Linking in reports

A link is a connection in a report to another report or document. A link allows you to connect from one report, known as the source, to another report or document, known as the target.

For example, you can link a report displaying customer region by revenue to another report displaying employee region by profit to compare sales data between the two reports.

Prerequisites

The source and the target reports and/or documents must be created before creating the links.
If the target report or document contains prompts, you must know what types of prompts the targets require and how they will be answered. The following table describes prerequisites for different prompt answer methods:

Prompt Answer Method	Prerequisite
Answer with the same prompt from the source	The same prompt is used in the target and the source.
Use default answer	The target prompt contains a default answer.
Answer dynamically	The target prompt is an attribute element prompt or value prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt.
Answer with an empty answer	The prompt should not be required.
Answer using current unit	The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt.
Answer using all valid units	The target prompt is a hierarchy prompt. The object(s) that the user selects to execute the target answers the target prompt.

Adding a link to a report

Run the report you want to add a link to.
Right-click the attribute or metric header and select Edit Links.

Note: You can create links from the following objects:

Attributes

Hierarchies

Metrics

Object prompts

Click New to create a new link, or skip to the next step if this is the first link you are creating for this report.
Type a name for the link in the Url display text field.

To define the link

Click Browse (...) below Run this report or document to find and select the target report or document.
Click OK to return to the Link Editor.

To apply prompt answers to the target report if it contains prompts

The box below the Run this report or document field contains a list of any prompts included in the target report or document.

Select a target prompt from the box.
Select a prompt answer method from the drop-down list:

Answer with the same prompt from the source: You can select this option if you want to use the same prompt answers for both the source report and the target report or document.

Note: This option will only work when the source and target use the same prompt.
Prompt user: You can select this option if you want to provide prompt answers to the target report or document after you run them. You can enter your prompt answers manually if you select this option. For example, prompt X requires for you to enter a customer age, and instead of having to choose the age number from a list, you can enter the number in the prompt answer text box.
Answer with an empty answer: You can select this option if you want to ignore the prompt in the target, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and you are not prompted to provide answers.

Note: If the prompt is required, the prompt is still executed when you click this link, since a prompt answer must be provided.
Use Default Answer: You can select this option if you want the target prompt to use the same default answer as it does in the target report or document.
Answer dynamically: You can select this option if you want to answer the prompt using the object selected in the source. Available for attribute element prompts and value prompts only.
Answer using current unit: Select this option if you want to answer the prompt using the object that you select in the source. This is similar to the Answer dynamically prompt answer method. Available for hierarchy prompts only.
Answer using all valid units: Select this option if you want to answer the target prompt with any object to the left of or above the object that you select in the source. In other words, this method passes all the selections made on the source, rather than just the selection made for the link. Available for hierarchy prompts only.

Repeat the above steps, starting with To apply prompt answers, for each prompt in the target.

Specify the prompt answer method for any other prompts

Any other prompts are those prompts that are not in the target when you are creating the link, such as prompts added to the target later. By default, the Prompt user method is selected for these prompts, but you can change the method.
Select Any other prompts in the box.
Select a prompt answer method from the following list; only these methods are available for the Any other prompts option:

Answer with the same prompt from the source
Prompt user
Answer with an empty answer
Use default answer

Note: See the previous list of prompt answer methods for brief descriptions of each.
Select the Open in new window check box to have the target open in a new window. This allows the target and the source to be visible simultaneously.
Click OK to return to the source report and to save your link.

Accessing the target from your link

Right-click the object for which you created the link.
Point to Links.
Click the link you created. The target opens.