User`s guide

Note:
While the dynamic capability is not available with SAP BusinessObjects BI Interactive Analysis or with
full-client products, Crystal reports that are based on universes can use the dynamic prompting
capabilities described throughout this section.
21.3 Understanding lists of values
List-of-values objects describe how to return a set of values from a data source:
• They provide the values for prompts in the prompting dialog box.
• They can be either static (the values are stored in the report), or dynamic (the values are stored
outside the report in a database).
• They are used for both single-level dynamic prompts, and multi-level cascading prompts.
For example, a list of countries could be a dynamic prompt, while a hierarchical list of countries,
regions, and cities could be a dynamic prompt with a cascading list of values.
Crystal Reports supports three data sources for list-of-values objects:
• Report fields (only for unmanaged reports).
• Command objects (only for unmanaged reports).
• Business Views (only for managed reports).
A list of values can have one or more levels. If there are multiple levels in the list of values, then each
level constrains the next.
You can think of a list of values as the definition of the data needed to populate all levels of a cascading
list. In Crystal Reports, a cascading relationship is defined by a single list-of-values object, not by
multiple queries that are linked together by a common key. Although the list of values is defined as a
single entity, data is not necessarily fetched from the data source in a single query.
Note:
• List-of-values objects are not affected by report record selection or group selection formulas. These
formulas affect the report data, not data used for prompt-time lists of values.
• If a data connection is broken or reset, Crystal Reports does not attempt to create or update the
dynamic list-of-values object and instead reverts to a static list.
21.3.1 List-of-values types
There are two different types of list-of-values objects:
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Parameter Fields and Prompts