mits discover 7.0 user guide - apr supply discover 7.0 user guide 6 getting started mits discover...

MITS Discover 7.0 User Guide

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Table of Contents

Before You Begin.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Welcome to MITS Discover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Flash Screen Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Your First Flash Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Flash Screen Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Saving Your Flash Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Flash Screen Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Flash Screen Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Exploring your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Expanding a Flash Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Detail Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Flash Screen Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Additional Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Customizing the Flash Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Charting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

About Charting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Chart Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Exporting and Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Export Using Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Advanced Exporting Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Understanding MQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

What is MQL? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Accessing the MQL Statement in MITS Discover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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Understanding MQL Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Flash Statement Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Working with Identifiers in a Flash Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Working with Columns in a Flash Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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Before You Begin...


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Audience

The purpose of this document is to guide users in creating and viewing flash screens using MITS Discover. It is expected that the user understands how to navigate web pages using a standard web browser.

NOTE: Some features are control led by security sett ings or l icensing and wil l only be avai lable i f you have the appropriate permissions or l icense edit ion. If you have questions about security sett ings, see your MITS administrator. If you have questions about MITS Discover l icensing, contact your MITS provider.

Requirements

MITS Discover requires three components that must be installed to operate: MitsServer, MitsWeb Gateway, and a supported web browser.

• MitsServer - The MultiValue-resident MITS Discover engine that supports MitsWeb Gateway inquiries, acting in a server capacity. MitsServer is also where Hypercube Applications are stored.

NOTE: At least one Hypercube Application must exist within MitsServer for you to be able to create and view f lash screens.

• MitsWeb Gateway - Establishes and maintains connections and requests that are passed between the web browser and MitsServer.

• Web Browser - Any standard, supported web browsers can be used to interact with the MITS Discover data. The supported browsers are:

• Windows® Internet Explorer® 6 & 7• Mozilla® Firefox® 1.5 & 2

If you do not have the MITS Discover URL, contact your MITS administrator.

If security has been initialized, you will also need a MITS Discover login ID and password to access MITS Discover. If you do not have a login ID and password, contact your MITS administrator.

Conventions

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Conventions

Throughout this document, the following conventions are used:

• User-specific content in commands and examples will be encompassed by two sets of angle brackets. The angle brackets, as well as the characters contained within, should be replaced with the appropriate information.Example: <<Variable>>

• Files, directories, and/or URLs will appear in an italicized, monospaced font.Example: X:\Path\Filename

• Code and program samples will appear in a plain, monospaced font.Example: Code Sample

• References to other MITS documentation will be italicized. Example: MITS Discover Installation Guide


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Welcome to MITS Discover


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Getting Started

MITS Discover provides browser-based Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) via access to a MultiValue host.

The MITS Discover Hypercube Application is a special MultiValue database designed specifically to maintain interlinked historical data in a hierarchical manner, providing very rapid answers to OLAP inquiries and exploration.

Start your MITS Discover experience by pointing your Web browser to the URL where MITS Discover is being hosted. If you don’t have the URL, contact your MITS administrator.

Logging InOnce you have established a connection to MITS Discover, the first thing that appears is the MITS Discover Welcome Screen. This screen allows you to login to MITS Discover. It also provides version and edition information.

Enter your MITS Discover User ID and Password:

If security has not been activated, simply click the link to get started.

NOTE: If you receive notif ication that your password has expired, fol low the on-screen prompts to reset i t .

Flash Screen Selection

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Flash Screen Selection

This is the Flash Screen Selection Menu, which will appear when the login process is complete. Flash screens that have been saved to the currently selected flash screen library will appear here.

1. The New Flash Screen button is used to create new flash screens.

2. The Available Flash Screen Libraries drop-down box is used to select a flash screen library.3. The Show/Hide Flash Screen Details link toggles additional details about the flash screens.

4. The flash screen titles are links that will run the respective flash screens when clicked. For example, clicking the Profit by Warehouse - Last 4 Quarters link will run that flash screen.

5. The button, to the right of a flash screen title, will display the export options screen for that flash screen allowing you to quickly export the flash screen to one of a number of different file formats, including Microsoft Excel and Adobe PDF.

6. The button to the right of a flash screen title deletes that flash screen.


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9

Your First Flash Screen


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Flash Screen Creation

MITS Discover flash screen data is retrieved from MITS Discover Hypercube Applications that have been configured and stored within MitsServer. You must have at least one previously populated Hypercube Application to continue.

To create a new flash screen, click the New Flash Screen button in the Flash Screen Selection Menu toolbar. The Create MITS Flash Screen page will appear.

1. Select a Hypercube Application from the Selected Application drop-down menu.

2. Select a column group from the Column Group drop-down menu to view the columns contained within that group. As an alternate option, select a column set from the Column Set drop-down menu. More information on column sets can be found in the section titled Column Sets on page 27.

3. Select one or more columns from the Available Columns from Column Group box. To select more than one column at a time, hold down the SHIFT or CTRL key while clicking.

4. Click the Add button to add the selected columns to the Selected Columns box.

Flash Screen Creation

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5. You can modify the order of the columns in the Selected Columns box as necessary by selecting a column and using the Move Up and Move Down buttons. (Top-to-bottom will become left-to-right in the completed flash screen.) You can remove a column from the list by selecting it from the Selected Columns box and then clicking the Remove Column button.

6. Type a descriptive heading for your flash screen into the Flash Screen Heading box.

7. Decide whether you want to see zero rows or identifier IDs by selecting the appropriate check box(es). (This can always be changed later.) The zero rows option allows you to show or hide data rows in the grid area that contain only zeros. The row IDs option displays the identifier value for each identifier row after the identifier description.

8. Click the Ok button to generate your new flash screen:


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Saving Your Flash Screen

You can save the currently displayed flash screen at any time by clicking the Save button in the flash screen toolbar. A page similar to the image below will appear.

1. Select the flash screen library where you would like to save your flash screen from the Flash Library drop-down box.

2. If you want to replace an existing flash screen, select the flash screen that will be replaced from the Flash Screens Currently in <<Library Name>> box.

3. If you want to save this flash screen as a new flash screen, enter a new flash screen name in the Flash Screen Name box.

WARNING: You cannot have two f lash screens with the same name in the same l ibrary If you try to save a f lash screen using a f lash screen name that already exists in the currently selected f lash l ibrary, the original f lash screen wil l be overwritten with your new f lash screen.

4. Click the Save button to save the flash screen.

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Flash Screen Navigation


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Flash Screen Layout

The following example illustrates an active flash screen. Each area is described below.

1. Flash Screen Toolbar — The top toolbar controls interactions with the flash screen.

2. Navigation Toolbar — The navigation toolbar includes page navigation controls and appears both above and below the flash screen. The top navigation toolbar also has shortcuts to frequently used display modifiers.

3. Flash Screen Heading — The heading that was specified when the flash screen was created. This heading can be edited using the Save or Display menu options, or by clicking the heading itself.

4. Current Drill-Down Path — Displays the names of the identifiers represented in the current flash screen’s drill-down path.

5. Column Heading Area — Each column heading describes the contents of the column’s cells and is also a link which opens the Column Options menu. Columns can be re-ordered by dragging a column to a new position by its "handle".

Flash Screen Layout

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6. Identifier Values — The list of identifier values in the current drill-down path. These links are used for deeper exploration of the data in this flash screen.

7. Column Grid — Each column includes cells that contain data which has been derived from a column expression. Columns can display accumulated information directly from the Hypercube or related information from supporting data files.

8. Cell — The intersection between a column header and a specific identifier value. Clicking the contents of a cell that is displayed as a hyperlink will display detailed source transaction information for that value. See the section titled Detail Display on page 20 for more information.


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Exploring your Data

A number of capabilities are available for modifying the display of a MITS Discover flash screen, but the most powerful is the expand ability. This is also known as “drilling down”. This feature allows you to get a more detailed breakdown of the information displayed in almost any flash screen row.

Expanding a Flash Screen

1. Click the identifier description you wish to expand from the left-most column of your flash screen. A menu will appear, listing the identifiers that are available for expansion at that drill-down level.

2. Point to one of the available identifier drill-down paths and a submenu will appear showing your expansion options.

3. Select one of the four expansion options (described in more detail on pages 17 through 19) to complete the expansion.

Exploring your Data

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ExpandThis type of expansion will expand the single identifier value you originally clicked to show the values for the identifier you selected. In the example below, the Western Region value has been expanded by the Warehouse identifier to show the two warehouses that reside in the Western region: PORTLAND and SEATTLE.

Expand by Specific ValuesThe second type of exploration allows you to expand an identifier value while selecting only those identifier values you would like to see. Click the identifier value you would like to expand, point to the identifier you would like to expand by, and then click Expand by Specific Values. A window similar to the following will appear:

1. A search box has been provided to filter the descriptions so that users can quickly find the identifiers they are looking for.

2. Advanced Options allows you to customize how the search box will filter the descriptions (such as Containing, Not Containing, Beginning With, Not Beginning With).


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3. When you locate an identifier value you want to include, select the check box next to the desired value in the Available Descriptions box.

4. To change the order of the items in the Currently Selected Descriptions box, drag and drop the items until they appear in the desired order. To remove an entry from the Currently Selected Descriptions box, double-click on the unwanted value within the Currently Selected Descriptions box or clear the check box of the unwanted value within the Available Descriptions box. If you are manually entering IDs, delete the line containing the unwanted value.

5. A list of identifier values can be typed or pasted into the ID box by clicking

Manually Enter IDs and then typing in or copying and pasting the desired IDs into the Currently Selected Descriptions box.

6. If you want to clear the entire Currently Selected Descriptions box, click the Remove All Selected Identifiers button.

7. Click the Ok button to submit the request. The expanded flash screen will show only the values specified:

Exploring your Data

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Expand All RowsThe third exploration type will expand not only the identifier value that was clicked, but also all other identifier values on that level. In the example below, the Region identifier has been expanded in this way by the Warehouse identifier. As you can see, both regions were expanded to show the warehouses within those regions.

Expand All Rows by Specific ValuesThis is a combination of the second and third exploration types. When you select this exploration type, the Lookup page will appear, similar to the one shown on page 17. Your exploration should be prepared in the same way you would set up an “Expand by Specific Values” exploration, but when you click the Ok button, all of the identifiers of the current level will be expanded by the selected values.


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Detail DisplayThe Detail Display feature of MITS Discover makes it possible to view a detailed list of the transactions that contributed to the value in a specific cell.

NOTE: The avai labi l i ty of the Detai l Display feature of MITS Discover is dependent on the init ia l Hypercube Application configuration. Speak with your MITS administrator i f the Detai l Display feature is not avai lable in your Hypercube Application.

If the Detail Display feature is available at a given drill-down level, the values in the column cells will be displayed as hyperlinks. The Detail Display screen can be accessed for any of these column cells by clicking the hyperlink.

When the hyperlink is clicked, the Detail Display screen appears, similar to the one shown here:

NOTE: This feature is not avai lable in the “Lite” edit ion of MITS Discover.

Flash Screen Manipulation

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Flash screen manipulation is handled through the Modify menu (in the main toolbar) and the Column Options menu (accessed from any column heading). These two menus provide the following column-related capabilities:

• Column Positioning

• Flash Screen Sorting Based on Column Values

• Flash Screen Filtering Based on Column Values

• Adding/Removing Columns

• Arithmetic Functions Performed on One or More Columns

• Expanding Columns Based on the Next Smaller Eon Span

• Breaking on Values in a Column

• Summarizing Flash Screen Data based on Values in a Column


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Column PositioningA column’s position can be changed by dragging a column heading by its handle.

1. The handle at the top of a column heading indicates that the column can be repositioned.

2. The column’s heading will change color when you start to drag it, to show you which column will be moved.

3. An arrow will appear above the column headings to show where the column will be moved to when the mouse button is released


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Flash Screen SortingFlash screens can be sorted in either ascending or descending order.

To sort the flash screen by a column’s values:

1. Click the Modify button on the flash screen main toolbar.

2. Select Column Sorting to go to the Column Sorting page.

1. Select which columns to use when sorting.

2. Determine sorting order or remove sorts from columns.

3. Choose the sort direction for each sorted column.

4. Click Ok to apply the sorts.

NOTE: Sort ing can also be accomplished by cl icking on a column heading.


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Flash Screen FilteringUse Column Filters to limit the flash screen results to numerical ranges or specific values based on the contents of a particular column.

To create a new column filter or to modify an existing one:

Access the Column Filters page by clicking the Modify button on the flash screen toolbar. Select Column Filters.

NOTE: You can also access the Column Filters page from the Navigation Toolbar and the Column Options menu.

1. Select the column that the filter will be applied to.

2. Select the arithmetic operator (>, <=, etc) that will be used for the filter.

3. Enter the desired filter value.

NOTE: Surround values that include spaces with double-quotes.

4. Click the Add Filter button to add the filter to the Current Filters box. Add additional filters if desired.

5. Verify the filters to be applied in the Current Filters list. To remove a filter from the Current Filters list, select the filter, and then click Remove Filter.

6. Click Ok to apply the filters in the Current Filters list to your flash screen.


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Adding/Removing ColumnsThis feature allows users to change the columns that are displayed in the current flash screen.

To change a flash screen’s columns:

1. Click the Modify button on the Flash Screen Toolbar.

2. Select Displayed Columns from the list.

You should see a page similar to the following:

1. To limit the results in the Available Columns box, specify a time period. Only column groups that relate to that time period will be displayed.

2. Expand a column group to show the columns available in that column group. Selecting columns adds them to the Currently Selected Columns list.

NOTE: Supporting source file dictionaries may be included in the list of available columns. Selecting one of these instead of a column group will display a list of available dictionary items on that supporting source file that can be included as columns in a flash screen.

3. If necessary, all columns can be cleared from the Currently Selected Columns list by clicking the Remove All Selected Columns button.


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4. Columns Sets can be saved or loaded from here. Column Sets are discussed in more detail on page 27.

5. The selected columns can be ordered by dragging them to the desired location. Remember that top to bottom in the list will be left to right in the flash screen. Selected columns can also be individually removed by clicking the appropriate icon.

6. Click Ok to display the modified flash screen.

If you just want to insert one column, there is a shortcut available from the Column Options menu. To insert a column using a shortcut, click the column heading of one of the columns next to where you would like to insert the new column. Then click either Insert Column Before or Insert Column After. You will be taken to the Column Insertion window, pictured below.

Select a column group to see a list of the columns in that column group, and then click a column to insert that column. The graphic on the right side shows where the selected column will be inserted in your flash screen.

When the Column Groups screen is displayed, it may also include one or more links to supporting source file dictionaries. Selecting one of these links instead of a column group will display a list of available dictionary items on that supporting source file that can be included as a column in a flash screen. These columns can then be sorted and/or filtered in the same way you can sort and filter columns that have been generated by MITS Discover.


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Column SetsColumn Sets, accessed from the Change Displayed Columns page, allow users to save and load a group or “set” of frequently used columns. This speeds column management by allowing users to swap out the columns of a flash screen without needing to remove and add columns manually.

To save a column set:

1. Click Modify

2. Select Displayed Columns

3. Select the desired columns as you would when adding or removing columns.

4. Click Save as a Column Set to go to the Save Column Set dialog, explained below.

1. Provide a name for your column set.

2. You can optionally save over an existing column set by selecting it or by giving it the same name.

3. Click Save to save the column set.

To load a column set:

1. Click Modify

2. Select Displayed Columns

3. Click Load a Column Set to go to the Load a Column Set dialog.

4. Click the link to load the desired column set. You can also delete column sets from here.


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Column FunctionsThe third insert option allows you to insert a Column Function. A column function is a column that displays values generated by a mathematical expression run against the values in one or more other columns.

When you click a column heading and select Insert Column Function, a drop-down box will appear where you can select the column function you would like to use. Some of the default column functions available are:

• Add two columns

• Subtract one column from another

• Multiply two columns

• Divide one column by another

• Average of two columns

• Trend from one column to another

• Percent of total for a column

After the column function has been selected from the Column Function drop-down box, a window similar to this one will appear:

1. Select a column group from the Column Group drop-down list. The columns in that column group will be displayed in the Column List to Select From box.

2. Select one of the columns you would like to use in your column function.

3. Click the appropriate button to add that column to the function. Repeat these steps to insert the other column(s) for the function if required.

4. Click the Ok button to add the column function to your flash screen.


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Expanding ColumnsExpanding a column causes a column that is based on a specific eon span to be replaced with the columns that are based on the smaller-span eons within that eon span. For example, expanding a quarter-based column will cause that single column to be replaced with the three month-based columns from within that year. In this same way, expanding a year-based column will cause it to be replaced with the quarter-based columns that made up that quarter.

Column MaintenanceColumn Maintenance allows users to create, modify, and delete column definitions. This feature requires an understanding of expressions used in column creation and is beyond the scope of this document. It is, however, treated in detail in the MITS Discover technical document titled “MITS Discover Expressions.” This and other MITS technical documents, can be found online at the following address: http://www.mits.com/techfocus.htm.

Breaking on ValuesWhen the Break On Value feature is applied to a column, the listing will have a line break and a subtotal added at each point where the value displayed in the column changes. For example, if a column is brought in from a supporting file that shows each customer’s state, this feature will add a line break and subtotal between the customer lists for each state.

This feature can be used with external fields (columns brought in from supporting source files) to generate flash screen views that often are not possible with the standard exploration functionality. For this example we’ll refer to the SALESDEMO Hypercube Application in the MITS.DEMO account that is included with every MitsServer install.

1. Start with a flash screen that has a top-level drill-down identifier of Product Line.

2. Drill down under one of the Product Lines by the Customer identifier.

3. Next, click one of the column headers, point to Insert Column, and click either Insert Column Before or Insert Column After, and then select From Customer file dictionary.


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4. In the resulting list of Customer file dictionary items, select STATE. A new column will be added to the flash screen showing each customer’s state, similar to this:

5. Sort the CUSTOMER STATE column in ascending order so that your flash screen looks similar to the following:

6. Click the CUSTOMER STATE column header again, but this time point to Column Breaks and select Break on value. A bottom total and a blank line are added between each set of unique values in the CUSTOMER STATE column, similar to the following flash screen:


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Summarize on ValueThis feature not only adds a “break” based on the values in a column but also summarizes the totals for each of the unique column values. Using the example above, click the CUSTOMER STATE column header, point to Column Breaks, and then select Summarize on value. A flash screen similar to this example will be displayed:

As you can see, each state’s customers, as well as the totals in each column, have been summarized based on the values in the CUSTOMER STATE column.

The Turn breaks off option in the column menu under Column Breaks removes all breaks and summarizations in the current flash screen.


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Additional Options

Customizing the Flash Screen DisplayA number of display modifiers are available that will affect the content and appearance of your flash screens. To access the Flash Screen Display Options page, click the Display button in the flash screen toolbar. A page similar to the following will appear:

1. Identifier Tags - You can show or hide the tags displayed to the left of each identifier. The tag is an abbreviation of the identifier name. This option toggles those abbreviations on and off.

2. Identifier IDs - You can show or hide the item IDs displayed to the right of each identifier. The ID is usually the code representing the key to the identifier in the operational master file. This option toggles the IDs on and off.

3. Zero Rows - You can show or hide data rows in the grid area that contain only zeros. Normally, rows containing only zeros are visible, but you can omit them from the grid if necessary.

4. Bottom Totals - The Bottom Totals feature can be toggled on or off using this option. Bottom totals differ from top totals in that they only include the values for rows currently displayed in the flash screen; so applying a filter or using Expand by Specific Values will affect the bottom totals, whereas the top totals will always show the full total for a specific column regardless of what filters have been applied to the level(s) below it.

5. Flash Screen Heading - This box allows you to change the heading of the current flash screen.

6. Clip Level - The Clip Level feature provides a way to limit the amount of data the server returns. By specifying a Clip Level, you are determining the number of rows that will be returned by the server. A common use of the Clip Level feature would be to display the “Top 10 Customers” or “Bottom 10 Products” in a drill-down. The Clip Level feature differs from Display Rows per Page in that the Clip Level feature effects only the results on the lowest level of a drill-down. To turn off the Clip Level feature, set the Clip Level to 0. This can also be set from the Navigation Toolbar.

Additional Options

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7. Display Rows - The number of rows that are returned in each flash screen can be modified in this box. The default is 30 and the maximum is 1000. Large numbers of rows will take longer to process and return. This can also be set from the Navigation Toolbar.

NOTE: The Display Rows feature is a per-user sett ing, meaning that every f lash screen viewed by the user wil l display the same number of rows.

8. Line Break - Line Break is a feature used to add a blank line between levels of identifiers. Selecting a level to apply a line break will add a line between identifiers on the specified level.

9. Omit Total Level - The Omit Total Level feature is used to prevent the display of the grand total lines in the grid. This is useful when you would like to print or export a flash screen but do not want the totals of the higher levels to appear.

Accept the changes and return to the flash screen by clicking Ok.


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Charting


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About Charting

The charting feature of MITS Discover allows users to view their MITS Discover Hypercube data graphically. Below you will find examples of each type of chart:

• Bar charts are useful for comparing data of the same type. For example, a bar chart could be used to compare profit dollars for a given quarter across all branches.

• Line charts are useful for finding trends over a given time. For example, a line chart could be used to discover which months are more profitable for a particular product.

About Charting

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• Stacked Bar charts are useful in comparing how a given section of data compares to other sections in relation to the whole category, as well as how one whole category compares to another across the same section. For example, a stacked bar chart could be used to see how a single product’s profit contributed to your branch’s profits over several quarters.

• Area charts are functionally the same as line charts, except that they fill in the space below the line for added contrast. For example, an area chart can be used to show how branches compare fiscally for a given time frame.


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• Pie charts are useful for comparing how a piece of data compares to other pieces in relation to the whole. For example, a pie chart could show how the sales of a particular product compares to the other products in the same product line.

Chart Creation

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Chart CreationTo create a chart, click the Chart button in the flash screen’s toolbar. The Chart Options page will be displayed:

1. Chart Type - The desired chart type is chosen here.

2. Available Columns: This box lists the columns available for insertion into the chart. Selecting a column and clicking the Add Column button will move the column into the Currently Selected Columns box.

3. Currently Selected Columns: This box lists all the columns you’ve selected for the chart. To change the order of the columns, select a column and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons. To remove a column from this box, select the column and click the Remove Column button.

4. Display Options - These options control the size of the chart (in pixels) as well as the orientation of the labels.

5. Chart Title - The title that will appear above the chart.


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6. Invert Chart - Inverting the chart switches the rows and columns, as shown below:

In the standard example above, we see that the chart’s bars (which each represent profit for one branch over one year) are organized by branch. In the inverted example below, the chart’s bars are organized by year.

7. Click OK to generate the chart.

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Exporting and Printing


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Exporting

There two ways to export a flash screen. The first method is accessed from the Flash Screen Selection screen and provides an export menu from which a user selects how they want to export. The second method is accessed from within a flash screen and includes shortcuts for exporting to Microsoft Excel or Adobe PDF, as well as access to the same export menu as the first export method.

Export Using ShortcutsTo export a flash screen from the Flash Screen Selection screen:

1. Click the Export button on the toolbar from within the flash screen you wish to export.

2. Select the desired export file format (MS Excel or Adobe PDF).

Advanced Exporting OptionsExcel (XLS), Comma Separated Values (CSV), or Text (TXT)1. From the flash screen you wish to export,

click the Export button on the toolbar.

2. Select Advanced Exporting Options. Advanced Exporting Options allow you to export to additional formats (CSV, TXT), as well as customize the appearance of PDF exports (discussed below).

3. Determine the number of rows to export. Selecting All Rows will export all rows of the flash screen, even if they are not all visible on the screen. You can also specify the number of rows to export by selecting the second radio button and typing a number into the box.

4. If you want a normalized export, select the Repeat drill down path (normalize) radio button. A normalized export creates an individual column for each identifier level in the drill-down path.

5. Select the export format.

6. Click the Ok button to complete the export.

Exporting

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Portable Document Format (PDF)When exporting to Adobe PDF, you can specify a custom header and footer, set the page orientation (landscape or portrait), as well as specify the font and font size.

PDF Options include:

• Header - Short Text entry, placed at the top of each page of the PDF file. Defaults to the flash screen name.

• Footer - Short text entry, placed at the bottom of each page of the PDF file. Defaults to “MITS Discover.”

• Orientation - Landscape (horizontal) or Portrait (vertical)

• Fonts - Arial, Courier New, Times New Roman

• Font Size - 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

NOTE: The requested f i le wil l be del ivered to your computer as a Web download. Upon cl icking the OK button, you may receive a message s imilar to the image below. To save the exported f i le to your hard drive, c l ick the Save button. To open the exported f i le in a browser window, cl ick the Open button.

NOTE: The Normalized Export option is not avai lable when exporting to Adobe PDF.


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Printing

Printing a flash screen sends the data of the flash screen to any printer that has been installed on your computer. You can choose to print the entire flash screen or just the content in the currently displayed rows.

To print a flash screen:

1. From the flash screen you wish to print, click the Print button on the toolbar.

2. Select whether you want to print out the entire flash screen or only the currently displayed rows.

NOTE: The “Print currently displayed rows” option uses your browser’s print engine. The “Print entire Flash Screen” option wil l print the f lash screen to a PDF fi le , not to a printer.

If you selected “Print entire Flash Screen”, you will be taken to an options screen.

3. Modify the options you want to change and click Print.

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Appendix A:Understanding MQL


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What is MQL?

MQL is an acronym for MITS Query Language. Unique to MITS Discover, this language is similar in style to the PICK access language and is used to formulate data mining and report output. This simple query language is used to create all of the flash screens in MITS Discover.

The MQL statement is the only thing that is stored by MITS Discover when a flash screen is saved. This means that no graphical components are required to recreate a flash screen. The MQL statement includes all of the information about the current exploration, columns, sorting, filtering, and formatting. If your MITS administrator has granted you the proper permissions, you can modify this command manually to create specific displays quickly.

Accessing the MQL Statement in MITS Discover

To access a flash screen’s MQL statement:

1. Click the Modify button from the flash screen’s main toolbar.

2. Select MQL from the list to open the Modifying MQL dialog.

3. The MQL statement can be modified as desired, following the correct syntax as provided below.

4. Click the Execute button to run the code and generate the flash screen.

Understanding MQL Statements

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MQL (or flash) statements comprise one of the two components stored by MITS when a flash screen is saved (the other being the flash screen description). Each flash statement holds all of the necessary information about the current exploration, currently displayed columns, sorting, filtering, formatting, etc.

You can manually modify a flash statement to create specific displays quickly, and you can also make manual modifications to a flash statement that allow you to create custom flash screens that cannot be created using the standard tools and wizards provided in the MITS Discover browser client.

Flash Statement StructureFLASH <appName> [identifiers] [columns] HEADING "[heading]"FLASH SALESDEMO R W COST.Y COST.Y-1 HEADING "2Y Cost R by W"

Breaking Down a Flash Statement

Token Description ExampleFLASH All MQL statements start with the word FLASH. FLASH<appName> The name of the Hypercube that will be queried. SALESDEMO[identifiers] Establishes the flash screen’s exploration (or drill-

down) path. The identifier abbreviation is used here. Identifier values related to the “Expand” and “Expand by specific values” exploration types are also displayed here. In this example, the drill-down path would be REGION (R) by WAREHOUSE (W) using an “Expand All Rows” exploration type.

R W

[columns] The column IDs of the columns displayed in the flash screen. Column sorting and filtering are also displayed here. In this example, the columns that will be displayed are Cost (year-to-date) and Cost (back 1 year).

COST.Y COST.Y-1

HEADING "[heading]" The heading that will be displayed at the top of the flash screen.

2Y COST R BY W


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Working with Identifiers in a Flash StatementIn this example, ‘W’ is the abbreviation for the WAREHOUSE identifier. This example signifies an initial exploration by warehouse.

FLASH SALESDEMO W

Specifying Identifier Values for ExplorationExplicit IDs can be specified using the WITH keyword. The following example will drill-down into warehouse 4 by the SALES REP identifier:

FLASH SALESDEMO WITH W = "4" SR

Continuing with that example, the next example will drill-down under sales representative Bob Donis by the CUSTOMER identifier:

FLASH SALESDEMO WITH W = "4" WITH SR = "BOD" C

The WITH keyword can also be used in conjunction with the NOT modifier as shown in the following statement. In this example, the resulting flash screen would explore all of the customers under all of the sales reps in warehouse 4, but would NOT display sales reps HOUSE1 or HOUSE2.

FLASH SALESDEMO WITH W = "4" WITH SR NOT "HOUSE1" "HOUSE2" C

NOTE: This example can only be accomplished by manually edit ing the MQL statement.

Working with Columns in a Flash StatementThe flash statement below would display the “Sales (year-to-date)” column and the “Profit (back 1 quarter)” column, including the values for all of the warehouses.

FLASH SALESDEMO W SALES.Y PROFIT.Q-1

Specifying SortingBy default, the rows of any flash screen are sorted by identifier description. You can instruct MITS Discover to sort the flash screen by the values in a specific column using the BY or BY-DSND modifiers.

The following flash statement will display sales dollars year-to-date for all warehouses, but instead of sorting by the (default) warehouse description the flash screen will be sorted by the values in the SALES.Y column in descending order:

FLASH SALESDEMO W SALES.Y BY-DSND SALES.Y


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A flash statement can include any number of column sorts or filters using common relational operators. The following flash statement is important to note because it performs actions beyond what can be executed in the MITS Discover browser client:

FLASH SALESDEMO SR BY SALES.M C BY-DSND SALES.M SALES.Y

In this example, the list of sales reps will be displayed with an “Expand All” exploration by customer. The sales reps will be sorted in ascending order based on their corresponding values in the SALES.M column and the customers under those sales reps will be sorted in descending order based on their corresponding values in the SALES.M column. However, notice that the SALES.M column is not displayed - the SALES.Y column is displayed instead. This example shows that you can perform sorting and filtering based on a column that is not displayed in the flash screen. For this reason it is a good idea to keep an eye on your MQL statement as there may be sorting or filtering in place that is based on columns that are not visible.


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MQL Language Reference

Command Intended UseBOTTOM-TOTALS Adds bottom totals to the current flash screenBREAK-ON <columnID> Summarizes the totals by the values in a column. For example,

BREAK-ON C!STATE would add totals in each column for each unique state in the C!STATE column.

BY <columnID> Sorts the display in ascending order by the specified column.BY-DSND <columnID> Sorts the current flash screen display in descending order by the

specified column.CLIP <#> Restricts the viewable number of rows returned for the lowest

identifier in the current drill-down path.FLASH The first word of every MQL statement. When used alone in

character mode MITS, the flash statement for the current flash screen will be displayed.

HEADING “<heading>” Specifies the heading that will be displayed at the top of the flash screen.

IDS Displays the identifier IDsLINE-BREAK <identAbbr> Inserts a blank row between the horizontal rows for the specified

identifier.NOGRAND <#> Suppresses the display of totals down to the specified exploration

level.NOIDS Hides the identifier IDs in each identifier row.NOTAGS Hides the identifier abbreviations in each identifier row.NOZEROS Removes all horizontal rows that have a ZERO in every column.WITH Used to request specific identifiers or column range values for

filtering purposes.

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Index

AAdding Columns 10, 25Adding Columns From Dictionary Items 25, 26Additional Options 32Adobe PDF 7Advanced Exporting Options 42Advanced Options 17Area Chart 37Audience 2Available Columns 39Available Columns from Column Group 10Available Descriptions 18

BBar Chart 36Bottom Totals 32, 50Breaking On Value 29, 50

CCell 15Chart

Create 39New 39

Chart Creation 39Chart Options 39Chart Title 39Chart Type 39Chart Types

Area 37Bar 36Line 36Pie 38Stacked 37

Charting 36Clip Level 32, 50Code Samples 3Column

Add 10, 25Breaking On Value 29Expand 29Expression 15Filtering 24Flash Statement 48Functions 28Grid 15Handle 14, 22Heading 14

Maintenance 29Options Menu 14Remove 25Reordering 11, 14, 22Selection 10Set 10Summarize On Value 31

Column Breaks 29, 31Column Filters 24Column Functions 28Column Grid 15Column Group

Available Columns 10Selection 10

Column Heading Area 14Column Maintenance 29Column Options Menu 14Column Positioning 22Column Set 10

Selection 10Column Sets 26, 27Comma Separated Values 42Conventions 3Create a New Flash Screen 7, 10CSV 42Current Drill-Down Path 14Currently Selected Columns 25, 39Currently Selected Descriptions 18

DData Exploration 16Delete Flash Screen 7Detail Display 15, 20

Availability 20Dictionary Items 25, 26Display Modifiers 32

Bottom Totals 32, 50Clip Level 32, 50Display Rows 33Flash Screen Heading 32, 50Identifier IDs 11, 32, 50Identifier Tags 32, 50Line Break 33, 50Omit Total Level 33, 50Zero Rows 11, 32, 50

Display Options 39Display Rows 33Displayed Columns 25Drill-Down Path

Current 14

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Drilling Down 16by All Rows 19by All Rows by Specific Values 19by Row 17by Row by Specific Values 17

EExcel 7Expand

All Rows 19All Rows by Specific Values 19Row 17Row by Specific Values 17

Expanding Columns 29Expired Password 6Export 42Export Flash Screen 7Export Using Shortcuts 42Exporting Flash Screen Data

all rows 42

FFilter

Descriptions 17Flash Screen 2

Bottom Totals 32Changing Libraries 7Clip Level 32Create 7, 10Delete 7Displayed Rows 33example 14Expand 16Export 7Filtering 24Heading 11, 14, 32, 50Identifier IDs 11, 32Identifier Tags 32Library 7Line Break 33Manipulation 21New 7, 10Number of Rows Displayed 33Omit Total Level 33Printing 44Save 12Selection 7Show Details 7Sorting 23Zero Rows 11, 32

Flash Screen Display Options 32Flash Screen Filtering 24Flash Screen Manipulation 21Flash Statements 47Formatting Toolbar 14

GGateway 2

HHandle 14, 22Heading

Flash Screen 11, 14, 50Hypercube Application 2, 6, 10

IIdentifier IDs 11, 32, 50Identifier Tags 32, 50Identifier Values 15Identifiers

Available 18Filtering 17Flash Statement 48

Insert ColumnAfter 26Before 26

Invert Chart 40

LLine Break 33, 50Line Chart 36Logging In 6Login ID 2, 6

MMain Toolbar 14Manually Enter IDs 18Microsoft Excel 7MITS Discover 46

Charting 36display modifiers 32Edition 6Gateway 2Hypercube Application 2, 6, 10Login ID 2Password 2Security 2, 6URL 2, 6

MITS Discover Welcome Screen 6MITS Query Language 46MitsServer 2, 10

Version 6MitsWeb Gateway 2

Version 6Modify

Column Order 11MQL 46MQL Language Reference 50MQL Statements 47MultiValue 6

NNavigation Toolbar 14, 24, 32, 33New Chart 39New Flash Screen 7, 10

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NOGRAND 33Normalized Export 42, 43Number of Rows Returned 33

OOLAP 6Omit Total Level 33, 50Online Analytical Processing 6

PPassword 2Password, Expiration 6PDF 7PDF Options 43PICK Access Language 46Pie Chart 38Printing 44Program Samples 3

RRemove All Selected Columns 25Remove All Selected Identifiers 18Removing Columns 25Reordering Columns 11, 14, 22Returned Rows 33Rows Returned 33

SSaving a Flash Screen 12Security 2, 6Selected Application 10Selected Columns 10Selecting a Column Group 10Selecting a Column Set 10Selecting Columns 10Shortcut

Add Column 26Clip Level 32Display Rows 33Exporting 42Filtering 24

Show Flash Screen Details 7Sorting a Flash Screen 23, 50Stacked Chart 37Summarize On Value 31Supported Web Browsers 2

TTab Delimited Text 42Toolbar

Formatting 14Main 14Navigation 14, 24, 32, 33

TXT 42

UURL 2, 6User ID 6

VVariables 3

WWeb Browsers

Supported 2

ZZero Rows 11, 32, 50

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