User`s guide

• Creating a parameter with a static prompt.
• Creating a parameter with a dynamic prompt.
• Creating a parameter with a cascading list of values.
• Dynamic prompts contain lists of values that you can use for a particular report or for many reports.
You share a list of values by adding it to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository.
• A list of values can be scheduled for automatic updates through the Business View Manager. For
more information about scheduling a list of values, see the Business Views Administrator's Guide .
• A list of values can form a cascading prompt; that is, you can create a prompt whose final value is
determined through a sequence of choices. For example, users might first be prompted to pick a
country before the choices for region appear. The users might then need to pick a region before the
choices for city appear, and so on.
21.1.3 Data and non-data parameters
Depending on how parameters are used, they are marked as either data parameters or non-data
parameters. How these parameters are used within a report will impact whether the report data will
refresh upon changing parameter values.
Data parameters are used in:
• Record selection formulas, directly or indirectly (by way of being referenced within a formula)
• Command objects
• Stored procedures
• Universe parameters
Changes made to the value of a data parameter require a report refresh to fetch new data from the
database. For example, a report will be refreshed when a data parameter is used to generate a query.
Non-data parameters are used in:
• Saved data selection formulas
• Conditional formulas
• Parameters placed on the report
Changes made to the value of a non-data parameter will filter the saved data of the report and will not
require a refresh. This process minimizes the processing demand on the database. For example, a title
is a non-data parameter.
Note:
Non-data parameters change the presentation of existing data. It is best to use them only in a way that
makes sense for the report. For example, do not filter using a saved data selection formula to display
values that are below 100,000 if you have a record selection formula that only selects values above
100,000 from the database. Using selection formulas improperly may provide confusing results, or even
blank pages.
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Parameter Fields and Prompts