microstrategy report service documents

Report Services Document Creation Guide:Creating Boardroom Quality Documents

Version: 9.2.1mDocument Number: 09520921m

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CONTENTSDocument description.............................................................. xix About this book ............................................................................ xxi Additional formats .................................................................. xxi How to find business scenarios and examples ...................... xxi Whats new in this guide ....................................................... xxii Prerequisites ......................................................................... xxv Who should use this guide.................................................... xxv Resources.................................................................................. xxvi Documentation..................................................................... xxvi Education ........................................................................... xxxiv Consulting ........................................................................... xxxv International support ........................................................... xxxv Technical Support .............................................................. xxxvi Feedback ...................................................................................... xli 1. Designing and Creating Documents Introduction.................................................................................. 1 Before you begin............................................................................ 2 Document views in Desktop..................................................... 2 Printing a document ................................................................. 4 Viewing a document as it will display in MicroStrategy Web (Flash View and HTML View) .................................................. 6 Display modes in MicroStrategy Web ...................................... 9 Designing and creating documents: An overview........................ 10 About Visual Insight: Analyses .............................................. 13 Best practices for designing effective documents........................ 15 Best practices: Designing documents for Excel..................... 19 Best practices: Designing documents for Kindle and Nook ... 21 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

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Report Services Document Creation Guide

Creating documents..................................................................... 22 Accessing data in a document: The dataset report................ 22 Creating a document using the Document Editor .................. 24 Creating a document using the Document Wizard ................ 25 Creating a document using another document as a template ................................................................................. 27 Creating a document from a report ........................................ 31 Understanding and working with document sections................... 34 Resizing document sections .................................................. 36 Hiding and displaying document sections.............................. 36 Displaying document sections horizontally ............................ 38 Document sections overview ................................................. 38 Inserting additional sections in documents ............................ 45 Adding text and data to a document ............................................ 51 Adding static text to a document............................................ 52 Adding data fields to a document .......................................... 53 Combining different types of text fields in a document .......... 57 Displaying document and dataset report information: Auto text codes ........................................................................................... 59 Auto text codes for document information ............................. 60 Auto text codes for dataset report information ....................... 63 Configuring auto text codes ................................................... 65 Working with metrics in documents ............................................. 95 Adding metrics from a dataset report to a document ............. 96 Creating metrics in documents .............................................. 97 Calculating totals and summary metrics in documents........ 104 Metric calculation in documents........................................... 110 Displaying real-time web and other HTML content: HTML containers .................................................................................. 121 Displaying formatted HTML in an HTML container .............. 122 Displaying a website using a URL (iFrame)......................... 125 Adding shapes and lines to a document.................................... 128 Inserting images in a document................................................. 130 Using dynamic images......................................................... 133 Arranging controls on a document............................................. 136 2. Formatting Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 147 Useful formatting suggestions ................................................... 149 Methods for formatting a control ................................................ 150 Copying and pasting formatting ........................................... 151

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Using a transparent or opaque backstyle .................................. 152 Applying a 3D effect................................................................... 155 Applying a drop shadow ............................................................ 157 Using gradient colors ................................................................. 159 Three-way or mirror gradients: Flash only ........................... 160 Applying gradient colors ...................................................... 161 Creating a pop-up tooltip ........................................................... 162 Hiding a control.......................................................................... 164 Formatting text fields ................................................................. 166 Clipping text or displaying scroll bars in text fields............... 168 Formatting numbers............................................................. 169 Displaying text vertically....................................................... 171 Formatting text position in a text field .................................. 173 Formatting HTML containers ..................................................... 173 Formatting shapes ..................................................................... 177 Controlling the display of rounded corners in Flash Mode... 178 Formatting images ..................................................................... 180 Formatting sections ................................................................... 180 Hiding or displaying sections for a finished document ......... 181 Formatting the background color of document sections ...... 186 Displaying sections horizontally ........................................... 186 Changing the size of a section............................................. 188 Repeating information horizontally....................................... 194 Keeping the contents of a section together ......................... 195 Defining default formatting for control types: control defaults.... 196 Applying default formatting to a control or document section ................................................................................. 199 Formatting conditional data in documents ................................. 200 Derived metrics, summary metrics, and attributes in conditional formatting........................................................... 205 Conditional formatting on selector totals.............................. 207 Showing and hiding conditional formatting .......................... 208 Formatting the border or background of a document or layout.. 213 Formatting a document using predefined formats (Autostyles)................................................................................ 215 Creating an Autostyle .......................................................... 216 Applying an Autostyle to a document .................................. 216 Adding watermarks to documents ............................................. 217 Project watermarks vs. document watermarks .................... 219


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Creating the project watermark............................................ 221 Hiding a project watermark for a specific document ............ 223 Creating document watermarks ........................................... 224 Disabling document watermarks.......................................... 226 Disabling all watermarks ...................................................... 226 Formatting a document for printing............................................ 227 Adding page breaks and numbering pages ......................... 229 Modifying page setup options .............................................. 231 Controlling horizontal overflow............................................. 235 Font embedding in PDFs ..................................................... 237 Changing graph resolution in PDFs ..................................... 239 Including or hiding bookmarks in PDFs ............................... 240 Including interactive tables of contents in PDFs .................. 243 Formatting a document for MicroStrategy Web ......................... 248 Formatting a document for export.............................................. 250 Selecting available export formats ....................................... 252 Specifying default export options ......................................... 253 Displaying images in Excel .................................................. 256 Allowing Excel to automatically change row height ............. 257 3. Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document Introduction.............................................................................. 259 Grouping records in a document ............................................... 260 Example of grouped records in a document ........................ 261 Changing the grouping order in a document........................ 262 Deleting a grouping field in a document............................... 264 Showing totals for a group ................................................... 264 Displaying a group horizontally ............................................ 273 Hiding Group Header and Group Footer sections ............... 279 Adding a page break for a group ......................................... 280 Resetting page numbers for each group.............................. 281 Repeating a Group Header section on another page .......... 282 Keeping the data in a group together on a page ................. 283 Specifying that groups are exported to separate Excel worksheets........................................................................... 283 Using page-by on a document................................................... 286 Disabling page-by ................................................................ 289 Sorting records in a document................................................... 290 4. Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs viii Introduction.............................................................................. 295 Adding a Grid/Graph to a document .......................................... 298



Contents

Adding a Grid/Graph and a new dataset simultaneously..... 302 Adding a Grid/Graph placeholder ........................................ 303 Linking a Grid/Graph to a report: Adding a Grid/Graph as a shortcut ............................................................................. 306 Changing datasets in Grid/Graphs....................................... 309 Selecting and editing a Grid/Graph............................................ 310 Adding objects to a Grid/Graph ........................................... 312 Viewing a Grid/Graph as a grid.................................................. 313 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid: Formatting options ................................................................................. 313 Viewing as a graph .................................................................... 314 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a graph: Formatting options ................................................................................. 315 Viewing as a grid and a graph ................................................... 315 Specifying the layout for a Grid/Graph displayed as both a grid and a graph................................................................ 316 Editing a Grid/Graph displayed as a grid and a graph: Formatting options ............................................................... 319 Formatting Grid/Graphs ............................................................. 319 Useful formatting suggestions.............................................. 322 Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors ............................................ 324 Adding title bars to Grid/Graphs ................................................ 326 Allowing the background of the Grid/Graph to show through a transparent title bar.............................................. 328 Quick switch for Grid/Graphs..................................................... 329 Quick switch in MicroStrategy Web ..................................... 329 Quick switch in Desktop....................................................... 330 Enabling quick switch .......................................................... 330 Using view filters on Grid/Graphs .............................................. 331 Multiple qualifications in view filters ..................................... 334 Metrics in rows and columns................................................ 334 View filters example ............................................................. 336 Multiple view filters example ................................................ 338 Example of metrics in rows and columns............................. 341 Linking to the dataset reports of Grid/Graphs............................ 345 Linking from Grid/Graphs to reports and other documents........ 347 Drilling in Grid/Graphs ............................................................... 348 Enabling drilling on Grid/Graphs .......................................... 349 Enabling interactive Grid/Graphs for MicroStrategy Web .......... 358 Sorting and pivoting in Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode and 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.

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Express Mode ...................................................................... 358 Enabling filtering, drilling, and moving objects for Grid/Graphs in Flash Mode.................................................. 360 5. Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards

Introduction.............................................................................. 365 About dashboards...................................................................... 366 What is a dashboard? .......................................................... 366 Adding interactivity to dashboards ....................................... 368 Organizing interactivity features on a dashboard................. 373 Design ideas and examples....................................................... 376 Designing a simulated portal environment........................... 379 Designing the right dashboard................................................... 379 Best practices for dashboarding ................................................ 381 Choosing datasets for a dashboard ..................................... 382 Layering information in a dashboard.................................... 383 Planning the dashboards outline and structure................... 384 Placing the data and visualizations onto a dashboard......... 386 Positioning and formatting the dashboard objects ............... 387 Enhancing dashboard performance..................................... 388 Creating a dashboard: the Blank Dashboard template.............. 389 Designing a dashboard with the Blank Document template ............................................................................... 391 Layering data on dashboards: panels and panel stacks............ 392 Defining the parts of a panel stack ...................................... 395 Inserting and defining panels ............................................... 398 Loading panels on demand in MicroStrategy Web .............. 408 Formatting panels and panel stacks .................................... 410 Providing interactivity to users: selectors................................... 418 Defining a selector ............................................................... 423 Methods to create a selector ............................................... 426 Creating selectors that filter metric values ........................... 432 Applying selections as filters or slices.................................. 435 Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type .............................................................. 441 Automatically maintaining targets for selectors.................... 443 Allowing users to select multiple items ................................ 453 Disabling simultaneous display of all items in a selector ..... 455 Renaming the All option of a selector .................................. 457

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Determining how the target of a selector displays when no data exists....................................................................... 458 Determining how the target of a selector displays (current state) ...................................................................... 463 Showing totals for selectors ................................................. 471 Displaying title bars in selectors........................................... 473 Formatting selectors ............................................................ 476 Enabling Grid/Graphs as selectors to control other Grid/Graphs ............................................................................... 486 Formatting the background of selected items in Grid/Graphs used as selectors ............................................ 490 Enabling transition animations in Flash ..................................... 492 Exporting dashboards to Flash for stand-alone use .................. 493 Uncluttering the dashboard: Full screen mode .......................... 494 6. Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets

Introduction.............................................................................. 497 Understanding and working with widgets .................................. 500 Defining a Bubble Grid widget ............................................. 507 Defining a Cylinder widget ................................................... 510 Defining a Data Cloud widget .............................................. 512 Defining a Funnel widget ..................................................... 514 Defining a Gauge widget ..................................................... 518 Defining a Graph Matrix widget............................................ 520 Defining a Heat Map widget................................................. 525 Defining an Interactive Bubble Graph widget....................... 531 Defining an Interactive Stacked Graph widget..................... 538 Defining a Thermometer widget........................................... 542 Defining a Time Series Slider widget ................................... 545 Defining a Waterfall widget .................................................. 548 Defining a Weighted List Viewer widget............................... 552 Defining a Media widget ...................................................... 555 Defining a Microcharts widget.............................................. 565 Defining an RSS Reader widget .......................................... 588 Creating widgets ........................................................................ 597 Determining how a widget is displayed................................ 601 Displaying a message behind a widget................................ 607 Formatting widgets in Desktop .................................................. 609 Changing the number format of the metric values ............... 610 Formatting the text on a cylinder, gauge, or thermometer ... 611


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Formatting the text on a graph............................................. 612 Formatting the color of the bar risers ................................... 614 Formatting the legend .......................................................... 616 Formatting widgets at the document level ........................... 619 Viewing data related to a widget: Using a widget as a selector ...................................................................................... 621 Using a Bubble Grid widget as a selector ............................ 622 Using a Data Cloud widget as a selector ............................. 623 Using a Graph Matrix widget as a selector .......................... 623 Using a Heat Map widget as a selector ............................... 625 Using an Interactive Bubble Graph widget as a selector ..... 626 Using an Interactive Stacked Graph widget as a selector ... 628 Using a Microcharts widget as a selector ............................ 630 Using a Time Series Slider widget as a selector.................. 630 Using a Waterfall widget as a selector................................. 634 Using a Weighted List Viewer widget as a selector ............. 634 Defining the widget used as a selector ................................ 635 Creating a Fish Eye Selector ..................................................... 638 Replacing the selector items of a Fish Eye Selector with images ................................................................................. 642 Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a widget ............................ 643 Creating a Fish Eye Selector as a selector.......................... 646 Formatting Fish Eye selectors for Flash Mode .................... 649 Creating a Date Selection widget .............................................. 650 Creating a Date Selection widget as a widget ..................... 653 Creating a Date Selection widget as a selector ................... 655 Formatting Date Selection widgets for Flash Mode ............. 658 Linking in widgets ...................................................................... 659 Specifying how prompts are answered in the target ............ 660 Creating links in widgets ...................................................... 661 7. Linking from Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 667 About links ................................................................................. 667 Prerequisites for working with links...................................... 671 Linking in a document: Examples .............................................. 671 Linking a document to a web page ...................................... 672 Linking from a text field ........................................................ 673 Linking from an attribute in a Grid/Graph............................. 675 Linking from an attribute in a widget .................................... 675 Linking from a document to multiple targets ........................ 676 Linking to a web page................................................................ 677 xii



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Creating a link to a web page .............................................. 680 Linking to other documents and to reports (drilling)................... 681 Components of a link ........................................................... 683 Specifying how prompts are answered in the target ............ 684 Creating links to documents and reports ............................. 702 Defining hyperlinks in documents .............................................. 706 How links, drilling, and selectors work together......................... 709 Emailing, exporting, and subscribing to documents and reports........................................................................................ 711 8. Advanced Documents Introduction.............................................................................. 713 Creating multi-layout documents ............................................... 714 Properties for each layout .................................................... 717 Properties for the document ................................................ 719 Creating layouts ................................................................... 721 Renaming, moving, deleting, and switching between layouts ................................................................................. 726 Exporting multi-layout documents........................................ 727 Using datasets in documents..................................................... 730 Working with multiple dataset reports .................................. 731 Defining a dataset as primary or secondary ........................ 733 Joining multiple datasets: Examples.................................... 738 Adding a dataset report to a document................................ 746 Removing a dataset report from a document....................... 746 Editing a dataset report used in a document ....................... 747 Changing the grouping and sorting dataset for a document ............................................................................. 748 Using Intelligent Cubes as datasets..................................... 749 Using a MicroStrategy OLAP Services report as a dataset ................................................................................. 749 Displaying grouping elements that contain null values ........ 750 Removing sections that do not have metric data ................. 752 Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources ...................................................................................... 754 Creating a transaction-enabled document ........................... 755 Input object controls that support transactions .................... 763 Using prompts in documents ..................................................... 766 Prompt order in documents.................................................. 767 Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch ....................................................................... 769


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Improving document performance in MicroStrategy Web: Incremental fetch on Grid/Graphs........................................ 772 Caching documents ................................................................... 775 Caching and page-by, selectors, and widgets ..................... 776 Portable documents: Reusing documents across projects........ 778 How the document reconciliation process works ................. 779 Copying documents between projects ................................. 780 9. Documents for Mobile Devices Introduction.............................................................................. 785 Best practices for designing documents for mobile devices ...... 786 Planning the document ........................................................ 787 Adding interactivity to a document ....................................... 788 Enhancing readability .......................................................... 789 Enhancing performance....................................................... 790 Designing documents for an Android device ....................... 790 Widgets for mobile devices........................................................ 792 Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget................................................................... 795 Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization ......................................................................... 797 Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad ............... 799 Displaying data in rows and columns on a mobile device: Interactive Grid widget ......................................................... 799 Displaying geographical data on a mobile device: Map widget .................................................................................. 801 Formatting RSS Reader widgets for the iPhone .................. 810 Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad ............................. 812 Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget .................................................................................. 814 Opening mobile applications in documents ............................... 815 Linking to documents and reports from a document displayed on a mobile device..................................................................... 818 Using links to navigate between pages in a document displayed on a mobile device............................................... 819 Formatting documents for display on mobile devices................ 820 Docking a selector on iPad documents................................ 822 Allowing panel change with a horizontal swipe on iPad documents ........................................................................... 823 Defining Information Windows for an iPad document .......... 824 Formatting layouts for display on mobile devices ................ 826 Formatting documents for display on iPhones..................... 827 Document templates for iPhone and iPad ........................... 828 xiv 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.


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Displaying documents when the mobile device is rotated: Mobile Views.............................................................................. 830 A. Document Interfaces in MicroStrategy Introduction.............................................................................. 835 Document Editor layout ............................................................. 835 Controls toolbar ................................................................... 837 Toolbar icons ....................................................................... 837 Layout tabs .......................................................................... 840 Grouping panel .................................................................... 841 Layout area .......................................................................... 841 Datasets pane...................................................................... 842 Property List......................................................................... 843 Notes ................................................................................... 845 Introduction.............................................................................. 847 Create a sample invoice document ........................................... 847 Creating the report to use as the dataset ............................ 851 Creating the new document and selecting the dataset ........ 852 Grouping the document by customer................................... 853 Adding the logo image to the document .............................. 854 Resizing the image .............................................................. 855 Adding static text to the document....................................... 855 Formatting, aligning, and sizing the text field....................... 856 Adding a rectangle to the document .................................... 856 Switching to PDF View......................................................... 857 Adding an attribute to the Customer Header section ........... 858 Combining text fields ........................................................... 860 Adding and formatting additional text fields in the Customer Header section .................................................... 861 Adding a line to the Customer Header section .................... 863 Creating the column headers in the Detail Header section ................................................................................. 864 Ordering the controls ........................................................... 865 Creating the item detail in the Detail section........................ 867 Formatting a text field as currency....................................... 868 Adding summary information to the Detail Footer section ... 869 Adding totals to a document ................................................ 871 Saving the document ........................................................... 873 Creating the final PDF ......................................................... 873

B. Document Tutorial


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C. Dashboard Tutorial

Introduction.............................................................................. 875 The completed dashboard ......................................................... 876 Panel 1: Daily Order Count .................................................. 876 Panel 2: Inventory Analysis ................................................. 877 Panel 3: Employee Performance ......................................... 878 High-level steps ......................................................................... 880 Creating the Daily Order Count panel........................................ 882 Creating the Daily Order Count report to be used as a dataset ................................................................................. 882 Creating the new dashboard and selecting the dataset....... 882 Adding a panel stack and panels to the dashboard ............. 883 Adding a selector to the dashboard ..................................... 886 Creating a Time Series Slider widget................................... 886 Adding a Gauge widget ....................................................... 888 Creating a selector for the Gauge widget ............................ 890 Specifying Flash Mode as the default display mode............ 891 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 892 Viewing the Daily Order Count panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web .............................................................. 892 Creating the Inventory Analysis panel ....................................... 895 Creating the Inventory Analysis report to be used as a dataset ................................................................................. 895 Adding a dataset to the dashboard ...................................... 895 Switching panels in Design View ......................................... 896 Renaming and formatting a panel........................................ 896 Creating a Heat Map widget ................................................ 897 Creating a selector for the Heat Map widget........................ 900 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 901 Viewing the Inventory Analysis panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web .............................................................. 901 Creating the Employee Performance panel............................... 905 Creating a custom group ..................................................... 905 Creating the Employee Performance report to be used as a dataset ......................................................................... 908 Adding a dataset to the dashboard ...................................... 909 Switching panels in Design View ......................................... 909 Renaming and formatting a panel........................................ 910 Creating a Bubble Graph widget.......................................... 911 Saving the dashboard .......................................................... 912 Viewing the Employee Performance panel in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web........................................................... 913 Enabling drilling and time series animation.......................... 913

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D. Troubleshooting Documents

Introduction.............................................................................. 919 Troubleshooting during document creation ............................... 919 Troubleshooting Grid/Graphs............................................... 919 Troubleshooting selectors.................................................... 921 Miscellaneous document creation troubleshooting .............. 922 Troubleshooting during document execution............................. 923 Troubleshooting common Flash Mode issues ..................... 925

E. Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions

Introduction.............................................................................. 929 Internal functions ................................................................. 930 Null/Zero functions ............................................................... 930 Financial functions ............................................................... 930 Math functions ..................................................................... 932 Statistical functions .............................................................. 933

F. Creating Links ManuallyTo email, export, and subscribe to documents and reports

Introduction.............................................................................. 935 Comparison of Link Editor and manually creating link URLs..... 936 Creating link URLs manually ..................................................... 937 Base URL syntax ................................................................. 938 Event parameter .................................................................. 939 Object ID parameter ............................................................ 940 Object type parameter ......................................................... 940 Prompt information parameters ........................................... 941 Creating links manually........................................................ 944 Examples of link URLs created manually .................................. 945 Link to a non-prompted report ............................................. 947 Link to a prompted report using the message ID ................. 950 Link to a prompted report using a list of attribute elements .............................................................................. 953 Link to a prompted report using prompt XML....................... 955 Glossary ................................................................................... 959 Index ......................................................................................... 967


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PREFACEDocument descriptionThis guide is the primary resource for you to use to learn about designing and creating MicroStrategy Report Services documents using Desktop. It builds on the basic concepts about documents presented in the Report Services Document Analysis Guide. Chapters include: Chapter 1, Designing and Creating Documents includes procedures to create documents and many of the objects that make up documents, such as text fields and images. A list of best practices to create and design documents is also included. Chapter 2, Formatting Documents describes how to format the document and its objects. Chapter 3, Grouping and Sorting Records in a Document explains how to group and sort documents. Grouping defines the documents hierarchy and therefore its sort order. Page-by interactively displays groups on separate pages in PDF View. Chapter 4, Displaying Reports in Documents: Grid/Graphs describes Grid/Graphs, which display reports in a document. The chapter provides instructions to create and format Grid/Graphs. Chapter 5, Designing Dynamic Enterprise Dashboards introduces dashboards, which are a type of document that summarizes key business indicators by presenting them in visually intuitive, easy-to-read, interactive documents. Chapter 6, Providing Flash Analysis and Interactivity: Widgets describes widgets, which are a key part of dashboards. Widgets are


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Flash-based displays of report results, allowing users to visualize data in different ways than traditional reports displayed as Grid/Graphs do. Chapter 7, Linking from Documents explains how to connect a document with a report, a web page, or another document, passing parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. Use links as a tool to present investigative workflows, such as navigating from data at one level to different levels of aggregation. Chapter 8, Advanced Documents provides information about advanced concepts such as multi-layout documents, how multiple datasets are joined, document caches, and portable documents. Chapter 9, Documents for Mobile Devices provides an overview of features specific to documents created for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, which include widgets and links that interact with mobile device applications such as email or text messaging. Appendix A, Document Interfaces in MicroStrategy helps you to become familiar with the Document Editor interface. The Document Editor allows you to create, customize, and save documents to use across the MicroStrategy platform. Appendix B, Document Tutorial walks you through the process of creating a sample invoice document. Appendix C, Dashboard Tutorial walks you through the process of creating a dashboard that incorporates widgets in a panel stack, using data from the MicroStrategy Tutorial. Appendix D, Troubleshooting Documents provides explanations of some of the most common issues you may encounter when creating Report Services Documents, in a question and answer format. Appendix E, Advanced Functions for Calculated Expressions lists the advanced functions that are supported for calculated expressions in documents. Appendix F, Creating Links Manually provides instructions for creating link URLs manually, that is, by using the object ID and link syntax.

can also You conceptsdesign and create documents using MicroStrategy Web. The are the same, but the procedures differ slightly. For instructions, see the MicroStrategy Web Help.

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About this bookThis book is divided into chapters that begin with a brief overview of the chapters content. The following sections provide the location of additional examples, list prerequisites for using this book, and describe the user roles the information in this book was designed for. formerly called HTML Documents in the MicroStrategy platform,place MicroStrategy documents, are HTML shells into which you can reports and other graphics, and control the formatting and appearance with style sheets. In this guide, the term document means a Report Services document.

Additional formatsThis book is also available as an electronic publication in the Apple iBookstore, and can be read on an iPhone or iPad with the iBooks app installed. To download this book, search for the books title in the iBookstore search bar, or scan the QR code below using your device's camera.

How to find business scenarios and examplesWithin this guide, many of the concepts discussed are accompanied by business scenarios or other descriptive examples. For examples of basic documents and dashboards, see the Report Services Document Analysis Guide. For examples of reporting functionality, see the MicroStrategy Tutorial, which is MicroStrategys sample warehouse, metadata, and project. Information about the MicroStrategy Tutorial can be found in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. Detailed examples of advanced


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reporting functionality can be found in the MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. Other examples in this book use the Analytics Modules, which include a set of precreated sample reports and documents, each from a different business area. Sample reports and documents present data for analysis in such business areas as financial reporting, human resources, and customer analysis.

Whats new in this guideMicroStrategy 9.2.1m Where applicable, the instructions for features have been updated to indicate whether they are supported on Android-based devices. For information on designing documents for mobile devices, including those based on Android, see Chapter 9, Documents for Mobile Devices. The following widgets have been added for display on mobile devices:

Data Cloud widget, which displays a list of attribute elements displayed in various sizes to depict the differences in metric values between the elements (see Defining a Data Cloud widget, page 512) Date Selection widget, which displays as a interactive event calendar on the iPad (see Displaying an interactive event calendar on an iPad: Date Selection widget, page 795) Graph Matrix widget, which displays data using a variety of graph styles, such as the line graph, bubble graph, or grid (see Displaying data in a graph on an iPad: Graph Matrix visualization, page 797) Heat Map widget, which allows users to quickly grasp the state and impact of a large number of variables at one time (see Displaying data in a Heat Map widget on an iPad, page 799) Image Viewer widget, which displays images and image descriptions, and allows users to zoom in and out of the images, which can be uploaded by a Photo Uploader widget or images stored in a public location (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create an Image Viewer widget) Microcharts widget, which allows users to quickly visualize the trend of a metric at a glance without having to know many additional details (see Defining a Microcharts widget, page 565)

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Multimedia widget, which displays a list of available files, such as text files, PDF files, and images, that users can download and view (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Multimedia widget) Photo Uploader widget, which allows users to upload images from mobile device by taking a new image or using an existing image on their mobile device (see the MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide for instructions to create a Photo Uploader widget) Timeline widget, which allows users to track changes in the status of multiple business assets, as well as important events affecting each asset (see Displaying a Timeline widget on an iPad, page 812) Time Series widget, which displays data for a specific period of time in a line graph (see Displaying data trends on a mobile device: Time Series widget, page 814)

MicroStrategy 9.2.1 MicroStrategy Transaction Services lets you embed write-back functionality into documents and dashboards for the purposes of decision-making or initiating a transaction. See Transaction-enabled documents: Interacting with data sources, page 754.

MicroStrategy 9.2 You can replace the dataset of a document, and any Grid/Graphs that use the dataset are updated to use the new dataset. You can also replace all the dataset reports in a document with a single dataset report. (See the MicroStrategy Desktop Help for instructions; see Accessing data in a document: The dataset report, page 22 for background information on datasets.) You can drill on a Grid/Graph in Express Mode in MicroStrategy Web. The drill options are defined by the default drill path of the selected attribute. In Editable Mode, Express Mode, and Interactive Mode, you can drill on multiple objects. (See Drilling in Grid/Graphs, page 348.) A selector can target another selector, to filter the target. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Year and Quarter, and two selectors. One selector allows the user to choose a year (the Year selector), while the other selector allows the user to choose a quarter (the Quarter selector). The Year selector targets the Quarter selector, filtering the


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Quarter selector to display only the quarters in the year chosen in the Year selector. Both selectors target the Grid/Graph, to display data for the selected year and quarter. (See Providing interactivity to users: selectors, page 418.) A selector can filter on a metric's values, ranks, or percent ranks. The selector can be either a slider, which the user moves to select the minimum and maximum values to display, or a qualification, which the user completes to filter the metric's values. For example, a document contains a Grid/Graph with Region and the Revenue Metric. A metric condition slider selector displays the range of revenue values, and a user can move the slider to select the minimum and maximum revenue to display. A metric condition qualification selector can allow a user to display only the revenue values greater than $5,000,000 or only the top-ranking five regions in term of revenue. (See Creating selectors that filter metric values, page 432.) An element selector or a metric condition slider selector can include or exclude the selected data. (An element selector displays different elements of attributes, custom groups, or consolidations; a metric condition slider displays a slider to filter metric values or rank.) If the selector contains a title bar, then the user can change between including or excluding the selections. (See Determining whether the selector includes or excludes data: selection type, page 441.) A selector can display a title bar, which can help to identify the selector or provide instructions about using the selector. (See Displaying title bars in selectors, page 473.) The title bar of a panel stack can display Next and Previous arrows to allow users to change panels in MicroStrategy Web and in Flash View in Desktop, without using a separate selector. (See Panel selector arrows on the title bar, page 402.) You can determine how to display the contents of a panel stack when the contents are larger than the panel stack itself. Use the Content overflow setting to either clip the contents, which displays only data that can fit within the size of the panel stack, or you can provide a scroll bar, to allow a user to view all of the data. (See the MicroStrategy Desktop Help for instructions to define this property.) Information Windows let users view additional information about an attribute element by hovering the cursor over the element in a grid or graph. The Information Window pops up over the element, displaying an additional visualization, based on the element. (See Defining Information Windows for an iPad document, page 824.)

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PrerequisitesBefore working with this manual, you should be familiar with the information in the Report Services Document Analysis Guide, MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide, and MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide. To work with Report Services documents, you must have purchased a license for Report Services and installed it on your machine. You must also have the proper privileges assigned to your user login. These privileges are described below: Execute document, to execute documents in Desktop a document in Desktop, To executethree-tier (server) mode. you must connect to the project in Use document editor, to create and edit documents using the Document Editor in Desktop Web execute document, to browse and execute documents in MicroStrategy Web Web document design, to create and edit documents in Web Web manage document datasets, to add and remove datasets from a document in Web

Report Services, contact If you do not have more information. your MicroStrategy sales representative for

Who should use this guideThis guide is designed for all users who need to design and create documents. Document design is the process of building documents that are used widely by other users on the business intelligence platform and throughout the enterprise. To design documents you use the Document Editor in either MicroStrategy Desktop or Web. The Document Editor also allows you to create document objects (called controls) such as text fields, auto text codes, Grid/Graphs, HTML containers, images, and so on. You can also create a special type of document called dashboards, which are visually intuitive displays of data that summarize key business indicators for a quick status


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check. Dashboards usually provide interactive features that let users change how they view the dashboards data. The interaction is provided by these types of controls: panels, selectors, and widgets. In general, the role of document designer is made available only to a group of advanced users who can design documents. The Desktop Designer and Web Professional user roles in MicroStrategy include the set of privileges required to create documents and controls, for each respective product. For an introduction to documents, you should review the Report Services Document Analysis Guide, which provides a basic understanding of how to manipulate the data in a document to analyze business information.

ResourcesDocumentationMicroStrategy provides both manuals and online help; these two information sources provide different types of information, as described below: Manuals: In general, MicroStrategy manuals provide:

Introductory information and concepts Examples and images Checklists and high-level procedures to get started

The steps to access the manuals are described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii. Most of these manuals are also available printed in a bound, soft cover format. To purchase printed manuals, contact your MicroStrategy account executive or email [email protected]. Help: In general, MicroStrategy help provides:

Detailed steps to perform procedures Descriptions of each option on every software screen

languages other than English Due to translation time, manualsorinmore releases behind. You can may contain information that is one see the version number on the title page of each manual. For the most up-to-date translations, refer to the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base.xxvi Resources 2011 MicroStrategy, Inc.


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MicroStrategy overview and evaluation Introduction to MicroStrategy: Evaluation Guide Instructions for installing, configuring, and using the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition of the software. This guide also includes a detailed, step-by-step evaluation process of MicroStrategy features, where you perform reporting with the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its sample business data. MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Quick Start Guide Overview of the installation and evaluation process, and additional resources. Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux Guide: In a Windows or Linux Environment with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual Appliance Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux, in a Microsoft Windows or Linux environment, with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual Appliance. This guide provides all details to download, activate, and evaluate MicroStrategy software running in a Linux environment. MicroStrategy Reporting Suite: Quick Start Guide Evaluate MicroStrategy as a departmental solution. Provides detailed information to download, install, configure, and use the MicroStrategy Reporting Suite. MicroStrategy Mobile Suite: Quick Start Guide Evaluate MicroStrategy Mobile as a departmental solution. Provides detailed information to download, install, configure, and use the MicroStrategy Mobile Suite.

Manuals for query, reporting, and analysis MicroStrategy Installation and Configuration Guide Information to install and configure MicroStrategy products on Windows, UNIX, Linux, and HP platforms, as well as basic maintenance guidelines. MicroStrategy Upgrade Guide Instructions to upgrade existing MicroStrategy products.


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MicroStrategy Project Design Guide Information to create and modify MicroStrategy projects, and understand facts, attributes, hierarchies, transformations, advanced schemas, and project optimization.

MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide Instructions to get started with MicroStrategy Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, and how to analyze data in a report. Includes the basics for creating reports, metrics, filters, and prompts.

MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide: Enhancing Your Business Intelligence Application Instructions for advanced topics in the MicroStrategy system, building on information in the Basic Reporting Guide. Topics include reports, Freeform SQL reports, Query Builder reports, filters, metrics, Data Mining Services, custom groups, consolidations, and prompts.

MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide: Analyzing Data with Report Services Documents Instructions for a business analyst to execute and analyze a document in MicroStrategy Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, building on basic concepts about projects and reports presented in the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

MicroStrategy Report Services Document Creation Guide: Creating Boardroom Quality Documents Instructions to design and create Report Services documents, building on information in the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide.

MicroStrategy OLAP Services Guide Information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, which is an extension of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. OLAP Services features include Intelligent Cubes, derived metrics, derived elements, dynamic aggregation, view filters, and dynamic sourcing.

MicroStrategy Office User Guide Instructions for using MicroStrategy Office to work with MicroStrategy reports and documents in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook, to analyze, format, and distribute business data.

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MicroStrategy Mobile Analysis Guide: Analyzing Data with MicroStrategy Mobile Information and instructions for using MicroStrategy Mobile to view and analyze data, and perform other business tasks with MicroStrategy reports and documents on a mobile device.

MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide: A Platform for Mobile Intelligence Information and instructions to install and configure MicroStrategy Mobile, as well as instructions for a designer working in MicroStrategy Desktop or MicroStrategy Web to create effective reports and documents for use with MicroStrategy Mobile.

MicroStrategy System Administration Guide: Tuning, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting your MicroStrategy Business Intelligence System Concepts and high-level steps to implement, deploy, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot a MicroStrategy business intelligence system.

MicroStrategy Supplemental Reference for System Administration: VLDB Properties, Internationalization, User Privileges, and other Supplemental Information for Administrators Information and instructions for MicroStrategy administrative tasks such as configuring VLDB properties and defining data and metadata internationalization, and reference material for other administrative tasks.

MicroStrategy Functions Reference Function syntax and formula components; instructions to use functions in metrics, filters, attribute forms; examples of functions in business scenarios.

MicroStrategy MDX Cube Reporting Guide Information to integrate MicroStrategy with MDX cube sources. You can integrate data from MDX cube sources into your MicroStrategy projects and applications.

Manuals for Analytics Modules Analytics Modules Installation and Porting Guide Customer Analysis Module Reference Sales Force Analysis Module ReferenceResources


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Financial Reporting Analysis Module Reference Sales and Distribution Analysis Module Reference Human Resources Analysis Module Reference

Manuals for Narrowcast Services products MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Getting Started Guide Instructions to work with the tutorial to learn Narrowcast Server interfaces and features. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Installation and Configuration Guide Information to install and configure Narrowcast Server. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Application Designer Guide Fundamentals of designing Narrowcast Server applications. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server System Administrator Guide Concepts and high-level steps to implement, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot Narrowcast Server. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Instructions to upgrade an existing Narrowcast Server.

Software Development Kits MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL) Information to understand the MicroStrategy SDK, including details about architecture, object models, customization scenarios, code samples, and so on. MicroStrategy Web SDK SDK available the MicroStrategy The Websold asispart of theinMicroStrategy SDK.Developer Library, which is Narrowcast Server SDK Guide Instructions to customize Narrowcast Server functionality, integrate Narrowcast Server with other systems, and embed Narrowcast Server functionality within other applications. Documents the Narrowcast

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Server Delivery Engine and Subscription Portal APIs, and the Narrowcast Server SPI.

Documentation for MicroStrategy Portlets Enterprise Portal Integration Help Information to help you implement and deploy MicroStrategy BI within your enterprise portal, including instructions for installing and configuring out-of-the-box MicroStrategy Portlets for several major enterprise portal servers. This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii.

Documentation for MicroStrategy GIS Connectors GIS Integration Help Information to help you integrate MicroStrategy with Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), including specific examples for integrating with various third-party mapping services. This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation sources, page xxxii.

HelpEach MicroStrategy product includes an integrated help system to complement the various interfaces of the product as well as the tasks that can be accomplished using the product. Some of the MicroStrategy help systems require a web browser to be viewed. For supported web browsers, see the MicroStrategy Readme. MicroStrategy provides several ways to access help: Help button: Use the Help button or ? (question mark) icon on most software windows to see help for that window.


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Help menu: From the Help menu or link at the top of any screen, select MicroStrategy Help to see the table of contents, the Search field, and the index for the help system. F1 key: Press F1 to see context-sensitive help that describes each option in the software window you are currently viewing. Web For MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategythe F1Administrator, and MicroStrategy Mobile Server, pressing key opens the context-sensitive help for the web browser you are using to access these MicroStrategy interfaces. Use the Help menu or ? (question mark) icon to access help for these MicroStrategy interfaces.

Accessing manuals and other documentation sourcesThe manuals are available from your MicroStrategy disk or the machine where MicroStrategy was installed. to view these manuals. you do not Adobe Acrobat Reader is requiredyour computer, you canIfdownload it have Acrobat Reader installed on from http://get.adobe.com/reader/. The best place for all users to begin is with the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide. To access the installed manuals and other documentation sources, see the following procedures: To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on Windows, page xxxii To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX and Linux, page xxxiii

To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on Windows

1 From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs (or All Programs), MicroStrategy, then Product Manuals. A page opens in your browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other documentation sources. 2 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source.

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3 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click OK. left side of Acrobat If bookmarks are not visible on the Bookmarksanand Page.(PDF) step manual, from the View menu click This varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX and Linux

1 Within your UNIX or Linux machine, navigate to the directory where you installed MicroStrategy. The default location is /opt/MicroStrategy, or $HOME/MicroStrategy/install if you do not have write access to /opt/MicroStrategy. 2 From the MicroStrategy installation directory, open the Documentation folder. 3 Open the Product_Manuals.htm file in a web browser. A page opens in your browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other documentation sources. 4 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source. 5 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click OK. left side of Acrobat If bookmarks are not visible on the Bookmarksanand Page.(PDF) step manual, from the View menu click This varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.


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Documentation standardsMicroStrategy online help and PDF manuals (available both online and in printed format) use standards to help you identify certain types of content. The following table lists these standards. standards may depending on Theselanguages have differ that supersedethe language of this manual; some rules the table below.Type bold Indicates Button names, check boxes, options, lists, and menus that are the focus of actions or part of a list of such GUI elements and their definitions Example: Click Select Warehouse. italic New terms defined within the text and in the glossary Names of other product manuals and documentation resources When part of a command syntax, indicates variable information to be replaced by the user Example: The aggregation level is the level of calculation for the metric. Example: Type copy c:\filename d:\foldername\filename Calculations Code samples Registry keys Path and file names URLs Messages displayed in the screen Text to be entered by the user

Courier font

Example: Sum(revenue)/number of months. Example: Type cmdmgr -f scriptfile.scp and press Enter. + A keyboard command that calls for the use of more than one key (for example, SHIFT+F1). A note icon indicates helpful information for specific situations. A warning icon alerts you to important information such as potential security risks; these should be read before continuing.

Education

MicroStrategy Education Services provides a comprehensive curriculum and highly skilled education consultants. Many customers and partners from over 800 different organizations have benefited from MicroStrategy instruction.

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Courses that can help you prepare for using this manual or that address some of the information in this manual include: MicroStrategy Report Services: Document Essentials MicroStrategy Report Services: Dynamic Dashboards

For the most up-to-date and detailed description of education offerings and course curricula, visit http://www.microstrategy.com/Education.

ConsultingMicroStrategy Consulting Services provides proven methods for delivering leading-edge technology solutions. Offerings include complex security architecture designs, performance and tuning, project and testing strategies and recommendations, strategic planning, and more. For a detailed description of consulting offerings, visit http://www.microstrategy.com/Services.

International supportMicroStrategy supports several locales. Support for a locale typically includes native database and operating system support, support for date formats, numeric formats, currency symbols, and availability of translated interfaces and certain documentation. MicroStrategy is certified in homogeneous configurations (where all the components lie in the same locale) in the following languagesEnglish (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, and Swedish. A translated user interface is available in each of the above languages. For information on specific languages supported by individual MicroStrategy system components, see the MicroStrategy readme. MicroStrategy also provides limited support for heterogeneous configurations (where some of the components may lie in different locales). Please contact MicroStrategy Technical Support for more details.


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Technical SupportIf you have questions about a specific MicroStrategy product, you should: 1 Consult the product guides, Help, and readme files. Locations to access each are described above. 2 Consult the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base online at https://resource.microstrategy.com/support.

A technical administrator in your organization may be able to help you resolve your issues immediately.3 If the resources listed in the steps above do not provide a solution, contact MicroStrategy Technical Support directly. To ensure the most productive relationship with MicroStrategy Technical Support, review the Policies and Procedures document in your language, posted at http://www.microstrategy.com/Support/Policies. Refer to the terms of your purchase agreement to determine the type of support available to you. MicroStrategy Technical Support can be contacted by your companys Support Liaison. A Support Liaison is a person whom your company has designated as a point-of-contact with MicroStrategys support personnel. All customer inquiries and case communications must come through these named individuals. Your company may designate two employees to serve as their Support Liaisons, and can request to change their Support Liaisons two times per year with prior written notice to MicroStrategy Technical Support. It is recommended that you designate Support Liaisons who have MicroStrategy Administrator privileges. This can eliminate security conflicts and improve case resolution time. When troubleshooting and researching issues, MicroStrategy Technical Support personnel may make recommendations that require administrative privileges within MicroStrategy, or that assume that the designated Support Liaison has a security level that permits them to fully manipulate the MicroStrategy projects and has access to potentially sensitive project data such as security filter definitions.

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Ensure issues are resolved quicklyBefore logging a case with MicroStrategy Technical Support, the Support Liaison may follow the steps below to ensure that issues are resolved quickly: 1 Verify that the issue is with MicroStrategy software and not a third party software. 2 Verify that the system is using a currently supported version of MicroStrategy software by checking the Product Support Expiration Schedule at http://www.microstrategy.com/Support/Expiration.asp. 3 Attempt to reproduce the issue and determine whether it occurs consistently. 4 Minimize the complexity of the system or project object definition to isolate the cause. 5 Determine whether the issue occurs on a local machine or on multiple machines in the customer environment. 6 Discuss the issue with other users by posting a question about the issue on the MicroStrategy Customer Forum at https://resource.microstrategy.com/forum/. The following table shows where, when, and how to contact MicroStrategy Technical Support. If your Support Liaison is unable to reach MicroStrategy Technical Support by phone during the hours of operation, they can leave a voicemail message, send email or fax, or log a case using the Online Support


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Interface. The individual Technical Support Centers are closed on certain public holidays.North America Email: [email protected] Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Fax: (703) 8428709 Phone: (703) 8488700 Hours: 9:00 A.M.7:00 P.M. Eastern Time, MondayFriday except holidays Email: [email protected] Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Fax: +44 (0) 208 711 2525 The European Technical Support Centre is closed on national public holidays in each country. Phone: Belgium: + 32 2792 0436 France: +33 17 099 4737 Germany: +49 22 16501 0609 Ireland: +353 1436 0916 Italy: +39 023626 9668 Poland: +48 22 459 52 52 Scandinavia & Finland: +46 8505 20421 Spain: +34 91788 9852 The Netherlands: +31 20 794 8425 UK: +44 (0) 208 080 2182 International distributors: +44 (0) 208 080 2183 Hours: United Kingdom: 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. GMT, Monday-Friday except holidays EMEA (except UK): 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. CET, Monday-Friday except holidays Email: [email protected] Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Phone: Australia: +61 2 9333 6499 Korea: +82 2 560 6565 Fax: +82 2 560 6555 Japan: +81 3 3511 6720 Fax: +81 3 3511 6740 Singapore: +65 6303 8969 Fax: +65 6303 8999 Asia Pacific (except Australia, Japan, Korea, and Singapore): +86 571 8526 8067 Fax: +86 571 8848 0977 Hours: Japan and Korea: 9:00 A.M.6:00 P.M. JST (Tokyo), Monday-Friday except holidays Asia Pacific (except Japan and Korea): 7 A.M.-6 P.M. (Singapore) Monday-Friday except holidays Email: [email protected] Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support Phone: LATAM (except Brazil and Argentina): +54 11 5222 9360 Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 Argentina: 0 800 444 MSTR Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 Brazil: +55 11 3054 1010 Fax: +55 11 3044 4088 Hours: Latin America (except Brazil): 9:00 A.M.7:00 P.M. (Buenos Aires), Monday-Friday except holidays Brazil: 9 A.M. - 6 P.M. (So Paulo), MondayFriday except holidays

EMEA: Europe The Middle East Africa

Asia Pacific

Latin America

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Support Liaisons should contact the Technical Support Center from which they obtained their MicroStrategy software licenses or the Technical Support Center to which they have been designated.

Required information when callingWhen contacting MicroStrategy Technical Support, please provide the following information: Personal information:

Name (first and last) Company and customer site (if different from company) Contact information (phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses)

Case details:

Configuration information, including MicroStrategy software product(s) and versions Full description of the case including symptoms, error messages(s), and steps taken to troubleshoot the case thus far

Business/system impact

If this is the Support Liaisons first call, they should also be prepared to provide the following: Street address Phone number Fax number Email address

To help the Technical Support representative resolve the problem promptly and effectively, be prepared to provide the following additional information: Case number: Please keep a record of the number assigned to each case logged with MicroStrategy Technical Support, and be ready to provide it when inquiring about an existing case Software version and product registration numbers of the MicroStrategy software products you are using


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Case description:

What causes the condition to occur? Does the condition occur sporadically or each time a certain action is performed? Does the condition occur on all machines or just on one? When did the condition first occur? What events took place immediately prior to the first occurrence of the condition (for example, a major database load, a database move, or a software upgrade)? If there was an error message, what was its exact wording? What steps have you taken to isolate and resolve the issue? What were the results?

System configuration (the information needed depends on the nature of the problem; not all items listed below may be necessary):

Computer hardware specifications (processor speed, RAM, disk space, and so on) Network protocol used ODBC driver manufacturer and version Database gateway software version (For MicroStrategy Web-rela