Sorting, pivoting, and performing other data manipulations in an analysis

You can sort, drill, move, and perform other manipulations on data in a Visual Insight analysis. For example, you can sort data in ascending order by the value of a metric, swap the report objects on the rows or columns of a visualization, or display subtotals for an attribute.

The table below lists ways in which you can manipulate data in an analysis, and steps to perform each task.

Task

Steps

Sort attributes or metrics in an analysis in ascending or descending order

  1. In the Drop Zones panel, hover the cursor over the name of the attribute or metric you want to use to sort data, then click the arrow icon on the right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To sort the attribute or metric values in ascending order, select Sort Ascending.

    • To sort the attribute or metric values in descending order, select Sort Descending.

Sort data in an analysis using multiple conditions

  1. In the Drop Zones panel, hover the cursor over the name of an attribute or metric, then click the arrow icon on the right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Select Advanced Sort. The Sort dialog box opens.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To sort by data in the rows, click the Rows tab.

    • To sort by data in the columns, click the Columns tab.

  4. From the Sort by drop-down list, select the attribute form or metric to use to sort data.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • To sort the data in ascending order, select Ascending.

    • To sort the data in descending order, select Descending.

  6. Specify additional sorting criteria using the appropriate steps above.

  7. Click OK to apply changes.

Pivot a row or column in a grid

 

  1. Hover the cursor over the header of the row or column you want to pivot, then click the arrow icon to the right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To move the row or column to the left, select Move Left.

    • To move the row or column to the right, select Move Right.

    • To move a row to the columns, select Move to Columns.

    • To move a column to the rows, select Move to Rows.

Swap the rows and columns in a visualization

  1. Hover the cursor over the header of the Drop Zones panel, then click the arrow icon to the right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Select Swap Rows and Columns. The report objects in the Rows and Columns area are swapped.

Drill on an attribute element in a grid, to view data at levels other than that displayed in the analysis

  1. Hover the cursor over the attribute element you want to drill from, then click the arrow icon to the right.

  2. Select the object you want to drill to. For example, to drill to the data at the Category level, select Drill to Category.

    When you drill on an attribute element in a grid, you can only drill to report objects within the analysis's dataset that are not included in the Drop Zones panel. If all objects within the dataset are displayed in the analysis, no drilling options are displayed.

 

Drill on multiple attribute elements in an analysis, to view data for selected elements at a level other than that displayed in the analysis

  1. Hover the cursor over the attribute element you want to drill from, then click the arrow icon to the right. Select multiple elements by pressing CTRL and clicking additional elements.

  2. Select the object you want to drill to. For example, to drill to the data at the Category level, select several categories, then choose Drill to Category. The data in the visualization is displayed at the Category level, and only includes the categories you selected in the grid.

Rename an attribute or metric

 

  1. In the Drop Zones panel, hover the cursor over the name of the attribute or metric you want to change, then click the arrow icon displayed in the top right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Select Rename. A field displaying the name of the attribute or metric is displayed.

  3. Type a new name for the attribute or metric in the field, then press ENTER. The object is renamed.

Format numbers

  1. In the Drop Zones panel, hover the cursor over the name of the metric whose values you want to format, then click the arrow icon to the right. A list of options is displayed.

  2. Select Number Format. The Format dialog box is displayed.

  3. From the Category drop-down list, select the type of number formatting to apply to the metric, then specify additional options for the formatting type, such as how many decimal places to display.

Display or hide subtotals

A subtotal is a total of a specific subset of metric data, totaled at a level you select. For a definition and examples of levels of aggregation, see the MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide.

  1. Hover the cursor over the attribute for which you want to display subtotals, then click the arrow icon displayed in the top right, and point to Show Totals. A list of subtotals is displayed.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To display a subtotal, select the check box next to the type of subtotal you want to display in the visualization.

    • To hide a subtotal, clear the check box next to the type of subtotal you want to remove from the visualization.

  3. Repeat the step above for each subtotal you want to display or hide, then click OK to apply your changes to the visualization.

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