An OLAP report is limited to values belonging to the parent categories in the dimensions hierarchy. There are several ways to further limit the data that appears in the report.
From the Selections pane or the Control Panel, you can explicitly limit the data in an OLAP report by selecting dimension values and relational operators (such as =, >, <). For a list of the relational operators, see Selection Criteria Relational Operators.
The Selections pane provides the easiest approach since you can choose both dimension values and relational operators with a few mouse clicks, while the report is fully exposed to view.
Changes made in the Selections pane are implemented immediately in the Control Panel (even if the Control Panel is closed), and changes made in the Control Panel are reflected immediately in the Selections pane.
From the report, you can limit data indirectly by drilling down on measures and dimensions to hone in on a subset of information. For details, see Drilling Down On Dimensions and Measures.
You can define selection criteria in the Selections pane or Control Panel using several relational operators, which are shown in the following tables. The first column displays the operator and the second column provides a description of the operator.
Operator |
Displays Records That... |
---|---|
- Equal to |
Are equal to the criteria you specified. This is the default operator. |
- Not Equal to |
Are not equal to the criteria you specified. |
- Less than or equal to |
Are less than or equal to the criteria you specified. |
- Less than |
Are less than, but not equal to, the criteria you specified. |
- Greater than or equal to |
Are greater than or equal to the criteria you specified. |
- Greater than |
Are greater than, but not equal to, the criteria you specified. |
- Contains |
Contain the criteria you specified. Note: This operator is available only for alphanumeric fields. |
- Not contain |
Do not contain the criteria you specified. Note: This operator is available only for alphanumeric fields. |
Note: You can select more than one value using the same relational operator.
The following table lists and describes relational operators that are available for selecting a range of dates.
Operator |
Displays Records Where... |
---|---|
- Within range |
The value in the indicated date field falls within the specified range. Note: To use this relational operator, you must select the Range check pane in the Date Selection panel. |
- Not within range |
The value in the indicated date field does not fall within the specified range. Note: To use this relational operator, you must select the Range check pane in the Date Selection panel. |
When the Selections pane is turned on, there is one control (drop-down list) for every dimension in the OLAP hierarchy. Note that the name of the dimension field appears as defined in the Master File, even if an alternate column title has been specified)
To limit data for the dimensions that are included in the report:
To select multiple values, click the desired values while holding the Ctrl key on the keyboard.
You can toggle through a list of operators. See Selection Criteria Relational Operators.
Tip: To change or eliminate selection criteria, reopen the values list and choose another value or choose All.
The following is an example of limiting continents and regions from the selections pane.
As shown in the following image, the Selections pane above the report, the controls for Continent and Region are set to All to show all values of each dimension. You wish to focus on the data for one continent and one region.
The output is now limited to data for the selected continent and region, as shown in the following image.
The Selection Criteria pane opens.
A secondary window opens. Select one or more values (press the Ctrl key to multi-select).
The following is an example of limiting continents and countries from the Control Panel.
Tip: If you have access to the Selections pane, it provides the quickest way to limit data. For an illustration, see Limiting Continents and Regions From the Selections Pane.
The report shows data for continents and countries. You want to restrict the information to the Countries ARGENTINA and BRAZIL in the Continent AMERICAS.
A secondary window lists the acceptable values.
The selected values now appear in the drop-down lists in the Selection Criteria pane, as shown in the following image.
The new report displays the data by Continent, AMERICAS followed by Country, as shown in the following image.
Tip: If you have access to the Selections pane, it provides the easiest way to adjust or remove selection criteria. See How to Apply Selection Criteria From the Selections Pane.
From the Selections Criteria pane in the Control Panel:
A secondary window opens.
To change a value, type the new value in the text pane or select one or more values from the list. (The value you type must be in the same case as the value in the data source.)
You can input only one value in the text pane. If you select more than one value from the list, only the first value appears. However, all values appear in your report.
To deselect a value, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the value.
Tip: If you have access to the Selections pane, it provides the easiest way to adjust or remove selection criteria. See How to Apply Selection Criteria From the Selections Pane.
From the Selections Criteria pane in the Control Panel:
The selection category is removed from the list.
How to:
Reference: |
You can apply selection criteria to date elements just as you apply them to other types of elements. The results are limited by the date(s) you select. For example, you can select to view data associated with a particular date or to exclude data from the specified date.
Note: Like other dimension elements, date fields must have been defined in the Master File by a Managed Reporting developer. The Master File specifies the date formats available for selection criteria.
In the Control Panel, you can choose the selection criteria from a Date selection pane that contains the appropriate controls for the date format.
You can also select a range of dates in a designated year by specifying a From and To date. Two relational operators are available for selecting a range of dates:
For more information on supported date formats, see Date Format Limitations. For more information on specifying date formats, see the Describing Data With WebFOCUS Language manual.
The Selection Criteria pane opens.
A secondary window displays controls for the date format of the dimension. For example, if the date format is YYM, only the year and month controls appear. If the format is YYMD, year, month, and day controls appear.
Note: The date selection pane appears only when a supported date format is provided. See Date Format Limitations.
If your date format includes edit masking such as Y.M.D, the date appears with forward slashes in the Date selection list pane, the Selection Criteria pane, and the drop-down list at the bottom of the report. However, the date edit mask appears as specified within the body of the report.
The following is an example of applying selection criteria to a date file.
As shown in the following images, the multi-page OLAP report shows several years of data about reported problems falling into five categories: incorrect labeling, missing components, physical damage, power failure, remote failure.
You want to investigate problems reported on June 6, 2001. You can limit data based on a single date from the Control Panel.
Note: To show the selection of a particular date, a dimension component has been added to the procedure. This dimension places Date Problem Reported in the Time Period dimension hierarchy directly below the root.
The OLAP button appears at the bottom of this report because the OLAP CONTROL setting was selected. For details, see Setting OLAP Reporting Options.
The Selection Criteria pane opens.
The pane replaces the Selections Criteria pane, with a drop-down list for each selectable value (Year, Month, and Date) based on the date format of the selected field, as shown in the following image.
The relational operator to the left of the Date pane indicates that your report will contain data only for those rows where date is equal to (=) the values you entered. This default operator is correct for this example.
Your selection criteria are listed beside the OLAP button at the bottom of the report, as shown in the following image.
The Selection Criteria pane opens.
A secondary window displays controls for the date format of a dimension. For example, if the date format is YYM, only the year and month controls appear. If the format is YYMD, year, month, and day controls appear.
Note: The Date selection pane appears only when a supported date format is provided. See Date Format Limitations.
Inclusive and Exclusive options buttons appear:
Note:
From and To drop-down lists open for all selectable options. By default, the current date appears.
The following is an example of applying selection criteria to a range of date fields.
As shown in the following images, your report shows problem information reported over the course of several years.
The information falls into the following categories: incorrect labeling, missing components, physical damage, power failure, and remote failure.
You want to restrict the information to problems reported between June 6, 2001 and July 6, 2001. From the Control Panel, you can limit data based on a range of dates.
The Selection Criteria pane opens.
The PROBLEM_DATE pane opens over the Selections Criteria pane, with a drop-down list for each selectable value (Year, Month, and Date) based on the date format of the selected field.
The following image shows the selections.
The date element appears at the bottom of the window.
The date appears inside the Selections list pane.
Note the following limitations when applying selection criteria to date elements:
WebFOCUS |