Cheat Sheet for Reports

Add another data source.

On the Data tab, click .

Insert a data display object (such as a table, graph, or gauge).

Drag the object (from the Objects tab) onto the report in the center of the screen.

Use a distinct count as a measure.

On the Data tab, right-click on a category (or date) data item, and select Derive Distinct Count.

Change a measure’s format.

On the Data tab, select the measure, and then click the triangle at the end of the Format row (below the list of data items).

Create a data item from an expression.

On the Data tab, click , and select New Calculated Item. (Calculations use unaggregated data.)

Set up drill-down functionality.

On the Data tab, click , and select New Hierarchy.

Hide a data item.

On the Data tab, click , and select Show or Hide Items.

Exclude a subset of data.

Right-click on a data item, and select New Data Item Filter.

Incorporate a stored process.

From the main menu, select InsertOtherStored Process.

Get basic statistics about all measures.

On the Data tab, click , and select Measure Details.

Get additional statistics about a measure.

On the Data tab, click , select Measure Details, and select the measure (in the Measure Details window).

Change the data source for the current report.

On the Data tab, click , and select Change Data Source.

Show multiple aggregations (or multiple formats) for a data item.

Right-click on the data item, select Duplicate Data Item, and then change the aggregation (or format) of the new data item.

Reuse an existing visualization or report object in a separate report.

From the main menu, select ViewImports. The Imports tab is in the left pane.

Set up a geographic data item.

On the Data tab, right-click on an item that contains geographic information, select Geography, and assign measures that contain location information. (For example, you might assign Region_Latitude and Region_Longitude as the respective measures for a Region category.) You can also assign predefined geographic roles, such as Countries or US ZIP codes, instead of using the custom geographic roles.

Display a geographic map with a bubble plot overlay or with colored regions.

From the Other list on the Objects tab, drag Geo Bubble Map or Geo Region Map onto a report in the center of the screen. From the Data tab, drag a geographic data item onto the map.

Delete a report.

Click Home, and then click Manage (next to My Content or Other Content).

Derive the percentage of total for a measure.

On the Data tab, right-click on a measure (with a current default target aggregation of Sum or Count), and select Derive Percent of Total. A new aggregated measure is created.

Edit a report’s description.

At the top of the Properties tab, select the report from the drop-down list.

Format a chart’s title.

Select the chart, and then make changes on its Properties tab.

Add a trend line to a list table.

In a table, right-click on a column, and select Add Sparkline. (The data source must include a date data item.)

Change a bar chart’s orientation.

Select the bar chart, and then change Direction on its Properties tab.

Change a chart’s colors or styles.

Select the chart, and then make changes on its Styles tab.

Set up report-level conditional highlighting.

On the Display Rules tab, select the report, and then click New.

Set up object-level conditional highlighting.

On the Display Rules tab, select a report object.

Create a reusable pattern of gauge intervals and colors.

From the main menu, select ViewShared Rules. The Shared Rules tab is in the left pane. Click .

Apply a shared display rule to a new gauge.

From the main menu, select ViewShared Rules. The Shared Rules tab is in the left pane. Drag the rule onto the gauge.

Add a new section (tab) to a report.

At the top of the canvas, click .

Create a scrollable area.

From the main menu, select InsertOtherVertical Container (or Horizontal Container).

Use a different canvas size.

At the top of the canvas, click , , or .

Change your default canvas size.

From the main menu, select FilePreferences.

Overlap one report object on top of another.

On a section’s Properties tab, select Precision from the Layout drop-down list.

Set up view-time filters (prompts).

From the Objects tab, drag a control object onto the drop zone at the top of a report or section. Then, drag a category data item onto the control object.

Set up view-time interactions (where an action on one object affects other objects).

From the main menu, select ViewInteractions. The Interactions tab is in the right pane. Click NewInteraction. (Not all objects support interactions.)

Add or view comments.

From the main menu, select ViewComments. The Comments tab is in the right pane. (Only report-level comments are supported.)

Display totals for list tables.

On the Properties tab, select Show totals.

Display totals and subtotals for crosstabs.

On the Properties tab, make selections to show subtotals and totals for columns and rows.

Create basic and advanced filters.

From the main menu, select ViewFilters. The Filters tab is in the right pane. Select a data item or Advanced from the drop-down list, and then click Add Filter and select values.

Create links to reports, sections, or external URLs.

From the main menu, select ViewInteractions. The Interactions tab is in the right pane. Click New, and then select the type of link that you want to create.

Rank values.

From the main menu, select ViewRanks. The Ranks tab is in the right pane.

E-mail reports.

Select FileE-mail.