Wish List 2

[nlim]

I'm not sure we have enough members here yet, but maybe we can start a wish list for the next MSTR release...here're some of mine

- table grid format in addition to crosstab.
- fix pie chart color based on attribute elements
- create schedules for subscriptions over web

 

[Yakov]

One more:
Data Dictionary.

In 7.2 we have Tool Tips available in Design View, that displays definition of the Object (entered in the object property/description). It would be nice if similar Tool Tips would be available on a Grid View for all web viewers.

 

[mstrNate]

I would like a way to expire individual element caches. Much like you can purge an individual report cache, I would like to purge the "Product Dimension" cache, or perhaps cache associated with a hierarchy. Something similar to that.

This would reduce the time it takes to rebuild cache for hierarchies and attributes when I only want to purge a small part of the cache. And I could debug what I think are caching problems without slowing down the whole system.

Nate

 

[reisw]

Just wondering, is any of this going to make it back to Microstrategy (hint,hint)? How much weight will these requests get? Should we compile a list of all the suggestions so far and vote on what each of thinks are the most important ones? Is there anyway to do that here? Just some thoughts.

 

[chael]

I think there are plenty of 'MicroStrategy' eyes on this board...so my bet is that our suggestions have already trickled back.

Keep 'em coming, though...this is one of the better threads we've had in a while.

 

[omarmtz]

Microstrategy support a kind of offline reporting, look at
TN5200-072-0128.

 

[chael]

I have found that the report XML does not offer much information about the formatting of a graph...i.e., pie slice colors, legend formatting, etc. It would be helpful if this information was included in the XML. In other words, if a report is set as a default to be displayed as a pie graph, I want to see in the XML the details of my graph options...i.e, is it a 3D pie chart at a 30 degree angle, with call-outs in Arial 11 font??? Especially signigicant, I want to know the color of the pie slices associated with the elements being graphed.

This would be a useful enhancement...

Chael

 

[MSIsam]

Dynamic Metric Naming: For Example If I have a metric Named "Last Year Sales", Running the query would result in the Metric Name as "2002 Sales"

 

[entaroadun]

Separate attribute forms from attributes as distinct objects. The user should be able to add attribute forms to reports as separate rows or columns, without necessarily knowing that the forms are bound together in the same attribute. Two attribute forms could be located on opposite sides of the report. Forms would then become application objects, like metrics, while attributes themselves would be pure schema objects, like facts.

Release the restriction on metric placement. Let's let attributes and metrics mix on a grid.

Allow grids to run at multiple ReportLevels. I want to write a report that brings data back at both the Month and the Year level from the database. If I can't do it in one report, then let me split it up; I should be able to write a grid at the customer/month level and a grid at customer/year level and join them side by side into one report object/grid. Both would get processed against the database and then be joined either in the database or by the IServer. We wouldn't have to deal with subtotaling and its limitations (i.e. distinct Count metrics) or fool around with metric dimensionality as much.

 

[MSIsam]

Simple request - To be able to select multiple metrics/attributes to remove from a report. Do not like the all or nothing procedure.

 

[entaroadun]

Desktop interface fixes

Adding or moving an attribute or metric on a report template makes the window reset (i.e. if you are scrolled to the right, it will zoom back to the left). Please fix this!

Opening a MSI object window (i.e. a metric, filter, report, etc.) forces the window to get the focus from the OS, even if focus is currently on another window. For example, if I open a metric and then go to my e-mail window, as soon as the metric window opens, it gets the focus from the OS. It should only get the focus if you are on a MSI window. This is really disruptive.

Fix the Desktop memory leak!

 

[entaroadun]

Allow better access to the "hidden" schema objects: columns, physical table objects (not logical), etc.


Stop abstracting columns with the same name from different tables in a WH into a single MSI column object. My company's DB people don't "get" MSI; they don't think twice about naming columns with completely different data types the same! (They also attack the tool when we tell them about MSI limitations - sore losers) We can't use explicit table creation because the data type generated by the engine doesn't match the actual type of the data.

Yes, I realize that fact expressions and attribute form expressions need a way to keep track of columns that the expression can be attached to. Maybe add another layer of abstraction; a Column object that points to a specific column in one table and a Column Name object that points to all Column objects with the same name.


Allow better management of column objects in general, especially of custom columns.

 

[nlim]

entaroadun, to prevent automatic abstraction you just have to turn off automatic mapping. This can be done in the warehouse catalog>>options area.

the need to get different levels of information in one report 111is exactly the reason for dimensionality. Unfortunately, if they went the 'join 2 data sets' route, the solution will not scale to terabytes. I do second the need to make dimensionality easier to manage.

Yakov, the mouseover to view descriptions is in 7.2.3 It is kinda cool when you mouse over metric or attributes to see the properties/description.

Recycle bin and undos are way overdue...

 

[chael]

attribute mouseovers.

 

[entaroadun]

nlim, I tried disabling the automatic mapping and it didn't work. I still can't have 2 columns in the same WH with different data types. MSI chooses one and all expressions that I have defined on top of those get updated.

Would joining two grid data sets be less scalable than the multiple passes that MSI does now to resolve metrics with different dimensionality?

I just think it would be easier to manage one generic metric with multiple grids using it at different levels than it would be to manage multiple metrics with different dimensionality in the same grid. Dimensionality is a pretty hard thing for ad-hoc report writers to learn. Setting up separate grids and joining them is easier to understand.

Maybe a compromise is to put a simplified version of dimensionality at the report/template level, so users could more easily specify exactly what they want the metric to do. It would also fight the proliferation of metric objects.


New request: allow the option for a metric to subtotal directly against the database rather than rolling up values from the IServer. We still can't subtotal distinct counts.

 

[entaroadun]

Allow prompts on view filters.

Right now, my company can't really leverage shared caches; we have many prompted canned reports. These prompts select one item from a group. If prompts could be put on view filters as well as report filters, then we could write a report for the whole group, cache it, and let the IServer extract the one item on demand. It would really reduce DB traffic.

 

[Z3]

My wish list:

1. Ability to change some schema objects without "update schema". e.g. rename attribute or facts, choose default display etc. Update schema takes too long.
2. Break metric and attribute barrier so they can be grouped freely on a tablet grid;
3. Break attribute form limitation by give it aliasing, freely displaying.
4. Optimize SQL - there should be a final "SQL optimization police" to track the multiple passes going to the same table with the same filtering and group-bys.
5. Recursive hierarchy support;
6. Faster attribute creation wizard, able to pick any table and create attributes, not just the "new project" wizard;
7. Lighter Desktop. Who designed the attribute editor? Why does it need to open 3 or 4 layers of windows to edit something? I should be able to open it up and change anything in one window. Why there's no "save as" hot keys?
8. Open up the SQL editor. One should be able to edit the engine SQL freely, as long as it give server the expected results.
9. Be able to alias table and their alias in SQL generation. "a11" works well but sometime we need to be more specific, like the metric column aliasing (btw it does not work sometimes).
10. Why does a report needs a metric to generate SQL properly? Can the SQL engine imagine something? Can we add a "Evalute sql at metric level" VLDB setting? What if user does not have olap services to hide the metrics?
11. Why spending the time for Unix? The Windows 64-bit version is coming perhaps sooner than Unix version of MSTR. The wintel machine is still 10 to 25 times cheaper than Unix hardware. Sure mstr could grab 10 to 15% more customer, but they could do better if they spend more time enhancing the windows version, not letting Cognos /BO catching it up. Going Unix is in a way hurting the product enhancement.

If I think of more I will keep adding ...
Z3

 

[dinzana]

I think it would be great to have the ability to see the report editor view and SQL view at the same time. In other words, allow us to drag an object onto the report grid and see how the SQL is affected on the fly.

 

[dmcmunn]

#99.0 - Make right-click web drilling menus include ALL drill possibilities, not just family hierarchy. Similar to the way it was in the bad old days.

#99.1 - Make "uncheck parent while drilling" project-level configurable to be displayed with or without displaying the drill menu.

#99.2 - Agree with many others here on including final filter details of final resolved object prompts on report cover page. I'm getting really tired of trying to tell the business infoconsumers their report prompt/filter details aren't accurately reflected.

#99.3 - Make print preview page numbering reflect actual number of the full report pages to be printed, not just current viewable section. This is just plain garbage.

#99.4 - Have Sanju K. Bansal quit shooting off his cocky mouth to the press and start having his staff fix the product he claims is "the" future of BI.

#99.5 - Make the beautiful GUI engineers who designed the metric formatting GUI have to set custom formats on 90 reports with 10 metrics each for a solid month or they are lead away in a nice tight white jacket with sleaves that tie in the back.

#99.6 - Provide a way in object manager to set one action to resolve conflicts and select ALL of the applicable conflicts.

#99.7 - Provide a way to version control a project so multiple developers can work together in peace an harmony without hosing each other's work on a project.

#99.7c - Provide a change log for audit control, so when the last push to QA caused "unintended features" with other non-related reports, there is a check list of changes to review.

#99.8 - Provide an administrator the ability to bounce a MicroStrategy service via Desktop.

 

[Alfredomulet]

Hello everyone, my recommendation is to be able to work on the schema 2 or 3 architects simultaneously.

By the way, there is a support site for MicroStrategy Beta Testing (at least it was when I worked there) where you can send the enhancement requests, they used to be very good at`taking changes-enhancements in consideration.

Saludos,
alfredo

 

[JRO061601]

Would like for custom group elements that return no rows to still display on the report with a 0.

Please see thread395-825931 - 'Custom Group Element Display'.

We have not been able to find a viable work-around.

Thanks.