Changing default settings

This section explains how to use Discoverer's default settings, and contains the following topics:

• "About default Discoverer settings"

• "How to change default Discoverer settings"

• "How to revert to the default format settings"

• "How to change default worksheet formats"

• "Notes on setting Advanced options"

About default Discoverer settings

Discoverer's default settings determine the appearance and behavior of Discoverer worksheets. You can change the default settings for new worksheets to suit your requirements. For example, you might want new worksheets to have a grey background and blue text. Or you might want to limit the amount of data returned by a query so that worksheets are not too large.

You are advised to only change your default settings in one of the following circumstances:

• you want to change only the default color and style of headings and data in your worksheets

• you are an experienced Discoverer user

• you have been asked to change your default settings by the Discoverer manager

Default settings are applied in the following manner:

• Default options apply when you start working with Discoverer.

• Changes to default settings apply to all new workbooks.

• Changes to default settings do not affect workbooks created previously.

Note: You can change properties in specific worksheets using the "Worksheet Properties dialog: General tab", "Worksheet Properties dialog: Sheet/Crosstab Format tab" and the "Worksheet Properties dialog: Aggregation tab". Here you apply new settings to the current worksheet without changing the default settings.

How to change default Discoverer settings

You can change the default appearance and behavior of Discoverer worksheets. For example, you might want to:

• change the default background color for worksheets to blue

• turn on automatic querying so that worksheets are refreshed with up-to-date data when you change a worksheet layout

To change default settings:

1. Choose Tools | Options to display the "Options dialog: General tab".

2. Display the appropriate tab for the properties that you want to edit.

   The table below describes the tabs available on the Options dialog.

   Tab	Use to
   "Options dialog: General tab"	Specify how Discoverer displays data when worksheets are first opened.
   "Options dialog: Query Governor tab"	Specify how Discoverer uses summaries, and how Discoverer manages execution of queries.
   "Options dialog: Sheet tab"	Specify how Discoverer displays worksheet headers, titles, text area, gridlines.
   "Options dialog: Formats tab"	Specify the format that Discoverer displays new worksheet headings, titles, text area, data, totals, stoplight colors, and conditional formats.
   "Options dialog: Advanced tab"	Specify how Discoverer queries the database, and uses joins.
   "Options dialog: EUL tab"	Specify a default End User Layer (EUL) if the Discoverer manager has given you access to more than one EUL.

   
   

3. Click OK to save the changes that you have made and close the Options dialog.

The changes to Discoverer's default appearance and behavior take effect when you close the dialog.

Notes

• After changing format settings on the "Options dialog: Formats tab", you can revert to the original default format settings using the Reset button (see "How to revert to the default format settings").

• Do not change settings on the "Options dialog: Advanced tab" or "Options dialog: EUL tab" unless asked to do so by the Discoverer manager.

How to revert to the default format settings

Sometimes, after changing the default formats for a workbook, you might want to revert to the original default format settings. For example, if you change default text fonts to produce a particular style of report, you might want to set the text fonts back to their original default style.

Instead of changing each format setting individually, you can use the Reset facility.

Note: Default formats apply to all worksheets in a workbook.

To revert to original default format settings:

1. Choose Tools | Options to display the Options dialog.

2. Display the "Options dialog: Formats tab".

3. Select the default format that you want to reset.

   For example, Data Format or Heading Format.

4. Click the Reset button to revert back to the default settings for the selected default format.

5. Click OK to close the Options dialog.

If you reset the default formats, these original default formats apply when you close the Options dialog.

How to change default worksheet formats

You change default worksheet formats when you want to change how new worksheets are formatted. For example, you might want to display all new worksheet items in blue text with a yellow background.

Note: Changing the default worksheet format does not affect the format of existing worksheet items. Only items that you add to the worksheet have the new default format.

To change the default worksheet format:

1. Choose Tools | Options to display the Options dialog.

2. Display the "Options dialog: Formats tab"

   
   Description of the illustration d_optfor.gif
   
   

3. Select a format to change from the Name list.

4. Click Change to display the appropriate format dialog.

   For example, the "Data Format dialog (Default Options)", the "Heading Format dialog (Default Options)", or the "Total Format dialog (Default Options)".

5. Use the format dialogs to specify your changes.

   Hint: The Example field shows the effect of the changes that you make.

6. Click OK to save the changes you have made and close the Formats dialog.

   The default formats that you specified are used for new worksheets that you create and for new items that you add to existing worksheets. For example, if you set the default data format style to a blue font with a yellow background, any new items that you add to worksheets will have this format.

Notes on setting Advanced options

If you are a Discoverer manager, or an experienced Discoverer user, the following topics are relevant to the "Options dialog: Advanced tab".

About automatic querying

When automatic querying is turned on, Discoverer automatically re-queries the database to get the up-to-date data every time a worksheet is changed to display different data. For example, when you add or remove an item, or pivot items.

In some circumstances however, you might not want Discoverer to automatically re-query the database every time you change the worksheet layout. For example, you might want to make several changes at once and not perform a re-query until you have finished.

About fan traps

Fan traps occur when the data items in two folders are not directly related but do have a relationship based on the data items in a third folder.

For example, a database contains three tables:

• Departments

• Employees

• Locations

The figure below shows that the Department table is a master table to the Employees table and the Locations table in a relational one to many (1:M) relationship.

Figure 22-8 A database with three tables

Description of the illustration fantrap1.gif

Each employee is associated with a single department because each employee works in only one department. In addition, each employee can only be based in one location. However, departments are associated with multiple locations because departments can have offices in different cities. Consequently, because of the mutual association of employees and locations with the Departments table, employees become unintentionally associated with multiple locations. This is incorrect because employees can only be in one location.

For example, a query to count the number of employees at each location and department produces an incorrect result. The same employee is counted at multiple locations because the departments are at multiple locations. In the example below, the real number of employees is four, but the query produces a count of eight employees. Clark, Miller, and Scott are counted for both London and Tokyo, and King is counted for both Amsterdam and San Francisco. The figure below shows how a query to return the number of employees returns eight rows in a fan trap relationship instead of four rows.

Figure 22-9 Fan trap query results

Description of the illustration fantrap2.gif

Key to figure:
a. Query to count the number of employees returns this data.

When you create a worksheet, Discoverer automatically detects and resolves fan traps. If the fan trap is not resolvable, Discoverer disallows the worksheet and displays an error message.

For more information about enabling and disabling fan trap detection in Discoverer, see the "Options dialog: Advanced tab".

About multiple join paths

When you create new worksheets, the data items in the worksheets are often stored in multiple folders in the database. Discoverer checks to make sure that:

• multiple folders have an unambiguous relationship between them

• the relationships between data items is also unambiguous

Multiple join paths occur when two tables can be linked in more than one way. For example, a sales order table might be linked to a customer table on the Customer ID field, because both tables contain the field Customer ID. If both tables also contain a field called Location, this provides an alternative join path for the two tables. This is an example of a multiple join path.

Multiple join paths occur when databases are organized so that the relationships between items in different tables are ambiguous. When you create new worksheets, Discoverer can automatically detect and warn you if potential multiple join paths exist. This makes sure that you always get the results that you expect, because you do not associate items in a way that you did not intend.

Multiple join path warnings are not error messages. The warnings merely advises you that the database contains ambiguous relationships. If warnings occur, contact the Discoverer manager who can determine if the database's organization needs to be modified.

Note: To detect and resolve multiple join paths, make sure that the Disable Multiple Join Path Detection option is not selected on the "Options dialog: Advanced tab".