Prompt values

After you set report prompts for the first time in the IBM® Cognos® Viewer window and import the report into a Microsoft Office document, you can change the saved prompt values or set new values for prompts.

The default setting is Specified Value. If you change the server that you are reading reports from, prompted reports are returned to this default and you must manually reset the report to Always Prompt or Cell Value, even if the package and report names are identical.

When you import a report that contains prompts, the selected prompt values are saved as part of the report. Each report prompt has two values associated with it.

Table 1. Saved prompt values
Prompt value	Description
Use Value	Specifies the value used by the report prompt. This value can be different from the one that is shown as the Display Value.
Display Value	Specifies the prompt value as a text string that is displayed in titles, labels, footers, and headers.

For all the options that are described later in this section, except for Always Prompt, when you change the Use Value setting, no corresponding change is made to the Display Value. However, you can synchronize these two property values so that they match. To indicate how you want to update the Display Value property, you must set the Prompt Update Method property. For details, see Synchronizing the Use Value and Display Value properties.

Specified Value

Sets the answer to the report prompt. Users must provide a prompt value, which is displayed in the Use Value box. The value is saved for future renditions of the Office document so that users are not prompted each time that they refresh the report.

Applies to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Always Prompt

Requires the user to be prompted. The value is saved and the user is prompted each time the report is refreshed.

Applies to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Cell Value

Specifies an Excel cell for the prompt value and requires that the cell reference is typed into the Cell Reference box, where the worksheet, column, and row location is saved for future renditions of the workbook.

Applies only to Excel.

Custom Property

Specifies the name of the user-defined custom document property that is stored with the workbook or document. The custom file property value is linked to the Use Value of the report prompt. This information is saved for future renditions of the Office document so that you are not prompted each time that you refresh the report.

You can specify multiple values for a single prompt by assigning the values to the Microsoft Office custom file properties. Multiple values are separated by the pipe character or vertical bar (|). When the report is refreshed, all values are parsed and multiple prompts are sent to the report server. Alternatively, you can use the Cell Value property to assign multiple values. When using multiple values in a single prompt, ensure that you do not have any additional prompts of the Always Prompt type; otherwise, the multiple values are divided and returned as many prompts.

The prompt value is assigned to the custom property. If the <prompt> value is entered in the Microsoft custom document property, users are prompted the first time the report is run or refreshed, and that value is saved.

Tip: The Return Quantity by Order Method samples report in the GO Data Warehouse (analysis) package, GO Office Report Samples, is based on multiple prompt values. For more information about The Sample Outdoors Company samples, see Sample reports and packages.

Applies to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.