Linking Graphs to Other Resources

In this section:

How to:

To drill down to a more detailed level of information in a graph, you can link a procedure (FOCEXEC) or a URL to one or more values in your graph. When you run your graph, the selected values become "hot spots" that invoke the underlying procedure or URL.

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Procedure: How to Link a Graph to Other Resources
  1. Click the Data selection tab.
  2. Click the Available Fields tab below the Data selection pane.
  3. Select the Y-axis field from which you want to drill down.
  4. Click the Value column to the right of where drill down is listed in the Property column of the Field Properties pane.

    A browse button (...) appears in place of the space you just clicked.

  5. Click the browse button.

    The Drill Down dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

    Drill Down dialog box

  6. If you are linking your graph to a:
    • URL, type a URL in the URL text box and make sure you add http://, https://, or ftp:// to the beginning, depending on the type of URL. If you do not want the URL to appear when a user moves the mouse over a link in the graph, you can enter different text in the Alternate comment text box.
    • Procedure, click the Browse button next to Execute a procedure, then select a procedure from the hierarchy tree in the dialog box that opens.
  7. Use the Add button to add any parameters. For details, see Creating Parameters.
  8. Click OK.

Note: You can disable a drill down by clicking the Delete this drill down button in the Drill Down dialog box.
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Creating Parameters

How to:

Parameters enable you to specify criteria and conditions for the associated (drill down) report. By defining parameters, you can control the amount and type of information to retrieve when you click on a hot spot.

Note: To avoid conflicts, do not name variables beginning with Date, IBI, or WF, as variables beginning with these values are reserved for Information Builders use.
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Procedure: How to Create a Parameter in the Main and Drill Down Procedures
  1. When linking a graph to a drill down procedure, in the Drill Down dialog box that opens, select the Execute a procedure option.
  2. Click the Browse button and select a procedure, or type the name of a procedure in the text box below the Execute a procedure option.
  3. Click the Add Parameter Add Parameter button button.

    The Parameter Name dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

    Parameter Name dialog box

  4. In the Parameter Name text box, enter the name of the parameter you created in the drill-down procedure.

    Note: When passing parameters to a drill-down procedure, you must use local variables (&variables). Global variables (&&variables) cannot be used as drill-down parameters. Also, it is not necessary to type an ampersand (&) before the parameter name. This will create a global variable that cannot be used as a drill-down parameter.

  5. When you pass the parameter to the drill-down procedure, you must set a value for it in the parameter name dialog box. If you select:
    • Field. The parameter will be set to the corresponding value of the object the user drills down on in the specified field.
    • Constant value. The parameter is set to the specified value.

    Note: If the drill down report contains a -DEFAULTS statement that sets a default value to the same variable passed from the main report, the variable value passed down overwrites the -DEFAULTS statement in the target procedure.

  6. After you supply a value, click OK to return to the Drill Down dialog box. The parameter is added to the Parameters list box, as shown in the following image.

    Drill Down dialog box with added parameter

  7. Click OK to close the Drill Down dialog box.
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