view or grid graph view.
MicroStrategy comes with several autostyles that contain predefined
formatting properties.
To change a grid reports formatting using autostyles:
1 Run a report and change it to grid view or grid graph if necessary.
2 On the toolbar, in the autostyle drop-down list, select the autostyle you
want to use to format the report.
To use an existing autostyle:
1 Run a report in grid mode.
2 On the Grid menu, point to AutoStyle Selected, and select an autostyle.
3 On the File menu, select Save to save the report with its new autostyle.
You can also use the Find and Replace tool to apply an autostyle to a
selected set of reports and templates throughout a MicroStrategy
project. For more information on the Find and Replace tool, refer to the
MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting course.
You can also choose to customize the formatting for a report and save those
formatting changes as your own autostyle, which you can reuse on other
reports.
To create and save your own autostyle:
1 Run any report in grid mode and customize the formatting using any of the
methods discussed in the previous section.
2 On the Grid menu, select Save AutoStyle As.
3 In the Save AutoStyle As window, select a location and name your autostyle.
The default save location for a custom autostyle is My Objects. If you

save an autostyle to this folder, it will appear in only your autostyle
drop-down list. However, if you would like this autostyle to be available
to other users, you should save the autostyle in the Autostyles folder
under Public Objects.
4 Click Save.
To define a project default autostyle:
The following steps configure all new reports created in a

MicroStrategy project to use a specific autostyle by default.
1 In Desktop while logged in to a MicroStrategy project, from the Tools
menu, select My Preferences.
2 In the My Preferences window, in the Categories list, expand Grid and
select General.
3 In the Grid - General pane, under Display, in the Default style drop-down
list, select the autostyle that you would like to make the project default.
4 Click OK to exit the My Preferences window.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Thresholds 159
Thresholds
Explain the purpose of thresholds and apply thresholds to a report in Desktop.
A threshold is best understood as conditional formatting of metric values. By
defining thresholds for a metric, report developers can format metric values
that meet the criteria of their choosing. For example, suppose a sales quota for
monthly sales is $10,000 per employee. A report developer creates a monthly
sales by employee report in which all sales values above the $10,000 quota
display in green and all those below display in red. Furthermore, the metric
value can be replaced with an image, a symbol, or alternate text. This example
illustrates the purpose of thresholds, which is to emphasize data that meets
defined criteria, making reports easier to read.
For example, the image below shows all the categories that generated revenue
greater than $1,000,000 with a green background:
Report with Thresholds
Thresholds are also applied to the Profit and Profit Margin metrics.
160 Thresholds 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The Thresholds Editor is shown below:
Threshold Editor
You can copy and paste threshold definitions, which enables you to save time
by reusing them when the same definition is needed to define thresholds on
multiple metrics. You are also provided four shortcut thresholds. These
shortcut thresholds include highest and lowest rank and percentage.
To create and apply a threshold to a grid report:
1 Run a report.
2 On the Data menu, select Thresholds.
OR
Right-click the appropriate metric and select Thresholds.
OR
On the toolbar, click Thresholds.
If the Threshold icon is not visible by default, on the View menu,

click Toolbar and select Data.
3 In the Thresholds Editor, on the toolbar, in the drop-down list, select the
metric to which you want to apply the threshold, as shown below:
Thresholds Editor
After you create a threshold for one metric, you can easily copy it to
multiple metrics on the report.
4 Select the New Threshold check box to ensure your threshold is enabled.
5 Click New Threshold textbox.
6 In the text box, type a name for the threshold.
7 Click Click here to start a new qualification. The parts of the condition
are displayed, each of which must be defined:
Click Field to select the attribute or metric that is part of your condition.
Click Operator to select an operator, such as In List, Greater than, and
so on.
Click Value to specify the elements from the available list.
8 In the Format drop-down list, select one of the following options:
FormatSelect this option to change fonts, colors, styles, sizes, and so
on. This action formats the values that meet your threshold condition.
Replace TextSelect this option to define your own text. This action
replaces the value that meets your threshold condition with text. Type
the text in the empty text field. The text should be limited to 255
characters.
ImageSelect this option to replace the value that meets your threshold
condition with an image file.
Threshold images cannot be viewed in Desktop. To see threshold

images you have added to a report, view the report in MicroStrategy
Web. Threshold images are also visible if the report is placed in an
HTML document or Report Services document.
Quick SymbolSelect this option to replace the value that meets your
threshold condition with a symbol, as shown below:
Threshold Editor
9 Define the following:
Format or Replace TextIf you selected Format or Replace Text, on
the toolbar, click Edit the threshold formatting to define the number
format, font for the text or data, text alignment within the cell, cell
border, and cell pattern.
ImageIf you selected Image, in the Absolute path box, click browse to
provide the location of the image.
Quick SymbolIf you selected Quick Symbol, select a symbol from the
right. On the toolbar, click Edit the threshold formatting to define the
alignment, size and color (font), cell border, cell background, and cell
pattern for the symbol you have chosen.
10 In the Thresholds Editor toolbar, select one of the Subtotal options to
specify whether the threshold should be applied to the metric, any subtotals
that may be on the report, or both:
Apply the threshold on metric values onlyApplies the threshold
condition only on metric values.
Apply the threshold on subtotal values onlyApplies the threshold
condition only on the subtotal values.
Apply the threshold on metric and subtotal valuesApplies the
threshold condition on metric and subtotal values.
11 Click OK to save your new threshold definition.
After you run your report you can toggle between the symbol and value using
the F12 function key or, on the Data menu, select Hide Threshold or Show
Threshold.
Copying a Threshold Across Multiple Metrics
You can use copy and paste functionality to quickly add the same threshold
definition to multiple metrics in a report. You can edit the thresholds as
necessary for any of the metrics.
When you edit a threshold, it does not affect the copied ones.
To copy a threshold:
1 In the Thresholds editor, select the threshold to copy and, on the toolbar,
click Copy.
Copy

2 On the toolbar, in the drop-down list, select the metric to which you want to
copy the threshold.
3 On the toolbar, click Paste.
Paste
The threshold is copied to that metric. By default, the copied threshold

is named "Copy of [original thresholds name]", as shown below:
Threshold Editor
4 To rename it, click the threshold name and type the new name.
5 Edit the threshold, if necessary.
6 Click OK to save the threshold and return to the report.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Banding 165
Banding
Explain the purpose of banding and apply custom banding to a report in
Desktop.
Banding is a method of organizing the display of report results in a grid report
according to certain criteria. You can band by rows and columns based on
either the number of rows or columns or the values of the row and column
headers.
The autostyle of a report defines its default banding options, but you can turn
off banding or define custom banding for a report regardless of its autostyle.
To turn off banding:
1 Run a report in Grid view.
3 In the Grid Options window, on the General tab, under Banding, select No
banding.
To define custom banding:
3 In the Grid Options window, on the General tab, under Banding, click
Custom banding.
4 Click Settings.
166 Banding 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
5 In the Banding Settings window, set the banding options as desired, as
shown below:
Banding Settings Window
6 Click OK to close the Banding Settings window.
7 Click OK again to close the Grid Options window.
8 In the report, on the File menu, click Save to save your banding options to
the report definition.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Banding 167
In the following example, custom banding was applied at the Subcategory
level:
Custom Banding at Subcategory Level
168 Locking and Resizing Columns and Rows 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Locking and Resizing Columns and Rows
Lock row and column headers and resize columns in Desktop.
Desktop enables you to lock row and column headers on a grid report, so while
viewing report results, you can scroll horizontally and vertically without losing
sight of the row or column headers. This property is particularly advantageous
when you want to view information that spans more rows or columns than can
be displayed at one time.
To lock row and column headers:
2 On the Grid menu, select Lock Row Headers or Lock Column Headers as
needed. These options lock the rows and columns of a grid report,
respectively.
To unlock the row or column headers, from the Grid menu, select the
Lock Row Headers or Lock Column Headers option again.
You also have the option to manually resize the column widths and row heights
of a report.
To manually resize column widths using column handles:
2 On the Grid menu, select View Column Handles.
3 Click and drag the column handles to the desired width.
To remove the column handles from the grid report, select View
Column Handles again.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Locking and Resizing Columns and Rows 169
To resize column widths using the Grid Options window:
3 In the Grid Options window, click the Columns and Rows tab.
4 Under Columns, click Auto Fit and specify a minimum column width in
characters.
OR
Under Columns, click Fixed, and from the Select from the list drop-down
list, select which columns you want to configure. Also, specify a column
width in pixels.
If the data in each column is much shorter in length than the column
headers, you may want to select the Wordwrap check box. Look at
the two versions of the same report below to see effect of the
wordwrap feature. The first report has the wordwrap feature
enabled, so the metric names wrap:
Wordwrap Feature Enabled
170 Locking and Resizing Columns and Rows 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The second report does not have the wordwrap feature enabled, so the metric
names make the columns much wider:
Wordwrap Feature Not Enabled
6 In the report, on the File menu, click Save to save your column width
options to the report definition.
To resize row heights using the Grid Options window:
4 Under Rows, click Auto Row Height.
OR
Under Rows, click Fixed Row Height and specify a row height in pixels.
6 In the report, from the File menu, click Save to save your row height
options to the report definition.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Graph Properties 171
Graph Properties
Describe some of the basic graph properties and modify a graph report in
Desktop.
There are numerous graph properties that enable you to customize nearly
every aspect of a graphs appearance. You can choose from dozens of different
graph types and styles. After you choose an overall graph type and graph style,
other options enable you to adjust various aspects of the graph, such as the
data labels, a legend, its axes, and its titles. This topic describes a few of the
more common graph properties you may use.
Display Data Labels
You can display the exact values for each data point on a graph.
To display data labels on a graph:
1 Run a report in Graph view.
2 On the Graph menu, point to Display, and select Data Label.
The data labels are automatically formatted based on the formatting

of the metrics in grid view (as long as all of the metrics are formatted
in the same manner). However, you can also manually set the format
of the data labels.
To manually format the data labels (and axes numbers) on a graph:
The automatic formatting of data labels on a graph is the default

behavior. If, however, you manually format the data labels, automatic
number formatting no longer takes place.
3 On the Graph menu, select Graph Options.
172 Graph Properties 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
4 In the Preferences window, in the Properties Categories list, expand Axes,
followed by Category, and select Axis Labels. The Category - Axis Labels
is shown below:
Preferences Window
5 In the Category - Axis Labels pane, select the positioning of the labels in the
graph.
6 In the Properties Categories list, expand Axis Labels, and select Axis Line
to format the axis line.
7 Under Axis Labels, click Font to format the axis label font. In the Properties
categories list, under Axes, expand Y, followed by Axis Labels, and select
Number Formatting to format the axis numbers.
8 In the Axis Labels - Number Formatting pane, under the Category list,
select the type of formatting you want to apply.
9 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
Graph Title
By default, the title of a graph is the name of the report, but you can manually
change the title using static text or graph title variables. A graph title can also
be reformatted.
To change the title of a graph:
1 On the Graph menu, select Titles and Labels.
2 In the Preferences window, in the Properties Categories list, expand Titles
and select All.
3 In the Titles - All pane, in the Title box, type the title for the graph, as shown
below:
Change Graph TItle
4 In the Properties Categories list, under Titles, under All, select Font.
5 In the All - Font pane, make the appropriate changes to format the title font
and frame.
6 In the Properties Categories list, under All, click Fill. Make the appropriate
changes to format the title fill.
7 In the Properties Categories list, under All, click Border. Make the
appropriate changes to format the title border.
8 In the Preferences window, click Apply
9 Click OK.
You can also use the Find and Replace tool to apply a font of your choice
to graph titles and labels in selected sets of reports and templates
throughout a MicroStrategy project. For more information on the Find
and Replace tool, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced
Reporting course.
Specify the Number of Categories and Series
Sometimes, all of the data from a report does not fit onto one page of a graph.
When that happens, a scroll bar displays on the bottom of the graph to enable
you to scroll through the rest of the data. An alternative to scrolling is to change
the number of series and categories on the graph to display more or less data
per page.
The following report shows 4 categories (sets of data along the X-axis) and 2
series (legend items). Generally, the categories correspond to the rows or a
report, and the series correspond to the columns of a report, as shown below:
Graph Categories and Series
To change the number of categories and series of a graph:
1 On the Graph menu, select Preferences.
2 In the Preferences window, in the Properties Categories list, under Options,
select General.
3 In the Options - General pane, under Scrolling, specify the Maximum
number of categories and the Maximum number of series, as shown
below:
Setting for Maximum Number of Categories and Series
To use the number of categories specified in Maximum number of

categories as the minimum number of categories to display, select
the Use as minimum number of categories check box.
Nested Labels
When there are several attributes in the rows of a report, all of the attributes
are displayed in each label on the category axis, resulting in a cluttered look, as
shown below:
Graph with Many Attributes in the Legend
A feature called nested labels is available in the Preferences window. When
enabled, it minimizes the amount of text that displays along the category axis.
The image below shows the same graph with the nested labels feature enabled:
Nested Labels
In addition, when you enable nested labels, you can also draw brackets for each
attribute level for added effect, as shown below:
Nested Labels with Brackets
To enable nested labels on a graph:
1 In the Options - General pane, under Graph Labels, select the Use nested
labels check box, as shown below:
Use Nested Labels Option
To include brackets for each attribute level in the nested label, select
the Draw bracket for each level check box.
2 To show or hide the individual labels of graphs that have several data series,
select the Concatenate labels for multiple series check box.
This option only works for graphs that require multiple data for one
data point, such as bubble, scatter, and stock graphs.
3 To show or hide the last level labels of graphs that have several data series,
select the Suppress last level labels check box. This option applies to all
data series in the graph.
This option is useful for graphs that require multiple data for one
data point, such as bubble, scatter, and stock graphs.
4 Click OK to apply the changes and close the Preferences window.
5 In the graph report, on the File menu, select Save to save the nested labels
to the report definition.
Graph Undo/Redo
The undo function allows a user to easily reverse actions that resulted in an
undesirable outcome on a graph. The redo function allows a user to reverse the
undo command on a graph.
Both the redo and undo functions maintain a history list of the actual actions
that can be reversed. The history list provides you with the option to reverse
any action in the list, not just the last action. For example, assume you change
the title, graph type, number of series, and number of categories on a graph.
After looking at the final graph you decide that a different graph type would
look better. You can undo only the graph type and do not have to also reverse
all actions prior to the graph type in the history list.
To undo or redo the last action on a graph:
1 In the graph report, on the Edit menu, select Undo or Redo.
To undo or redo a specific action on a graph:
1 In the graph report, on the toolbar, click the drop-down arrow on redo or
undo.
2 Select the specific action to undo or redo from the list.
3 Once a graph is saved, the redo and undo history lists are erased. In
addition, if a graph contains a page-by field, selecting a different page will
erase the history lists
Lesson Summary
Formatting involves changing the display of a report. You can format the
look and feel of your report by altering the number display, alignment, font,
border, and patterns for column and row axes, template object headers and
values, and subtotal headers and values.
A threshold is best understood as conditional formatting of metric values.
By defining thresholds for a metric, report developers can format metric
values that meet the criteria of their choosing.
Banding is a method of organizing the appearance of report results in a grid
report according to certain criteria. You can band by rows and columns
based on either the number of rows or columns or the values of the row and
column headers.
Desktop enables you to lock row and column headers on a grid report, so
while viewing report results, you can scroll horizontally and vertically
without losing sight of the row or column headers.
There are numerous graph properties that enable you to customize nearly
every aspect of a graphs appearance. You can choose from dozens of
different graph types and styles. After you choose an overall graph type and
graph style, other options enable you to adjust various aspects of the graph,
such as data labels, legend, axes, and titles.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Report Style Manipulations in Desktop 181
Exercises: Report Style Manipulations in

Desktop
Formatting and Autostyles
Overview
Change the formatting on your Region, Category, Year Sales report that you
created earlier so that the first few rows look like the following:
Save the formatting changes as a new autostyle, and reuse it on the Category
Sales Report report.
182 Exercises: Report Style Manipulations in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
1 In the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Region, Category, Year Sales
report to run it.
Format the report
3 In the report template, right-click the Region header, point to Formatting,
followed by Row Axis, and select Headers.
4 In the Format Cells window, click the Font tab and make the following
changes:
Font: Garamond
Size: 12
Bold: Yes
Color: Grey (25%)
5 Click the Background tab.
6 In the Background style drop-down list, select Solid.
7 In the Fill color drop-down list, select Dark Red.
8 Click OK to close the Format Cells window.
9 In the report, right-click the Region header, point to Formatting, followed
by Row Axis, and select Values.
changes:
Font: Garamond
Color: Dark Red
12 In the report, right-click the Year header, point to Formatting, followed by
Column Axis, and select Headers.
changes:
Font: Garamond
Size: 12
Bold: Yes
Color: Grey-25%
14 Click the Background tab and from the Background style drop-down
menu, select Solid.
15 Click the Fill color drop-down menu and select Dark Red.
17 In the report, right-click the Year header, point to Formatting, followed by
Column Axis, and select Values.
18 Repeat the formatting changes in steps 12 to 15.
beginning of this exercise..
20 In the report, from the Grid menu, select Save AutoStyle As.
21 In the Save AutoStyle As window, navigate to the My Objects folder, and
save your autostyle as My New AutoStyle.
The default save location for a custom autostyle is My Objects. If you

save an autostyle to this folder, it will display in only your autostyle
drop-down list. However, if you would like this autostyle to be available
to other users, you should save the autostyle in the Autostyles folder
under Public Objects.
22 Close the Region, Category, Year Sales report without saving it.
23 In the Folder List, expand the Public Objects folder, followed by the
Reports folder, followed by Business Roles folder, and select the
Category Managers folder.
24 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Category Sales Report report to
run it.
25 In the report, from the Grid menu, point to Auto Style Selected, and select
My New Autostyle. The report should now look like the following:
26 Close the Category Sales Report report without saving it.
Thresholds
Overview
Configure thresholding conditions to format the US Revenues by Region -
Pivoting and Sorting report, as shown by the following image:
To make the report look like the above image, follow the formatting guide
below:
For Revenue greater than $2,500,000, substitute the data value by a green
diamond.
For Revenue between $1,500,000 and $2,500,000, substitute the data by
an orange diamond.
For Revenue below $1,500,000, keep the data value and bold it Red.
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, select the My Reports Exercises folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, double-click the US Revenues by Region - Pivoting
and Sorting report to run it.
Create thresholds
3 In the report, on the Data menu, select Thresholds.
4 In the Thresholds window, click New Threshold to rename it.
5 In the New Threshold box, type Greater than 2,500,000.
6 Click Click here to start a new qualification.
7 Click Field, and select Revenue.
8 On the Operator menu, select Greater than.
9 On the Value menu, select Type a value.
10 In the Value box, type 2500000 and press ENTER on the keyboard.
11 Click Format, and select Quick Symbol.
12 In the Quick Symbol image menu, select the diamond symbol.
13 On the toolbar, click Edit the threshold formatting.
14 In the Format Cells window, click the Font tab.
15 Under Settings, in the Color box, select Green and click OK.
The quick symbol is formatted as a preview.

16 In the Thresholds window, on the toolbar menu, click Add a new
threshold.
17 Name this threshold Between 1,500,000 and 2,500,000.
19 Click Field and select Revenue.
20 On the Operator menu, select Between.
21 On the first Value menu, select Type a value.
23 On the second Value menu, select Type a Value.
25 Click Format and select Quick Symbol.
26 In the Quick Symbol image menu, select the diamond symbol.
27 In the tool bar, click Edit the threshold formatting.
29 Under Settings, in the Color box, select Orange and click OK.
30 In the Thresholds window, on the toolbar, create your third and final
threshold by clicking Add a new threshold.
31 Name this threshold Less than 1,500,000.
33 Click Field and select Revenue.
34 On the Operator menu, select Less than.
35 On the Value menu, select Type a value.
37 Select the whole threshold to highlight it.
38 On the toolbar, click Edit the Threshold Formatting.
40 Under Settings, in the Bold box, select Yes.
41 Under Settings, in the Color box, select Red.
43 Click OK again to close the Thresholds window.
Save the report
46 Save this report in the My Report Exercises folder as Threshold Report.
47 Close the Threshold Report.
Locking\Resizing Columns and Rows
Overview
Run the Average and Maximum Revenue per Call Center Transaction report,
which can be found using the search functionality. Modify the wordwrap
feature and then use the column handles to resize the column width. The initial
results should look like the following:
Then, run the Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter, which can be
found by using the search functionality. Notice that there are more rows in the
report than you can view on one page. The initial results look like the following:
If you scroll down, you will no longer be able to see the column headers. To fix
this issue, you need to lock the column headers, so they stay in place when you
scroll down through the report.
Enable Wordwrapping
2 In the New Search window, on the Name & Location tab, in the Named box,
type Average and Maximum.
4 Click Find Now.
5 In the Search Results window, double-click the Average and Maximum
Revenue per Call Center Transaction report to run it.
7 In the report, on the Grid menu, select Options.
9 Clear the Wordwrap check box and click OK.
The title of each metric is now on a single line.

Change column width
10 In the report, on the Grid menu, select View Column Handles.
11 When the message window appears, click Yes.
The column handles display above the row and column headers.
12 Use the column handles to adjust the width of the metric columns until
your report looks like the following:
13 Close the Average and Maximum Revenue per Call Center Transaction
report without saving it.
Locking Columns Headers
14 If the New Search window is not open, on the Tools menu, select Search
for Objects.
15 On the Name & Location tab, in the Named box, type Inventory Received
from.
Objects\Reports folder and click Find Now.
17 In the Search Results window, double-click the Inventory Received from
Suppliers by Quarter report to run it.
19 On the report, scroll down and notice that the column headers are no longer
displayed.
20 In the report, on the Grid menu, select Lock Column Headers.
21 Scroll down the report and notice that the column headers now display.
22 Close the Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter report without
saving it.
23 Close the New Search window. If prompted to save the search, select No.
Bar Graph
Overview
Run the Yearly Revenue Growth by Customer Region report (which you can
find by using the search functionality) in graph view and make changes to the
graph display to make it easier to read. The initial graph will look like the
following:
It is almost impossible to distinguish the values for Percent Growth. To fix this,
you will change the graph type to split dual axes. You will also add data labels
to the bars to show the exact value for each data point. Finally, you will change
the title of the graph to Revenue and Percent Growth by Customer Region.
The final graph should look like the following:
Search for report
2 On the Name & Location tab, in the Named box, type the first few words of
the report, Yearly Revenue Growth.
4 Click Find Now.
5 In the Search Results window, double-click the Yearly Revenue Growth
by Customer Region report to run it.
6 In the Report Editor, on the View menu, select Design View.
8 Double-click Year to display the attribute elements.
9 Drag 2009 into the Report Filter area.
10 Click Run.
11 On the View menu, select Graph View.
12 In the Graph Type window, click OK to accept the default graph style.
Change Graph Type
14 In the graph report, on the Graph menu, select Graph Type.
15 In the Graph Type window, on the Vertical tab, select Vertical
Bar:DualAxis Stacked.
16 Click OK to close the Graph Type window.
17 On the graph report, on the Graph menu, select Grids and Scales.
followed by Y2, and select Axis Labels.
19 In the Y2 - Axis Labels pane, select the Make This a Descending Axis
check box.
20 Click OK.
21 Your graph report should now look like the following:
22 On the Graph menu, select Graph Options.
23 In the Preferences window, in the Properties Categories list, expand
Vertical Bar Options, and select Layout.
24 In the Vertical Bar Options - Layout pane, select the Split Dual Axis check
box.
Add Data Labels
25 In the Properties Categories list, expand Series and select Labels And
Values.
26 In the Series - Labels And Values pane, select the Show Data Labels check
box.
27 In the Labels Location drop-down list, select Outside Maximum.
Change the Graph Title
28 In the Properties Categories list, expand Titles, and select All.
29 In the Titles - All pane, in the Title text box, delete the default and type
Revenue and Percent Growth by Customer Region.
30 Click OK to close the Properties window.
Save the report
32 In the graph report, on the File menu, select Save As.
33 In the Save Report As window, navigate to the My Reports Exercises
folder and save the report as Customer Region Revenue and Growth
Graph.
34 Close the Customer Region Revenue and Growth Graph report.
35 Close the New Search window. If prompted to save the search, select No.
Graph with Gauges
Overview
Run the Sales by Quarter and Month report found in your My Reports
Exercises folder to graph view, using the gauge display. The final results should
look like the following:
1 In the Folder List, select the My Reports Exercises folder.
Create a Copy of a Report
2 In the Object Viewer, right-click the Sales by Quarter and Month report
you created earlier and select Copy.
3 In Desktop, on the Edit menu, select Paste.
A copy of the report is created and named Copy of Sales by Quarter

and Month.
4 Right-click the Copy of Sales by Quarter and Month report and select
Rename.
5 Rename the report Sales by Quarter.
Remove Units Sold and Month from the Report
6 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Sales by Quarter report to run it.
7 In the report template, right-click the Units Sold header and select
Remove from Report.
Ensure you select Remove from Report and not Remove from Grid.
8 In the two Desktop windows that pop up, click Yes.
9 In the report template, right-click the Month header and select Remove
from Report.
10 In the two Desktop windows that pop up, click Yes.
Change to Graph View
11 In the report, on the View menu, select Graph View.
12 In the Graph Type window, in the list of graph types, select Advanced.
13 Click the Gauge tab and select the Gauge:Gauge graph.
14 Click OK to close the Graph Type window.
Format the Gauge Graph
15 On the graph report, on the Graph menu, select Grids and Scales.
followed by Y, and select Axis Labels.
17 Clear the Show gauge titles check box.
18 In the Properties Categories list, expand Gauge Options, and select
General.
19 In the Gauge Options - General pane, for Gauge Style, click Old.
20 In the Gauges Per Row text box, type 4.
21 Clear the Draw Axis Label Outside check box.
22 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
24 In the graph report, on the File menu, select Save.
25 In the Advanced Save Options window, click Create a local copy of the
template.
26 Click OK.
27 Close the Sales by Quarter report.
6
FILTERS
Lesson Description
This lesson introduces you to report filters. Understanding how to create
report filters is a crucial part of creating reports that retrieve only the data that
you want to analyze.
In this lesson, you will learn about the different types of report filters, see
examples of when you would use each type, and learn how to create them using
Desktop.
Basic knowledge of formal logic is useful in understanding report filters and
their concepts, but it is not required.
Filters MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 6
Lesson Objectives
Define the different types of report filters available in Desktop and create each
type using the Filter Editor.
Explain the purpose of a report filter and describe the differences between
report filters and view filters. (Page 205)
Use the Filter Editor to create and save report filters. (Page 209)
Define the different types of report filters, and create each type of report
filter using the Filter Editor in Desktop. (Page 211)
Define the set operators available in the Filter Editor, and describe how you
can use them to combine multiple filter conditions inside a report
filter. (Page 219)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Filters 6
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Filter? 205
What Is a Filter?
Explain the purpose of a report filter and describe the differences between
report filters and view filters.
in report results. If you are familiar with SQL syntax, the report filter is usually
equivalent to the WHERE clause in a SQL statement.
For example, consider the following diagram, which shows a table of data
filtered by three different report filter conditions:
Filter Conditions
As you can see, each report filter condition returns a different result set. You
need to know how to design the correct report filter in order to retrieve the
desired data.
206 What Is a Filter? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
There are two categories of filters in MicroStrategy:
Report FilterEnables you to apply filter conditions to a report that
appear in the SQL used to retrieve the report result set. The report filter
is created as part of the report and is saved with the report definition.
You can create a report filter from within the Report Editor or with the
Filter Editor. You can filter on an object whether or not it is part of the
report template. After you execute a report, you can see the definition of
the report filter in the Report Details window.
You can open and close the Report Details window for a report by
selecting Report Details from the View menu.
The following illustration shows a report that is filtering on specific
regions, even though the Region attribute is not on the template.
Report Filter Based on Specific Regions
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Filter? 207
View FilterEnables you to create a filter on the fly, based only on those
objects that exist in the Report Objects window. (These objects may or
may not be displayed on the template.) View filters do not display in the
report SQL. Rather, view filters are applied after the data is retrieved
from the warehouse, so only a subset of the result set displays in the
report view. You can create a view filter with the View Filter window of a
report, which you can also use to view the details of existing view filter
conditions.
You can open and close the View Filter window in a report by
selecting View Filter from the View menu.
The following illustration shows the previous report with a view filter
condition of Year 2009. As you can see, the Year attribute is in the
Report Objects window (and on the template), and only data for 2009
displays in the report view, even though data for 2009, and 2010 were
retrieved from the data warehouse:
View Filter Based on Year 2009
View filters and the Report Objects window are only available with
MicroStrategy OLAP Services. For more information on MicroStrategy
OLAP Services, see MicroStrategy OLAP Services starting on
page 273.
208 What Is a Filter? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The differences between report filters and view filters are summarized in the
following table.
Summary of Differences: Report Filters vs. View Filters
Filter Type SQL Generated May Reference When Applied
Report Filter Every time a
change is made;
often affects the
WHERE clause
of a SQL
statement
Any object,
whether or not it
is part of the
report
Before the SQL
is generated
and sent to the
data warehouse
View Filter None Only objects in
the Report
Objects window
After the data is
retrieved from
the data
warehouse
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Creating and Saving Report Filters 209
Creating and Saving Report Filters
Use the Filter Editor to create and save report filters.
The Filter Editor
When you choose to create a new filter object, the Filter Editor opens, as shown
below:
Filter Editor
The Filter Editor has the following windows:
Object BrowserEnables you to navigate through the project to locate
objects you want to use in the report filter definition.
My ShortcutsEnables you to jump to a location in the Object Browser.
You can customize your shortcuts. For more information on

customizing your shortcuts, see Shortcut Bar starting on page 43.
210 Creating and Saving Report Filters 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Filter definition windowEnables you to add attributes, metrics, advanced
filter qualifications, as well as copies or shortcuts to existing report filter
objects. Simple filters can be created by dragging and dropping attribute
elements from the Object Browser into this window.
Creating a Simple Filter
To launch the Filter Editor:
1 In Desktop, on the File menu, point to New, and select Filter.
2 In the New Filter window, select Empty Filter from the list of filter object
templates, and click OK.
To create a simple report filter:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, navigate to the Data Explorer.
2 Double-click the hierarchy that contains the attribute on which you want to
qualify to display the list of attributes included in that hierarchy.
3 Double-click the attribute on which you want to qualify to expand it to its
list of attribute elements.
4 In the list of attribute elements, select the attribute elements you want to
see in the report results and drag and drop them into the Filter definition
window.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Types of Report Filters 211
Saving a Filter
To save a filter:
1 In the Filter Editor, on the File menu, select Save.
2 In the Save Filter As window, navigate to the location where you want to
save the filter object.
3 Type a name for the filter and click Save.
Types of Report Filters
Define the different types of report filters, and create each type of report filter
using the Filter Editor in Desktop.
You can create the following types of report filters:
Attribute qualification
Set qualification
Shortcut to a Report (Report qualification)
Shortcut to a Filter (Filter qualification)
There is also an advanced qualification option that enables you to create

advanced filter qualifications, like attribute-to-attribute comparisons
and relationship filters. For more information on advanced
qualifications, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting
course.
Each of the above listed types of report filters is described in the following
sections.
The following sections include steps on how to create different types of

report filter using the Filter Editor. However, you can create the same
types of report filters by following the same steps from within the
Report Editor.
212 Types of Report Filters 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Attribute Qualification
Attribute qualification filters enable you to specify the conditions that attribute
elements must satisfy to be included in the report results.
There are various ways to qualify on an attribute. The following sections
explain how to create the most common types of attribute qualification filters.
Attribute Element List Qualification
This type of filter enables you to qualify on a list of attribute elements. Your
filter can require that the data returned as report results be in the list of
attribute elements you specify or not in the list of attribute elements you
specify. For example, you can create an attribute element list qualification on
the Year attribute that only returns data for the attribute element 2009 or
returns data for all years except for the attribute element 2009.
To qualify on a list of attribute elements:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the attribute with
elements on which you want to qualify.
2 Drag and drop the attribute into the Filter definition window.
3 In the Attribute Qualification window, in the Operator drop-down list,
select either In list or Not in list, as shown below:
Attribute Qualification
4 To create the list of attribute elements, click Add.
5 In the Select Objects window, below Available objects, select attribute
elements and click > to add them to the Selected objects list.
6 Click OK to close the Select Objects window.
7 Click OK again to close the Attribute Qualification window.
Attribute Form Qualification
This type of filter enables you to qualify on any attribute form of an attribute.
For example, you can create an attribute form qualification on the Last Name
attribute form of the Customer attribute that only returns data for those
customers whose last names begin with the letter H.
To qualify on an attribute form:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the attribute with the
attribute form on which you want to qualify.
3 In the Attribute Qualification window, in the Qualify On drop-down list,
select the attribute form on which you want to qualify.
4 In the Operator drop-down list, select an operator.
5 Below the operator drop-down list, in the text box, type the value you want
to use to qualify on the attribute form.
6 Click OK to close the Attribute Qualification window.
Date Qualification
This type of filter enables you to qualify on an attribute of the date data type.
For example, you can create a date qualification on the Day attribute to only
return data for days between January 1, 2009, and February 12, 2009.
To qualify on a date:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the attribute of a date data
type on which you want to qualify.
select the ID attribute form.
5 Below the operator drop-down list, in the second drop-down list, type a
date or use the drop-down list to select a date from the calendar, as shown
below:
Date Entry
Set Qualification
Set qualification filters enable you to restrict report results based on a metric.
You can qualify on a metric in the following ways:
Metric ValueQualifies on a metric value. For example, metric value
greater than or equal to 10 returns all values for the metric that are 10 or
higher.
RankQualifies on the numeric rank of metric values. For example, rank
top 40 returns the 40 highest metric values for the selected metric.
PercentQualifies on the percentage of the metric values being ranked. For
example, percent top 10 returns all metric values in the top 10% for the
selected metric.
The metric may or may not appear on the report template. For example, a store
manager might want to see sales numbers for products whose current
inventory levels are below a certain level. However, the report does not have to
display the inventory figures for those products.
Relationship filters are a more advanced type of set qualification. For

more information on relationship filters, refer to the MicroStrategy
To qualify on a metric:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the metric on which you
want to qualify.
2 Drag and drop it into the Filter definition window.
3 In the Set Qualification window, in the Function drop-down list, select the
method of qualificationMetric Value, Rank, or Percent, as shown below:
Set Qualification Window
5 Below the operator drop-down list, in the text box, type the value you want
to use for the metric qualification.
6 Click OK to close the Set Qualification window.
Shortcut to a Report (Report As Filter)
The result set of an existing report object can be used as a report filter
condition for another report. Often, the result set of one report is exactly what
is needed to filter another report. Rather than create a report filter that mimics
the results of the first report, the first report itself can be used as a report filter
inside the second report.
For example, you may be assessing customers and the items these customers
purchase. Specifically, you would like to find your most valued customers and
see what items they are purchasing in specific Categories. In this example,
Top 5 Customers by Revenue and Customers who spent more than $2,000,
are existing reports that are used to filter a third report, as shown below:
Reports As Filters
.
Reports with consolidations or custom groups cannot be used inside a

report filter. For more information on consolidations and custom
groups, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting course.
To use a report as a filter:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the reports with which
you want to filter, and drag and drop them into the Filter definition
window.
Shortcut to a Filter (Filter Qualification)
Using existing report filter objects to define other report filters can be thought
of as embedding filters. It provides a useful means of managing and leveraging
existing report filter objects. For example, you may have already created the
following report filters: Year 2009, Northwest Region, and Electronics
Category. You originally created these three report filters to be used on other,
individual reports. However, now you have a report that requires all three of
these filter conditions. Rather than having to redefine these three filter
conditions in a new report filter, you can simply reuse the existing report filter
objects.
To create a filter qualification:
1 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the filters with which you
want to filter and drag and drop them into the Filter definition window.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Set Operators 219
Set Operators
Define the set operators available in the Filter Editor, and describe how you
can use them to combine multiple filter conditions inside a report filter.
When a report filter has multiple conditions, they are always combined with set
operators. Set operators govern the interaction between different filter
conditions. Whenever you have more than one condition in a report filter, you
can change the set operator to any of the following:
AND
OR
OR NOT
AND NOT
For example, suppose you have a filter with the following conditions:
Year = 2009
Region = Northeast
220 Set Operators 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
By default, the set operator inserted between filter conditions is AND.
Therefore, using the above examples, the following illustration shows the
impact of the set operator AND on a result set:
Set Operator AND
As shown above, only revenue generated in 2009 in the Northeast is returned
in the result set.
The following illustration shows the impact of the set operator OR on a result
set:
Set Operator OR
As shown above, revenue generated in either 2009 or the Northeast or in both
2009 and the Northeast is returned in the result set.
The following illustration shows the impact of the set operator OR NOT on a
result set:
Set Operator OR NOT
In this case, revenue generated in 2009 in any region (including the Northeast)
or revenue generated in all other years in any region except for the Northeast is
returned in the result set.
222 Set Operators 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Finally, the following illustration shows the impact of the set operator AND
NOT on a result set:
Set Operator AND NOT
As shown above, revenue generated in 2009 in any region except the Northeast
is returned in the result set.
To change the set operator:
1 In the Filter Editor, add more than one condition to the Filter definition
window.
2 In the Filter definition window, right-click the set operator, point to Toggle
Operator, and select the desired set operator, as shown below:
Toggle Operator
224 Lesson Summary: 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Lesson Summary:
A report filter specifies the conditions that the data must meet to be
included in report results. If you are familiar with SQL syntax, the report
filter is usually equivalent to the WHERE clause in a SQL statement.
There are two categories of filters in MicroStrategyReport Filter and View
Filter.
The Report Filter enables you to apply filter conditions to a report that
display in the SQL used to retrieve the report result set. The report filter is
created as part of the report and is saved with the report definition.
The View Filter enables you to create a filter on the fly, based only on those
objects that exist in the Report Objects window.
View filters do not display in the report SQL. Rather, view filters are applied
after the data is retrieved from the warehouse, so only a subset of the result
set appears in the report view.
You can create the following types of report filtersAttribute qualification,
Set qualification, Shortcut to a Report, and Shortcut to a Filter.
Attribute qualification filters enable you to specify the conditions that
attribute elements must satisfy to be included in the report results.
Set qualification filters enable you to restrict report results based on a
metric.
Using existing report filter objects to define other report filters can be
thought of as embedding filters. It provides a useful means of managing
and leveraging existing report filter objects.
When a report filter has multiple conditions, they are always combined with
set operators. Set operators govern the interaction between different filter
conditions. Whenever you have more than one condition in a report filter,
you can change the set operator to any of the followingAND, OR, OR
NOT, and AND NOT.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Filters in Desktop 225
Exercises: Filters in Desktop

Creating a Filter
Overview
In this exercise, you will create a new folder in the My Objects folder and name
it My Filters Exercises. You will then create a report filter for the year 2010 and
save it in the My Filter Exercises folder.
Create the My Filters Exercises folder
1 In Desktop, in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, in the Folder List, expand
the My Personal Objects folder, and select the My Objects folder.
2 On the File menu, point to New, and select Folder.
3 Name the folder My Filters Exercises.
Create the Report Filter
4 On the File menu, point to New, and select Filter.
5 In the New Filter window, leave Empty Filter selected, and click OK.
6 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the Time hierarchy.
7 Drag and drop the Year attribute into the Filter definition window.
leave Elements selected.
226 Exercises: Filters in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
9 In the Operator drop-down list, leave In list selected.
10 Click Add.
11 In the Select Objects window, below Available objects, select 2010, and add
to the Selected objects list.
13 Click OK again to close the Attribute Qualification window.
Save the filter
14 In the Filter Editor, click Save and Close.
15 Save the report filter in the My Filters Exercises folder as Year 2010.
You will use this report filter in a later exercise.
Creating Another Filter
Overview
Create another report filter object that includes the following items: Jump
Start Your Brain, The Joy of Work, Nutrition 101, Pilates: The Way Forward,
Nanotechnology, and Being Digital. Name the filter List of Items, and save it in
your My Filters Exercises folder.
Create the filter
1 In Desktop, on the File menu, point to New, and select Filter.
17 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the Products
hierarchy.
18 Double-click the Subcategory attribute.
2 Double-click Business.
3 Double-click Item.
4 Select Jump Start Your Brain and, holding down the CTRL key on the
keyboard, select The Joy of Work.
5 Drag and drop them both into the Filter definition window.
6 In the Object Browser, click View contents one level up twice to get back
to the list of subcategories.
7 Double-click Sports & Health.
9 Select Nutrition 101 (if not already selected) and, while holding down the
CTRL key on the keyboard, select Pilates: The Way Forward.
11 Click View contents one level up twice to get back to the list of
subcategories.
12 Double-click Science & Technology.
14 Select Nanotechnology (if not already selected) and, while holding down
the CTRL key on the keyboard, select Being Digital.
You should now have six items in the filter definition window.
Save the filter
17 Save the report filter in the My Filters Exercises folder as List of Items.
You will use this filter in a later exercise.
Qualifying on a Metric
Overview
Create a report filter for Revenue over $5,000,000. Run a report with this new
filter and a template that has Region in the rows and Revenue in the columns.
The final report should look like the following:
When you are finished, keep the report open for the next exercise.
Create a Metric Qualification Report Filter
1 In the Folder List, select the My Filters Exercises folder.
2 On the File menu, point to New, and select Filter.
4 In the Filter Editor, in the Object Browser, in the My Shortcuts bar, click
Public Objects.
5 In the Object Browser, double-click the Metrics folder.
6 Double-click the Sales Metrics folder.
7 Drag and drop the Revenue metric into the Filter definition window.
8 In the Set Qualification window, under Parameters, in the Function
drop-down list, leave Metric Value selected.
9 In the Operator drop-down list, select Greater than.
10 Below the operator drop-down list, in the Value text box, type 5000000
(without commas).
11 Click OK to close the Set Qualification window.
Save the filter
13 Save the report filter in the My Filters Exercises as Revenue > $5,000,000.
Create and run a report using the Report Filter
15 In the New Grid window, leave Blank Report selected, and click OK.
16 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the Geography
hierarchy.
17 Drag and drop the Region attribute into the rows of the template definition
window.
18 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Public Objects.
21 Drag and drop the Revenue metric into the columns of the template
definition window.
22 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click My Personal Objects.
24 Double-click the My Filters Exercises folder.
25 Drag and drop the Revenue > $5,000,000 report filter into the Report
Filter definition window.
28 Keep the report open for the next exercise.
Combining Two Filters in a Report
Overview
Using the Report Editor, modify the report from the previous exercise by
replacing the Revenue > $5,000,000 report filter with the List of Items and the
Year 2010 filters. The report should look like the following:
1 In the report from the last exercise, on the toolbar, click Design View.
2 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click My
Personal Objects.
4 Double-click the My Filters Exercises folder.
5 Drag and drop both the List of Items and Year 2010 report filters into the
Report Filter definition window.
6 In the Report Filter definition window, right-click the Revenue >
$5,000,000 report filter, and select Remove.
7 In the Desktop window, click Yes to confirm the deletion.
8 In the Report Editor, click Grid View to run the report.
Save the report
11 In the Save the report to the My Reports Exercises folder as Regional
Revenue for Year 2010 and List of Items.
7
METRICS
Lesson Description
This lesson focuses on creating metrics in Desktop. Metrics define the
analytical calculations you want to perform against your data warehouse; they
produce the results that you analyze for decision-making purposes.
This lesson begins with a brief look at facts. Facts are the MicroStrategy objects
on which metrics are based. Distinguishing between facts and metrics and
understanding how facts are used to build metrics is essential to understanding
metrics.
In this lesson, you will learn how to create a variety of metrics, including
simple and compound metrics. More advanced metrics such as level metrics
and transformation metrics are discussed in the MicroStrategy Desktop:
Metrics MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 7
Lesson Objectives
Define the different types of metrics, and create them using the Metric Editor
in Desktop.
Explain the purpose of facts. (Page 235)
Explain the purpose of metrics. (Page 237)
Define the different types of metrics. (Page 241)
Define the components of a metric, and use the Metric Editor to create and
save metrics. (Page 245)
Define metric formatting properties, including the number format, header
display, and available subtotals. (Page 251)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Metrics 7
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Fact? 235
What Is a Fact?
Explain the purpose of facts.
Understanding facts is key to understanding metrics. Facts are values that
represent business performance. Some characteristics of facts are the
following:
They are typically numeric.
They can be aggregated to produce meaningful results.
Facts are stored in tables in the data warehouse. In a MicroStrategy project,
you build fact schema objects that point to those columns that store fact data.
For example, the MicroStrategy Tutorial project has facts such as Revenue,
Cost, and Freight that point to columns in tables that store values for these
measurements.
The image below displays some of the fact schema objects in the MicroStrategy
Tutorial project:
Fact Schema Objects
236 What Is a Fact? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
If you open a fact with the Fact Editor, you see the warehouse columns and
tables to which it is mapped. The following image displays the definition of the
Revenue fact in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project:
Fact Editor for Revenue Fact
As shown above, one of the columns to which the Revenue fact is mapped is the
ORDER_AMT column in the ORDER_FACT table. The fact definition dictates
where in the data warehouse the MicroStrategy Engine goes when it needs to
retrieve Revenue data.
For more information on the Fact Editor and creating facts refer to the
MicroStrategy Architect: Project Design course.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Metric? 237
What Is a Metric?
Explain the purpose of metrics.
In the last section, you learned that a fact is a MicroStrategy schema object that
points to columns in the data warehouse that store fact data. A metric is an
object you create in Desktop that performs a calculation on a fact. A metric can
employ everything from basic function, like sum, average, or standard
deviation to more advanced functions, like moving average, correlation, or
n-tiling.
Desktop provides over 200 built-in functions and operators for use in
creating metric calculations, including statistical, mathematical, and
financial calculations. You can view these functions in Desktop in the
Schema Objects\Functions and Operators folder.
For example, if you want to see Average Revenue on a report, you need to build
a metric that averages the Revenue fact values. The formula for an Average
Revenue metric would look like the following:
Average Revenue Formula
238 What Is a Metric? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
To better understand the relationship between facts and metrics and how they
are used together to display calculations in reports, consider the following
example.
In your data warehouse, you have the following ORDER_FACT table, as shown
below:
ORDER_FACT Table
In this table, the ORDER_AMT column stores the revenue amount for each
order. You want to be able to access the revenue data in this table, so you create
a Revenue fact schema object that points to the ORDER_AMT column in the
ORDER_FACT table. The Revenue fact now enables the MicroStrategy Engine
to retrieve revenue data from the ORDER_AMT column of the ORDER_FACT
table.
Next, you want to view both average and total revenue figures on a report. To
calculate average revenue, you create an Average Revenue metric whose
formula is Avg(Revenue), where Revenue is the Revenue fact you created
earlier. The Avg function calculates the average revenue based on the values in
the ORDER_AMT column.
To calculate total revenue, you create a Total Revenue metric whose formula is
Sum(Revenue), where Revenue is again the Revenue fact you created earlier.
The Sum function calculates the total revenue based on the values in the
ORDER_AMT column.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Metric? 239
After you have created these two metrics, you then place them on a report like
the following:
Report with Metrics
The above report shows the average and total revenue by day. Each metric
employs a different calculation, but both are based on the same Revenue fact.
You can use the same fact to build any number of metrics. You can also create
much more advanced metrics that have more complex expressions and
perform more advanced calculations. You can even combine metrics to create
new metrics.
For more information on creating basic metrics, see Metric Creation

starting on page 245. For more information on creating advanced
metrics, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting
course.
240 What Is a Metric? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
By default, metrics aggregate fact data to the report level, which is determined
by the attributes on the report template. Therefore, if you want to view the
same revenue data at the Month-level instead of the Day-level, modify the
template to include the Month attribute instead of the Day attribute, as shown
below:
Report Modified with Month Attribute
Level metrics can override the default behavior of aggregating fact data
to the report level. For more information on level metrics, refer to the
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Types of Metrics 241
Types of Metrics
Define the different types of metrics.
Metrics can belong to one of the following categories:
Simple
Nested
Compound
Derived
Derived metrics are not covered in this lesson. For more information
on derived metrics, see the MicroStrategy OLAP Services lesson
Simple Metrics
As the name implies, simple metrics are the most basic metrics. You can use
simple metrics to create other types of metrics.
In their structure, simple metrics:
Include one or more aggregation functions
Are based on one or more facts or attributes
Include the specified level at which they are to be calculated
May include conditions that apply to its calculation
May include transformations, which are applied prior to its calculation
The following are examples of simple metrics:
Sum(Cost){~}
Count(Customer){~}
Sum (Revenue) {~} - Sum (Cost) {~}
242 Types of Metrics 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The {~} in these examples means the metric values are to be calculated
at the report level, the lowest attribute level on the report. For example,
if the report shows sales by year and month, the numbers will be
calculated to reflect monthly sales data. Creating metrics that use levels,
conditions, and transformations is covered in the MicroStrategy
Nested Metrics
Nested metrics are metrics that perform multiple aggregations by placing one
calculation formula inside, or nested, in another. They provide a convenient
way to use metric functionality when tables in the data warehouse do not
include data at the level needed for a specific type of analysis. The result of the
inner calculation formula is stored in an intermediate table, which is then used
to calculate the result of the outer calculation formula. As such, you can obtain
and analyze data at levels not physically available in the data warehouse.
For example, you may want to see profit data averaged at the year level, but
existing fact tables provide only month-level profit data. You can use nested
aggregation to obtain the desired results. To calculate a yearly average for
profit, create a nested metric with the following metric formula:
Avg(Sum(Profit){~, Month}){~, Year}
In calculating the above metric, the MicroStrategy Engine first sums the profit
for each month and stores those results in an intermediate fact table. The
MicroStrategy Engine then uses those results to calculate an average profit for
each year.
In the inner calculation formula, the {~, Month} applied to

Sum(Profit), which means that the calculation formula is calculated
at the month level, regardless of what attributes appear on the report.
The {~,Year} applied to the outer Avg calculation formula, which

means that the calculation is calculated, or grouped by, the year level,
regardless of what attributes appear on the report.
The intermediate tables created to calculate nested metrics only serve

the purposes of a specific metric calculation; they cannot be shared
across other metric calculations.
In their structure, nested metrics:
Are based on either facts or attributes
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Types of Metrics 243
Place at least one aggregation function inside of another aggregation
function
Include one or more level definitions
May include one or more conditions that apply to its calculation
May include one or more transformations, which are applied prior to its
calculation
Essentially, nested metrics are a special type of simple metric, in which one
simple metric formula is used to enable the calculation of another simple
metric. You only need nested metrics when the level at which data is stored in
the data warehouse prevents it from being calculated and analyzed at a desired
level. Nested metrics provide an alternative to modifying the physical data
warehouse tables.
For more information on how to create nested metrics with the Metric
Editor, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced Reporting course.
Compound Metrics
Compound metrics are created by combining one or more metric objects with
one or more mathematical operators or constants. You can create compound
metrics using simple, nested, or other compound metrics.
244 Types of Metrics 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The following are examples of compound metrics:
([Region Revenue] / [Company Revenue])
[Profit] *.15
The table below shows what can and cannot be used to define a compound
metric:
A compound metric inherits the levels, conditions, and transformations

included in the component metrics of its definition. You cannot include
levels, conditions, or transformations in the compound metric itself.
Compound metrics are automatically updated with changes that are

made to the component metrics that are used in its definition.
Components of Compound Metrics
Component Allowed Not Allowed
Simple metrics X
Nested metrics X
Compound metrics X
Simple metrics with levels, conditions,
or transformations as part of their
definition
X
Numeric constants X
Level definitions in the compound
metric definition
X
Condition definitions in the compound
metric definition
X
Transformations in the compound
metric definition
X
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Metric Creation 245
Metric Creation
Define the components of a metric, and use the Metric Editor to create and
save metrics.
Metric Editor
When you choose to create a new metric, the Metric Editor opens displaying
several tabs and panes, as shown below:
Metric Editor
Formula Tab
This tab is used to define a metric. The Formula tab contains the following:
Object BrowserEnables you to navigate through the project to locate
objects you want to use in the metric filter definition.
246 Metric Creation 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
My ShortcutsEnables you to jump to locations in the Object Browser. You
can customize your shortcuts.
For more information on customizing your shortcuts, see Shortcut

Bar starting on page 43.
Metric definition windowDisplays the complete metric definition,
including its formula, calculation level, condition (if any), and
transformation (if any). The bottom portion of the metric definition
window changes depending on what part of the metric definition you have
selected in the top portion.
When you first open the Metric Editor to create a new metric, the
metric definition window is empty.
Subtotals/Aggregation Tab
This tab is used to configure subtotal and dynamic aggregation settings for a
metric. The Subtotals/Aggregation tab contains the following:
Total subtotal functionEnables you to determine the aggregate function
used to calculate the Total subtotal values for the metric.
Dynamic aggregation functionEnables you to determine the aggregate
function used by the Analytical Engine for dynamic aggregation. Dynamic
aggregation occurs when a lower-level attribute is present in the Report
Objects window but is not displayed on the report template, which is only
possible with MicroStrategy OLAP Services.
For more information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, see the

MicroStrategy OLAP Services lesson starting on page 273.
Form more information on dynamic aggregation, refer to the

Select the subtotals you want available for this metricEnables you to
specify which subtotals you want to be available for the metric when it is
placed on a report template that displays subtotals.
The Metric Editor also contains the Insert Function Wizard, which enables you
to define a metric formula using a wizard interface. You can access the Insert
Function Wizard from the toolbar above the metric definition window:
Insert Function Wizard
The Insert Function Wizard enables you to use any of the functions provided in
Desktop, as shown in the table below:
Metric Components
Metrics have the following components:
Metric Components
Formula Specifies the calculation to be
performed, including which
facts, attributes, or metrics are
used. If you are familiar with
SQL syntax, it is the
component of the metric that is
included in the SELECT
clause of a SQL statement.
Level (Dimensionality) Specifies the level to which a
metric aggregates:
TargetDetermines the
attribute or hierarchy to
which a metric aggregates.
FilteringDetermines how
the metric interacts with the
report filter. If you are
familiar with SQL syntax, it
is the component of the
metric that is included in
the WHERE clause of a
SQL statement.
GroupingDetermines
how the metric is or is not
grouped. If you are familiar
with SQL syntax, it is the
component of the metric
that is included in the
GROUP BY clause of a
SQL statement.
The formula and level (dimensionality) metric components are required for all
metric definitions. If you do not explicitly specify a level, the metric defaults to
report level. You can modify any of the above listed metric components with
the Metric Editor.
For more information on the level, condition, or transformation

components of a metric, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced
Reporting course.
Creating a Simple Metric
Creating a simple metric involves defining a metric formula, determining
which subtotals to enable, and formatting the metric header and values.
Create a Simple Metric Formula
To launch the Metric Editor:
1 In Desktop, on the File menu, point to New, and select Metric.
Conditionality Enables you to associate an
existing filter object with the
metric, so only data that meets
the filter conditions is included
in the calculation.
Transformation Enables you to associate an
existing transformation
schema object with a metric.
Transformations offset the
metric values to selected
attributes. Although
transformations can be based
on any attribute, they are most
frequently based on
time-related attributes (for
example, last year or 6
months ago).
Metric Components
2 In the New Metric window, select Empty Metric from the list of metric
object templates.
3 Click OK.
To create a simple metric formula:
1 In the Metric Editor, on the Formula tab, in the Object Browser, locate the
fact or attribute you want to use in the metric formula and drag and drop it
into the Definition window.
The default aggregate function applied to a fact is Sum. For example,

if you drag and drop the Revenue fact into the Definition window,
the resulting metric formula would be Sum(Revenue). The default
aggregate function applied to an attribute is Count.
You can change the aggregate function by using the Object Browser
to locate the function you want to use and dragging and dropping it
onto the existing aggregate function in the Definition window. You
can also type the function directly into the formula.
2 Click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab and make changes to the settings as
needed.
For more information on modifying the settings on the Subtotals /

Aggregation tab, see Subtotals/Aggregation Tab starting on
page 252.
Saving a Metric
To save a metric:
1 In the Metric Editor, on the File menu, select Save.
2 In the Save As window, navigate to the location where you want to save the
metric.
3 Type a name for the metric and click Save.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Metric Formatting 251
Metric Formatting
Define metric formatting properties, including the number format, header
display, and available subtotals.
Metric Value and Header Formatting
Using the Format Cells window, you can specify formatting properties for a
metrics report header and for the numeric values it displays. The following
image shows the metric Format Cells window:
Format Cells Window
252 Metric Formatting 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The Format Cells window has the following tabs:
NumberEnables you to determine how metric values are displayed. For
example, you can determine whether values appear as general numbers,
percentages, or currency. You can also determine whether the values will
display with or without decimal places.
The Numbers tab is only relevant to metric values.

AlignmentEnables you to control the vertical and horizontal alignment of
the metric header or metric values and configure wordwrapping
FontEnables you to format the font and color of the metric header or
metric values
BorderEnables you to adjust the cell borders containing data
BackgroundEnables you to specify a background pattern and color for the
metric header or metric values
To set metric formatting properties:
1 In the Metric Editor, on the Tools menu, point to Formatting, and select
Headers or Values.
2 In the Format Cells window, click the appropriate tab and format the metric
header or values as desired.
Subtotals/Aggregation Tab
Subtotals
After you define a metric formula, you can determine which subtotals are
available for the metric. By default, all subtotals are available. The following
steps describe how to disable unwanted subtotals for a metric.
To disable subtotals for a metric:
1 In the Metric Editor, click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab.
2 In the Available subtotals for metric list, select the subtotals you want to
disable and click < to move them to the Project subtotals list.
The Total subtotal has its own setting for disabling it for a metric. For
more information, see To disable the Total subtotal function for a
metric: starting on page 254.
The subtotals you disable are not displayed, even when the metric is
used on a report where subtotals are selected.
Total Subtotal Function
Enabling subtotals is a common report manipulation, which can seem rather
simple. However, consider what happens when you have a metric, Count
Distinct (Items Sold), on your report, as in the following illustration:
Count Distinct
Since the same item could have been sold on more than one date in more than
one month, simply summing across the Count Distinct (Items Sold) metric
values for each month can no longer be used to calculate an accurate Total
subtotal for the metric. In other words, 522 may not be the number of distinct
items that sold across the five months.
What to do? Essentially, if you want to keep the Month attribute on the report
template with the Count Distinct (Items Sold) metric, it would make more
sense to disable the Total subtotal for that metric, rather than displaying an
incorrect Total subtotal value.
To disable the Total subtotal function for a metric:
1 In the Metric Editor of the metric for which you want to disable the Total
subtotal, click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab.
2 In the Total subtotal function drop-down list, select None.
The Total subtotal function setting enables you to either completely

disable the Total subtotal or simply change the aggregate function
used to calculate the Total subtotal values for a metric. Selecting
Default uses the default operator for that type of metric, which is
typically Sum. Selecting None disables the Total subtotal entirely.
You can also select from a variety of other aggregate functions (for
example, Average or Maximum) to calculate the Total subtotal
values.
3 In the Metric Editor, click Save and Close.
With the Total subtotal for the Count Distinct (Items Sold) metric disabled, the
report now looks much better:
Total Subtotal for Count Distinct
Smart Metrics
You may need to select the Allow Smart Metric check box for compound
metrics and some simple metrics (those that combine two or more calculation
formulas with arithmetic operators). When the Allow Smart Metric check box
is selected for a metric, it changes the manner by which its metric values,
including any of its subtotals, are calculated. You can select the Allow Smart
Metric check box any time strictly summing the metric values does not produce
a meaningful Total subtotal value.
For example, consider the following report:
Yearly Sales
Year Revenue Discount
Ratio of Discount to
Revenue
2009 100 25 25%
2009 200 50 25%
2009 100 50 50%
If you choose to display the Total subtotal without using smart totals for the
Ratio of Discount to Revenue metric, you get the following results:
The Total value in the last column is incorrect; it is strictly a sum of the
percentages of the Ratio of Discount to Revenue metric. To calculate a
meaningful Total value for this metric, the Total value of the Discount metric
must be divided by the Total value of the Revenue metric, and to do this, you
must select the Allow Smart Metric check box.
The Allow Smart Metric setting ensures that the Total value for the Ratio of
Discount to Revenue metric is calculated using the Total values of the Discount
and Revenue metrics, rather than simply summing across the percentages of
the Ratio of Discount to Revenue metric. You can refer to this behavior as
smart totaling. If you enable smart totaling in this case, you get the following,
correct results:
To enable the Allow Smart Metric setting for a metric:
1 In the Metric Editor of the metric for which you want to enable smart
totaling, click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab.
2 Select the Allow Smart Metric check box.
Yearly Sales
Ratio of Discount to
Revenue
2009 100 25 25%
2009 200 50 25%
2009 100 50 50%
Total 400 125 100%
Yearly Sales
Ratio of Discount
Revenue
2009 100 25 25%
2009 200 50 25%
2009 100 50 50%
Total 400 125 31.25%
This check box is only available for compund metrics and some simple
metrics (those that combine two or more calculation formulas with
arithmetic operators).
Lesson Summary
Facts are values that represent business performance. They are typically
numeric and they can be aggregated to produce meaningful results.
Facts are stored in tables in the data warehouse. In a MicroStrategy project,
you build fact schema objects that point to those tables that store fact data.
A metric is an object you create in Desktop that performs a calculation on a
fact. A metric can employ everything from basic functions, like sum,
average, or standard deviation to more advanced functions like moving
average, correlation, or n-tiling.
Metrics can belong to one of the following categoriesSimple, Nested,
Compound, and Derived.
Simple metrics are the most basic metrics. You can use simple metrics to
create other types of metrics.
Nested metrics are metrics that perform multiple aggregations by placing
one calculation formula inside, or nested, in another. They provide a
convenient way to use metric functionality when tables in the data
warehouse do not include data at the level needed for a specific type of
analysis.
Compound metrics are created by combining one or more metric objects
with one or more mathematical operators or constants. You can create
compound metrics using simple, nested, or other compound metrics.
Metrics have the following componentsFormula, Level (Dimensionality),
Conditionality, and Transformation.
Using the Format Cells window, you can specify formatting properties for a
metrics report header and for the numeric values it displays.
After you define a metric formula, you can determine which subtotals are
available for the metric. By default, all subtotals are available.
You should select the Allow Smart Metric check box any time strictly
summing the metric values does not produce a meaningful Total subtotal
value.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Metrics in Desktop 259
Exercises: Metrics in Desktop

Create a Simple MetricCost
Overview
In this exercise, you will create a Cost metric and save it in a new folder called
My Metrics Exercises. The Cost metric formula is a sum of the Cost fact.
Create the My Metrics Exercises folder
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, expand
the My Personal Objects folder, and select the My Objects folder.
3 Name the folder My Metrics Exercises.
Create the Simple Metric
4 In the Object Viewer, double-click the My Metrics Exercises folder to
begin working in it.
5 On the File menu, point to New, and select Metric.
6 In the New Metric window, leave Empty Metric selected, and click OK.
7 In the Metric Editor, in the Object Browser, drag and drop the Cost fact
into the Definition window.
By default, Sum is added as the aggregate function.

260 Exercises: Metrics in Desktop 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Values.
9 In the Format Cells window, on the Number tab, set the Category to
Currency, change Decimals places to 2, and set the Negative numbers to
display in red with no negative sign and no parentheses, as shown
below:
Save the metric
12 Save the metric in the My Metrics Exercises folder as Cost.
There is already another Cost metric in the MicroStrategy Tutorial

project, but identically named objects may exist as long as they
reside in different folders. Even so, it is important that a company
creates and follows standard naming conventions to avoid any
confusion.
You will use this metric on a report in a later exercise.
Create a Simple MetricRevenue
Overview
Create a new Revenue metric using the Revenue fact and save it in your My
Metrics Exercises folder. The Revenue metric formula is a sum of the Revenue
fact.
Create the metric
3 In the Metric Editor, in the Object Browser, drag and drop the Revenue
fact into the Definition window.
By default, Sum is added as the aggregate function.

Values.
5 In the Format Cells window, on the Number tab, set the Category to
Currency, change the Decimals places to 2, and set the Negative numbers
to display in red with no negative sign and no parentheses.
Save the metric
8 Save the metric in the My Metrics Exercises folder as Revenue.
There is already another Revenue metric in the MicroStrategy

Tutorial project.
You will use this metric on a report in the next exercise.
Use the Created Metrics in a Report
Overview
Create and run a report that contains the Item attribute and your new Cost and
Revenue metrics. The first few rows of the report should look like the
following:
Save the report as Item, Cost, Revenue.
Create the report
1 In the Folder List, expand the My Reports folder, and select the My
Reports Exercises folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, right-click in a blank area and select New, followed by
Report.
3 In the New Grid window, keep Blank Report selected, and click OK.
4 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the Products
hierarchy.
5 Drag and drop Item into the rows of the template definition window.
7 Double-click the My Objects folder.
8 Double-click the My Metrics Exercises folder.
definition window.
10 Drag and drop the Cost metric to the right of Revenue in the template
definition window.
Save the report
11 In the Report Editor, click Save and Close.
12 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Item, Cost, Revenue.
13 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Item, Cost, Revenue report to run
it.
15 Close the Item, Cost, Revenue report.
Create a Compound MetricProfit Margin
Overview
Create a compound metric called Profit Margin, using the Revenue and Cost
metrics you created earlier. You should define Profit Margin as (Revenue -
Cost)/Revenue. Save the metric in your My Metrics Exercises folder.
1 In the Folder List, select the My Metrics Exercises folder.
4 In the Metric Editor, in the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Home.
5 In the Object Browser, double-click the My Personal Objects folder.
6 Double-click the My Objects folder.
Validate the metric
8 Drag and drop the Revenue and Cost metrics into the Definition window
and use the arithmetic operators on the toolbar in the Definition window to
define the following metric formula:
((Revenue Cost) / Revenue)
Make sure you use the metrics in the My Metrics Exercises folder
you created earlier, and not the facts of the same names.
9 Click Validate.
If a green check mark displays on the bottom of the window, you

defined the metric formula correctly. Otherwise, review the formula
and try again.
Save the metric
11 Save the metric in the My Metrics Exercises folder as Profit Margin.
There is already another Profit Margin metric in the MicroStrategy

Tutorial project.
You will use this metric on a report in a later exercise.
Use Profit Margin in a Report
Overview
Modify the Item, Cost, Revenue report to create a report that contains
Category, Item, Revenue, Cost, and Profit Margin. Name the report Compound
Metric - Profit Margin and save it in your My Reports Exercises folder. The
first few rows of the report should look like the following:
1 In the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder
2 In the Object Viewer, right-click the Item, Cost, Revenue report, and
select Edit.
3 In the Object Browser, double-click the Products hierarchy.
4 Drag and drop Category to the left of Item in the template definition
window.
5 In My Shortcuts, click My Personal Objects.
8 Drag and drop Profit Margin to the right of Cost in the template definition
window.
Save the report
9 In the Report Editor, on the File menu, select Save As.
10 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Compound Metric -
Profit Margin.
The metric values for Profit Margin display as zeros because you
have not yet formatted the Profit Margin metric as a percent.
Format a Compound Metric - Profit Margin
12 In the report, on the View menu, select Design View.
13 In the Report Editor, in the template definition window, right-click the
Profit Margin metric, and select Edit.
14 In the Report Editor warning message window, click OK.
Values.
16 In the Format Cells window, on the Number tab, set Category to Percent
and the Decimal places to 2.
20 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Compound Metric - Profit Margin
report to run it.
Apply Smart Metric
23 In the Subtotals window, on the Definition tab, under the Available
subtotals list, select the Total check box.
24 Click OK.
25 Scroll to the bottom of the report and notice the percentage total for the
Profit Margin metric.
26 In the report template, right-click on the Profit Margin metric, and select
Edit to calculate the meaningful Total value for the Profit Margin metric.
If a Report Editor warning window opens, click OK to close the

window.
27 In the Profit Margin - Metric Editor, click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab.
28 At the bottom left corner of the Metric Editor, select the Allow Smart
Metric check box.
31 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Compound Metric - Profit Margin
report to run it.
32 Scroll to the bottom of the report and notice the change in the percentage
total for the Profit Margin metric.
33 Close the Compound Metric - Profit Margin report.
Display Subtotals
Overview
There are several steps to this exercise. First, modify the Cost metric to disable
the Total and Average subtotals for the metric. Second, create a new report
using Item, Revenue, and Cost. Finally, display Average, Maximum, and
Standard Deviation subtotals on the new report.
The first few rows of the report should look like the following:
Save the report as Item, Cost, and Revenue with Subtotals.
Disable Total and Average subtotals for the Cost metric
1 In the Folder List, select the My Metrics Exercises folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, right-click the Cost metric, and select Edit.
3 In the Metric Editor, click the Subtotals / Aggregation tab.
4 In the Total subtotal function drop-down list, select None to disable the
Total subtotal.
5 In the Available subtotals for metric list, select the Average subtotal and
click < to move it to the Project subtotals list.
Create a New Report
7 In the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder.
9 In the New Grid window, leave Blank Report selected, and click OK.
hierarchy.
11 Drag and drop Item into the rows in the template definition window.
12 In My Shortcuts, click My Personal Objects.
15 Drag and drop Revenue into the columns in the template definition
window.
16 Drag and drop Cost into to the right of Revenue in the template definition
window.
Display Average, Maximum, and Standard Deviation subtotals
18 In the report, on the Data menu, select Subtotals.
19 In the Subtotals window, on the Definition tab, select the Average,
Maximum, and Standard Deviation check boxes.
The exclamation marks beside the Total and Average subtotals

indicate that these subtotals are not available for all the metrics on
the report, since you disabled both of them for the Cost metric.
20 Click the Display Options tab.
21 Under Subtotal positions by row, click Top of each level.
22 Click OK to close the Subtotals window.
Save the report
25 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Item, Cost, and
Revenue with Subtotals.
8
MICROSTRATEGY OLAP
SERVICES
Lesson Description
This lesson describes the functionality provided by MicroStrategy OLAP
Services, an optional, add-on application to Intelligence Server, that enables
you to enhance the power of the reports you create.
MicroStrategy OLAP Services MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 8
Lesson Objectives
Describe the features provided by MicroStrategy OLAP Services, including
report objects, view filters, and derived metrics. Use the Report Objects
window, and create view filters and derived metrics in reports.
List the types of analysis that are provided by OLAP Services. (Page 275)
Add and remove objects to and from the template and the Report Objects
window. (Page 276)
Create view filters. (Page 279)
Create derived metrics. (Page 282)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials MicroStrategy OLAP Services 8
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Introduction to OLAP Services 275
Introduction to OLAP Services
List the types of analysis that are provided by OLAP Services.
MicroStrategy OLAP Services is an add-on product to Intelligence Server.
While this product is not required to develop reports, the functionality it
provides can greatly enhance the type of analysis you can achieve with your
reports.
This product provides MicroStrategy customers with the following types of
analysiscube analysis, derived elements, in-memory OLAP with the use of
report objects, view filters, and derived metrics.
In this lesson you will learn more about report objects, view filters, and derived
metrics.
For more information on cube analysis, visual insight, import data and
derived elements, refer to the MicroStrategy Desktop: Advanced
Reporting course.
276 Report Objects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Report Objects
Add and remove objects to and from the template and the Report Objects
window.
With MicroStrategy OLAP Services, you gain an important design featurethe
ability to add attributes and metrics to a report definition without having them
be displayed on the template. The SQL query for such a report retrieves data
for all objects of the report definition (whether or not they are displayed on the
template) and stores it in a report cache. Users can then drag and drop
additional objects onto the template of the report without generating any new
SQL or querying the data warehouse. The data for the objects is simply
retrieved from the report cache that was created when the report was first
executed, resulting in faster response times for users and less traffic to and
from the data warehouse.
The Report Objects window displays all of the objects that are part of the report
definition.These objects were retrieved from the data warehouse and stored in
the report cache. The following image shows how you can have many attributes
and metrics in the Report Objects window that are not displayed on the
template or the initial report view:
Report Objects Window with Many Attributes and Metrics
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Report Objects 277
Objects that are displayed on the template display in boldface type in

the Report Objects window, while those not displaying on the template
display in plain text type.
Methods for Adding Report Objects
When adding objects to a report, you can either add them so they are displayed
after the report runs, or you can add them so they are included in the SQL
generated when the report runs, but do not display in the initial report view.
With the second option, after the report runs, you can add and remove those
objects to and from the report view without regenerating any SQL. You can add
an object to a report using either of the following methods:
In the report, drag and drop objects from the Object Browser onto the
template or the Report Objects window.
If the object is placed in the template definition window, it is

displayed when the report runs. If the object is placed in the Report
Objects window, it is included in the generated SQL, but is not
initially displayed when the report runs.
In the report, right-click an object in the Object Browser, and select Add to
Rows, Add to Columns, Add to Page-by, or Add to Report Objects.
With MicroStrategy OLAP Services, when attributes are added to the Report
Objects window, they look like the following:
Report Objects Window
278 Report Objects 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
In the above example, notice the + sign next to the attributes. By clicking the
+ sign, you expand an attribute to view its attribute forms (for example, the
Customer attribute). You can then easily drag and drop specific attribute forms
of the attribute onto the template. For example, to view just the last names of
customers in the initial report view, simply drag the Last Name attribute form
of the Customer attribute from the Report Objects window onto the template.
As with objects, attribute forms that are displayed on the template

display in boldface type in the Report Objects window, while those not
displaying on the template display in plain text type.
Methods for Removing Report Objects
When removing an object from a report, you can remove the object from the
report definition entirely, or you can remove it only from the report view, while
keeping it in the Report Objects window and part of the report definition.
You can remove objects from the report definition entirely using the following
methods:
In a report, drag and drop an object from the template or the Report
Objects window into the Object Browser. Since you are changing the report
definition, new SQL will need to be generated.
In a report, right-click an object on the template or in the Report Objects
window and select Remove from Report. Again, since you are changing
the report definition, new SQL will need to be generated.
The Remove from Report option is available without MicroStrategy

OLAP Services.
You can remove objects from the report view, while keeping them in the Report
Objects window using the following methods:
In a report, drag and drop an object from the template to the Report
Objects window. If you want to add the object back to the template, you can
do so at any time without regenerating any SQL.
In a report, right-click an object header on the template, and select
Remove from Grid. Again, if you want to add the object back to the
template, you can do so at any time without regenerating any SQL.
The Remove from Grid option is only available with MicroStrategy

OLAP Services.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. View Filters 279
View Filters
Create view filters.
A view filter enables you to further narrow down a report view, using only
those objects in the Report Objects window, (even if they are not displayed on
the template). When you add or change a view filter, the original report filter
remains intact. (Recall that report filter conditions are applied in the SQL of a
report when the report runs.) Only after a report result set is retrieved, are the
view filter conditions applied, so only a subset of the report results is displayed
in the report view.
Another key difference between report filters and view filters is that view filter
conditions of a report are local to that report. In other words, view filter
conditions cannot be reused or shared across reports like report filters. View
filters can, however, be saved with the report definition.
For example, the following report has Region and Call Center in the rows and
Revenue in the columns of the report view:
Regional Call Centers Revenue Report
280 View Filters 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The View Filter window, which is shown above the report, enables you to create
view filter conditions.
To create a view filter:
1 In a report, if the View Filter window is not already showing, on the View
menu, select View Filter.
2 In the View Filter window, click Click here to start a new qualification.
The View Filter window displays three parameters for creating view
filter conditionsField, Operator, and Value.
3 Click Field to display a drop-down list of objects that exist in your Report
Objects window.
4 Select the object with which you want to create the view filter condition.
If you select an attribute, you will have the option to qualify on any
attribute form that is being displayed in the report view or to choose
from a list of attribute elements.
5 Select the desired operator from the drop-down list.
The list of operators will vary depending on your selection for the
Field parameter.
6 Manually type in a value, select a value from a list of elements, or compare
the object you selected to another object in the Report Objects window.
The list of options will vary depending on your selection for the Field
parameter.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. View Filters 281
7 Click Apply to apply your view filter condition to the report view, as shown
below:
View Filter Applied to Report
There is also an Auto-Apply changes check box that, when selected, no

longer requires you to manually click Apply every time you modify or
create a new view filter condition, as shown below:
Auto-Apply Changes
282 Derived Metrics 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
To create additional view filter conditions
8 Click New
9 Repeat steps 3 to 7.
When you have multiple view filter conditions, the default set operator
is AND. Click a set operator and select AND, AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT
to change it. For more information on set operators, see Set Operators
To remove all the view filter conditions, click Clear, followed by Apply.
Or to remove a specific view filter condition, right-click the view filter
condition, and select Remove qualification.
Derived Metrics
Create derived metrics.
Derived metrics are metrics you can create within a report, using only those
objects in the Report Objects window (even if they are not displayed on the
template), as well as functions and operators.
In their structure, derived metrics:
May include one or more functions and operators
Are based on the attributes and metrics in the Report Objects window
May be simple or compound, and therefore will inherit the characteristics
of whichever type you create.
For more information on the characteristics of simple and compound

metrics, see Metric Creation starting on page 245.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Derived Metrics 283
For example, if you have a report with Call Center, Unit Price, and Units Sold
in its definition, you can create the following derived metrics:
[Unit Price] * [Units Sold]
Count (Call Center) {~}
Just like with view filters, derived metrics are local to the report in which they
are created. In other words, when you create a derived metric on a report, it is
not a metric object that is available for use in other reports. You can, however,
save derived metrics to the report definition.
To create a derived metric:
1 Open a report in Grid view.
2 On the Insert menu, select New Metric.
3 In the Input Metric Formula window, in the Metric Name box, type a name
for the derived metric.
4 In the right-hand side window, define the derived metric formula using the
available objects in the Report Objects folder combined with functions and
operators.
Derived Metric Formula
284 Derived Metrics 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Just like in the Metric Editor, you can use the Insert Function Wizard to
define a derived metric formula.
5 In the Input Metric Formula window, click OK to add the derived metric to
the report template or the report view.
6 To format the derived metric, right-click its header, and select Formatting.
After a derived metric is created, you can remove it from the report
display like you would any other object.
Built-In Derived Metrics
Another great benefit of MicroStrategy OLAP Services is built-in derived
metrics. Many common metrics that are typically defined in terms of other
metrics are available from the Insert menu when you have MicroStrategy
OLAP Services.
By selecting a metric header in your report view, and then clicking the Insert
menu, you can insert a derived Percent to Total, Transformation, or Rank
metric based on your selected metric.
Built-In Derived Metrics
Built-in derived metrics are also referred to as shortcut metrics.

Lesson Summary
MicroStrategy OLAP Services is an add-on product to Intelligence Server.
This product provides MicroStrategy customers with the following analysis:
cube analysis, derived elements, in-Memory OLAP with the use of report
objects, view filters, and derived metrics.
With MicroStrategy OLAP Services, you gain an important design
featurethe ability to add attributes and metrics to a report definition
without having them displayed on the template. The SQL query for such a
report retrieves data for all objects of the report definition and stores it in a
report cache.
The Report objects window displays all of the objects that are part of the
report definition.These are the objects retrieved from the data warehouse
and stored in the report cache.
A view filter enables you to further narrow down a report view, using only
those objects in the Report objects window.
When you add or change a view filter, the original report filter remains
intact. Only after a report result set is retrieved, the view filter conditions
are applied, so only a subset of the report results is displayed in the report
view.
Derived metrics are metrics you can create with the Report Editor, using
only those objects in the Report objects window.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: MicroStrategy OLAP Services 287
Exercises: MicroStrategy OLAP Services

Using the Report Objects Window to Add Attributes
Overview
Create a simple report with a report filter for June 2009 and use the Report
Objects window to include attributes and metrics in the report definition
without displaying them on the template. The first few rows of the initial
report results should look like the following:
1 In the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, in the Folder List, select the My
Reports Exercises folder.
288 Exercises: MicroStrategy OLAP Services 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
4 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, double-click the Customers
hierarchy.
5 Drag and drop Customer, Customer City, Income Bracket, and Payment
Method into the Report objects window.
If you do not see the Report objects window, on the View menu, select
Report Objects.
6 Click View contents one level up to return to the list of hierarchies.
7 Double-click the Geography hierarchy.
8 Drag and drop Region, Call Center, and Country into the Report objects
window.
9 Click View contents one level up to return to the list of hierarchies.
11 Drag and drop Year, Month, Quarter, and Day into the Report objects
window.
12 In My Shortcuts, click Public Objects.
13 Double-click the Metrics folder.
15 In the Object Browser, drag and drop Revenue, Profit, Profit Margin, and
Cost into the Report objects window.
16 In the Report objects window, drag and drop Year, Region, Call Center,
Customer Last Name, Revenue, and Profit, and arrange them in the
template definition window as shown below:
To drag the Customer Last Name attribute form to the template, you
need to expand the Customer attribute in the Report objects window.
17 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Data Explorer.
19 Double-click the Month attribute.
20 Drag and drop Jun 2009 into the Report Filter definition window.
21 In the Report Editor, on the View menu, select Grid View.
The report may take a few seconds to execute.

22 On the Grid menu, select Merge Row Header Cells.
24 Practice dragging attributes from the Report objects window to the
template and vice versa, and notice that no SQL is generated by your
actions.
Save the report
26 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Using Report
Objects.
Using View Filters
Overview
Create a simple report with an empty report filter and use the view filter to
narrow down your report view. The report should contain Category,
Subcategory, Year, and Revenue on the template. The final report should look
like the following:
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, select your My Reports Exercises folder.
hierarchy.
5 Drag and drop Category and Subcategory into the rows of the template
definition window.
6 In the Object Browser, click View contents one level up.
8 Drag and drop Year into the columns of the template definition window.
9 In My Shortcuts, click Public Objects.
12 Drag and drop Revenue below Year in the columns of the template
definition window. Your template should now look like the following image:
13 In the Report Editor, on the View menu, select Grid View to run the report.
14 If you do not see the View Filter window, in the report, on the View menu,
select View Filter.
15 In the View Filter window, select the Auto-Apply changes check box.
16 In the View Filter window, click Click here to start a new qualification.
17 Click Field, and select Category.
18 In the Operator drop-down list, select In list.
19 In the Value drop-down list, select Select Elements.
20 In the Select elements for the qualification from the list below window, in
the Available objects list, hold down SHIFT on the keyboard and select
Books and Electronics.
21 Click the arrow button to add them to the Selected objects list.
22 Click OK to close the Select elements for the qualification from the list
below window.
Save the report
24 In the Report, click Save and Close.
25 Save the report in the My Report Exercises folder as Using View Filters.
Create and Format a Derived MetricGrowth
Overview
In this exercise, you will create and format a derived metric named Growth and
use it on a new report. You will use the Revenue and Last Years Revenue
metrics in the derived metrics formula. The final report should look like the
following:
1 In Desktop, in the Folder List, select the My Reports Exercises folder.
2 In the Object Viewer, right-click a blank area, point to New, and select
Report.
hierarchy.
5 Drag and drop Call Center into the rows of the template definition window.
definition window.
10 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Public Objects.
13 Double-click the Transformation Sales Metrics folder.
14 Drag and drop the Last Years Revenue metric to the right of Revenue in
the template definition window.
15 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Data Explorer.
17 Double-click Year.
18 Drag and drop 2010 into the Report Filter definition window.
19 In the Report Editor, on the View menu, select Grid View to run the report.
The report results should look like the following:
20 In the report, on the Insert menu, select New Metric.
21 In the Input Metric Formula window, drag and drop Revenue from the
Report objects folder on the left into the window on the right.
22 Click the subtraction operator (-) button.
23 Drag and drop Last Years Revenue from the Report objects folder on the
left to the right of the subtraction operator (-) in the window on the right.
Notice that parentheses are automatically added around Revenue-[Last
Years Revenue].
24 Click the division operator (/) button.
25 Drag and drop Last Years Revenue from the Report objects folder on the
left to the right of the division operator (/) in the window on the right.
The parentheses play a crucial role in the order of operations

because calculations in parentheses are performed before other
calculations in the metric formula. You need to divide Last Years
Revenue into the difference between Revenue and Last Years
Revenue. Without parentheses, the division would occur first,
producing undesired derived metric values.
26 In the Metric Name box, type Growth as the name of your derived metric.
The Input Metric formula window should now look like the image below:
27 In the Input Metric formula window, click OK to add Growth to the report
view.
28 In the report, right-click the Growth metric header, point to Formatting,
and select Growth Values.
29 In the Format Cells window, on the Number tab, select Percent.
Save the report
33 Save the report in the My Report Exercises folder as Growth Data.
9
PROMPTS AND SEARCHES
Lesson Description
This lesson explains how to create and use prompts and searches. Prompts are
powerful objects that you can incorporate into a report. With prompts, you can
create reports that allow end-users to define the report content at run time. In
this way, you can create fewer reports, while still satisfying the requirements of
many users.
In addition, this lesson describes how to search for objects in Desktop. As you
may have already noticed, the number of objects in a project can multiply
rapidly, and the ability to search for objects can be quite useful.
Prompts and searches can also be used in combination with each other to help
manage a reporting environment that changes dynamically as objects are
created and deleted.
Prompts and Searches MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials 9
Lesson Objectives
Define the different types of prompts, and explain how you can use search
objects inside prompts. Create prompts and searches in Desktop.
Explain the purpose of a prompt. Define the different types of prompts. Use
the Prompt Generation Wizard to create the different types of
prompts. (Page 299)
Create filter definition prompts, and use them in reports. (Page 304)
Create and use object prompts in a report. (Page 314)
Create and use value prompts. (Page 319)
Create prompts on the fly within the Report Editor. Use the Re-prompt
report button to modify prompt answers in a prompted report. Choose the
appropriate settings when saving a report containing prompt objects in its
definition. (Page 323)
Use various search criteria to search for objects in a MicroStrategy project.
Use the results of a search object in a prompt object. (Page 331)
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials Prompts and Searches 9
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Prompt? 299
What Is a Prompt?
Explain the purpose of a prompt. Define the different types of prompts. Use the
Prompt Generation Wizard to create the different types of prompts.
Prompts are used to dynamically modify the contents of a report. With
prompts, you can determine, at run time, the objects you want to retrieve for
the report and report filtering conditions. In addition, you can make different
prompt selections each time you run the report. Prompts provide the following
advantages:
With prompts, your report has almost unlimited flexibility. One report
definition can serve many different purposes, depending on the prompt
answers you choose at run time.
With prompts, fewer report objects are necessary because one prompted
report can fulfill many different needs.
With prompts, you can choose different prompt answers every time you run
the report, enabling quick and easy comparisons of data.
For example, you can create a prompt for filtering criteria that qualifies on the
Year attribute. When you run a report with this prompt in its report filter, you
are asked to select which years data you want to see. You can run the report the
first time by selecting 2009, and run it a second time by selecting 2010.
300 What Is a Prompt? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Creating Prompts
You create all types of prompts with the Prompt Generation Wizard, which
guides you through the prompt creation process, as shown below:
Prompt Creation Wizard
You can control several aspects of how prompts display and how they function,
including the following:
Types of prompts
General information for the prompts
Default prompt answers
Types of Prompts
Using the following prompt types, you can create a prompt for nearly every
part of a report:
Filter definition promptEnables you to select filtering criteria from
hierarchies, attributes, attribute element lists, and metrics.
Object promptEnables you to select objects to include in a report, such as
attributes, metrics, custom groups, template objects, report filter objects,
and so forth.
Value promptEnables you to select a single value on which to qualify such
as a date, number, or text string. A value prompt is not directly placed in a
report. Instead, you embed it in an attribute or metric qualification.
You can also place value prompts in metric formulas to make metric
calculations dynamic.
Level promptEnables you to specify the level for a metric. A level prompt
is not directly placed in a report. Instead, you embed it in a metric object.
For more information on level prompts, refer to the MicroStrategy

General Information on Prompts
After selecting the type of prompt, the next step on creating a prompt is
defining general characteristics for the prompt.
The image below shows all the options available in this phase of the prompt
creation:
Prompt Creation Options
302 What Is a Prompt? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Title and Instructions You can customize the title and instructions of
a prompt, both of which are displayed to
end-users when they are answering the
prompt.
Web Options You can define how the prompt displays when
it is executed in MicroStrategy Web. Click
Modify to open the Web Options window,
which displays options for prompt style, style
properties, and defining the qualification.
Save and Reuse Prompt
Answers
This determines if personal answers can be
saved for this prompt. Personal answers allow
a user to save prompt answers for this prompt,
and then reuse the answers on any report that
this prompt is used on.
For more information on saving and

reusing prompt answers, see Save
and Reuse Prompt Answers starting
on page 326.
Limit Elements for Selection
and Amount of Prompt
Answers
You can also specify a minimum or maximum
number of prompt answers allowed.
Required Answers You can indicate whether a prompt answer is
required or optional. A required prompt
requires an answer to be selected, or the report
will not run. An optional prompt does not
require an answer to be selected.
To specify answer requirements, select or clear
the Prompt answer required check box on
the last screen of the Prompt Generation
Wizard.
Default Prompt Answers You can specify default prompt answers for
end-users, which they can modify at run time.
The image below displays the Web Options window for a hierarchy prompt:
Web Options Window
304 Filter Definition Prompts 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The image below shows the page on the Prompt Generation Wizard where you
define default prompt answers:
Default Prompt Answers
Filter Definition Prompts
Create filter definition prompts, and use them in reports.
Filter definition prompts are used within report filters to specify conditions
that data must meet to be included in report results.
Creating Filter Definition Prompts
You can choose from the following types of filter definition prompts:
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Filter Definition Prompts 305
Choose from all attributes in a hierarchyEnables you to qualify on any
attribute or attribute element that belongs to the specified hierarchy.
Choose from All Attributes in a Hierarchy
Qualify on an attributeEnables you to qualify on the attribute forms or the
attribute elements of the specified attribute.
Qualify on an Attribute
Choose from an attribute element listEnables you to qualify on a list of
attribute elements of the specified attribute.
Choose from an Attribute Element List
Qualify on a metricEnables you to qualify on the specified metric.
Qualify on a Metric
The procedures below covers the steps to create two types of filter definition
prompts: the Qualify on an Attribute prompt type and the Qualify on a Metric
prompt type. For detailed steps on the other types of filter definition prompts,
refer to the Basic Reporting Guide.
Qualify on an Attribute
This type of filter definition prompt can be used to create a more focused
prompt than the hierarchy prompt. After creating this type of filter definition
prompt, the user can qualify on only the attribute built into the prompt (rather
than from any attribute in a hierarchy) or any attribute that is returned by a
specific search object.
Only the option to qualify on the attribute built into the prompt is described
below, but the procedure for creating the other type of attribute prompts is
similar.
To create a qualify on an attribute prompt:
1 In Desktop, on the File menu, point to New, and select Prompt.
2 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Filter definition prompt.
3 In the list of filter definition prompts, select Qualify on an attribute and
click Next.
4 On the Select an attribute or an attribute search object to be used on the
prompt page, click Choose an attribute.
5 Click Browse.
6 In the Open window, select the attribute you want to use in the prompt, and
click OK.
7 On the Select an attribute or an attribute search object to be used in the
prompt page, in the Displayed forms drop-down list, select what attribute
forms should be displayed for the attribute qualification. You can select to
display All attribute forms of the attribute, just its Browse forms, its
Report Display forms, or Custom Forms.
If you select Custom Forms, click Select Forms to select from a list
of available attribute forms for that attribute.
8 Click Next.
9 On the Provide general information for the prompt page, in the Display
properties section, define the following settings:
In the Title box, type a title for the prompt.
In the Instructions box, type instructions so the users understand which
choices they have to make when answering the prompt.
Click Modify to change the display style of the prompt in MicroStrategy
Web.
In the Personal answers allowed drop-down list, select from None,
Single, or Multiple.
For more information about saving and reusing prompt answers, see
Save and Reuse Prompt Answers starting on page 326.
10 In the Prompt Restrictions section, define the following settings:
Select the Max number of elements for selection check box if you
want to specify the maximum number of attribute elements a user is
allowed to select per qualification. For example, a user is qualifying on
the Year attribute, and he is selecting from a list that contains the
following elements2008, 2009 and 2010. If this setting is set to 2, the
user can only select two (or less) of these year elements.
This setting is available only for two types of filter qualification

prompts: Choose from all elements in a hierarchy and Qualify on an
attribute.
Select the Minimum number of qualifications check box if you want to
specify the minimum amount of qualifications allowed, then set that
number.
Select the Maximum number of qualifications check box if you want to
specify a maximum amount of qualifications allowed, then set that
number.
Select the Prompt answer required check box if you want to require
users to answer the prompt before running the report.
If you select Prompt answer required without providing default

answers, the report cannot execute on a schedule.
11 Click Next.
12 On the Select default prompt answer(s) page, click Add to define default
answers for the prompt.
Defining default answers for prompts is optional. To skip this step, click
Finish.
13 In the Qualification Editor, select default answers to the prompt, and click
Save and Close.
14 On the Select default prompt answer(s) page, click Finish.
15 In the Save As window, navigate to the location in which you want to save
the prompt.
16 Type a name, and click Save.
Qualify on a Metric
This type of filter definition prompt can be used to enable a user to qualify on a
metric. The user can qualify on the metric built into the prompt or any metric
that is returned by a specific search object. Users can qualify on the value, rank,
or percentage of the metric.
The option to qualify on the metric built into the prompt is described
below, but the procedure for creating the other types of metric prompt is
similar.
To create a qualify on a metric prompt:
2 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Filter definition prompt.
3 In the list of filter definition prompts, select Qualify on a metric, and click
Next.
4 On the Select a metric or metric search object to be used in the prompt
page, select from the following options:
Choose a metric objectEither type the metric name in the box, or
click Browse to select a metric.
Use the results of a search objectEnables you to use a search object
to define the list of metrics to display in the prompt.
Use a pre-defined list of metricsSelect specific metrics to display for
users at runtime. Use the buttons described below to create the list:
AddOpens the Select Objects window, which enables you to select the
objects for the list
After an element has been selected, this button is replaced by

Modify, which opens the Select Objects window so you can modify
the previous selection.
RemoveDeletes the selected objects from the list
ClearDeletes all the objects from the list
The Up and Down arrows move the selected element to change the
order that the elements are displayed in the prompt.
5 Click Next.
Web.
7 In the Prompt Restrictions section, define the following settings:
Select the Minimum number of qualifications check box if you want to
specify the minimum amount of qualifications allowed, then set that
number.
Select the Maximum number of qualifications check box if you want to
specify a maximum amount of qualifications allowed, then set that
number.

8 Click Next.
Finish.
10 In the Qualification Editor, select default answers to the prompt, and click
Save and Close.
the prompt.
Using Filter Definition Prompts in a Report
To use a filter definition prompt, you must include it in a report filter object or
in the report filter definition window of a report.
To build a report with a filter definition prompt:
1 In the Report Editor, in the Object Browser, locate the filter definition
prompt you want to use, and drag and drop it into the Report Filter
definition window.
You can also drag and drop it into the Filter definition window of the
Filter Editor.
2 Add more report filter conditions if desired.
3 Save the report.
When you run the report, a window that looks similar to the Filter Editor
displays. If the filter definition prompt is required, you must answer (resolve)
the prompt before the report runs.
To resolve a filter definition prompt:
1 Run a report containing a filter definition prompt.
2 The next actions you take depend on the type of filter definition prompt in
the report, but they are very similar to what you would do in the Filter
Editor to define a report filter condition.
For more information on defining report filter conditions, see Types

of Report Filters starting on page 211.
3 Click Finish to run the report with your prompt answers.
In the Report Details window, you can see your prompt answers in
the form of report filtering conditions.
314 Object Prompts 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Object Prompts
Create and use object prompts in a report.
Object prompts can be used to create a prompt on almost any type of
MicroStrategy object. For example, you can prompt on a list of metrics or
attributes to place on a template, or you can prompt on a list of report filter
objects to apply to a metric. Object prompts enable you to create very versatile
reports.
With an object prompt you can qualify on a specified list of MicroStrategy
objects or any MicroStrategy object that is returned by a search object. The
following is an object prompt that enables the user to select from a specified list
of metrics to place on a template:
Object Prompt
The option to qualify on a specified list of MicroStrategy objects is described
below, but the procedure for creating the other types of object prompts is
similar.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Object Prompts 315
Creating Object Prompts
To create an object prompt:
2 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Object prompt.
3 Click Next.
4 On the Reduce the number of objects available to the user at runtime page,
select from the following options:
Use a pre-defined list of objectsSelect specific objects to display for
users at runtime. Use the buttons described below to create the list:
AddOpens the Select Objects window, which enables you to select the
objects for the list
After an element has been selected, this button is replaced by

Modify, which opens the Select Objects window so you can modify
the previous selection.
RemoveDeletes the selected objects from the list
ClearDeletes all the objects from the list
The Up and Down arrows move the selected element to change the
order that the objects are displayed in the prompt.
Use the result of a search objectEnables you to use a search object
to define the list of objects to display in the prompt.
For more information on using search objects, see What Is a Search

Object? starting on page 331.
The Display using folder structure check box shows the object path
(folder hierarchy). This option, available for search objects only, is
useful when the same object with the same name is saved in multiple
folders.
You can only use objects of the same type in one object prompt. For
example, you can include metrics or attributes in an object prompt,
but not both. If you want to prompt for multiple object types in the
same report, you have to create an object prompt for each object
type.
5 Click Next.
Web.
7 In the Prompt restrictions section, define the following settings:
Select the Minimum objects check box if you want to specify the
minimum amount of objects a user is allowed to select, then set that
number.
Select the Maximum objects check box if you want to specify a
maximum amount of objects a user is allowed to select, then set that
number.
If you select the Prompt answer required check box without

providing default answers, the report cannot execute on a schedule.
8 Click Next.
Finish.
10 In the Select Objects window, select default answers to the prompt, and
click OK.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Object Prompts 317
the prompt.
Using Object Prompts in a Report
Object prompts have multiple uses, but one of the most common uses is to
place object prompts for metrics, attributes, consolidations, or custom groups
on a template. You might also use an object prompt for a report filter or for the
condition component of a metric.
To build an object with an object prompt:
1 Create the object in which you want to use the object prompt. It may be a
report, a template, a metric, or another MicroStrategy object.
2 In the object editor, with the Object Browser, locate the object prompt and
drag and drop it into the appropriate section of the object editor. For
example, if your object prompt presents a list of metrics, drag and drop it
into the columns or rows of the template definition window in the Report
Editor. If your object prompt presents a list of report filters objects, drag
and drop it into the Report Filter definition window in the Report Editor.
3 Save the object.
When you run the report, a prompt resolution window opens listing the objects
from which you can choose to answer the object prompt. If the object prompt is
required, you must answer (resolve) the prompt before the report runs.
To resolve an object prompt:
1 Run a report containing an object prompt.
2 Select objects from the list in the left window and click > to add them to the
right window.
3 Click Finish to run the report with your prompt answers.
Using Object Prompts for Report Building
Assume you need to create a completely dynamic report that asks users at run
time to choose what data to filter on and what attributes and metrics to display
on the report. Object prompts enable this type of dynamic report creation. As
the report designer, you can build a report that acts as a report building wizard
that incorporates object prompts to define the report filter and template
contents on the fly.
To create a wizard-like report that uses object prompts:
1 Create an object prompt that uses a predefined list of filters. Choose a wide
variety of filters based on many different aspects of the MicroStrategy
project. Give a title and description to the object prompt. Save and close it.
Each object prompt can contain only one object type. Therefore, you
must create a separate object prompt for each object type.
2 Create another object prompt that uses a predefined list of attributes. Offer
a variety of attributes from every hierarchy. Give this object prompt a title
and description. Save and close it.
3 Create a third object prompt that uses a search object to find every metric
object. This assumes that you want to prompt on every metric available in
the project. Otherwise, you could use a predefined list of metrics. Give this
object prompt a title and description. Save and close it.
4 Create a new report. Add the first object prompt to the filter definition pane
in the Report Editor. Add the second and third object prompts to the
template.
5 Run the report and notice how the combination of prompts act like a report
building wizard.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Value Prompts 319
Value Prompts
Create and use value prompts.
Value prompts are typically used as part of a filter definition, but they may also
be used as part of a metric formula. You can prompt on a date, a numeric value,
a text string, a big decimal value, or a long value.
The long value prompt is not enabled by default. To enable the long
value prompt, in Desktop, from the Tools menu, select My Preferences.
In the My Preferences window, under Categories, select Prompts. Select
the Add long prompts to the list of available value prompts check
box.
The following is an example of a text value prompt that prompts users to type
in a manufacturers name:
Text Value Prompt
320 Value Prompts 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Creating a Value Prompt
To create a value prompt:
2 In the Prompt Generation Wizard open, click Value prompt.
3 Click Next.
4 On the Choose a value prompt type page, select the type of value prompt
you want to create. The options are: Date and Time, Numeric prompt, Text
prompt, Big Decimal, or Long prompt.
The Long prompt is only displayed if it is enabled in the My Preferences

window.
5 Click Next.
Web.
In the Prompt Restrictions section, define the following settings: Select
the Minimum value check box if you want to set the lowest value
allowed for the prompt answer, then set that number.
Select the Maximum value check box if you want to set the highest
value allowed for the prompt answer, then set that number.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Value Prompts 321

7 Click Next.
8 On the Select default prompt answer(s) page, select the Default value
check box, and type the value in the text box.
If you are creating a date prompt:

If you click on the drop-down list, a calendar displays, from which you
can select a specific date.
To set a dynamic date, that is, a date or time range that meets specific
offset conditions, click Date Editor.
Date Editor
10 In the Save As window, select the folder in which to save the new prompt.
Using Value Prompts in a Report
Where you use a value prompt depends on the type of value prompt you create:
Date prompts can be used in any place where you would normally specify a
date, such as in a filter that qualifies on an attribute of a date data type.
Numeric prompts can be used in any place where you would normally
specify a number, such as in a metric qualification.
Text prompts can be used in any place where you would normally specify a
text string, such as in an attribute form qualification.
Big decimal prompts can be used in any place where you need to qualify on
a high precision value (up to 38 digits), such as an attribute qualification on
the ID attribute form.
322 Value Prompts 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
To use a value prompt:
1 Create the object in which you want to use the value prompt. (It may be a
report filter or a metric.)
2 In the object editor, with the Object Browser, locate the value prompt, and
drag and drop it into the appropriate section of the object editor. For
example, if you are using a date prompt in a date qualification filter, drag
and drop the date prompt beside the Value box in the Attribute
Qualification window.
3 Save the object.
When you run the report, a prompt resolution window opens. If the value
prompt is required, you must answer (resolve) the prompt before the report
runs.
To resolve a value prompt:
1 Run a report containing a value prompt.
2 Type an appropriate value.
3 Click Finish to run the report with your prompt answer.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Other Prompt Topics 323
Other Prompt Topics
Create prompts on the fly within the Report Editor. Use the Re-prompt report
button to modify prompt answers in a prompted report. Choose the
appropriate settings when saving a report containing prompt objects in its
definition.
Creating Local Prompts
You can also create prompts on the fly within the Report Editor.
To create prompts on the fly within the Report Editor:
1 Open a report in Design View.
2 In the Object Browser, right-click an attribute or metric, and select Report
Filter Prompt, as shown below:
Report Filter Prompt Menu
This prompt will become part of the report definition and cannot be
re-used in other reports.
324 Other Prompt Topics 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
3 In the Prompt Generation Editor, select one of the prompt generation
options:
List all <attribute>Creates a prompt that lists all the elements of the
selected attribute. At run time, the user selects which elements to
include.
Qualify on the Attribute <attribute>Creates a prompt that qualifies
on the selected attribute. At run time, the user completes the
qualification. Attribute elements that meet the qualification are
displayed on the report.
List <attribute> filtered byCreates a prompt that lists all the
elements that meet the filter qualification. At run time, the user selects
which of those elements to include.
You can either type in the name of the filter or click the browse
button.
The Prompt Generation Editor is shown below:
Prompt Generation Editor
4 Click OK.
Re-prompting Inside Reports
Simply refreshing a report will not re-prompt it. To re-prompt an open report,
click the Re-prompt button found on the toolbar, as shown below:
Re-prompt
When you click the Re-prompt report button, the prompt selection window
opens. You can then make a new selection of prompt answers, which will be
applied when the report re-executes.
Saving Reports with Prompts
When you save a prompted report after answering prompts and running the
report, you are presented with additional save options, as shown below:
Save Options
The Save Options window has the following options:
StaticYou will no longer be prompted when you run the report in the
future. The prompt answers you selected are saved to the report definition
and used every time you run the report in the future.
PromptedYou will continue to be prompted every time you run the report
in the future. You can choose whether to be prompted for just the filter
definition prompts, just the template prompts, or both.
Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt
answersThe prompt answers you select become the new default prompt
answers when you run the report in the future. This check box is only
enabled if Prompted is selected.
Remember options next timeYour selections in the Save Options
window will become the default selections when you save prompted reports
in the future.
Save and Reuse Prompt Answers
When you run a prompted report or document, you are required to answer the
prompt every time you execute the report or the document. You can save the
prompt answers and reuse them when you run the same report again. This
feature is particularly useful when you have to select a long list of elements for
an attribute element prompt or create a complex expression for an expression
prompt.
The image below shows the Prompt Generation Wizard option for saving your
personal answers when defining the prompt:
Prompt Generation Wizard
Personal answers must be enabled for prompts in the Project

Configuration Editor before you can allow personal answers.
Personal answers are saved for each prompt and each user, but they can be
used on different reports. When you create a prompt, you can enable none,
single, or multiple personal answers:
None: No personal answers can be saved. Every time a user sees the
prompt, he must answer it (if it is required) or ignore it.
Single: Only one personal answer can be saved. When the prompt is used
again (on this report or a different one), the personal answer is displayed. A
user can keep the personal answer, or add or delete selections. The user can
save changes, but only one personal answer can be saved for the prompt.
For example, you run a report with the Year attribute and Revenue metric
on the template and an attribute element prompt on the Year attribute. The
user has selected the Remember this answer check box and answered the
prompt with year 2009 and 2010. When he runs the report again, 2009 and
2010 prompt answers will be displayed as the default prompt answers, as
shown below:
Single Element Prompt Display
Multiple: Multiple user answers can be saved enabling different answers for
the same prompt. When the prompt is used again (on this report or a
different one), the personal answers are available, and the user can select
one of them or answer the prompt manually. The image below shows
multiple saved answers:
Multiple Element Prompt Window
Personal answers are saved in the My Personal Objects\My

Answers\Prompt Answers folder.
If the report designer places shortcuts to the same prompt in multiple reports,
users can access their saved answers in all of those reports.
To save single prompt answers at report run time:
1 Run a prompted report.
This procedure assumes the report includes a prompt that was

created with the Personal answers allowed: Single option.
2 Select your prompt answers.
3 Select the Remember this answer check box.
4 Click Finish.
To save multiple prompt answers at report run time:
This procedure assumes the report includes a prompt that was

created with the Personal answers allowed: Multiple option.
2 Select your prompt answers.
3 Select the Save this answer check box.
4 In the text box on the top of the page, type a name for the saved prompt
answers, as shown below:
Element Prompt Window
5 Click Set as Default, if desired.
6 Click Finish to run the report.
To reuse your prompt answers at report run time:
2 Below the prompt description, click the drop-down list.
3 Select the desired prompt answer, as shown in the image below:
Yearly Revenue Prompt
You can edit your previous prompt answers by clicking Edit Answers.
4 Click Finish.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Search Object? 331
What Is a Search Object?
Use various search criteria to search for objects in a MicroStrategy project. Use
the results of a search object in a prompt object.
Searches enable you to search for a specific object or a collection of objects that
meet certain criteria. You can restrict the search results by name, ID, and
location, the date range during which objects were created or last modified,
object type, and object owner. The more criteria you specify, the smaller the
number of objects that will meet those criteria and be returned.
The Search for Objects Editor
You perform searches using the Search for Objects Editor.
To access the Search for Objects Editor:
1 In Desktop, on the Tools menu, select Search for Objects, as shown below:
Search for Objects
332 What Is a Search Object? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
By default, you can use the Search for Objects window to restrict search results
by one or more of the following criteria:
Object name and location
Date range of object creation or modification
Object type
Object owner
Object ID
Search By Components
You can search for objects containing particular objects or objects contained by
particular objects by enabling two additional tabs using the Search Options
window.
To activate the Contains and Contained By tabs:
1 In the Search for Objects Editor, on the Tools menu, select Options.
2 In the Search Options window, select the Show Contains and
Contained By tabs check box
3 Click OK to close the Search options window.
You can search for objects that are contained by particular objects,
rather than creating an independent search.
To view components of an object using the search by components shortcut:
1 Select the object in which you want to view components.
2 Right-click and select Search for Components.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. What Is a Search Object? 333
Search Based on Object ID
Users can now search for objects based on an object ID in the Search for
Objects window, as shown below:
Search by ID Window
To enable the search option:
2 In the Search for Objects window, on the Tools menu, select Search by ID,
as shown below:
Search by ID Option
334 What Is a Search Object? 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
3 Enter your search criteria.
4 Click Find Now.
Saving Searches
You can save searches just like any other MicroStrategy object to use them
again later or incorporate them into prompt objects.
Many of the prompts described in the previous topic can use the results
of a search to generate a list of potential prompt answers.
To save a search:
1 With the Search for Object Editor, create a search.
2 On the File menu, select Save.
the search, enter a name for the search, and click Save.
Search-based Prompts
You may recall from the previous topic that the Prompt Generation Wizard has
the option to reference a search object in defining certain types of prompts.
Using searches in prompts enables you to limit a possibly overwhelming set of
potential prompt answers. It also allows you to make the set of potential
prompt answers more dynamic, since the set of potential prompt answers is the
list of objects returned by the search object, rather than a static list.
For example, suppose you want to create a report which template includes an
object prompt that allows users to select from a list of metrics which name
contains the word Revenue. You first create a search that returns a list of
metrics which name contains the word Revenue. You then incorporate the
search object into an object prompt, which you then place on the report
template. Every time the report runs, the search object executes to return the
latest list of metrics with the word Revenue, which is then presented to the
user in the prompt answer window. The user is always selecting from the latest
list of revenue metrics.
Lesson Summary
Prompts are used to dynamically modify the contents of a report. With
prompts, you can determine, at run time, the objects you want to retrieve
for the report and the report filtering conditions.
You can make different prompt selections each time you run the report.
You create the following types of prompts with the Prompt Generation
Wizardfilter definition prompt, object prompt, value prompt, and level
prompt.
Filter definition prompts are used within report filters to specify conditions
that data must meet to be included in report results.
Object prompts enable you to create very versatile reports. With an object
prompt you can qualify on a specified list of MicroStrategy objects or any
MicroStrategy object that is returned by a search object.
Value prompts are typically used as part of a filter definition, but they may
also be used as part of a metric formula. You can prompt on a date, a
numeric value, a text string, a big decimal value, or a long value.
You can also create prompts on the fly within the Report Editor.
When you save a prompted report after answering prompts and running
the report, you are presented with additional save options. You can save the
report as a prompted or static report.
You can save the prompt answers and reuse them when you run the same
report again.
Searches enable you to search for a specific object or a collection of objects
that meet certain criteria.
You can restrict the search results by name, ID, and location, the date range
during which objects were created or last modified, object type, and object
owner.
Using searches in prompts enables you to limit a possibly overwhelming set
of potential prompt answers. It also allows you to make the set of potential
prompt answers more dynamic.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. Exercises: Prompts and Searches 337
Exercises: Prompts and Searches

Create Filter Definition Prompts
Overview
Create the following three prompts and use them in the report filter of a report
that has Item and Revenue on its template.
Prompt on the Product hierarchy
Prompt on the Quarter attribute element listUsers see the entire list of
elements, and 2008 Q4should be the default answer. Answering the
prompt is required.
Metric qualification prompt Users should be prompted to qualify on
the Revenue metric.
Choose the following answers to the prompts:
Books
2010 Q3 and 2010 Q4
Revenue greater than 20,000
The report results should look like the following:
338 Exercises: Prompts and Searches 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Create the My Prompts Exercises folder:
1 In the Folder List, in the MicroStrategy Tutorial project, under My Personal
Objects, select the My Objects folder.
3 Name the folder My Prompts Exercises.
Create a prompt on the Product hierarchy
4 In the Object Viewer, double-click the My Prompts Exercises folder to
begin working in it.
5 On the File menu, point to New, and select Prompt.
6 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, keep the Filter definition prompt option
selected.
7 Select Choose from all attributes in a hierarchy, and click Next.
8 On the Reduce the number of hierarchies available at runtime page, click
Choose a hierarchy object.
9 Use the browse button to select the Products hierarchy.
10 Click OK.
11 On the Reduce the number of hierarchies available at runtime page, click
Next.
12 In the Prompt Resolution Wizard, click Finish.
13 In the Save As window, save the prompt as Choose from all attributes in
the Products hierarchy.
Create a prompt on the Quarter attribute elements
15 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, keep the Filter Definition Prompt
option selected.
16 Select Choose from an attribute element list, and click Next.
17 On the Select the attribute to be used in the prompt page, use the browse
button to select the Quarter attribute from the Time folder.
18 Click OK.
19 On the Select the attribute to be used in the prompt page, click Next.
20 On the Reduce the number of elements available to the user at runtime
page, keep the List all elements (no restriction) option selected.
21 Click Next.
22 On the Provide general information for the prompt page, click Next.
23 On the Select default prompt answer(s) page, click Add.
24 In the Select Objects window, in the Available objects list, select 2010 Q4.
25 Use the > button to add it to the Selected objects window.
28 Save the prompt in the My Prompts Exercises folder as Choose from all
elements of Quarter.
Create a prompt on the Revenue metric
30 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, keep the Filter definition prompt option
selected.
31 Select Qualify on a metric, and click Next.
32 On the Select a metric or metric search object to be used in the prompt
page, keep the Choose a metric object option selected.
33 Use the browse button to select the Revenue metric (from the Sales Metrics
folder).
34 Click Next.
35 On the Provide general information for the prompt page, click Finish.
36 In the Save As window, save the prompt as Qualify on metric object
Revenue.
Create a report using these three prompts
41 Double-click the My Prompts Exercises folder.
42 Drag and drop the following three prompts into the Report Filter definition
window.
Choose from all attributes in the Products hierarchy
Choose from all elements of Quarter
Qualify on metric object Revenue
43 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Attributes.
44 In the Object Browser, double-click the Products folder.
45 Drag and drop the Item attribute into the rows of the template definition
window.
46 In the Object Browser, in My Shortcuts, click Metrics.
definition window.
50 Answer the prompts accordingly:
For the first prompt, in the left window, double-click the Category
attribute to expand it. Drag and drop Books into the right window, and
click Next.
For the second prompt, notice that the default answer, 2010 Q4, is
already selected. In the left window, select 2010 Q3 and click the >
button to add it to the right window. Click Next.
For the third and final prompt, in the Set Qualification window, in the
Parameters section, change the Operator to Greater than and in the
Value box, type 20000.
Click Finish.
51 Compare your results to the expected results in the Overview section at the
Save the report with a prompted filter
53 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Filter Definition
Prompts.
54 In the Save Options window, click Prompted.
55 Click Only filter will be prompted.
56 Click OK.
Create Object Prompts
Overview
Create a report that prompts you to select both the metrics and attributes that
display on the template.
The metric prompt should enable you to select from a list of metrics in the
Sales Metrics folder.
The attribute prompt should enable you to select any attribute returned by
the Search for all objects of type Attribute search. (This search object is
already built for you and can be found in the Public Object\Searches
folder.)
This original report should use an empty report filter (no filter criteria) and
be named Prompts-Original.
When you run the report, select Units Sold, Category, and Year, so the report
results look like the following:
You will then save the report as prompted with the name Prompts-Template
Prompted. Run the report again, and save the report by selecting the static save
option. You will name the static version of the report Prompts-Static.
Finally, answer the following questions:
What are the differences between Prompts-Original, Prompts-Template
Prompted, and Prompts-Static?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Answer: When you run the report Prompts-Original it will prompt you and will
not contain any previously selected metrics or attributes. When you run
Prompts-Template, you will still be prompted, however, the metric and
attributes you saved will already be selected when the prompt opens. When
you run the Prompts-Static, you will not be prompted. The report will open up
with the metrics and attributes you previously selected.
Which reports prompt you?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Answer: Prompts-Original and Prompts-Template.
Which ones have default answers selected?
_______________________________________
Answer: Prompts-Static.
What does this tell you about the different save options?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Answer: Depending on what you want you can either save a report to run a new
prompt everytime, without any previously selected report objects, run a
prompted report with previously selected report objects, or run an unprompted
report with your previously selected report objects.
Create a prompt for sales metrics
2 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Object prompt, and click Next.
keep the Use a pre-defined list of objects option selected, and click Add.
4 In the Select Objects window, in the Available objects window, double-click
the Public Objects folder.
5 Double-click the Metrics folder.
7 Select Average Revenue and, while holding down the SHIFT key on the
keyboard, select Units Sold.
8 Click > to move the list of metrics to the Selected objects window.
10 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Finish.
11 In the Save As window, save the prompt as Choose from a list of Metrics.
Create a prompt for attributes
13 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Object prompt.
14 Click Next.
click Use the results of a search object.
16 Click browse.
17 In the Open window, select the Search for all objects of type Attribute
search object.
18 Click OK.
19 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, click Finish.
20 Save the prompt in the My Prompts Exercises folder as Choose from a list
of Attributes.
Create a report using the object prompts
25 Double-click the My Prompts Exercises folder.
26 Drag and drop the Choose from a list of Metrics prompt into the columns
of the template definition window.
27 Drag and drop the Choose from a list of Attributes prompt into the rows
of the template definition window.
The sequence in which you add prompts to a report determines the

order in which the prompts are presented to the user when the
report runs. However, you can change this order by selecting
Prompt Ordering from the Data menu. In the Prompt Ordering
window, use the arrow keys to re-order the prompt objects in the
report.
The Prompt Ordering option under the Data menu is only available
when a report has more than one prompt object.
Save the report
29 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Prompts-Original.
Run the original report
30 In the Folder List, select the My Reports Exercises folder.
31 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Prompts-Original report to run it.
32 For the first prompt, in the left window, select Units Sold.
33 Click > to move it to the right window.
34 Click Next.
35 For the second prompt, in the left window, select Category and, while
holding down the CTRL key on the keyboard, select Year.
36 Click > to move both attributes to the right window.
37 In the right window, select Category, and click the down arrow button to
the right of the right window.
This will result in the Category attribute displaying to the right of the
Year attribute on the report template.
38 In the prompt selection window, click Finish.
Save the report with a prompted template and run it again
41 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Prompts - Template
Prompted.
43 Click Only template will be prompted.
44 Leave the Set the current prompt answers to be the default prompt
answers check box selected.
If selected, prompt answers you selected during report run time

become the new default prompt answers. When the report runs
again, these answers display as default.
45 Click OK to return to the report.
46 In the report, click Re-prompt report to return to the prompt selection
window.
For the first prompt, notice that the answer you selected the last time,
Units Sold, now displays as the default answer.
47 Click Next.
For the second prompt, again notice that the answers you selected the
last time, Year and Category, display as the default answers.
48 Click Finish.
Save and run the report with the static save option
50 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Prompts - Static.
51 In the Save Options window, click Static.
52 Clear the Remember options next time check box.
53 Click OK to return to the report.
54 Close the report.
55 In the Object Viewer, double-click the Prompts-Static report to run it.
You are no longer prompted since you saved the report as a static
report, and the report ran with your previously saved prompt
answers.
56 Close the report.
57 Return to the beginning of the exercise and answer the questions.
Create a Value Prompt
Overview
Suppose you want to see a report that lists all employees hired before a certain
date, and you select the date when you run the report. If you enter April 1,
2001, as the hire date, the final report should look like the following:
Creating this prompted report is a little different than the previous reports
because the prompt is not created as an independent object. Instead, you will
create the prompt from within the Report Filter definition window.
When you create the report filter, you will see the following screen:
Note that there is a difference between the value prompt (created by clicking
Simple Prompt):
and the filter prompt (created by clicking Prompt):
Using the Simple Prompt button, you can create a value prompt that allows the
user to only enter a date value for the hire date. Using the Prompt button, you
can create an attribute filter definition prompt that enables the user to select
the operator and enter a date value for the hire date.
Detailed Instructions:
hierarchy
4 Drag and drop the Employee and the Hire Date attributes into the rows of
the template definition window.
5 In the Object Browser, drag and drop the Hire Date attribute into the
Report Filter definition window.
6 In the Attribute Qualification window, from the Qualify On drop-down list,
select ID.
7 In the Operator drop-down list, select Less than.
8 Click Simple Prompt:

9 In the Prompt Generation Wizard, on the Provide general information for
the prompt page, click Next.
10 On the Select default prompt answer(s) page, clear the Default value check
box, and click Finish.
12 In the report, click Run.
13 In the prompt selection window, click Date Editor.
14 In the Date and Time Editor, keep the Static date option selected, and type
in 4/1/2001 for the date value.
You could have also used the drop-down calendar to select a date.
15 Click OK to close the Date Editor.
16 In the prompt selection window, click Finish.
Save the report with a prompted filter
19 Save the report in the My Reports Exercises folder as Value Prompt.
21 Click Only filter will be prompted.
22 Click OK.
A
MICROSTRATEGY TUTORIAL
Appendix Description
This appendix provides information on the MicroStrategy Tutorial project,
including the data model and physical warehouse schema.
MicroStrategy Tutorial A
352 The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model
A data model is a logical map that represents the inherent properties of
enterprise data, disregarding software, hardware, or machine performance
considerations. Data models show:
Data elements grouped into records
Relationships and association surrounding those records
For more detailed information about data modeling, refer to the Project Design
Guide.
Although the MicroStrategy Tutorial data model is included in this section for
your reference, you can also view it directly in the product.
To view the MicroStrategy Tutorial data model:
1 In Desktop, log in to the project source that contains the MicroStrategy
Tutorial project and expand the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
2 On the Schema menu, point to Graphical View and select Hierarchies.
3 In the Hierarchy Viewer, to view a different hierarchy, in the Hierarchy
drop-down box, select the hierarchy you want to view.
4 To focus on a different entry point, in the Entry Point drop-down box, select
the entry point you want to view.
5 To view the entire hierarchy in the window, on the View menu, select Fit in
window.
You can rearrange the attributes by dragging and dropping them.

Rearranging attributes does not affect the browse order, but it enables
you to view the hierarchy in a way that is meaningful to you.
6 To return to the default view, on the View menu, select Auto arrange.
7 To save the layout view of the hierarchy, on the File menu, select Save
layout. The next time you open the Hierarchy Viewer, it displays the saved
view.
The MicroStrategy Tutorial data model consists of the following hierarchies:
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model 353
Geography
Customers
Time
Products
Geography Hierarchy
354 The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Customers Hierarchy
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. The MicroStrategy Tutorial Data Model 355
Time Hierarchy
356 The MicroStrategy Tutorial Schema 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.
Products Hierarchy
The MicroStrategy Tutorial Schema
A schema is a logical and physical definition of warehouse data elements,
physical characteristics, and interrelationships. This appendix shows the
physical schema with the data types displayed. You can also choose to view the
logical schema on your own. For instructions, refer to the procedure below.
For more detailed information on the schema, refer to the Project Design
Guide.
Although the MicroStrategy Tutorial physical schema is listed below for your
reference, you can also view the physical or logical schema directly in the
product.
To view the MicroStrategy Tutorial schema:
1 In Desktop, log in to the project source that contains the MicroStrategy
Tutorial project and expand the MicroStrategy Tutorial project.
2011 MicroStrategy, Inc. The MicroStrategy Tutorial Schema 357
2 On the Schema menu, point to Graphical View and select Tables.
3 In the Table Viewer, to change display preferences for the logical view, on
the Options menu, select any of the following options:
Show joinsEnables you to select whether to connect the tables to
represent the joins between the table columns
Use circular joinsEnables you to select whether to use circular joins
Show relationshipsEnables you to select whether to map the
relationships between the tables
Show relationship typesEnables you to select whether to
differentiate between one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and
many-to-many relationships
Show columnsEnables you to select whether to display the
warehouse columns that define each attribute as a link between the
logical and physical views
4 To switch to the physical view, on the View menu, select Physical view.
5 To change display preferences for the physical view, on the Options menu,
select any of the following options:
Show joinsEnables you to select whether to connect the tables to
represent the joins between the warehouse tables
Use circular joinsEnables you to select whether to use circular joins
Show column data typesEnables you to select whether to show the
data type and size for each column
Show table prefixesEnables you to select whether to display the table
prefix as part of the table name
6 To switch back to the logical view, on the View menu, select Logical view.
7 To view the entire schema in the window, on the View menu, select Fit in
window.
You can rearrange the tables by dragging and dropping them.

Rearranging the tables does not affect the relationships or joins, but it
enables you to view the tables in a way that is meaningful to you.
8 To return to the default view, on the View menu, select Auto arrange.
9 To save the layout view of the tables, on the File menu, select Save layout.
The next time you open the Table Viewer, it displays the saved view.
10 To copy the layout view, on the File menu, select Copy as Metafile (.wmf).
The MicroStrategy Tutorial schema is divided into the following parts:
Geography
Customers
Time
Products
Fact tables
Partition mapping table
Geography Schema
Customers Schema
Time Schema
Products Schema
Fact Tables Schema
MICROSTRATEGY GLOSSARY
This Glossary presents some of the more commonly used terms for both
MicroStrategy and Data Warehousing in general.
A
Access control A facility of the MicroStrategy security subsystem that
defines and enforces the rights of users in accessing and
modifying MicroStrategy objects such as reports and filters.
Access control list A list of users and groups and the access permissions that
each has for an object.
Active user A user who logs into a MicroStrategy system. When a user
logs in to the system, a user session is established and
remains open until the user logs out of the system or the
system logs the user out. Users that are logged in but are not
doing anything still consume some resources on Intelligence
Server.
MicroStrategy Glossary MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials
ActiveX Data Objects A set of interfaces designed for accessing a wide variety of
data sources through OLE DB system interfaces. ADO MD
(multidimensional) provides a set of interfaces that are
optimized for multidimensional data applications.
Ad hoc query A SQL query dynamically constructed by desktop tools and
indeterminate prior to issuance. The user is asking a new
question that has not been answered by an existing report.
Address book A list of addresses for all users and groups.
Administrator The user category of one who installs and monitors software
and user configurations, maintains the state of the software,
and administers the different MicroStrategy servers in the
platform. An administrator also defines users, assigns user
login accounts and user privileges, and analyzes the
performance of the system.
Aggregatable The characteristic of facts that can be summed or otherwise
aggregated.
Aggregate function A numeric function that acts on a column of data and
produces a single result. Examples include SUM, COUNT,
MAX, MIN, and AVG.
Aggregate table A fact table that stores data that has been aggregated along
one or more dimensions.
Aggregation The combining of numeric data at a specific attribute level.
The most common function is sum, which creates an additive
total.
Analyst The user category of one who accesses reports, performs
drilling, does exception reporting, generates report
requirements, and is aware of the necessary analysis. An
analyst receives useful data from information devices like
alphanumeric pagers, fax machines, and e-mail without fully
understanding how such information is derived or delivered.
MicroStrategy Desktop: Reporting Essentials MicroStrategy Glossary
Analytical Engine A component of the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server that
performs all advanced analytical functions. The Analytical
Engine evaluates functions not supported by the data
warehouse RDBMS and it cross-tabulates reports.
Application object MicroStrategy object used to provide analysis of and insight
into relevant data. Application objects are developed in
Desktop and they are the building blocks for reports and
HTML documents. Application objects include these object
types: report, HTML document, template, filter, metric,
custom group, consolidation, prompt.
Application
programming interface
(API)
A set of related functions that provides an interface between
one or more existing applications and new applications. The
API may be seen as a platform over a set of services on which
new applications can be built. The functions, or interfaces,
are implemented in a dynamic link library, and are defined in
a standardized syntax. Application functionality available in
the platform can be integrated or embedded into other
applications through use of the APIs.
Application-level
partition
In application-level partitioning, the application rather than
the database server manages the partition tables.
MicroStrategy supports two methods of application-level
partitioning: metadata partition mapping and warehouse
partition mapping. Compare database-level partition.
Apply function A function that allows you to insert custom SQL into an
expression.
Atomic The lowest level of granularity. Cannot be decomposed into
smaller parts.
Attribute A data level defined by the system architect and associated
with one or more columns in a data warehouse lookup table.
Attributes include data classifications like Region, Order,
Customer, Age, Item, City, and Year. They provide a means
for aggregating and filtering at a given level.
Attribute drill path In MicroStrategy, a path that determines which attributes are
presented to an interface; typically a project defines drill
paths from parent attributes to their children.
Attribute element A value of any of the attribute forms of an attribute. For
example, New York and Dallas are elements of the attribute
City; January, February, and March are elements of the
attribute Month.
Attribute form One of several columns associated with an attribute that are
different aspects of the same thing. For example, ID, Name,
Last Name, Long Description, and Abbreviation could be
forms of the attribute Customer. Every attribute supports its
own collection of forms.
Attribute qualifier A filter that qualifies on an attribute.
Attribute role A database column that is used to define more than one
attribute. For example, Billing City and Shipping City are two
attributes that have the same table and columns defined as a
lookup table.
Authentication The system process of validating user login information. A
login ID and password are compared against an authorized
list, and if a match is detected, specific access rights and
application privileges are granted to the user.
Authentication object A MicroStrategy object that specifies both who the user is and
the security context within which that user will interact with
the system. An authentication object contains the security
information required (such as user login ID and password) to
make a connection or perform task execution.
Autostyle A set of predefined formatting settings that can be applied to
a report in either Desktop or Web.
A document that stores formatting properties for various
control types in a document.
Axis A vector along which data is displayed. There are three
axes-Row, Column, and Page. When a user defines a template
for a report, he places template units-attributes, dimensions,
metrics, consolidations, and custom groups-along each axis.
B
Banding A method of organizing values according to a set of
descriptive or meaningful data ranges called buckets. For
example, customers in the age ranges of 10-20, 21-30, and
31-40, where each set of ages is a band. Banding is also used
for display purposes, where every other row is a different
color and the two colors alternate.
Base table A fact table that stores data at the lowest level of
dimensionality.
Boolean A logical value that is either TRUE or FALSE (sometimes
implemented as 1 and 0, respectively).
Browse To scan for an element in a hierarchy. Generally, browsing
implies viewing, rather than changing information.
Browse hierarchy A set of attributes defined by a user for a project. For
example, Country, State and City could form a Geography
hierarchy. Compare schema hierarchy.
Browse path A navigation path used for browsing metadata.
Business intelligence
(BI) system
A system that facilitates the analysis of volumes of complex
data by providing the ability to view data from multiple
perspectives.
C
Cache A special data store holding recently accessed information for
quick future access. This is normally done for frequently
requested reports, whose execution is faster because they
need not run against the database. Results from the data
warehouse are stored separately and can be used by new job
requests that require the same data. In the MicroStrategy
environment, when a user runs a report for the first time, the
job is submitted to the database for processing. However, if
the results of that report are cached, the results can be
returned immediately without having to wait for the database
to process the job the next time the report is run.
Cache hit An indicator determining whether a cache has been used by
job execution or not.
Catalog A table that contains the names of all non-temporary tables in
a data warehouse.
Child attribute The lower-level attribute in an attribute relationship.
Client The type of computer that users employ to access
applications in one or more common server computers.
Clustering A configuration strategy that provides uninterrupted access
to data, enhanced scalability, and increased performance for
users.
Column A one-dimensional vertical array of values in a table.
The set of fields of a given name and data type in all rows of a
given table.
MicroStrategy object in the schema layer that can represent
one or more physical table columns or no columns.
Compound attribute An attribute that has more than one key (ID) form.
Compound join A way to join a documents multiple datasets. It matches any
common attributes, then creates a virtual dataset by
sequentially proceeding through dataset rows to create a
complete set of joined rows. A compound join saves memory
space and processing time.
Compound key In a relational database, a primary key consisting of more
than one database column.
Compound metric A metric that cannot have a level placed on the entire metric,
although it can be set separately on each of the components.
Concurrent users Users that execute reports or use the system in one way or
another at the same time.
Conditional metric A metric containing filter criteria in its definition.
Configuration object A MicroStrategy object displaying in the system layer and
usable across multiple projects. Configuration objects include
(among others) these object types: users, database instances,
database logins, and schedules.
Connection mapping The process of mapping MicroStrategy users to database
connections and database logins. For MicroStrategy users to
execute reports, they must be mapped to a database
connection and database login.
Consolidation An object that can be placed on a template and is made up of
an ordered collection of elements called consolidation
elements. Each element is a grouping of attribute elements
that accommodates inter-row arithmetic operations.
Consolidation element A line item in a consolidation based on attribute elements.
For example, Year=2005 / Year=2006.
Control Any item in the document's Layout area that you can select.
This can be a text field, line, rectangle, image, or Grid/Graph
object. These different kinds of controls are referred to as
control types.
Control default A set of properties that can be set for each type of control and
each section in a document. You can set the defaults
according to the control that is currently selected; afterward,
its format is applied to any object of the same type that you
create in the document.
Cookie A piece of information that is sent to your Web browser-along
with an HTML page-when you access a Web site or page. This
information is usually used to remember details about what a
user did on a particular site or page for the purpose of
providing a more personal experience for the user.
Cross-tab (v.) To reconfigure a grid report by moving elements to different
axes. Includes the pivot function.
Custom group An object that can be placed on a template and is made up of
an ordered collection of elements called custom group
elements. Each element contains its own set of filtering
qualifications.
D
Data Explorer A portion of the interface used to browse through data
contained in the warehouse. Users can navigate through
hierarchies of attributes that are defined by the administrator
to find the data they need.
Data mart A database, usually smaller than a data warehouse, designed
to help managers make strategic decisions about their
business by focusing on a specific subject or department.
A database instance used to store result sets saved to data
mart tables.
Data mart report A special kind of report that saves its report data in a
database rather than returning those results to the user. Data
mart reports either create a new table in the database to store
the report data or append the report data into an existing
table.
Data mart table A relational table that is used to store the report data from a
data mart report.
Data mining The process of using the results of data exploration to adjust
or enhance business strategies. It builds on the patterns,
trends, and exceptions found through data exploration to
support the business.
A technique using software tools geared for the user who
typically does not know exactly what he is searching for, but
is looking for particular patterns or trends. Data mining is the
process of sifting through large amounts of data to produce
data content relationships.
Data modeling A method used to define and analyze data requirements
needed to support the business functions of an enterprise.
These data requirements are recorded as a conceptual data
model with associated data definitions. Data modeling
defines the relationships between data elements and data
structures.
Data repository A logical and sometimes physical partitioning of data in
multiple databases that apply to specific applications or sets
of applications. For example, several databases (revenues and
expenses) that support financial applications (A/R, A/P) can
reside in a single financial data repository.
Data source name
(DSN)
Provides connectivity to a database through an ODBC driver.
A DSN generally contains host machine name or IP address,
instance name, database name, directory, database driver,
User ID, password, and other information. The exact
information included in the DSN varies by DBMS. Once you
create a DSN for a particular database, you can use it in an
application to call information from the database. There are
three types of DSNs:
System DSN: can be used by anyone who has access to the
machine. DSN info is stored in the registry
User DSN: is created for a specific user. Also stored in the
registry
File DSN: DSN information is stored in a text file with.DSN
extension.
Data warehouse A database, typically very large, containing the historical data
of an enterprise. Used for decision support or business
intelligence, it organizes data and allows coordinated updates
and loads.
A copy of transaction data specifically structured for query,
reporting, and analysis.
Database administrator One who manages a database. The database administrator
determines the content, internal structure, and access
strategy for a database, defines security and integrity, and
monitors database performance.
Database connection Stores all data warehouse specific connection information
such as DSN, driver mode and SQL execution mode as well as
connection caching information.
Database instance A MicroStrategy object created in Desktop that represents a
connection to the warehouse. A database instance specifies
warehouse connection information, such as the data
warehouse DSN, Login ID and password, and other data
warehouse specific information.
Database server software running on a particular machine.
Though it is technically possible to have more than one
instance running on a machine, there is usually only one
instance per machine.
Database login This stores the login ID and password that MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server uses to connect to a particular database.
Database management
system
A collection of programs that enables you to store, modify,
and extract information from a database.
Dataset An encapsulation of a multidimensional result set created
when executing an MDX statement.
A MicroStrategy report that retrieves data from the data
warehouse or cache. It is used to define the data available on
a document.
Dataset Objects A panel in the Document Editor that shows all objects
(grouped by datasets) that can be used in the document.
All objects that can be used in the document as supplied by
the datasets. Dataset Objects are attributes, consolidations,
custom groups, and metrics.
Date prompt A prompt for a date value. For example, prompt answered as
"Date: 6/9/99".
Deciling The method by which a group is broken up into ten groups of
equal elements. The first decile consists of the top ten
percent; the second, the 11th to 20th percent; the third, the
21st to 30th percent; and so on.
Decision support
system
A set of software applications intended to allow users to
search vast stores of information for specific reports that are
critical for making management decisions. These
applications also allow end users to create ad hoc queries.
Degradation A type of fact extension in which values at one level of
aggregation are reported at a second, lower attribute level.
Derived attribute An attribute calculated from a mathematical operation on
columns in a warehouse table. For example, Age can be
calculated from the expression [Current Date-Birth Date].
Derived fact column A fact column created through a mathematical combination
of other existing fact columns.
Derived metric A metric based on data already available in a report. It is
calculated by the Intelligence Server, not in the database. Use
a derived metric to perform column math, that is,
calculations on other metrics, on report data after it has been
returned from the database.
Derived table A result set referred to by an alias and defined by a nested
SELECT statement in the FROM clause. The result set forms
a table used by the outer SELECT statement. A nested select
can use all part of a standard select statement (Select, From,
Where, Group By and Having clauses).
Design view A mode of the report editor that lets a user modify a report's
definition without having to execute the report.
Diagnostics The process of logging and analyzing the information on the
operation performance by Intelligence Server.
Dimension An element or factor making up a complete entity or variable
(a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values). For
example, product types, times and regions are three
dimensions pertaining to sales. Different product types are
sold over different time zones in different regions.
Distribution Manager
(DM)
Delivery Engine object that receives service execution
triggers, distributes service data to the execution engines for
processing, designates failover execution engines, and tracks
the status of other system components. If the primary
distribution manager fails, one of the backup distribution
managers becomes the primary and takes over processing
where the failed component stopped.
Piece of software or component used to instantiate a
distribution manager object.
Machine being used to instantiate the distribution manager
object.
Document A container for objects representing data coming from one or
more reports, as well as positioning and formatting
information. A document is used to format data from
multiple reports in a single display of presentation quality.
The MicroStrategy object that supports the functionality
defined above.
Document element Piece of a document containing dynamic content that is
generated when that document is executed as part of a
service. Consists of at least one information object, plus
error-handling instructions. May include an XSL stylesheet
selection, depending on the type of information object
chosen.
Document instance Facilitates the processing of the document through
Intelligence Server (like a report instance is used for
processing reports). It contains the report instances for all
the child reports, the XML results for the child reports, and
any prompt information that may be included in the child
reports.
Document template Provides the structure and layout for a document. For
example, an Excel document template includes the basic
workbook structure, any predefined macros, and static
worksheet content.
Drill A method of obtaining supplementary information after a
report has been executed. The new data is retrieved by
re-querying the Intelligent Cube or database at a different
attribute or fact level.
A link from one document to another document, report, or
HTML document. Prompt answers for the target can be
included in the drill.
Dynamic aggregation Rollup of metric values that occurs when an attribute is
moved from the report grid to the Report Objects. Whenever
the attributes in the Report Objects are not the same as the
attributes on the grid, dynamic aggregation has occurred.
Dynamic aggregation happens on-the-fly, in memory.
Dynamic relationship When the relationship between elements of parent and child
attributes changes. These changes often occur because of
organizational restructuring; geographical realignment; or
the addition, reclassification, or discontinuation of items or
services. For example, a store may decide to reclassify the
department to which items belong.
E
Editor A dialog used to create and edit MicroStrategy Objects. There
is a Filter Editor, Template Editor, Attribute Editor, and a
Metric Editor, Report Editor, and so on.
Element browsing The process of navigating through hierarchies of attribute
elements. For example, viewing the list of months in a year.
Element cache Most-recently used lookup table elements that are stored in
memory on the Intelligence Server or Desktop machines so
they can be retrieved more quickly.
Enterprise reporting Allows users to subscribe to reports, apply personalization
criteria, and view the information through a central
web-based interface as formatted HTML reports.
Entity relationship
diagram (ERD)
A diagram that provides a graphical representation of the
physical structure of the data in the source system, which lets
you easily recognize tables and columns and the data stored
in those columns.
Entry level The lowest level set of attributes at which a fact is available
for analysis.
Expression Formulas built from functions, attributes, facts, metrics, and
consolidations that can be used to define attribute forms, fact
calculations, metrics, or filters.
Extraction,
transformation, and
loading (ETL)
The process used to populate a data warehouse from
disparate existing database systems.
Third-party software used to facilitate such a process.
F
Fact A measurement value, often numeric and typically
aggregatable, stored in a data warehouse.
A schema object representing a column in a data warehouse
table and containing basic or aggregated numbers-usually
prices, or sales in dollars, or inventory quantities in counts.
Fact column A column in a database table that contains fact data.
Fact extension A virtual table created at run time to extend the level of a fact
from its original level to that required by the report. Defines
how a fact that does not relate to all levels, relates to any
unrelated levels.
Fact table A database table containing numeric data that may be
aggregated along one or more dimensions. Fact tables may
contain atomic or summarized data.
Failover support Ensures that a business intelligence system remains available
for use in the event of an application or hardware failure.
Clustering provides failover support in two ways: load
distribution and request recovery.
Filter A MicroStrategy object that specifies a set of criteria used to
limit the data returned in a report. Specifically, it limits the
returned values of an attribute in the result set to a specified
range. It is normally implemented in the SQL WHERE
clause. Examples include: "2009", "All weekdays in May",
"Stores in the Northeast".
Filter expression A expression combining OLAP objects with logical, and
optionally, mathematical operators.
Folder A MicroStrategy object used for grouping and storing in a
single place a set of objects that are similar, such as filters,
templates, and reports.
Folder list A portion of the interface that lists all the folders found in the
project in a hierarchical fashion. It helps a user to visualize
and browse through a MicroStrategy project.
Form One of several columns that are different representations of
the same thing, as ID, Name, Long Description, Abbreviation.
Four-tier In the context of MicroStrategy system configurations, a
four-tier system consists of a Web browser client, the
MicroStrategy Web Server, the MicroStrategy Intelligence
Server, and the database.
Function In a MicroStrategy project, the object created by the Import
Functions utility, which allows a MicroStrategy report access
to a function plug-in.
Function plug-in Allows user-defined functions to be used by the
MicroStrategy Analytical Engine.
G
Garbage Collection A form of memory management that attempts to reclaim
garbage, or memory occupied by objects that are no longer in
use.
Governor One of several parameters set by the administrator that
collectively and under certain conditions prevent a job from
executing or a user from making a connection.
Graph view Report viewing mode that displays results as a graphical
chart.
Grid/Graph A control placed in a document that displays information in
the same way a MicroStrategy report does.
Grid unit The individual attributes, metrics, consolidations, and
custom groups that can be placed on a report grid.
Grid view Report viewing mode that displays result data in tabular
form.
Group (short name for "user group") A collection of users, such as
Everyone, System Administrators, LDAP users and so on.
Groups provide a convenient way for managing a large
number of users. You can assign privileges to groups as well
as permissions to objects.
Grouping A way to create a hierarchical structure for a document.
GUID A 32-character string used to uniquely identify MicroStrategy
objects.
H
Heterogeneous column
naming
Columns in different tables in a database that store the same
data but have different names. For example, one column
named Customer in one table and one named Customer
Name in a different table, both containing customer names.
Hierarchy A set of attributes defining a meaningful path for element
browsing or drilling. The order of the attributes is
typically-though not always-defined such that a higher
attribute has a one-to-many relationship with its child
attributes.
History cache A report result saved for future reference via the History List
by a specific user.
History List The portion of the interface that allows users to retrieve the
results of previously executed or scheduled reports and
HTML documents.
Homogeneous column
naming
Columns in different tables of a database that contain the
same data and have the same column name.
I
ID column A column that contains attribute element identification
codes. All attributes must have an ID column.
Implicit attribute An attribute that does not physically exist in the database
because it is created at the application level. Such an attribute
has its expression defined as a constant value, though
nothing is saved in a column. For example, you may wish to
create columns in the database with a value of 1 for every row
to get around COUNT limitations. You don not have to
actually create the column, though, because in the Attribute
Editor, you can just enter a "1" in the expression to create a
count. Implicit attributes are useful in analyzing and
retrieving information. When analyzing data, you can use
constant attributes to create a COUNT to keep track of the
number of rows returned. You can use constant attributes
when building metrics, where you can sum the column
holding the constant to create a COUNT. Any constant is
acceptable.
inbox synchronization The process of synchronizing inboxes across all nodes in the
cluster, so that all nodes contain the same History List
messages.
Incremental fetch A feature that returns a large result set to the client in
numerous small pieces. This ensures that network traffic and
client processing is kept to a minimum.
Intelligent Cube A copy of the report data saved in memory and used for
manipulation of the view definition. This division allows
multiple reports with different views to share a common data
definition.
.isc file A binary file format defined by arcplan inSight for storing
connection information for data sources. The file identifies
the project source, project, virtual cube, and other
information required for connection. arcplan inSight connect
(.isc) files are created by arcplan inSight and not by MDX
Adapter Connection String Generator.
J
Job An instance of a report or an HTML document execution in
the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server.
Job priority Defines the order in which jobs are processed.
Join A SQL operation that combines data from multiple tables into
a single result table.
Joint children Joint child relationships are another type of many-to-many
relationship where one attribute has a many-to-many
relationship to two otherwise unrelated attributes. These
relationships can be modeled and conceptualized like
traditional attributes, but like facts, they exist at the
intersection of multiple attribute levels. For example,
consider the relationship between three attributes:
promotion, item, and quarter. In this case, promotion has a
many-to-many relationship to both item and quarter. An
example of a promotion might be a "Red Sale" where all red
items are on sale. A business might run this promotion
around Valentine's Day (Q1) and again at Christmas time
(Q4).
K
Key Performance
Indicator (KPI)
An indicator gauging how well a company progresses in
numerous areas such as finance, customer service, and
product availability and distribution.
L
Layout area The middle panel of the Document Editor in which you place
data or other controls to determine the appearance of the
document when it is viewed as a PDF.
Level In a data warehouse, facts are said to be stored at a particular
level defined by the attribute IDs present in the fact table. For
example, if a fact table has a Date column, an Item_ID
column, and a fact column, that fact is stored at the
Date/Item level.
With regard to metric calculation, the level is the level of
calculation for the metric. For example, a metric on a report
with Year and Store attributes would be calculated at the
Year/Store level. See also level of aggregation.
Level of aggregation The point in an attribute hierarchy where aggregation is
performed. For example, in the geographical State-City-Store
hierarchy there are three possible levels of aggregation.
Load balancing A strategy aimed at achieving even distribution of
MicroStrategy Web user sessions across MicroStrategy
Intelligence Servers. MicroStrategy achieves four-tier load
balancing by incorporating load balancers into MicroStrategy
Web.
Lock schema An application designer can lock the schema while making
changes to the schema to ensure that no other users are
making changes at the same time.
Locked hierarchy A hierarchy that has at least one attribute that may not be
browsed by end users. Application Designers typically lock
hierarchies if there are so many attribute elements that
element browsing is not usable.
Log A file that traces and records events that occur in the
MicroStrategy environment. Primarily used for
troubleshooting.
Logical data model An graphical representation of data that is arranged logically
for the general user, as opposed to the physical data model or
warehouse schema, which arranges data for efficient
database use.
Login A procedure that establishes a session with an online
application.
Login ID A text string usually entered along with a password during
login; sometimes called a user name.
Lookup table A database table used to uniquely identify attribute elements.
They typically consist of descriptions of dimensions. Lookup
tables are usually joined to fact tables to group the numeric
facts in the fact table by dimensional attributes in the lookup
tables.
M
Many-to-many
relationship
An attribute relationship in which multiple elements of a
parent attribute can relate to multiple elements of a child
attribute, and vice versa. See also relationship, one-to-many,
many-to-one.
Many-to-one
relationship
An attribute relationship in which
(1) multiple elements of a parent attribute relate to only one
element of a child attribute, and
(2) every element of the child attribute can relate to multiple
elements of the parent.
Market basket analysis The study of which products often sell together in a
transaction.
Matching cache Report results retained for the purpose of being reused by the
same report requests later on.
Matching-history cache A Matching cache with at least one History List message
referencing it.
MDX cache MDX Adapter can save query results in memory so if the
same report is run again MDX Adapter will get the results
from memory instead of running the query against the
MicroStrategy Intelligence Server again.
Member cache MicroStrategy reports containing all members for a level of
an ODBO hierarchy. When MDX Adapter metadata is loaded,
members are retrieved from the saved reports rather than
from the database.
Metadata A repository whose data associates the tables and columns of
a data warehouse with user-defined attributes and facts to
enable the mapping of the business view, terms, and needs to
the underlying database structure. Metadata can reside on
the same server as the data warehouse or on a different
database server. It can even be held in a different RDBMS.
Metadata partition
mapping
A type of application-level partitioning where the mapping of
partitions is carried out and maintained in the project
metadata.
Metric A business calculation defined by an expression built with
functions, facts, attributes, or other metrics. For example:
sum(dollar_sales) or [Sales] - [Cost]
MicroStrategy
Analytics Modules
A group of MicroStrategy projects with prepackaged
metadata, reports, scorecards, and dashboards; default
physical and logical data models to allow the modules work
with an external physical schema and data model or with the
module's packaged data warehouse schema; and reference
guides for each Analysis Module's data model, the individual
analysis areas, metadata object definitions, data dictionary,
and individual report use scenarios.
MicroStrategy
Business Intelligence
Developer Kit
A rapid application development framework consisting of
analytical starter kits (the Analytics Modules), development
products, and design and development methodologies. The
BIDK includes Analytics Modules that are built to be
portable.
MicroStrategy
Enterprise Manager
Part of MicroStrategy Administrator used to monitor activity
across all servers and projects.
MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server
Core of the MicroStrategy architecture, MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server manages and organizes users, projects,
and database connections; coordinates, prioritizes, and
executes all user requests; and allocates the resources
necessary to complete them. It tracks schedules, manages
security, and provides the ability to monitor and analyze the
daily activity of the entire decision support environment.
MicroStrategy MDX
Adapter
Software package that allows users of other business
intelligence interfaces to access the analytical power and
scalability of the MicroStrategy 7i Platform. With
MicroStrategy MDX Adapter, users of Microsoft Excel,
Alphablox, arcplan inSight, Brio, Business Objects, Cognos
PowerPlay, Crystal Reports, and other OLE DB for OLAP
consumers can connect through MicroStrategy Intelligence
Server and access any major relational database.
MicroStrategy MDX Adapter offers built-in support for the
OLE DB for OLAP (ODBO) application programming
interface (API). This support enables ODBO consumers and
ActiveX Data Object Multidimensional (ADO MD) custom
applications to access data through MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server.
MicroStrategy object The objects available in MicroStrategy applications, such as
reports, HTML documents, filters, metrics, attributes, and so
on.
MicroStrategy Tutorial A sample MicroStrategy project that models a fictitious
company. It is used throughout the MicroStrategy user
documentation to illustrate concepts, features, and
procedures associated with the use of the MicroStrategy
platform and to serve as a business example.
Moderately normalized
schema
Schema type having the same basic structure as the highly
normalized schema, but here the higher-level attribute ID
columns are present within all related tables.
MOLAP Multidimensional online analytical processing.
My Personal Folder A file folder available only to an authorized individual as a
private folder for saving objects.
N
Node Each machine in a cluster.
Nonaggregatable
metric
A metric that is not additive along all dimensions. For
example, "Stock On Hand at End of Week" is not additive
across time: the stock on hand at the end of the week is not
the sum of the stock on hand at end of each day in the week.
O
Object Conceptually, an object is the highest grouping level of
information about one concept, used by the user to achieve
the goal of specified data analysis. More concretely, an object
is any item that can be selected and manipulated, including
folders, reports, facts, metrics, and so on.
Object Browser Enables navigation through a MicroStrategy project for the
purpose of selecting objects. For example, in the report editor
the Object Browser is used to select objects, like Attributes or
Metrics, that will be included in the report's definition.
Object cache A recently used object definition stored in memory on
Desktop and MicroStrategy Intelligence Server.
Object Server Component of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server that deals
with creating, accessing, and deleting MicroStrategy objects.
Object template Prebuilt guidelines for creating application objects such as
reports, filters, and templates.
ODBC driver A software routine that translates MicroStrategy Intelligence
Server requests into commands that the DBMS understands.
One-to-many
relationship
An attribute relationship in which every element of a parent
attribute can relate to multiple elements of a child attribute,
while every element of the child attribute relates to only one
element of the parent. The one-to-many attribute
relationship is the most common in data models.
One-to-one relationship An attribute relationship in which every element of the
parent attribute relates to exactly one element of the child
attribute, and vice versa.
Online Analytical
Processing (OLAP)
In general, a system with analytical processing that involves
activities such as manipulating transaction records to
calculate sales trends, growth patterns, percent to total
contributions, trend reporting, and profit analysis.
Specifically for MDX Adapter, a technology that uses
multidimensional structures such as virtual cubes for fast
access to data for the purpose of data analysis. Typically, data
warehouses such as the sample MicroStrategy Tutorial
project store the source data for OLAP.
Online transaction
processing (OLTP)
Typically, databases or mainframes that store transactional
data. Transactional processing involves the simple recording
of transactions such as sales, inventory, withdrawals, or
deposits.
Open Database
Connectivity
An open standard with which client computers can
communicate with relational database servers. Client
machines make a connection to a particular logical database,
on a particular physical database server, using a particular
ODBC driver.
Outline mode Report viewing mode that creates indented, collapsible
groupings of related elements to make reports neater and
easier to read.
P
Page-by Segmenting the data in a grid report by placing available
attributes, consolidations, and metrics on a third axis called
the Page axis. Since a grid is two-dimensional, only a slice of
the cube can be seen at any one time. The slice is
characterized by the choice of elements on the Page axis. By
varying the selection of elements, the user can page through
the cube.
Panel stack A container for a group of panels. It stores the properties that
control a group of panels.
Parameter With respect to function plug-ins, allows access to data.
Parent attribute The higher-level attribute in an attribute relationship with
one or more children.
Parent dependency Occurs when an object is used as part of the definition of
other objects.
Partial relationship An attribute relationship in which elements of one attribute
relate to elements of a second attribute, while the opposite is
not necessarily true.
Partition base table A warehouse table that contains one part of a larger set of
data. Partition tables are usually divided along logical lines,
such as time or geography. Also referred to as a PBT. See also
partition mapping.
Partition mapping The division of large logical tables into smaller physical tables
based on a definable data level, such as month or department.
Partitions minimize the number of tables and records within
a table that must be read to satisfy queries issued against the
warehouse. By distributing usage across multiple tables,
partitions improve the speed and efficiency of database
queries.
Partition mapping table A warehouse table that contains information used to identify
the partitioned base tables as part of a logical whole. Also
referred to as a PMT. See also partition base table and
partition mapping.
Password Preserves user account integrity in an application. Many
applications can associate both a password and a password
hint with each user.
Permissions Define for objects the degree of control users have over them.
Personalized page
execution
Executes one multi-page report for all users in a segment and
then uses this single report to provide personalized content
(pages) for different users. All users have their reports
executed under the context of the same Intelligence Server
user, so individual security profiles are not maintained.
However, load on the Intelligence Server may be significantly
lower than for PRE in some cases.
Personalized report
execution
Executes a separate report for each set of users with unique
personalization. Users may have reports executed under the
context of the corresponding Intelligence Server user if
desired. Using this option, security profiles defined in
Desktop are maintained. However if there are many users
who all have unique personalization, this option can place a
large load on Intelligence Server.
Physical warehouse
schema
A detailed graphic representation of your business data as it
is stored in the data warehouse. It organizes the logical data
model in a method that makes sense from a database
perspective.
Pivot To reconfigure data on a grid report by placing report objects
(attributes, metrics, consolidations) on different axes. Also,
to reconfigure a grid report by interchanging row and column
headers, and hence the associated data. Subset of cross-tab.
Plugin An application that can easily be installed and executed by
the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server in one of several
identical interfaces. For example, advanced statistical and
financial functions can be added as additional processing
components.
Port number The port number is how a server process identifies itself on
the machine on which it is running. For example, when the
Intelligence Server machine receives a network call from a
client (Desktop, Web, Narrowcast Server, Command
Manager, and so on), it knows to forward those calls to the
Intelligence Server port number that is specified in the call.
Portability The ability of an analytical application to be integrated into
an existing or external data warehouse. To port a given
Analysis Module, you "rewire" the module to the physical
schema of an existing data warehouse.
Pre-aggregation Aggregation, or the calculation of numeric data at a specific
attribute level, that is completed before reports are run, with
the results stored in an aggregate table.
Prefix A prefix is stored in the project metadata associated with a
table or tables and is used by the Engine to generate SQL.
Also, the Catalog Server uses it to obtain table sample values
and row counts. In most cases, it should match the name
space field since it is used to qualify on a specific table
belonging to a certain owner or name space. Prefixes can be
defined and modified from the Warehouse Catalog interface.
Primary dataset The dataset used to define the grouping and sorting of a
document. Although a document can contain multiple
datasets, only objects from the primary dataset can be used to
group and sort the document.
Primary key In a relational database, the set of columns required to
uniquely identify a record in a table.
Privilege Defines what types of operations certain users and user
groups can perform in the MicroStrategy system. For
example, which objects a given user can create and which
applications and editors he can use.
Process An executing application comprising one or more threads.
Processes use temporary private address spaces and control
operating system resources such as files, dynamic memory
allocations, pipes, and synchronization objects.
Processing unit MicroStrategy Intelligence Server component that
coordinates the execution of tasks. A processing unit allocates
the thread resources that the server uses to execute tasks.
Project The MicroStrategy object in which you define all of the
schema and application objects, which together provide for a
flexible reporting environment. A project is the highest-level
intersection of a data warehouse, metadata repository, and
user community, containing reports, filters, metrics, and
functions.
An object containing the definition of a project, as defined in
(1). The project object is specified when requesting the
establishment of a session.
Project designer The user category of one who creates projects and all of the
schema objects (facts, attributes, hierarchies) for a project. A
project designer is thoroughly familiar with the data model
and schema object editors and wizards.
Project Merge Wizard A wizard that assists in merging two MicroStrategy projects.
Project source Defines a connection to the metadata database and is used by
various MicroStrategy products to access projects. A direct
project source is a two-tier connection directly to a metadata
repository. A server project source is a three-tier connection
to a MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. One project source
can contain many projects and the administration tools found
at the project source level are used to monitor and administer
all projects in the project source.
Prompt (n.) MicroStrategy object in the report definition that is
incomplete by design. The user is asked during the resolution
phase of report execution to provide an answer that
completes the information. A typical example with a filter is
choosing a specific attribute on which to qualify.
In general, a window requesting user input, as in "type login
ID and password at the prompt."
Prompt styles The subscriber has the choice of six prompt style selections:
(i) List box, a single filter; (ii) List box, multiple filters; (iii)
Radio button, single selection; (iv) Check box, multiple
selection; (v) Shopping cart with operator; and (vi) Shopping
cart.
Prompt types The subscriber has the choice of three prompt type selections:
(i) Filter selection is from either a single filter or a
combination of filters that combine with a variety of prompt
styles; (ii) Attribute element selection has a single find page
style that searches for an element in a dimension; and (iii)
Metric Qualification has a single prompt style that qualifies
metrics from a folder selection.
Property List The list of settings used to specify the appearance or any
other characteristic of a control on a document.
Public Folder Available to all users with access to the application.
Q
Query A request for data from a database or data warehouse. A
report is a database query.
Query Engine The MicroStrategy Server component responsible for
submitting SQL code to the database.
R
Ranking A type of OLAP function that returns the rank of a value in a
group of values. Rows with equal values with respect to the
ordering are assigned the same rank.
Ratio The relationship in quantity, amount, or size between the
cardinalities of related attributes.
Reference document In BIDK, a document that is related to the one in question,
but which was created earlier. For example, a sales order
usually originates from a quotation; the quotation is the
reference document for the sales order. A quotation often
originates from an inquiry; the inquiry is the reference
document for the quotation.
Refresh To update the client-side object instance such as the report
being viewed from the repository or cache or database
(because it is either dirty or out-of-date).
Relate table A table containing the ID columns of two or more attributes,
thus defining associations between them.
Relational database
management system
A collection of programs that enables you to store, modify,
and extract information from a database.
Relationship An association specifying the nature of the connection
between one attribute (the parent) and one or more other
attributes (the children). For example, City is a child attribute
of State.
Report The central focus of any decision support investigation, a
report allows users to query for data, analyze that data and
then present it in a visually pleasing manner.
Report cache A result set from an executed report that is stored on
MicroStrategy Intelligence Server.
Report Editor Application that allows users to create a report and set its
propertiesidentical to Report Wizard, except that it may be
only one dialog instead of a series of prompts and modal
dialog boxes.
Report Filter Restricts the report data that is currently being viewed. It
may include conditions based on any of the report objects.
Report instance A container for all objects and information needed and
produced during report execution including templates,
filters, prompt answers, generated SQL, report results, and so
on. It is the only object that is referenced when executing a
report, being passed from one special server to another as
execution progresses.
Report Objects A portion of the interface that displays all of the objects that
are associated with a report. It is a palette that users can work
from to select the report objects, and consequently the report
data, that they would like to view. When working within the
set of report objects users can expect fast response times and
a high level of interactivity.
Report wizard An object template for reports that allows users to create
reports by selecting a template and a filter.
Role Exists when one entity within a model serves multiple
purposes. In a schema model, attribute State can have the
roles of Supplier State and Customer State.
In a security model, a role is the set of permissions or
privileges that any given user can have over an object or an
application.
Row The horizontal axis of a report
S
Save To store an item in the metadata.
Scalar A single value, derived from one or more values.
Scheduling A feature of the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server that is used
to automate specific tasks.
Schema The set of tables in a data warehouse associated with a logical
data model. The attribute and fact columns in those tables are
considered part of the schema itself.
The layout or structure of a database system. In relational
databases, the schema defines the tables, the fields in each
table, and the relationships between fields and tables.
Schema object MicroStrategy object created, usually by a project designer,
that relates the information in the logical data model and
physical warehouse schema to the MicroStrategy
environment. These objects are developed in MicroStrategy
Architect, which can be accessed from Desktop. Schema
objects directly reflect the warehouse structure and include
attributes, facts, functions, hierarchies, operators, partition
mappings, tables, and transformations.
Scorecard A type of tally sheet displaying a company's performance
using key performance indicators (KPIs) that gauge how well
a company progresses in areas such as finance, customer
service, product availability and distribution
Security Data and system protection from corruption and loss.
Especially on systems accessed by many users, the prevention
or restriction of access to selected elements by unauthorized
individuals.
Security filter A qualification associated with a user or user group that is
applied to all queries executed by that user or group.
Security role A MicroStrategy object that is used to store a particular
grouping of privileges that you can apply to users or groups
from project to project.
Security view A feature of most relational databases that restricts a user's
access to the data so he can view only a subset of it.
Selector objects that provide dashboards with interactivity, enabling
users to select the data they prefer to see.
Server In a client/server computing environment, the server
receives and processes all requests that come from the client.
Server definition An instance of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server and all of its
configuration settings.
A MicroStrategy object stored in the metadata containing
information about the configuration of an Intelligence Server.
Server instance The combination of an Intelligence Server running with a
particular server definition.
Server object A configuration-level object in the metadata called server
definition. It contains governing settings that apply at the
server level, a list of projects registered on the server,
connection information to the metadata repository, and so
on.
Service A mode of operation for applications running on Windows.
Services can be configured to start automatically when the
machine where they are located starts. A user is not required
to be logged on for a service to run. To set up an application
as a service, you must be the Windows administrator.
Session In general, the time during which a program is running. In
most interactive programs, a session is the time during which
the program accepts inputs and processes information.
In the context of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server, a session
is a connection from a client to the Intelligence Server.
Properties of a session include project source, project, user
name, password, and authentication mode.
An interactive client/server computing facility in which a
program in a server accepts inputs from a client and
processes information in behalf of an end user. Before the
session begins, a connection must be established between
client and server. A session is active when the programs are
running.
Session pool A collection of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server sessions
that the server shares with MDX Adapter. An MDX Adapter
session is identical to one in the pool if the MicroStrategy
project source name, project name, user name, password,
and MDX Adapter virtual cube name are all the same.
Shortcut Bar Used in conjunction with the Object Browser as a means for
fast navigation. Users can drag any folder to the shortcut bar
to create a fast link (shortcut) to that folder. When the user
then clicks on the folder icon the Object Browser will
automatically return to that folder without additional
navigation.
Shortcut metric A metric based on metrics already included in a report. They
provide a quick way to add new metrics to that report.
Shortcut metrics belong to one of these types:
percent-to-total metrics, transformation metrics, rank
metrics, and running sum metrics.
Simple key In a relational database, a primary key that requires only one
column to uniquely identify a record within a table.
Simple metric A type of metric that can stand alone or be used as a building
block for compound metrics. Simple metrics always contain
at least one aggregate function, such as sum or average,
applied to a fact, attribute, or another metric. The entire
metric can only contain one level.
Smart metric A property of a compound metric that allows you to change
the default evaluation order. Smart metrics calculate
subtotals on the individual elements of the compound metric.
For example, a smart metric uses the formula
Sum(Metric1)/Sum(Metric2) rather than
Sum(Metric1/Metric2) when calculating subtotals on a
report.
Software Development
Kit
A distribution package of application program development
software and the instructions for its use.
Sort Arranging data according to some characteristic of the data
itself (alphabetical descending, numeric ascending, and so
forth).
Source system Any system or file that captures or holds data of interest.
SQL Engine The MicroStrategy Intelligence Server component that in
report execution converts report requests into SQL to be used
for a database query.
SQL view Report viewing mode that displays the SQL query used to
produce results.
Statistics tables Tables that are used to record a variety of statistical
information about the usage and performance of a
MicroStrategy system.
Structured Query
Language
The standardized query language standardized in 1986 by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and used to
request information from tables in a relational database and
to manipulate the tables' structure and data.
Subscribe In Web, the ability to request a report or an HTML document
execution to occur on a selected predefined schedule. Reports
and HTML documents scheduled through subscription are
available in the History List when execution is complete.
Subtotal A totaling operation performed for a portion of a result set.
System hierarchy The superset hierarchy containing all attributes in a project.
Unlike a browse hierarchy, it is not explicitly created but is
automatically deduced by the MicroStrategy platform from
all information available to it.
System tables The table or set of tables which contains the names of, and
information about, all non-temporary tables in a data
warehouse.
T
Table The primary physical component of a data warehouse,
logically consisting of columns of data of varying types.
Table name space A field that is read from the warehouse catalog and used to
organize databases. This field cannot be modified from the
product since it is actually stored in the warehouse. Each
table object in the metadata stores the name space or owner
from which it came. This is needed to uniquely identify each
table saved in the project when comparing table information
in the metadata to the real one in the warehouse.
Table size The estimated size of a database table in terms of number of
rows.
Task The smallest logical unit of work that MicroStrategy
Intelligence Server performs when processing a job. Some
tasks involved in processing a report include report
resolution, SQL generation, SQL execution, data
arrangement, and statistical analysis of the data.
Template The data definition portion of the template consists of the
group of objects (attribute, metrics, custom groups, etc.) that
defines the columns of data to be included in the result set.
The layout and format of these objects are defined within the
template's view definition.
Template unit Anything that can be put on a template. Also, an item that can
display in a template, such as attribute, metric, dimension,
custom group.
Temporary table A physical data table that is created in the warehouse, stores
intermediate results sets, and allows query processing to
occur within the warehouse. The table is removed after query
processing completes.
Text field A type of control in a document that displays text in the
document. These different types of text content are:
static text, which does not change and serves as a label
dynamic text, which is populated by the document or dataset.
There are two types of dynamic text:
data field, which is populated from a dataset with data that
originated in the data warehouse (or an Intelligence Server
cache). A data field is only a reference to an object on a
report.
auto text code, which is populated by the document or
dataset, consisting of their properties rather than data from
the data warehouse
Thread The execution of a sequence of CPU instructions that exist in
a process. The basic unit of execution to which Windows
allocates CPU time. Each thread in a process is associated
with a set of CPU registers and a stack. A thread can be the
execution of any part of the code, including a part currently
associated with a different thread. All threads of a process
share the virtual address space, global variables, and
operating system resources of the process.
Three-tier A client/server architecture in which software systems are
structured into three layers: the user interface layer, the
business logic layer, and the database layer.
In the context of MicroStrategy system configurations, a
three-tier system consists of a Desktop client, the Intelligence
Server, and the database.
Threshold Used to create conditional formatting for metric values. For
example, if dollar sales is greater than $200, format that cell
to have a blue background with bold type.
Transformation A schema object that encapsulates a business rule used to
compare results of different time periods. Transformations
are used in the definition of a metric to alter the behavior of
that metric.
Transformation metric An otherwise simple metric that takes the properties of the
transformation applied to it. For example, a metric calculates
total sales. Add a transformation for last year and the metric
now calculates last year's total sales.
Two-tier A client/server architecture in which software systems are
structured into two layers: the user interface/business logic
layer and the database layer. Fourth-generation languages
like 4GL have helped to popularize the two-tier client/server
architecture.
in the context of MicroStrategy system configurations, a
two-tier system consists of a Desktop client and the database.
Compare three-tier, four-tier.
U
User In general, an individual who uses a computer system,
application, or resources. This person is usually associated
with a user account.
A person who can log in to a MicroStrategy system, create
and own objects such as reports, execute reports, and take
advantage of all the other features in the system.
User account In a multi-user computer system, an established means for an
individual to gain access to the system and its resources.
Usually created by the system administrator, a user account
consists of information about the user, such as password,
rights, and permissions.
User address space Sometimes referred to as virtual address space. Independent
of virtual memory and of finite size. It is measured per
process on the machine (such as the MSTRSVR.exe
Intelligence Server application). By definition, in a 32 bit
operating system, virtual bytes is limited to 4GB (232). By
default, Windows operating system divides this into two parts
UAS and System Address Space (SAS). The UAS is, in this
case, for Intelligence Server to store data and code while the
SAS is for the operating system's use.
User category A classification of users of software. Generally speaking,
MicroStrategy has the following user categories:
administrator, application administrator, analyst, developer,
project designer, report designer, service designer,
subscription administrator, system administrator, system
developer.
User group "Group" for short. A collection of users.
User hierarchy Named sets of attributes and their relationships, arranged in
specific sequences for a logical business organization. They
are user-defined and do not need to follow the logical model.
User Merge Wizard provides an intuitive and efficient way to merge users, groups
and other configuration objects into a MicroStrategy project
source, reducing administrative efforts.
User name Login identifier, usually supplied with a password.
V
Vector An array of values.
View In a database, an entity that behaves exactly like a table but
has no independent existence of its own.
In security terms, the complete set of permissions that a
particular user or group of users has.
View definition Report execution steps which represent how the data is
viewed and manipulated in the Intelligence Server. The view
definition determines how the final report data set generated
in the data definition steps is manipulated.
View filter The set of criteria that restricts the report data that is
currently being viewed. It may include conditions based on
any of the report objects.
Virtual bytes The limit associated with Intelligence Server's virtual address
space allocation is the committed address space (memory
actually being used by a process) plus the reserved address
space (memory reserved for potential use by a process).
Virtual dataset A dataset held in memory that is the result of a compound
join between multiple datasets in a document.
Virtual memory The amount of physical memory (RAM) plus Disk Page file
(also called the swap file).
VLDB Very large database.
VLDB settings Settings that affect the way MicroStrategy Intelligence Server
interacts with the data warehouse to take advantage of the
unique optimizations that different databases offer.
W - Z
Warehouse catalog The list of tables and columns that exist in the relational
database.
Warehouse partition
mapping
A type of application-level partitioning where the mapping of
partitions is carried out and maintained in the warehouse.
MicroStrategy uses a partition mapping table (PMT), which
lists the partition base tables (PBT) and relationships of the
smaller tables to the original table.
Working set A collection of messages that reference in-memory report
instances. A message is added to the working set when a user
executes a report or retrieves a message from his or her
Inbox.
XML cache A report cache in XML format that is created and available
for use on the Web.
XSL Short for Extensible Style Language. While you use XML to
define the structure of information, you use XSL to define the
format of the information. XSL works much like a template,
allowing you to apply single style HTML documents to
multiple pages.
MicroStrategy Report Services: Dynamic Dashboards Index
INDEX
A
administration
Database Instance Manager 40
Schedule Manager 40
User Manager 40
advanced sort 111
attribute 60
C
cache 276
change journaling 69
consolidation 60
cross-tab 59
Cube Analysis, Derived Elements, Report
Objects, View Filter, Derived
Metric 275
custom group 61
D
Data Import 26
data pivoting 101
methods for data pivoting 102
Database Instance Manager 40
decision support architecture
diagram 23, 28
ETL process 26, 28
metadata database 27, 28
MicroStrategy applications 27, 28
source systems 24, 28
default prompt answers 302
derived metric
built-in 284
derived metrics 282
Desktop
Analyst 31
Designer 32
toolbar 45
Desktop, business intelligence 31
document subscription
subscribing
history list 124
mobile device 127
update cache 126
drilling 90
keep parent 94
Keep parent option 94
Index MicroStrategy Report Services: Dynamic Dashboards
methods 91
toolbar button 92
dynamic aggregation 246
E
editors
Filter Editor 209
Metric Editor 245
Report Editor 57
Search Editor 331
ETL process 26, 28
exporting 121, 132
F
Fact Editor 236
filter 55
Filter Editor
layout 209
filters
attribute qualification filters 212
creating 210
embedded filters 218
filter definition prompts 304, 335
Filter Editor 209
filter qualifiers 218
set operators 219, 224, 279
folder list 42
folders
Data Explorer 41
History 41
My Personal Objects 41
Public Objects 41
Schema Objects 41
Function Wizard 247
G
grand totals 105
graphs
categories and series 175
displaying data values 171
formatting numbers 171
H
history list subscription 124
L
lesson objectives
Filters 204
Introduction to MicroStrategy Decision
Support 22
Introduction to MicroStrategy
Desktop 30
Metrics 234
Prompts and Searches 298
Report Manipulations 88, 152, 274
Reports 54
M
menus
Administration 44
Edit 44
File 44
Go 44
Help 45
Schema 44
Tools 44
View 44
Window 45
metadata database 27, 28
metric 61
removing columns 69
Metric Editor 245
layout 245
metrics 237
components 248
compound 243
compound metrics 243, 258
creating 249
creation 245
formatting 251, 252
formula 249
Metric Editor 245
nested 242
saving 250
simple 241
simple metrics 241, 282
subtotals and 252, 258
subtotals, subtotals 252
types 241
MicroStrategy
Architect 35
MicroStrategy Administrator 31
MicroStrategy Agent 31
MicroStrategy Architect 31, 35
MicroStrategy Desktop
components 31
mobile device subscription 127
N
notes 129, 133
O
Object prompts 314
object viewer 42
objects
creation 45, 47
list of 48
save 48
saving 48, 66
schema, objects
application, objects
configuration 47
OLAP Services 275
outline mode
using outline mode 116
P
page-by 97
creating page-by fields 99
printing 119, 132
Project Source, project 37
project sources
logging in 39
projects
accessing 40
default structure 41
prompt
object 61
prompts 299
creating 300
filter definition 300, 304
filter definition prompts 304, 335
level 301
local, local prompts 323
object 301, 314
object prompt 301, 315, 335
required answers 302
save and reuse answers 303, 326
saving reports with 325, 335
search-based 334
types of 300
value prompt 301, 320, 335
web options 302
Q
quick sort 110
R
removing metric column 69
report design
change journaling 69
removing metric column 69
report details properties 69
filter details - contents 71
filter details - other 71
general 70
template details 72
report details properties 69
Report Editor 58, 282
layout 57
report filter 61
report manipulation
adding notes 129, 133
save and reuse prompt answers 326
Report Objects 276
report views
Design View 68, 73
Graph View 68, 73
Grid View 68, 73
SQL View 68, 73
reports 55
adding attributes 62
adding metrics 63
create 59, 62
create, reports
view, reports
save 57
creating 62
details properties 69
display views 68, 73
exporting 121, 132
printing 119, 132
prompts and 325, 335
Report Editor 57
run 68
running 68
save 66
saving 66
view 56
reports, template 55
re-prompting 324
S
save and reuse prompt answers 326
Schedule Manager 40
search
by object ID 333
Search Editor 331
searches 331
prompts and 334
saving 334
Search Editor 331
set operators 219, 224, 279
shortcut bar 43
shortcut metrics 284
smart metrics 255
sorting 110
advanced sort 110
quick sort 110
source systems 24, 28
subtotal 103
subtotals
displaying 103
grand totals 105
T
tabular 60
template 59
Template Editor 59
templates
adding attributes 62
adding metrics 63
cross-tab 59
defining 59
tabular 60
Template Editor 59
threshold 159, 179
toolbar buttons
Copy 45
Cut 45
Delete 45
Display Outline Results 116
Drill 92
Edit 46
Go one level up 46
Go to project 46
New 45
Paste 45
Preferences/View Object
Properties 45
Print Preview 119
Refresh 46
Rename 45
Run Report 46, 68
Search 46
Show or Hide the Folder List 46
View 46
View Pages 99
U
update cache subscription 126
User Manager 40
V
value prompts, prompts
value 319
view filter 279

Desktop Reporting Essentials

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MICROSTRATEGY DESKTOP: REPORTING ESSENTIALS

A note icon indicates helpful information.

A warning icon calls your attention to very important information that

Precedes a Review section

Precedes a Case Study

Precedes a Business Scenario

For more information on MultiSource Option, refer to the

For more information about MicroStrategy Architect, refer to the

Publish Intelligent Cube*

Save derived elements*

Use Intelligent Cube Editor*

Save derived elements*

Create HTML container**

Desktop Version Comparison

Use bulk export editor***

Define transaction report***

Define freeform SQL, MDX, and query

Modify the list of report objects (use

Use object browser

Use consolidation editor

Use custom group editor

Use data mart editor

Use design mode

Use drill map editor

Use filter editor

Use find and replace dialog

Use formatting editor

Use HTML document editor

Use link editor

Use metric editor

Use project documentation

Use prompt editor

Use SQL Statement tab in Datamart/Bulk

Use subtotal editor

Use template editor

Desktop Version Comparison

Use VLDB property editor

View ETL Information

* Requires MicroStrategy OLAP Services

This action will connect you to a MicroStrategy project source.

By default, only users with administrative privileges can see the

For more information on Change Journaling, refer to the

For more information on administration functionality, refer to the

The project opens so you can view its contents.

Most of these objects are described later in this lesson.

Your new shortcut displays on the Shortcut Bar.

Your new shortcut group displays in the Shortcut Bar.

The menus and options available to you depend on your security

The specific functionality of some of the toolbar buttons varies

The New object button looks and functions differently depending on

If you right-click an object instead of an empty area in the Object

For more information on Configuration objects see the MicroStrategy

The shortcut is named after the original object.

An object with shortcuts pointed to it cannot be deleted until its

The shortcut is automatically renamed after the new target object.

Creating report views requires MicroStrategy OLAP Services, an add-on

For more information on customizing your shortcuts, see Shortcut

This window is only available if you have MicroStrategy OLAP

For more information on the MicroStrategy Engine, refer to the

This window is only available if you have MicroStrategy OLAP

A report cache is simply a report result set that is saved on

For more information on custom groups refer to the MicroStrategy

For more information on metrics, see the Metrics lesson starting on

For more information on object prompts, see Object Prompts starting