Creating a report

A report is a MicroStrategy object that represents a request for a specific set of formatted data from your data source. In its most basic form it consists of two parts:

A report template (usually simply called a template), which is the underlying structure of the report.
The report-related objects placed on the template, such as attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts.

To create a report that accurately answers a specific business query, be sure you understand the fundamental MicroStrategy objects that make up a report. These are described with examples in the Building Query Objects and Queries, for Designers chapter of the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

A simple report generally has at least one attribute, one metric, and one filter. It is not necessary to have all these objects in the report, but the data returned is more meaningful if all these objects are present in the report.

Prerequisites

You must have a Web Professional license and the necessary privileges to create a report.
You must have a MicroStrategy project already created, containing objects that reflect your business data.
If you plan to create a graph report, determine which graph style you will use based on the objects you plan to place on the report. For a list of graph styles and the requirements for each style, see Minimum object requirements for each graph style.

To create a report from scratch

Log in to the project in which you want to create a report.
Click Create Report at the top of any page. Click Blank Report. You can also select an existing template on which to build your new report. For steps to use an existing template to create a new report, see Creating a report based on an existing template.
From the left, click All Objects, then navigate to the objects you want to place on the report.

Note: The location in which you begin browsing for objects is defined in the Report Options dialog box in MicroStrategy Desktop. For more information on the Report Options dialog box, see the Desktop Help.
Add attributes, metrics, filters, and prompts to your new report, as follows:

To add an attribute to the report, drag and drop the attribute from the All Objects pane onto the report. Attributes are generally placed on the rows of a report.
To add a metric to the report, drag and drop the metric from the All Objects pane onto the report. Metrics are generally placed on the columns of a report.
A filter screens data in your data source to determine whether the data should be included in or excluded from the calculations of the report results. You can create and add a stand-alone filter to a report, or create a filter directly in the report. For steps to create a filter directly within the report, see Creating a filter within a report: Embedded filters. For steps to create a stand-alone filter and then add it to the report, see About filters to determine the type of filter to create and links to steps for creating your filter.
A prompt is a question the system presents to a user when a report is executed. You can add a prompt to a report to determine what data is displayed on the report based on how the user answers the question. For steps, see Adding a prompt to a report.

Format the report as desired. For steps to format a report, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.
Click the Run Report icon at the top of the page. You can view the report in Grid, Graph, or Grid and Graph view. If you want to move objects or format the report differently, return to Design Mode and make your changes.
To save your new report, click the Save As icon at the top of the page. The Save As dialog box appears.
Navigate to the location in which you want to save your report, then type a name and description for the report in the Name and Description fields and click OK. Your report is saved.