Input controls help you filter and analyze data in your document quickly. You can review various scenarios without making new copies of your report.
When you use an input control, you affect the display of data in a report element, a report, or a document. The original data from the query does not change.
You create input controls from objects like dimensions, attributes, measures, or variables. You can show them in different formats: a list, an entry field, a slider, or a spinner.
For example, you can use an input control to review sales data for North America and then switch to Europe without running the document's query again.
Create an Input Control
To add an input control, select Show Filter Bar in the Analyze section of the toolbar.
Input Control Parameters
The New Control dialog box provides options such as:
- Name: The name of the input control.
- Type:
- Entry field: For any type of object, you can use the entry field input control on a report object where you want to be able to directly type a value name into a text box.
- Calendar: For a (dimension) date object, you can pick a value that appears with a manual entry text box or a calendar icon. If you click the calendar icon, you can then select a date from a pop-up calendar.
- Spinner: For a measure object, you can have an arrow-activated, spinning list of values.
- Tree list: For a dimension object, you can have a list of hierarchy values.
- Simple slider: For a measure object, you can have a slider bar to navigate to a specific value. You must set interval bounds and a default value
- Operator: The operator that the input control uses to filter the associated report elements.
- Allow selection of all values: This option allows you to show or hide the All Values option in an input control. For example, you may want to hide the All Values option when the aggregation of the values makes no sense.
- Allow selection of null values: For the Combo box, Radio buttons, List box, and Check boxes input controls, you can allow users to select null values.
For more information about this topic, please read SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence User's Guide
Filter Bar Management
Input controls are displayed in the Filter bar, which is designed for consumption work flows.
You can use the Manage Filter Bar dialog box to change existing input controls.
The Filter Bar in Design Mode and Reading Mode
The Filter bar in Design mode lets you view and manage filters that affect your data set in the document.
In Reading mode, you can change filter values or select the Reset button to return input controls to their default values.
Filter Data Dynamically with Groups of Input Controls
You can use a group of input controls to organize several input controls in one place.
The main benefit is that you can create cascading filters. When you select a value in one input control, the options in another control update based on your choice.
For example, if you choose a state from a list, a second control for cities shows only the cities in that state. This ensures that you always select valid combinations of data.
For more information about this topic, please read SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence User's Guide
Let's Summarize What You've Learned
- Input controls let you filter and analyze report data quickly without changing the original data or running new queries.
- You can create input controls in various formats, such as lists, entry fields, sliders, and calendars.
- Input controls offer customizable properties, including default values, sorting, and selection options for flexible data filtering.
- Grouping input controls enables cascading filters, ensuring valid and dynamic data selections based on user choices.
- The Filter bar allows you to manage and reset input controls in both Design and Reading modes.