Creating a Column Prompt

A column prompt enables users to select the values to populate a column in a dashboard or analysis. Use the following procedure to create a named column prompt that you can apply to one or more dashboards, or to create an inline column prompt that is embedded in an analysis. This procedure does not include information about selection steps or hierarchical columns. For information about column prompts and selection steps, see "Overriding a Selection Step With a Column Prompt."

For information about opening a prompt for editing, see "Editing Prompts."

To create a column prompt:

1. To create a dashboard prompt, use the following sub-procedure.

   1. Navigate to the Oracle BI Enterprise Edition Home page, locate the global header, hover the mouse pointer over the New menu to access the menu, and select Dashboard Prompt. From the Select Subject Area menu, select the subject area for which you want to create a prompt. The "Definition pane" is displayed.

   2. Click the New toolbar button in the Definition Pane to access the prompt type selection list. From the list, select Column Prompt. The "Select Column dialog" is displayed.

   3. Select a column and click OK. The "New Prompt dialog" displays.

      If your repository is configured for double columns, then ensure that you select the correct display column. For information on double columns, see "Understanding the Double Column Feature."

      The number of columns that you include in a prompt can affect performance. In general, you should limit the number of columns to as few as possible.

      If you are creating a dashboard prompt and want to add or remove related subject areas, then click the Select subject area button in the "Select Column dialog" to display the "Add/Remove Subject Areas dialog."

2. To create an inline prompt, use the following sub-procedure.

   1. Create a new analysis or access an existing analysis for which you want to create a prompt. Click the Prompts tab. The "Definition pane" is displayed.

   2. Click the New toolbar button in the Definition Pane to access the prompt type selection list. From the list, select Column Prompt. The analysis' selected columns are displayed in the cascading menu that is adjacent to the Column Prompt selection item.

      
      

      Note: If the appropriate column is not available from the list, then you can click the More Columns options in the cascading list and select the appropriate column from the "Select Column dialog."

      
      

   3. Select a column. The "New Prompt dialog" displays.

      If you want to create the prompt for a column that is not displayed in the column list, then select the More Columns... option. The "Select Column dialog" is displayed where you can browse for and select a column.

      If your repository is configured for double columns, then ensure that you select the correct display column. For information on double columns, see "Understanding the Double Column Feature."

      The number of columns that you include in a prompt can affect performance. In general, you should limit the number of columns to as few as possible.

      If you are creating a dashboard prompt and want to add or remove related subject areas, then click the Select subject area button in the "Select Column dialog" to display the "Add/Remove Subject Areas dialog."

3. (Optional) Click the Edit Formula button to display the "Edit Column Formula dialog: Column Formula tab" where you can modify the formula for the column.

4. In the Label field, change the default label, if necessary, by entering a caption for the column filter prompt. The caption displays as the prompt's field label.

5. In the Description field, enter a short description for the prompt. This description is displayed as tooltip text, which is displayed when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the prompt's label in the dashboard or analysis.

6. From the Operator list, select the operator to use.

7. In the User Input field, select how you want the prompt interface to ask the user for input (for example, prompt the user with a radio button to select only one prompt value). Note that the column type determines the user input options from which you can select.

8. Within the Options section, select prompt options to specify how you want the list values to be displayed to the user, and how you want the user to interact with the prompt. The prompt options vary depending on the user input type and list values type that you selected. For more information about the individual prompt options, see "New Prompt dialog."

9. In the Default selection field, select the prompt value or values that users see initially. If you select a default type, then a field is displayed where you can either select specific values, or specify how you want the default values to be determined. For example, if you select SQL Results, you must then supply a SQL statement to generate the list of values.

10. Click OK. The prompt is displayed in the "Definition pane."

11. Save the prompt. Note the following options:

    • If you are creating a dashboard prompt, then click the Save Prompt button in the "Prompt editor," specify the folder in which you want to save the prompt, and give the prompt a descriptive name. Note that dashboard prompts that are saved in personal folders are available only to you. Dashboard prompts that are saved in shared folders are available to other users that have permission to access the object.

    • If you are saving a dashboard prompt for use with an Oracle BI Publisher report that receives its data from a SQL query against the Oracle BI Server, Oracle Database, or other JDBC source, then the dashboard prompt's name must match the name of the report's parameter.

    • If you are creating an inline prompt, then save the analysis.

12. Use the arrow buttons in the Definition Pane to reorder the selected prompt. Reordering the prompts controls the order in which the choices are displayed to users at runtime, so ensure that the order is logical, especially if you are creating constrained prompts.

13. Select the type of layout you want on the prompts page by clicking either the New Row button or New Column button in the Definition pane's toolbar. In the Definition table, click the check box corresponding to the prompt item that you want to display in a new row or column.

14. To preview how the prompt is displayed on the dashboard, either use the "Display pane" to preview the prompt with sample data, or click the Preview button (if available) in the Definition Pane toolbar to view the prompt with actual prompt values.

    
    

    Note: If the Preview button is not available, then the administrator has suppressed its display.