Reference Analysis Services Support within Report Parameters
We will
return to each of the three Report Parameters at this juncture, where we
will reference each of the supporting datasets we created in the previous
subsection within the respective Dataset, Value field, and Label
field settings. We will also make a few additional
changes to the pre-existing settings to make the Report Parameters a bit
more user-friendly at runtime.
1.
From the main
menu, select Report ->Report
Parameters, as
depicted in Illustration 44.
Illustration 44: Select Report
->Report Parameters
The Report
Parameters dialog opens.
2.
Within the Parameters
list box, on the left side of the dialog, click DateCalendarYear.
The
Properties, Available values, and Default values settings
for the selected Report Parameter appear.
3.
Within the Properties
section on the right side of the dialog, change the Prompt setting
from Date.Calendar Year to the following:
Year
4.
Ensure that
all five checkboxes underneath the Prompt setting are unchecked.
5.
Within the Available
values section, underneath the Properties section, ensure that the From
query radio button is selected.
6.
Select AS_DateYrParams_Support
in the Dataset selector, as shown in Illustration 45.
Illustration 45: Select
AS_DateYrParams_Support as the Dataset ...
7.
Underneath the
Dataset selector, select the following in the Value field
selector:
YearParamValue
8.
Underneath the
Value field selector, select the following in the Label field
selector:
YearParamCaption
9.
Within the Default
values section, underneath the Available values section, ensure that
the radio button to the immediate left of Null is selected.
The
Properties, Available values, and Default values settings
for the DateCalendarYear Report Parameter appear, with our
modifications, as depicted in Illustration 46.
Illustration 46: DateCalendarYear
Report Parameter Settings, with Modifications
10.
Within the Parameters
list box, as before, click DateCalendarQuarterofYear.
The settings
for the selected Report Parameter appear.
11.
Within the Properties
section on the right side of the dialog, change the Prompt setting
from Date.Calendar Quarter of Year to the following:
Quarter
12.
Ensure that
all five checkboxes underneath the Prompt setting are unchecked.
13.
Within the Available
values section, underneath the Properties section, ensure that the From
query radio button is selected.
14.
In the Dataset
selector, select the following:
AS_DateQtrParams_Support
15.
Underneath the
Dataset selector, select the following in the Value field
selector:
QtrParamValue
16.
Underneath the
Value field selector, select the following in the Label field
selector:
QtrParamCaption
17.
Within the Default
values section, underneath the Available values section, ensure that
the radio button to the immediate left of Null is selected.
The
Properties, Available values, and Default values
settings for the DateCalendarQuarterofYear Report Parameter appear,
with our modifications, as shown in Illustration 47.
Illustration 47:
DateCalendarQuarterofYear Report Parameter Settings, with Modifications
18.
Within the Parameters
list box, once more, click DateMonthofYear.
The settings
for the selected Report Parameter appear.
19.
Within the Properties
section on the right side of the dialog, change the Prompt setting
from Date.Month of Year to the following:
Month
20.
Ensure that
all five checkboxes underneath the Prompt setting are unchecked.
21.
Within the Available
values section, underneath the Properties section, ensure that the From
query radio button is selected.
22.
In the Dataset
selector, select the following:
AS_DateMoParams_Support
23.
Underneath the
Dataset selector, select the following in the Value field
selector:
MoParamValue
24.
Underneath the
Value field selector, select the following in the Label field
selector:
MoParamCaption
25.
Within the Default
values section, underneath the Available values section, ensure that
the radio button to the immediate left of Null is selected.
The
Properties, Available values, and Default values
settings for the DateMonthofYear Report Parameter appear, with
our modifications, as depicted in Illustration 48.
Illustration 48: DateMonthofYear
Report Parameter Settings, with Modifications
26.
Click OK
to accept all our Report Parameter modifications, and to dismiss the Report
Parameters dialog.
As a
final cleanup item, we will remove the datasets created automatically by Reporting
Services to support the parameters we created as a part of preparation for
our practice session (when we added the parameterized filters to the
report). We can accomplish this by taking the following steps within the Data
tab.
27.
Click the
downward selector arrow on the right side of the Dataset selector.
We
note that the three automatically created datasets appear, including DateCalendarYear,
DateCalendarQuarterofYear, and DateMonthofYear.
28.
Select the DateCalendarYear
dataset within the selector.
29.
Once the
dataset is selected, click the Delete Selected Dataset button to the
right of the selector, as shown in Illustration 49.
Illustration 49: Deleting
an Unwanted Dataset ...
30.
Click Yes
on the message box that appears, asking if we are sure we want to perform the
deletion, as depicted in Illustration 50.
Illustration 50: Confirm
Wishes to Delete with a “Yes” ...
The
automatically created dataset DateCalendarYear disappears.
31.
Delete the DateCalendarQuarterofYear
and DateMonthofYear datasets in the same manner.
Having
created the parameter support structures within Analysis Services, we added
supporting datasets, based upon those structures, within our
sample report. We then referenced those datasets to the respective Report
Parameters, and, as a cleanup step, removed the datasets that Reporting
Services had automatically created for each parameterized filter we
set up as a part of our preparation for the practice session. We are now ready
to verify the effectiveness of our solution. We will verify that the
date-related Report Parameters – now supported by objects within the
Analysis Services layer of our integrated BI solution – perform as expected
at runtime.
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