Analyzing and manipulating data
Analyzing and manipulating data
Maximizing your document or dashboard: Full screen mode
- Executing reports in Full Screen Mode
- Executing all documents in Full Screen mode
Moving objects on a report
- Showing and hiding pivot buttons
Adding objects to a report
- Adding objects from the Report Objects list
- Adding objects from the All Objects list
Renaming objects on a report
Removing objects from a report
Displaying and pivoting attribute forms
Displaying outline results: Outline mode
Viewing specific rows and columns: Filtering on Selections
Using the Crosstab toolbar
Swapping a report's rows and columns
Creating a metric based on other metrics on the report: Derived metrics
- Formula guidelines for derived metrics
Creating a shortcut metric on a report
- Creating a percent-to-total shortcut metric
- Creating a transformation shortcut metric
- Creating a rank shortcut metric
Analyzing and manipulating data
You can analyze and manipulate the data within a report in several ways after you
execute it.
For example, you can do the following:
You can also perform the following tasks, which are explained in other topics in the online help.
Maximizing your report: Full Screen Mode
When analyzing a report, you may want to view as much of the report at one time
as possible, to more easily analyze the data within it. You can
enable Full Screen mode while viewing any report to maximize how much of the report
you see at one time on the screen.
When you enable Full Screen mode while viewing a report, all of the menus, toolbars,
and panels are hidden from view except the Standard toolbar. The Standard toolbar
allows you to quickly switch viewing modes, save, print, export, deliver the report,
and more. The Page-by field is displayed as well, so you can still select from the
different sets of data in your report.
To enable Full Screen Mode in a report:
- Run a report in your preferred view (Grid, Graph, or Grid and Graph).
- From the View menu, select Full Screen Mode.
OR
From the Standard toolbar, select the Full Screen Mode icon .
OR
Press F12.
Note: To further maximize your view of the report, enable Full Screen mode in your browser. For example, you can press F11 to enable Full Screen mode in Internet Explorer.
All of the menus, toolbars, and panels, are removed from the screen, except the Standard
toolbar.
To switch from Full Screen Mode back to the normal screen mode in a report:
In a report currently displayed in Full Screen Mode, select the Restore Normal Screen
Mode icon from the Standard toolbar.
OR
Press F12.
The menus, toolbars, and panels are
displayed again.
Executing reports in Full Screen mode
You can ensure that when a report is executed, it opens in Full Screen mode by default.
You can also ensure that all reports in your project open in Full Screen mode when
they are executed.
To ensure that a report opens in Full Screen mode:
- View a report in your preferred view mode (Grid, Graph, or Grid and Graph).
- From the Format menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box/panel
is displayed.
- Select the Always open this report in full screen mode check box.
- Click OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box/panel. The next time the report is executed, it will automatically open in Full Screen Mode.
Executing all documents in Full Screen mode
You
can set your user preferences to control whether all documents
execute in full screen mode by default. There are three possible
options:
- To ensure that documents are executed in full screen mode only if
the document's full screen mode setting is enabled, use the Read from document setting. Within documents, this setting
is the Always open this document in full screen mode check box in the Document Properties
dialog box/panel.
- To ensure that all documents in the current
project are executed in full screen mode by default, use the Open every document in full screen mode setting.
- To ensure that no documents in the current
project are executed in full screen mode, use the Don't open any document in full screen mode setting.
Note: If you select this setting and open a document with the document-level setting Always open this document in full screen mode enabled, the document will not open in full screen mode. The project-level setting Don't open any document in full screen mode overrides the document-level setting Always open this document in full screen mode.
To determine whether all documents in a project are executed in full screen mode:
- Click the Preferences link at the top right of the screen. The User Preferences page
is displayed.
- From the left, select General.
- In the Output Formats area at the bottom, select the appropriate option in the Full Screen Mode Behaviour for Documents drop-down list.
- Click Apply at the bottom to confirm the changes.
Moving objects on a report
You can move an object (metric, attribute, consolidation, or custom
group) on a report to change the report's layout. This is sometimes
called data pivoting. Depending on whether DHTML is turned on or off,
there are several ways to do this. These are described below:
To move objects on a report:
- If DHTML is on, choose one of the following:
- Right-click the object's header, select
Move, then select the option desired.
- Click the object's header and drag it to the new
location on the report or to the Page-by area above the report. The positions
where it can be dropped are highlighted while you drag it.
- If the pivot buttons
are displayed, click the button representing the direction in which you
wish to move the object. These buttons are explained below.
- If DHTML is disabled: The pivot buttons must be displayed. Click the button representing the direction in which you wish to move the object.
Showing and hiding pivot
buttons
If DHTML is
disabled, you can only move objects on a report using the pivot buttons
that appear in the report's column and row headers.
To show and hide pivot buttons on a report:
From the View menu, select Pivot buttons.
- If DHTML is disabled: From the View drop-down list, select Pivot buttons, then click the Go icon next to the drop-down list.
The pivot buttons are displayed on the report and, in the View menu, the Show Pivot buttons
option is displayed with a check mark next to it, indicating that it is
selected. To hide the pivot buttons, repeat the step you used to show
them.
Use the following pivot buttons to move objects on a report:
- Move to the left
- Move to the right
- Move to columns
- Move up
- Move down
- Move to rows
- Page-by this field
, which moves the object to the Page-by axis.
- Move to columns (down)
: moves the object out of the
Page-by axis and into the columns of the report.
Adding objects to a
report
In Design mode, use the Object Browser
panel on the left of the report to add objects to the report. The
Object Browser panel has two tabs from which you can select objects to
place on the report: Report Objects and All Objects.
To add objects to a report template in Design mode:
- Navigate to the desired object using the drop-down list. You can search for specific objects by using the Find field in the Object Browser.
- Add the selected object to the report template by doing
one of the following:
- Drag the object to the desired location in the grid
and drop it.
- Double-click the object to add it to the report.
- Right-click the object and select Add to Grid, then move it to
the desired location.
- If DHTML is disabled, select the object from the Object Browser and
click the Add > button.
- Use the pivot and delete buttons to manipulate objects on the
report template.
Note: In Design Mode, you can also choose
which attribute forms are displayed on the report. From the Report
Objects panel, right-click any attribute form and select the attribute forms you
want to appear on the report.
To add objects to a report template in Grid or Grid and Graph View
In Grid mode, access the Object Browser using the following instructions and
follow the procedure above.
- From the Data menu, select Add Report Objects.
- If DHTML is disabled: From the Data drop-down list, select Add Report Objects and click the Go icon next to the drop-down list.
OR
Click the Object Browser icon on the Panels toolbar.
- If necessary, use the pivot and delete buttons to manipulate objects on the
report template.
Note: You may not have the necessary privileges to use the Object Browser. For more information, contact your administrator.
Adding objects from the Report Objects list
The Report Objects tab on the Object Browser panel displays a list of
all objects that are included in the report definition and to which you
have access.
Prerequisites
You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create derived metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
The objects that appear in the Report Objects list may or may not all currently appear on the report, as explained below:
- Objects that are displayed in gray are being used on the report.
- Objects that are displayed in black are not currently being used on the report.
To add an object displayed in the Report Objects tab to the report:
- Do one of the following:
- Drag the object to the desired location in the grid
and drop it.
Double-click the object to add it to the report.
- Right-click the object and select Add to Grid, then move it to the desired location.
- If DHTML is disabled: Select the object from the Report Objects list and click the Add > button.
- If necessary, use the pivot and delete buttons to manipulate objects on the
report template.
Note: In Design
Mode, you can also choose which attribute forms are displayed on the
report. From the Report Objects panel, right-click any attribute form and select
the attribute forms you want to appear on the report.
Adding objects from the All Objects list
The All Objects tab on the Object Browser panel displays a list of all
folders and objects in the project to which you have access.
Prerequisites
You must have the
necessary report designer privileges to see the All Objects tab on the
Object Browser. For more information, contact your administrator.
You see the following in the All Objects list, depending on whether or not DHTML is enabled.
- If DHTML
is enabled, both folders and objects are displayed together. Click a
folder to see the folders and objects in it and to find the object you
wish to add to the report.
- If DHTML is
disabled, there are two separate lists: one for folders and one for
objects. To open a folder, select it and click the Open button.
Notes:
- In the Object Browser, shortcuts to
the My Personal Objects, Attributes, Metrics, and Hierarchies folders are available.
Click a folder's shortcut link to access that
folder.
- You can also add a column containing a calculation between two metrics on the report. For more information, see Create a new metric on a report.
To add an object displayed in the All Objects tab to the
report:
- Do one of the following:
- Drag the object to the desired location in the grid
and drop it.
Double-click the object to add it to the report.
- Right-click the object and select Add to Grid, then move it to the desired location.
- If DHTML is disabled: select the object and click the Add > button.
- If necessary, search for objects in the project by entering the name of the object in the Find text field. Then, press Enter or
click the Find icon to run the search.
Renaming objects on a report
You can rename or give an alias to an object on a report. For example, you could rename "Employees" to "Associates."
Prerequisites
You must have the necessary privileges to rename objects. For more information, contact your
administrator.
To rename objects on a report:
- On the grid, right-click the object to rename and select Rename. The Rename/Edit Objects dialog
box opens.
- If DTHML is disabled: From the Data drop-down list, select Rename/Edit Objects, then
click the Go icon next to the drop-down list. The Rename/Edit Objects panel is displayed.
From the drop-down list, select the object that you wish to rename and click the Go icon.
- In the Name field, type a new name for the object.
- Click the Apply button to apply your changes. Or, click the OK button to apply your
changes and close the panel.
Removing objects from a
report
There are several ways to remove an object (metric, attribute, consolidation, or
custom group) from a report, depending on whether DHTML is turned enabled or disabled.
Prerequisites
If you do not have the OLAP Services product, you cannot remove an object from a report
and leave it in the Report Objects list. In this case, when you try to remove an object, it is removed from both
the Report Objects list and the grid, and then, the report is re-executed.
To remove objects from a report:
Do one of the following:
- If DHTML is enabled, choose one of the following:
- Right-click the object's header and select Remove from Grid. The object is removed
from the grid, but remains in the Report Objects list.
Note: You can remove objects of the same type from the Report Objects tab. To do so, hold CTRL and select objects of the same type (for example, all metrics). Then, right-click one of the objects and select the Remove from Grid option from the
right-click menu.
- If the pivot buttons are displayed, click the Remove from Grid icon
next to the
object to remove. The object is removed from the grid, but remains in the Report
Objects list.
- Click the object's header and drag it off of the report. The object is removed from
the grid, but remains in the Report Objects list.
- If viewing the objects in the Report Objects list, right-click the object to remove
and select Remove from Report Objects. The object is removed from both the Report
Objects list and the grid, then the report is re-executed.
Note: You must have the OLAP Services
product to view the Report Objects tab and you must have the necessary
privileges to remove an object from the Report Objects tab.
- You can also remove objects from a report in Design mode.
Note: You may not have the necessary privileges to view a report in Design mode.
- If DHTML is disabled, choose one of the following:
- The pivot buttons must be displayed. Click the Remove from Grid icon
to remove
an object.
- If viewing the objects in the Report Objects list, select the object within the Report
Objects list and click Remove. The object is removed from both the Report Objects
list and the grid, then the report is re-executed.
Note: You may not have the necessary privileges to remove an object from the Report
Objects tab.
- You can also remove objects from a report in Design mode.
Note: You may not have the necessary privileges to view a report in Design mode.
Displaying and pivoting attribute forms
You can choose to display and remove any attribute forms related to the attributes
on your report. Attribute forms are identifiers or descriptors of an attribute. Just
as an element is a distinct occurrence of an attribute, a form defines the attribute.
To show or hide attribute forms:
Click the Attribute Forms icon on the Grid toolbar.
To specify which attribute forms to display on the grid:
- View a report in Grid or Grid and Graph View. To do so, from the View menu, select either Grid or Grid and Graph.
- From the Data menu, select Attribute Forms. The Attribute Forms dialog box is displayed.
- If DHTML is disabled: From the Data drop-down list, select Attribute Forms and click
the Go icon. The Attribute Forms panel is displayed.
- From the Current Attribute drop-down list, select the attribute whose forms you want
to display.
- Select the check boxes next to the attribute forms you want to display on the report.
You can see what attribute forms are currently available for the given attribute
in the Selected Forms area.
- To specify an order for the attribute forms, click the name of the attribute form
to highlight it. Then, click the up or down arrow on the right. The selected attribute
form is moved.
- If DHTML is disabled: Click the option button in the Selected column for the attribute
form to move. Then, click the up or down arrow on the right. The selected attribute
form is moved.
- Click Apply to display the attribute forms you selected in the report.
Notes:
- In Design Mode, you can also choose which attribute forms are displayed on a report.
To do so, from the Report Objects panel, right-click any attribute form and select
the attribute forms you want to appear in the report.
- You can also pivot any attribute forms
displayed on the grid the same way you pivot other report objects. To learn
about data pivoting, see Move an object on a report.
Displaying outline results: Outline
mode
Outline mode presents a different and more interactive way of viewing
and printing data. You can expand and collapse sections of data to
control what portion of the report to view. To view a report in outline
mode, from the Format grid menu or drop-down list, choose Outline. For most reports, small plus sign icons
appear to the left of each header in the left-most column. You can
click these plus signs to expand the data for that header, and then
click them again to re-collapse the data. The plus signs change to
minus signs when clicked, and then change back to plus signs when clicked again.
Above the left-most column header you may also see numbered
buttons--one for each outline level. To expand a specific level of the report
and all levels above it (represented by buttons with lower numbers), click the
button with the number for that level. For example, to expand all levels and
show all details in the report, click the button with the highest number. To
collapse all levels in the report except the top level and show only summary
data in the report, click the button with the lowest number.
When you export a report that has Outline mode enabled, the
report's outline look and feel is persisted in Excel. For example,
this means that if you have the first two attributes expanded and the last one
contracted in the report before you export, the same attributes are expanded and
contracted in Excel. You can use the expand and contract buttons in Excel to
reveal or conceal additional report information just as you would in Web.
Prerequisites
Outline mode is available
only if DHTML is enabled. To enable DHTML, click Preferences on the Web menu at the top. From the Use Dynamic HTML drop-down list in the General preferences, select Determine Automatically. If you are using a browser that supports DHTML, DHTML optimization is enabled in MicroStrategy Web.
To
enable outline mode:
- From the Format menu, select Report Options. The Report Options dialog box opens.
OR
Click the Outline icon on the Grid toolbar.
- Select the Outline check box.
- Click Apply at
the bottom of the dialog box.
Viewing specific rows and columns: Filtering on Selections
You can use the Filter on Selections feature to set whether rows or
columns of information should be kept on or removed from a report. For
example, if a report has more rows of information than you wish to
view, you can specify which ones to keep and which to discard.
To view specific rows and columns:
- From the Data menu, select Filter on
Selections.
The report appears with a check box for each column
and row of information on the report.
- If DHTML is disabled: From the Data
drop-down list, select Filter on Selections, then click the Go icon next to the drop-down list.
- Select the check boxes for the rows and columns you wish to keep on
the report. Elements with check boxes that are cleared are removed from the
report.
- Click the Apply button in the Filter on Selections panel above the report.
The report is displayed with only the elements you selected. Click OK if you want to apply the changes and
close the panel.
Using the Crosstab toolbar
The Crosstab toolbar provides several options you can use
to perform various report functions and customize the appearance of the report. The following
options appear on the Crosstab toolbar:
Swapping a report's rows and columns
While in Grid mode, use the Swap Rows and
Columns option to swap a report's rows and columns. To swap the rows and
columns of a report, select the Swap Rows and Columns icon in the Crosstab toolbar or,
from the Data menu, select Swap Rows and Columns.
Creating a new
metric on a report
You can add a metric or
calculated column to a report based on metrics that are already on the report.
These are called derived metrics.
Prerequisites
You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create derived metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
To create a derived metric on a report:
- Display a report in any view mode. To do so, from the View menu, select Grid, Graph, Grid and Graph.
- From the Data menu, select Insert
New Metric. The Insert New Metric dialog box is displayed.
- If DHTML is disabled: From the Data drop-down list, select
Insert New Metric, then click the Go icon next to the drop-down
list. The Insert New Metric panel is displayed.
OR
Select the Insert New Metric icon from the Crosstab toolbar.
- In the Name field, type the name of the new metric, leaving the value "New metric" selected in
the drop-down list.
- In the Definition field, type in the details of how
the metric is calculated.
Note: If DHTML is enabled, you can select a metric from the left pane and add it to the Definition field. See Formula guidelines below for
information about how to specify definitions.
- Click the Apply button to insert the new metric on
the report or click the OK button to create the new metric and close the Insert New Metric dialog box.
Formula
guidelines for derived metrics
When creating derived metrics, adhere to the following guidelines:
- When using another metric with spaces or special characters in its name, place the
name within brackets [ ]. For example, "[$ Sales]".
- You may use arithmetic operators and parentheses in the formula. For example, the
formula for a derived metric called Profit may be: [$ Sales] - Cost
Creating a shortcut metric on a
report
Shortcut metrics are available when you right-click on a metric column or metric
column header. Shortcut metrics are a quick way to add new metrics to a report, based
on the metrics in the report. They only apply to the report in which they are created;
you cannot reuse them on another report.
Prerequisites
- You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create shortcut metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
- Shortcut metrics are available only if DHTML is enabled in Web.
Shortcut metrics include the following:
- Percent-to-total shortcut metrics, which display the percent in relation to a selected
total of each item affected by the metric
- Transformation shortcut metrics, which apply offset values, such as "four months
ago," to the selected attribute
- Rank shortcut metrics, which apply a ranking number to the metric values for a given
attribute
Note:
All of the shortcut metrics listed above are derived metrics, except
for transformation shortcut metrics. Transformation shortcut metrics
must be calculated in SQL and are therefore only available to users
that have the privilege to manipulate objects within the Report Objects
tab. Because the shortcut metrics must be calculated, the report is
re-executed to display
the new metric. Reports are not re-executed when other shortcut metrics
are added.
Creating a percent-to-total shortcut metric
Percent-to-total shortcut metrics display the percent in relation to a selected total
of each item affected by the metric. Use a percent-to-total shortcut metric to show
cell-level values as percents of an accumulated row or column total. The metric can
also total by page, for each value of the attribute, or the grand total. Shortcut
metrics are a quick way to add new metrics based on the existing metrics of a report.
Prerequisites
- You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create shortcut metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
- Shortcut metrics are available only if DHTML is enabled in Web.
The following conditions apply to percent-to-total shortcut metrics:
- Row and column percent totals refer to the uppermost and extreme-left positions,
respectively.
- Page percent totals affect all attributes on a page.
- Percent to All -> A1, where A1 is an attribute, indicates that the calculation is
performed across all elements of that attribute. An example is percent to all stores.
- If a report does not contain attributes at a given percent-to-total level, the level
is unavailable for that report.
- In some cases, two or more percent-to-total calculations at different logical levels
yield the same result. For example, Percent-to-Page Total data can be the same as
Percent-to-Grand Total data in a single-page report.
- The level of a percent-to-total shortcut metric remains constant once the metric
has been calculated; subsequent manipulation does not affect it.
To create a percent-to-total shortcut metric:
- Display a report in any view mode. To do so, from the View menu, select Grid, Graph, Grid and Graph.
- Right-click the column(s) or row(s) to see displayed as percents of a total.
- Select Insert Metric and point to Percent To Total. A menu opens with the following
options. Select the portions of the report for which percent-to-total data is to
be displayed.
- Over Rows: displays values in each row of the report as percents of a row total.
- Over Columns: displays values in each column as percents of a column total. Page
Total: (applicable to reports to which the Page-by function has been applied) displays
all values on a page as percents of that page's total.
- Grand Total: displays all values in a report as percents of the grand total for that
report.
- Total for Each: displays all values pertaining to a given report component (an attribute,
for example) as percents of the total accumulated for that component.
Creating a transformation shortcut metric
Transformation shortcut metrics apply offset values, such as "four months ago," to
the selected attribute. The offset value is called a transformation.
Note: Transformations are schema objects and therefore only a project designer with
schema object privileges can create them. For more information on transformations, see the MicroStrategy Project Design Guide.
Transformation shortcut metrics allow you to compare current values for a given metric
against corresponding values for that metric across a time period. For example, if
you add a Last Year transformation to a revenue metric, the new shortcut metric calculates
last year's revenue. Shortcut metrics are a quick way to add metrics based on existing
metrics to a report.
Prerequisites
- You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create shortcut metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
- Shortcut metrics are available only if DHTML is enabled in Web.
- Transformation shortcut metrics must be calculated in SQL and are therefore only
available to users that have the privilege to manipulate objects within the Report
Objects tab.
For each transformation metric, you can select what to calculate:
- Normal shows unit figures for both the current values and the corresponding values
for the interval selected.
- Variance displays the difference between the current values and the corresponding
values for the interval selected, for example, Revenue - (Last Year's (Revenue)).
- Variance percentage calculates the difference, expressed as a percentage, between
the current values and the corresponding ones for the interval selected, for example,
Revenue - (Last Year's (Revenue))/(Last Year's (Revenue)).
To create a transformation shortcut metric:
- Display a report in any view mode. To do so, from the View menu, select Grid, Graph, Grid and Graph.
- Right-click the column(s) or row(s) to use to create a transformation metric.
- From the Data menu, select Insert Metric, then point Transformation.
- Select the transformation interval in which the selected column or row is to be displayed.
Select one of the following formats for the transformation data:
- Normal: shows unit figures for both the current values and corresponding ones for
the interval selected.
- Variance: shows the difference between current values and corresponding ones for
the interval selected.
- Variance Percentage: shows the difference, expressed as a percentage, between current
values and corresponding ones for the interval selected.
Creating a rank shortcut metric
Rank shortcut metrics apply a ranking number to the metric values for a given attribute.
When selected, this shortcut metric provides break-by options for each attribute
on the report. Shortcut metrics are a quick way to add metrics based on existing
metrics to a report. Use the rank function to show the relative position of a given
cell content in relation to other values for a report component.
Prerequisites
- You must have MicroStrategy OLAP Services to create shortcut metrics. If you would
like to evaluate OLAP Services, contact your MicroStrategy Account Executive or e-mail
MicroStrategy directly at info@microstrategy.com.
- Shortcut metrics are available only if DHTML is enabled in Web.
To create a rank shortcut metric:
- Display a report in any view mode. To do so, from the View menu, select Grid, Graph, Grid and Graph.
- Right-click the column(s) or row(s) to rank.
- From the Data menu, select Insert Metric, and then point to Rank.
- Select the break-by value from the list, and then select either Ascending or Descending.
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