Prompt Types

Prompts allow a report to have a dynamic report definition, which users can change each time that they submit the query by choosing different answers when prompted The correct prompt type to create depends on what report objects to base a filter on to filter report data.

See Prompts Overview

Comparing a stand-alone prompt and a prompt as part of report or filter

A stand-alone prompt is a prompt that is created as an independent object to give report designers flexibility. A stand-alone prompt can be used on many different reports, as well as on filters, metrics, and other objects, and can be used by report designers.

Alternately, prompts can be created as an intrinsic part of a given report, when the report is being created. Prompts created this way are part of the report's definition and cannot be used on any other report.

No matter how a prompt is created, whether as stand-alone or as part of another object, each approach makes it possible to create most prompt types described in this online help. Both stand-alone prompts and prompts created as part of another object accomplish the same results: the user is presented with one or more questions to answer, and the answers determine the data used when calculating the results displayed on a report.

Creating Prompts

Only users logged in as Administrators or Managers can create prompts. To require analysts to answer a prompt by selecting from the results of a search object, a search object must already be created.

Prompt type	Prompt name	What Data It Allows Users to Define
Filter definition prompts This type of prompt allows users to determine how the report’s data is filtered, based on attributes in a hierarchy, lists of attribute elements, or metrics.	Hierarchy Qualification Prompt Prompts users to choose from all attributes in a hierarchy	Users can select prompt answers from one or more attribute elements from one or more attributes. The attribute elements that they select are used to filter data displayed on the report. This prompt lets you give users the largest number of attribute elements to choose from when they answer the prompt to define their filtering criteria. For example, on a report displaying profit forecasts, if the prompt lets users select from the Product hierarchy, one user might choose to see forecasts for certain electronic products, while another user might select different electronics products, or all media products.
	Attribute Qualification Prompt Prompts users to qualify on an attribute	Users can select prompt answers from a list of attribute elements from a single attribute. This prompt is more restrictive than the hierarchy qualification prompt, because the user has fewer attribute elements to select answers from. Create an attribute prompt containing the Year attribute, to prompt users to select the year for which they want the report results. The report can be run the first time by selecting 2005 and then a second time by selecting 2006.
	Attribute Element List Prompt Prompts users to choose from an attribute element list.	Users can select prompt answers from a limited list of specific attribute elements. This prompt is the most restrictive of the filter definition prompts, because the user has the least number of attribute elements to select answers from.
	Metric Qualification Prompt Prompts users to qualify on a metric.	Users can define a metric qualification, which determines what data should be displayed for one or more specific metrics on the report.
Object prompts This type of prompt allows users to select objects to include in a report, such as attributes, metrics, or filters.	Object Prompt	Users can use this prompt to add more data to a report. Users select objects (such as attributes or metrics) that they want to add to the report. Users can also choose from among a selection of filters, to apply a filter that is most useful for their analysis purposes. Users can choose from several existing filters to determine exactly which filter screens the data on the report that they are about to execute. To achieve this, create an object prompt that contains existing filters and place that object prompt on a report. Then the user can choose which filter to apply to the report.
Value prompts This prompt type lets users select a single value, such as a date or a specific text string, and filter report data based on their selection.	Date & Time prompt	Users select a specific date and time for which to see data. This prompt is used in a filter.
	Numeric prompt	Users enter a specific number, which is then used as part of a filter or within a metric, to look for specific numeric data.
	Text prompt	Users enter a word or phrase, which is then used as part of a filter to look for specific data with that text.
	Big Decimal prompt	Users can enter up to 38 digits, to search for numeric data with the Big Decimal data type assigned to it.