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

 

[wolf5370]

1): Better thresholding options (probably available in 7.5 suite, but hey how many have made that leap - or will?).

The ability to colour cell backgrounds, highlight whole rows/columns, Allow user to dynamically vary the thresholds at run time.

2): A better print solution from Web. With the MS IE Bug (ooops I mean "working as desinged" limitation) - where it looses columns and part columns (that is data within columns!) on tables greater than page width when printing - we use an Excel solution (create a Excel headed HTML page server side that we serve to the client on export/print (DDE Print). This requires users to have a Excel 2K+ - unless we colour format using DDE.

3): Proper documentation of the Metadata - as to what columns relate to what and what every Property value (ref wise) means. Try and find anything useful on the KB in this regard - Stats tables, yes, but not MD.

Many more, but thats all for now.

 

[wolf5370]

Me again.

One really annoying thing (in 7.2.2 at least). We usually use local templates as they are report specific for the business here. However, we sometimes make use of shared (non-local) templates (Drill to Template etc). The thing that annoys me is that Drill Maps are associated to the Template. That is, if I have a report that is for different types of users and has different filter etc, I can create the report twice and use the same template. However, if the 2 user types require different drill paths, I have to create 2 templates - one for each. This severely limits the appeal of shared templates over distinct reports.

 

[138006]

My wish list:

1) SQL override
2)Derived attributes.
3)Attribute definition comprising of columns from 2 different tables.

Is MSTR listening???

 

[nlim]

wolf5370...good luck on the hope of manually modifying the MD. Seems like they have gone the SAP route in preventing users from hacking the MD

I think the 7.5 version supposedly allows pdf as the print engine. Much better than HTML printing in general.

about the drill map problem, I noticed it too here. I often wonder if we are not asking too much tho. If they associate drill maps to users, then it becomes a problem when different reports require different drill maps (for workflow). If they associate drill maps with users AND reports, then I will complain it's an overkill and hard to manage.... you get the picture.

138006, SQL over-ride would be a god-send! I wish they could find a way to do SQL over-ride but still allow dynamic drill down. That would overcome all the issues with over-ride SQL in other products.

Just by way of courtesy, please limit the comments made on this board to "technical" product issues please.

 

[wolf5370]

MD: I would be happy if we could just know what things were so we can do read only type operations on the MD - this can be really usefull - Project Documentation and CMDMGR does not cover all.

Another pain: Folder permissions - we do not use the personal folder solution that come with MSTR, but every user group has its own save folder which all user groups hav access to (Read/Write) - and 'global report' folders that contain the prompted reports that the business uses plus global save folder that anyone can save to - for the sharing of saved reports. The problem comes in the amount of user groups we have - lots! Therefore, we have lots of user save folders. Each of these have properties of: Admin Group = Full Control/Full Control, Support Groups = View/View, User Group = Custome/View (there may be several User Groups that have access to this folder). This means a whole lots of property changes. A way to do this via USRMGR would be a god send for us (no more labourious days of clicking in folder permissions).

 

[reisw]

wolf5370

I think your request has been answered. I think I just read that in 7.5.1 they have added the ability to control ACL from command manager.

 

[chael]

nlim,138006 - I went to MicroStrategy World this year and saw some SQL override enhancements coming down the pike. Looks like nlim's wish to see drill downs incorporated with override is also in the spec. Stay tuned! Anyone else have further info on this?

I think we should start a new Wish List...this one has gotten LLLLLOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG

 

[MSTRChicago]

Dear Mr. Bedell,

MSTR Technology needs to spend some more time on the user interface. Report Services is absolutely the right idea from a formatting perspective, but the powerful interactive analytic capabilities are still stuck back in the native MSTR Web objects.

I'm working with a Business Objects person a lot right now, and am getting dinged a lot because the BO (not Webintelligence) interface simply allows any element to be placed anywhere, while retaining the "on-report analysis" features such as filtering and sorting. It's difficult to tell end users that they can't have a layout that they can create in Excel, Crystal, or BO because MSTR won't support it, while still retain the ability to INTERACT with the data.

Once MSTR manages to marry the rich Report Servies formatting -- in something other than PDF! -- with the robust MSTR Web analytical feature set, then you'll have a killer app.

This enhancement has to be easier than the hill that BO has to climb in re-architecting their entire back-end to merge the BO/Crystal assets AND play catch up with the server-centric MSTR 7.x approach, which they have admitted is the direction in which they are moving.

If MSTR doesn't act fast, then you guys won't have the whole "enterprise class architecture" argument to stand on anymore. BO has always copied the best of your technology, and your beloved 7.x architecture is now on their radar -- just as it was with Cognos, resulting in the ReportNet architecture, which looks very much like the first release of MSTR 7.0 (i.e. not fully baked, but still tastes okay). If BO is successful, then BO/Crystal will offer the best user interface as well as the best enterprise architecture.

Best of luck to you and your team.

MSTR Fan

 

[dmcmunn]

wolf5370,

I posted a faq on what I was able to discern from querying the metadata tables on my own. I have also learned a lot attempting to recover from corrupted metadata tables in v7.2.2.

Check out initial documentation...

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?spid=395&sfid=5085

One option you can use to learn about the "encrypted" metadata table relationships is a pain, but can yield some info when you are desparately trying to recover from corrupted metadata, and your customer has not chosen to purchase the API license, is to open your project in 2-tier and turn on ODBC tracing on the metadata DSN.

WARNING: a trace file may get huge in a short time, so only turn it on for as long as you need it.

I think some interesting nuggets of info metadata relationship can be had in this way. It is my opinion the metadata has been way denormalized in order to increase license sales of the API, ...but then that's what I'd do, so...

Very few BI vendors (zero?) are about "open" technology...there's way too much corporate money being thrown around for that as yet. However, I propose that if the BI development community shares what has already been learned, we can keep our customers and ourselves afloat until a more open attitude is perceived as a way to gain both mind and market shares.

Best,
dmcmunn

 

[dmcmunn]

For developers...

Being able to pop the advanced drill menu up in Desktop from SQL view for a report and be able to directly return SQL for a drill instead of having to go from SQL View->Grid View-> {DRILL} ->Grid View->SQL View would save a lot of time waiting for report results to return before being able to see the SQL while unit testing a report.

Whaddya think developers ? Anyone found a way to accomplish this in v7.2.2 ? Is this functionality available in 7.5.x ?

Best regards,
dmcmunn