Work with MicroStrategy Reports

This section describes how to configure Eagle to communicate with the MicroStrategy Server so you can access MicroStrategy reports from within PACE Advanced Reports and Eagle Portal, and how to create Value and Attribute Element prompts in MicroStrategy to use with Eagle PACE and Portal.

PACE MicroStrategy Server Configuration

Complete the following procedure to configure Eagle to communicate with the MicroStrategy server. Once Eagle is configured, you can create an Advanced report that refers to a MicroStrategy report. Note that although you refer to a MicroStrategy report from within Reporting Center, MicroStrategy reports are developed in the MicroStrategy product, and continue to be part of your MicroStrategy environment. Eagle MicroStrategy integration means that you can build an Eagle event where the MicroStrategy report is the underlying event. For example, you can create an Advanced report in Reporting Center that refers to a MicroStrategy report within MicroStrategy.

To access MicroStrategy reports from Advanced Reports or Portal you must make configuration changes within Eagle. This allows Eagle to locate and communicate with the MicroStrategy server and navigate their project menus.

Configure MicroStrategy Web

Before you configure the MicroStrategy Web server from Eagle PACE, you must copy files from the Eagle plug-ins folder. You must be a licensed user to obtain access to this functionality. Before you begin, if you are a licensed user, contact Eagle to obtain the plug-ins folder. Then, copy the plug-ins folder to the folder: \Program Files (x86)\MicroStrategy\Web ASPx\ on your MicroStrategy Web Server.

To configure the MicroStrategy server:

  1. From any Eagle window, click the Eagle Navigator button to access the Eagle Navigator.

  2. Enter Microstrategy in the Start Search text box.

  3. Click the Microstrategy Server Configuration (System Management Center) link to access the System Management Center.
    You see the MicroStrategy Server Configuration dialog box. Eagle uses the MicroStrategy API to communicate with the Server.

  4. Complete the settings on the MicroStrategy Server Configuration dialog box.

  5. Click OK to save your changes.

  6. Once the server configuration is complete, you can:
    Access MicroStrategy Reporting project menus when creating advanced report rules.
    Access MicroStrategy Reporting project menus when creating Portal queries.
    Send report requests to MicroStrategy Reporting from Eagle's application server.
    Save MicroStrategy Reporting interact directly with portal queries.

Create Value Prompts and Attribute Element Prompts in MicroStrategy

MicroStrategy reports that are run in Advanced Reports and Portal must be built in MicroStrategy's product. It is common for investment reports to require the user to input values like fund and effective date. MicroStrategy supports inputs like this by an element of its meta data known as prompts. A MicroStrategy report can be built with no prompts, a single prompt or multiple prompts, depending on what information is needed from the user so that the report can be run. A given MicroStrategy prompt may seek a single value or multiple values (a list).

Eagle's integration of MicroStrategy reports must allow an Eagle user to respond appropriately to all MicroStrategy prompts that a report requires. Eagle supports two types of MicroStrategy prompts: the Value Prompt and the Attribute Elements Prompt. Normally, an Eagle administrator configuring MicroStrategy integration in Advanced Reports and Portal does not have to create these prompts, since that is the role of a report developer. However, this section discusses how those prompts should be created in MicroStrategy for compatibility with Eagle integration, as a help to MicroStrategy report developers working with Eagle clients.

Value Prompts

A Value prompt allows you to pass a single value as in input to a MicroStrategy Report. When using a Value prompt, you first set up the prompt, then set up a filter to use the Value prompt.

Creating a Value Prompt

Complete the following procedure from the MicroStrategy desktop to create a Value prompt.

  1. From the MicroStrategy Desktop, right click and select Prompt from the New menu.
    You see the Prompt Generation Wizard dialog box.

  2. Select the prompt type and click Next.

    Prompt Generation Wizard - Select a Prompt
  3. Select a value prompt type and click Next. Prompt types include:
    Date prompt: Allows users to filter for data related to a specific date or a range of dates.
    Numeric prompt: Allows users to filter numeric data.
    Text prompt: Allows users to filter text data.
    Big Decimal prompt. Allows users to filter data based on a big decimal value for a metric.
    You see the third Prompt Generation Wizard dialog box.

  4. Enter a prompt title in the Title field. Enter instructions for the prompt in the Instructions field. Select the Prompt answer required checkbox and click Next.

    Prompt Generation Wizard Third Dialog Box
  5. Optionally, specify a default value and click Finish.
    You see the Save As dialog box.

  6. Enter an Object Name and click Save.

Use Value Prompts in the Filter

To create a filter based on the value prompt from the MicroStrategy desktop:

  1. From the MicroStrategy Desktop, right click and select Filter from the New menu.
    You see the New Filter dialog box.

  2. Click OK to continue.

  3. Select the attribute in the left part of the window on which you want to create a Filter.

  4. Double click the selected attribute.
    You see the Attribute Qualification dialog box.

  5. Make sure the appropriate prompt is selected in the left window. In the Qualify On field, select ID. In the Operator field, select Exactly. Click OK.
    You see the Filter window, displaying the resulting filter.

  6. Click Save and Close.
    You see the Save As Filter dialog box.

  7. Enter a name for the object in the Object Name field, and click Save.

Attribute Element Prompts

An Attribute Element prompt allows you to send an input to a MicroStrategy report consisting of multiple values. When you use an Attribute Element prompt, you first create a null filter, then create an Attribute Element prompt based on the null filter.

Create a Null Filter

To create a null filter:

  1. From the MicroStrategy Desktop, right click and select Filter from the New menu.
    You see the New Filter dialog box.

  2. In the/New Filter dialog box, select Empty Filter and click OK.
    You see the Attribute Qualification dialog box.

  3. Select an Attribute from the Attribute list, and double-click it.

  4. In the Qualify On field, select ID. In the Operator field, select Is Null. Leave the Element List section empty. Click OK and then click Save and Close.
    You see the Save Filter As dialog box.

  5. Enter a name in the Object Name field. This example uses Entity ID as the Object Name. Click Save.
    Next, complete the following procedure to create an Attribute Element prompt based on the Null Entity ID filter.

Create an Attribute Element Prompt Based on the Null Entity ID Filter

After you create a null filter, you create an Attribute Element prompt based on that filter. Complete the following procedure from the MicroStrategy desktop to create an Attribute Element prompt.

  1. From the MicroStrategy Desktop, right click and select Prompt from the New menu.
    You see the Prompt Generation Wizard dialog box.

  2. In the Filter definition prompt section, select Choose from an attribute element list and click Next.
    You see the Second Prompt Generation dialog box.

  3. In the Attribute field, select the attribute and click Next
    You see the third Prompt Generation Wizard dialog box.

  4. Select Use a filter to reduce the number. Click the button to select a filter. Select Null Entity ID from the list of available filters that appears.

  5. Click OK and then click Next.
    You see the Fourth Prompt Generation dialog box.

  6. Enter a title in the Title field. Enter any instructions in the Instructions field. The Instruction field text is displayed in MicroStrategy when you run the report there.

  7. Click Next.
    You see the last Prompt Generation Wizard dialog box.

  8. Optionally, add default prompt names, and click Finish.
    You see the Save As dialog box.

  9. Enter a prompt name and click Save.

Work with MicroStrategy

The following section contains additional information about working with Portal's MicroStrategy integration.

MicroStrategy offers interactivity within the query, including filtering, multiple dashboard levels, and navigation between reports using Selectors.

When using MicroStrategy queries in Portal, Eagle recommends you do not use the right-click functionality available for some table fields that permits drilling, as used in MicroStrategy, through data hierarchies. If you do so, you cannot return to the upper level of the report. You have to rerun the query to regenerate the report.

You can export a MicroStrategy document in PDF and Excel format. When you export a MicroStrategy report in Excel format, the document's graphs become valid Excel graphs that you can configure, and the document's grids become regular cells in the spreadsheet.