2nd Cascading Prompt List depends on 1st Choice

[hansdebadde]

I am using CR XI and i post my reports on crystal enterprise. I have created a report that allows people to choose via parameter if they want to filter the data by Facility or Department or Manager or Cost Centre and a few others. Then i have a parameter for each, one for Facility, one for Department etc. These all default to "All". The problem is that there is so many parameters showing up in the window that it is confusing for some.
The datasource is excel with one row per employee with a column for each of the above filters, i.e. facilty/department/manager etc.
I would like it so that once they make the first choice, i.e. Facility then the facility parameter appears but no others? Is this something i can do, i have not been able to finds something like it in other threads but there is a lot of parameter threads, it is hard to weed through the poorly labelled threads.
Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
That type of parameter is known as an Cascading Parameter and was introduced in XI. This article may help:

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=683066&seqNum=6#

To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Sorry, I misread your question - Can you create one parameter that prompts for the type of filter and, based on that answer, have the cascading parameter prompt for the appropriate values to filter by that choice?

So if the user selects 'Facility' the dependent parameter would be for Facility# ( or something related to fitering by facility)





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[IdoMillet]

afaik, this can't be done just with Crystal.

hth,
- Ido

view, email, export, burst, distribute, and schedule Crystal Reports.

http://www.MilletSoftware.com

 

[hansdebadde]

Thanks both of you. i am not familiar with the abbreviations? afalk? hth?
Anyways, I have other parameters for each of the possible choices from the first one.
(?Filter)
(?Facility)
(?Department)
(?Manager)
(?Cost Centre)

What i would like is
(?Filter)
(?Whatever was chosen with filter one)

I think Ido is right, it is not possible with Crystal as i can't use a formula as a datasource for a dynamic parameter pick list. I was hoping there was some what i could make a formula that would switch depending on the first parameter chosen?
Any other ideas?

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
I was not aware that your dynamic parameter pick list would have to be from a formula and not from some data source ( like Excel's database)...





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[kenhamady]

To do this in XI you would need to use a SQL Command that returned two columns like this:

Facility / Facility A
Facility / Facility B
Department / Department A
Department / Department B

Then you only need two parameters, the first filters to one list and the second select the value from that list (regardless of which list they pick). The trick would be creating the command to generate the master list - probably a UNION of several queries, or maybe another spreadsheet that you create to hold these lists.


Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
Guides to Formulas, Parameters, Subreports, Cross-tabs, VB, Tips and Tricks

http://www.kenhamady.com/

 

[hansdebadde]

Ken,
I am honored and thankful that you gave me a hand. I will work on this idea, you are right the trick will be in writing the query. If i get anywhere i will definitely post it here.