Prompts

system · March 31, 2000, 3:28pm

Hi Listers,
One of my prompts for Worksheet Created Date is in this form “20000331” and I don’t like it that way. When I click on values the list comes up with that fromat. I would like to change the format to 03/31/2000, is that possible? I know that the refresh button was clicked and I’m not sure if I could undo it.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 1, 2000, 2:17am

Two options:

If you’re a designer, change the object to use a date format. Something like TOCHAR(your_date_field, ‘MM/DD/YYYY’) (this is not a specific database example).
If you’re not a designer, try creating a user object, format it to return the date in the format you want it, and use that instead of the universe object.

Hope that helps.

Paul

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · May 23, 2000, 1:14am

Can anyone help with a few situations regarding prompts?

When creating a report that contains multiple prompts, is there any way to logically display the prompts to the end-user or will it always sort(be displayed) alphabetically?
Short of writing some VB scripts is there any methods to filter lower level prompts based on input from a higher level prompt? For example, if I have a report that contains 2 prompts one for product BRAND and one for product UPC, can the LOV presented for the UPC prompt be filtered based on the value(s) selected from the BRAND prompt?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Gary Long
Data Warehouse Team Leader
The Quaker Oats Company
gary_long@quakeroats.com

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · May 23, 2000, 12:04pm

Gary D. Long [gary_long@QUAKEROATS.COM] asked:

When creating a report that contains multiple prompts, is there any way to logically display the prompts to the end-user or will it always sort(be displayed) alphabetically?
Short of writing some VB scripts is there any methods to filter lower level prompts based on input from a higher level prompt? For example, if I have a report that contains 2 prompts one for product BRAND and one for product UPC, can the LOV presented for the UPC prompt be filtered based on the value(s) selected from the BRAND prompt?

An answer to your first question is to label the prompts like:

“1. Enter report month”
“2. Enter report year”
etc…

If you use numbers at the beginning of each prompt, you can control the order they appear.

Paula J. Guillory
Decision Support Analyst
Chevron Chemical Company, LLC
713-754-5759
pgui@chevron.com

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · May 23, 2000, 4:44pm

Gary,
For your second question that you asked you can create nested prompts. To achieve this you first create a prompt for BRAND. Then create an object called UPC(LOV). In the properties tab of this object click on EDIT for the List of Values, now add the prompt for BRAND into the Conditions panel, this will force the List Of Values for UPC to be based on the prompt for BRAND. Now create another prompt for UPC (note: in the LOV section of the prompt you would want to reference the new object UPC(LOV). The prompt would look something like:

TableName.UPC CodeIN @Prompt(‘Enter UPC Code’,‘A’,‘FolderName\UPC (LOV)’,Multi,Constrained)

Now in the report just pull in the prompt for UPC. When the report is run first a prompt will appear asking for a UPC code, since the above prompt is Constrained it will force the users to click on the Values button, once this button is pushed a new prompt will appear asking for a Brand Code, when a value is entered and OK is selected a window will appear showing only those UPC codes based on the BRAND selected.

There may be an easier way to do this but here is one suggestion

Stephanie

You wrote:

Short of writing some VB scripts is there any methods to filter lower level prompts based on input from a higher level prompt? For example, if I have a report that contains 2 prompts one for product BRAND and one for product UPC, can the LOV presented for the UPC prompt be filtered based on the value(s) selected from the BRAND prompt?

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · August 16, 2000, 2:35pm

Hello,
I’m new to the list service and to BO.

I want to constrain users from entering values into prompts. I know this is possible using freehand SQL data providers. Is it possible using an universe data provider? If so, how?

Thanks,
Kevin Brown
________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · August 16, 2000, 2:49pm

Just create a predefined condition in your universe and use the “constrained” keyword (as oppossed to free). When users use this prompt in their query - they will only be able to select from an LOV.

Julie

Hello,
I’m new to the list service and to BO.

I want to constrain users from entering values into prompts. I know this is possible using freehand SQL data providers. Is it possible using an universe data provider? If so, how?

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · September 20, 2000, 5:42pm

Hi Listers,

I have a report that has 3 prompts. The situation I have is this:

I want the year prompt to equal the current year. 2) The start month is a simple prompt with LOV 3) I want the end month to equal the current month.

I want the current year and current month to be dynamic. The report should return the dataset without refreshing when it is initially selected but if the user want to refresh the report they can select values for all 3 prompts.

Is this possible, If so how?

Thanks,
Kevin

_________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:27pm

If you put the prompt in just as you have typed it then it will work because 1 comes before 2.

You wrote:

Hi all!

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:29pm

Hi all!

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

Thanks in advance.
_________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:30pm

you showed at least one answer here - number your prompts 1 - Start … 2 - End…

cheesy, but…

brent

From: Sheetal Prabhu [SMTP:prabhusheetal@HOTMAIL.COM] Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 1:29 PM

Hi all!

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

Thanks in advance.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:31pm

Use ‘1.Enter Start Date’ and ‘2.Enter End Date’ instead as prompt…

Hi all!

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:32pm

Sheetal,

Put some number or alphabet in front of the prompt. Like 1. Enter Stardate or
a. Enter Startdate

Pari

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:32pm

You asked:

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

Add numbers to prompts to order: “1. Start Date of Report” & “2. End Date of Report”

Kreg Zimmerman

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:33pm

<>
I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

<<me…>>
call the prompts as

A. Enter Start Date
B. Enter End Date

this make prompts appear in the alpha order

hope this helps
Anand

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:34pm

You said…

1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

Me…

Just to be different I like

Enter beginning date
Enter ending date

Prompts appear in alphanumeric order and since ‘B’ comes before ‘E’ in the alphabet, you’ll achieve your desired result.

Cindy Clayton

Ask WHY until you understand!

Overlooked blessings…
Laughing so hard your sides hurt and you can’t catch your breath… Daydreams…
The feel of a child in your arms…

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:35pm

Use “Beginning Date” instead of “Start Date”

B. Sandifer
Associate Programmer
American General Annuity
806-345-7519

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 5:38pm

And the Winner for the most POPULAR question of the week goes to…

Use “Beginning Date” instead of “Start Date”

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 6:34pm

In a message dated 01-04-26 13:29:31 EDT, you write:

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment

I want to play too! Everyone else got to answer this question…

There have been 3 suggestions. First, number your prompts with 1, 2, 3… and so no. Next, letter your prompts with A, B, C… and so on. And finally, reword your prompts with “Beginning” instead of “Starting”. In typical “Dave” fashion, I’ll give you probably more information than you need.

The first and second options work okay. If you do use numbers, be sure to use two digit numbers (01, 02, 03…) instead of single digit numbers. The prompts are alphabetical, not numerical. So in the even that you have ten or more prompts, you want things to be 01, 02, 03… 10, 11… and so on. If you do not put the leading zero, you will get 1, 10, 11, 2, 3, 4… which is generally not what you expected or wanted.

Two digit prompts are probably enough; if you ever create a query with more than 99 prompts your users will revolt.

Lettering prompts works a little better in that you have up to 26 options before you have to duplicate.

Both of these solutions have the problem that if you want to add a new prompts, and it should appear first, you now have to renumber (reletter) all of your prompts. For that reason, I prefer the last option, which is to use the words “Beginning” date instead of “Starting” date. That allows me to be creative and put a new prompts first without affecting all of my other prompts.

Since the List of Values deactivation sometimes seems to be involved in creating / changing prompts, I try to avoid changing prompts once they are working.

And now, the final part: why does it happen this way? It’s a guess, since I don’t actually have a pipeline to the BusObj programmers in France, but here goes…

If you have a document with multiple data providers, you may be sharing prompts from one to the next. In order to make sure that the prompts match up correctly, BusObj alphabetizes the prompts. That way if you use the same prompts in data provider 1, 2, and 3, it will always be first, and easier for BusObj to coordinate.

As I said, it’s a guess. But it sounds good.

Regards,
Dave Rathbun
Integra Solutions
www.islink.com

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

system · April 26, 2001, 6:41pm

And for another way!Enter Start Date (with TWO spaces)
Enter End Date (with one space)

Since space sorts low you get the order you want with your prompts.

Bill

I have two prompts in my report.
1)Enter Start Date
2)Enter End Date

I want the start date prompt to appear before the end date prompt,but because of the alphabetical order i am unable to do that.Pls comment.

Thanks in advance.

Listserv Archives (BOB member since 2002-06-25)