Cognos Business Intelligence Series: Cognos Powerplay For Windows

COGNOS(R) Business Intelligence Series
C o g n o s Pow e r P l a y
Wi ndow s
(R)
fo r
DISCOVERING POWERPLAY
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Discovering PowerPlay
DISCOVERING POWERPLAY
THE NEXT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
TM
Product Information
(R)
This document applies to Cognos PowerPlay for Windows Version 7.4 and may also apply to subsequent releases. To check for newer
versions of this document, visit the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site (http://support.cognos.com).
Copyright
Copyright (C) 2006 Cognos Incorporated.
Portions of Cognos(R) software products are protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,609,123 B1; 6,611,838 B1; 6,662,188
B1; 6,728,697 B2; 6,741,982 B2; 6,763,520 B1; 6,768,995 B2; 6,782,378 B2; 6,847,973 B2; 6,907,428 B2; 6,853,375 B2; 6,986,135 B2;
6,995,768 B2.
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Table of Contents
Introduction 5
Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance 7
Explore Performance Indicators 7
Investigate Business Impacts 7
Analyze and Report on Your Data 8
Change Performance Indicators 8
Drill Down 8
Slice and Dice 9
Filter 9
Change Displays 10
Determine Percent of Business 10
Rank 11
Highlight Exceptions 11
Calculate 12
Drill Through to Impromptu 12
Select a Distribution Option 12
Chapter 2: Essential Skills 13
Connect to a Cube 13
Access Local Cubes 13
Access Remote Cubes 14
Explore Using the Dimension Folders 15
Use Dimension Folders to Drill Down 15
Use Dimension Folders to Filter Information 16
Explore Using the Dimension Viewer 16
Change Performance Indicators 18
Drill Into Information 18
Filter Information 19
Isolate a Category 20
Drill Up by Resetting Dimensions 21
Slice and Dice Information 21
Drag Information Into a Report 21
Choose Categories 22
Swap Report Information 22
Add Nested Categories 23
Differences Between Explorer and Reporter 23
Explorer Reports 24
Reporter Reports 24
Drill Into Information 25
Slice and Dice 26
Return to the Top Level 27
Add New Categories 27
Show Percentages in Explorer 27
Move Between Explorer and Reporter 27
Switch Displays 28
Pie Display 29
Bar Display 29
Nested Charts Display 30
Line Display 31
Discovering PowerPlay 3
Chapter 3: Create a Business Mix Report 33

Create the Report 33
Add Layers for a New Perspective 34
Add a Title 35
Examine Other Dimensions 36
Show the Business Mix in a Clustered Bar Display 37
Move and Size the Legend 38
Print Only Selected Layers 38
Chapter 4: Create a Top Ten Report 41
Focus on the Most Detailed Level 41
Rank and Sort Data 42
Add Growth and Percentage Growth Calculations 43
Rank and Sort the Data on Percentage Growth 44
Move Columns and Rows 45
Resize Rows 45
Format the Report 45
Chapter 5: Create a Trend Over Time Report 47
What Is a Trend Over Time Report? 47
Add Special Categories 47
Add an Exception Dimension 48
Switch the Display to Show Trend Over Time 49
Add Nested Categories for More Detail 49
Change Report Labels 50
Format the Values 51
Format the Report for Readability 51
Drill Down on Year to Date 52
Chapter 6: Create a Variance Report 53
What Is a Variance Report? 53
Show Revenue and Product Plan Measures 53
Create a Variance Calculation 54
Switch the Display to Show the Variance Trend 54
Get More Information by Adding Layers 55
Hide Selected Information 56
Chapter 7: Create an Exception Report 57
What Is an Exception Report? 57
Show the Revenue per Employee 57
Define a Rule to Handle Exceptional Information 59
Describe the Exception Highlighting 60
Add Another Display 60
Arrange the Displays 61
Chapter 8: Create a Quarterly Revenue Statement 63
Can You Create Custom Revenue Statements? 63
Add Nested Categories 64
Format the Report 65
Save and Publish the Report 66
Appendix A: Product Samples 69
Index 71
4 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows
Introduction
What Is in This Document
Discovering PowerPlay shows you how to create reports and manipulate the data to analyze your
business. You learn
essential skills
how to create a variety of reports
how to customize the reports you create
Although this document focuses on tasks you can perform in PowerPlay for Windows, most of the
functionality is also available in the PowerPlay Web Enhanced interface.
What You Need to Know to Use This Tutorial Effectively

If you are new to PowerPlay, we recommend that you take the online PowerPlay Quick Tour, and
then read this book to learn how to create and use reports.
Other Information
Our documentation includes user guides, tutorial guides, reference books, and other pieces to
meet the needs of our varied audience.
All information is available in online help. Online help is available from the Help button in a Web
browser, or the Help menu and Help button in Windows products.
The information in each online help system is available in online book format (PDF). However,
the information from a given help system may be divided into more than one online book. Use
online books when you want a printed version of a document or when you want to search the
whole document. You can print selected pages, a section, or the whole book. Cognos grants you a
non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use, copy, and reproduce the copyright materials, in
printed or electronic format, solely for the purpose of providing internal training on, operating,
and maintaining the Cognos software.
In Windows products, online books are available from the Windows Start menu (Cognos) and
from the product Help menu (Books for Printing). In a Web browser, online books may be
available from the Welcome section of the help system, or from within the Cognos Web portal
(Upfront). You can also read the product readme files and the installation guides directly from the
Cognos product CDs.
Only the installation guides are available as printed documents.
An annotated list of other documentation, the Documentation Roadmap, is available from the
Windows Start menu or the PowerPlay Help menu.
See Documentation Updates on the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site for additions and
changes to the Cognos documentation.
Questions or Comments?
For the fastest response to questions about using PowerPlay, contact customer support.
For information about customer support locations and programs, see Cognos on the Web on the
Help menu or visit the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site (http://support.cognos.com).
Introduction
Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Do you have the information you need to succeed? Todays economy requires you to keep on top
of evolving trends and opportunities. You need tools in place that harness your business
information so you can make informed business decisions.
Explore Performance Indicators

With PowerPlay, you can easily examine the performance indicators in your organization.
Performance indicators are the measures you use to evaluate your business.
The interplay of factors driving performance indicators provides you with business intelligence.
For example, you can compare revenue in the Americas for the last two quarters to the product
plan (that is, the forecast revenue) for the same period. Then you can compare the difference
between revenue and product plan for the Americas to the numbers for the whole organization.
Investigate Business Impacts

Using PowerPlay, you can see the impact that each aspect of the business has on the others and on
the overall results. This is done by organizing the key factors that drive the business, such as
Products sold, into a dimension in PowerPlay Transformer. Together, the dimensions provide a
multidimensional picture of your business.

You can explore up and down and across this multidimensional view of your business information
to see exactly what is driving your business. For example, you can see which channel produced the
highest revenue in the Americas in the last quarter and then look at the revenue for the same
channel in the Far East.
Analyze and Report on Your Data

This section introduces some of the ways you can quickly and easily use the multidimensional
capabilities of PowerPlay to focus on your bottom line. A cube for a company called the Great
Outdoors illustrates how you can take advantage of PowerPlay to analyze and report business
information. The Great Outdoors cube is used in all the exercises in this book.
Change Performance Indicators

You can examine the information with a performance indicator, such as revenue, and then look at
this same information from another perspective, such as profit margin. For example, for the Great
Outdoors Company, you will see that in 1996, revenue for the Environmental Line surpassed that
for the GO Sport Line. However, profit margin percentage for the same period shows the GO
Sport Line to be more profitable than the Environmental Line.
Drill Down
You can drill down to lower levels to see what is driving a performance indicator, then drill back
up to any level. While the top level numbers for Outdoor Products are good, drilling down shows
which products contributed the most to 1996 revenue. For example, Tents did extremely well.
Slice and Dice

You dont have to create a new report to see the revenue for all locations. You can simply drag the
Locations dimension from the dimension line into the column area of the current report. This
slicing and dicing of information shows that the 1996 revenue for the Americas is higher than for
any other location.
Filter
You can filter the report to focus on the revenue for a single channel. For example, selecting Mass
Marketer from the Channels menu narrows the report scope to the information for a single
channel. By comparing the revenue for all channels in the first quarter to the revenue generated by
the Mass Marketer channel in the same quarter, you see that the Mass Marketer channel is a solid
contributor to the business.
Note: The dimension line folders show you what filters have been applied to the original report.
Change Displays
By changing from a crosstab display to a stacked bar display, you see the trend for each quarter
and the relationship between locations. The stacked bar display shows that the Mass Marketer
channel performed well in the Far East and the Americas in 1996. The Far East benefited from a
particularly strong third quarter. The lower revenues in Europe could result from a lack of
information for the fourth quarter in this location. You can drill down on 1996 Q4 to investigate.
Determine Percent of Business

Examining an aspect of your business as a percentage of the whole, or as a percentage of the rows
or columns, provides new insights. For example, examining an exact percentage of the revenue in
each month shows that the Americas carried the other locations in the fourth quarter, generating
100% of the revenue in November and almost 70% of the revenue for the quarter.
Rank
When you want to see the top selling products for 1997, you can rank them. You can show the
products from the top or from the bottom, and you can include all of them or just a specified
number. This report shows that Tents is the number-one revenue producer in 1997.
Note: Although not shown in this illustration, the rank values appear in italics, to distinguish
them from data values derived from the cube.
Highlight Exceptions
You can highlight all products with sales revenues above or below a given value, by associating a
style with specific conditions. Values that meet your criteria are highlighted. In this example,
several products generated sales above $35,000 but one, recycled products, did not.
Calculate
You can calculate the difference between planned and actual revenue. Creating this calculation
shows that revenues far exceeded the forecasts for the first six months of 2004.
Drill Through to Impromptu

You can drill through from a PowerPlay report to information contained elsewhere. If Impromptu
is available to you, you can drill through to a saved Impromptu report and see the lowest level of
detail for the information in your PowerPlay report. The Impromptu report shows the actual
records behind a selected PowerPlay value.
You can also drill through to another multidimensional cube. Instead of having all your
information in one big cube, your administrator can create several smaller cubes and link them in
PowerPlay Transformer. You can then drill through from cube to cube, viewing and exploring the
information you need.
Select a Distribution Option

You can save your PowerPlay reports as
PowerPlay portable report files (.ppx), a generic reporting format suitable for exploring and
printing the data from any PowerPlay client
PowerPlay portable report file (.ppx) is the default save as file type.
PowerPlay report format (.ppr), the PowerPlay for Windows reporting format
Portable document format files (.pdf), a static format suitable for high-quality printing or
viewing from Upfront, the Cognos Web portal
Users who have installed PowerPlay User Edition or PowerPlay Transformer Edition can save their
reports as local subcubes. If there are no calculated measures in the cube, users who have the client
application of Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, previously known as Microsoft SQL Server
OLAP Services (MS SSOS), can also save their data as a .cub file. For more information about
saving data as a Microsoft Local Cube, see the OLAP Server Connection Guide.
Your distribution options now include Internet or intranet Web pages, email, and the Cognos
publishing component, Upfront. For more information on publishing to Upfront, see the online
help.
Chapter 2: Essential Skills

This chapter covers the essential skills you need to answer your business questions with
PowerPlay.
Connect to a Cube
Your administrator controls how cubes (.mdc) are distributed in your organization. PowerPlay
can connect to remote cubes through a server, or to local cubes stored on your computer. The most
effective distribution method is to provide access to remote cubes. Remote cubes allow centralized
administration of security and ensure that users throughout the organization are viewing the same
up-to-date data. Your administrator will supply the security and connection information required
for remote cubes. Use local cubes to explore data and create reports even when you are not
connected to a network.
Access Local Cubes

You can build reports using local cubes (.mdc), which are stored on your computer or network.
You can access local cubes if you have installed PowerPlay User Edition or PowerPlay
Transformer Edition (Windows or UNIX Edition).
If you have the client application of Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, previously known as
Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services (MS SSOS) installed, you can also open a Microsoft Local
Cube (.cub file). For more information, see the OLAP Server Connection Guide.
When you attempt to open a cube where access is restricted based on user class, you are prompted
for authentication. If you receive an "Access Denied" error message, contact your administrator.
You access a local cube from the Choose a Local Cube dialog box.
Try This
To create a report from a local cube:
1. From the File menu, click New.
The Choose a Remote Cube dialog box appears.
If the Choose a Local Cube dialog box appears, you have installed PowerPlay User Edition or
PowerPlay Transformer Edition (Windows or UNIX edition).
2. In the Access box, select Local.
3. In the Files of Type box, select PowerPlay Cubes (*.mdc).
4. In the Look In box, select installation location\samples\PowerPlay\Cubes and Reports.
If your sample cubes are stored in a different location, contact your administrator for details.
5. Select Great Outdoors.mdc and click Open.
Access Remote Cubes

The cubes you use to build your report can be stored on a remote server.
When you attempt to open a cube where access is restricted based on user class, you are prompted
for authentication. If you do not know your credentials for Cognos content, contact your
administrator for more information. In addition to controlling security from a central location,
the administrator can give you the name and location of your server connection.
You access remote cubes in the Connections dialog box.
Try This
To create a new connection:

If you opened a remote cube in your previous PowerPlay session, the Choose a Remote Cube
dialog box appears.
2. In the Access box, select the Remote option and then click the Connections button.
The Connections dialog box appears.
3. Click Add.
The Add a Connection dialog box appears.
4. In the Connection box, enter the name for the new connection.
5. In the Server box, enter a server name.
If you dont know the name of your server, contact your PowerPlay administrator.
6. Click the Advanced button to change the default settings for the server type, port number, and
network timeout, if necessary.
7. In the Add a Connection dialog box, click OK.
8. In the Connections box, select your connection name and click OK.
Explore Using the Dimension Folders

The dimension line and its folders are at the heart of PowerPlay. Each folder in the dimension line
contains information on a different aspect of the data. The organization of the data into
dimension folders is the responsibility of the person who creates the cube.
The folders are organized hierarchically. For example, the Years dimension folder contains all
information about time, organized at the year, quarter, and month levels.
Levels
----->
Quarters
Months
2005/Jan
2005
2005 Q1
2005/Feb
2005/Mar
Categories
2005 Q2
2005/Apr
2005/May
2005 Q3
2006
2005/June
2005/Jul
2005/Aug
2005/Sep
Use Dimension Folders to Drill Down

You can use the dimension folders to change the information in your report. If you open the
folders associated with the rows or columns in the report, you can drill down and drill up by
selecting other categories in the folder. Arrows appear indicating which categories have drill paths.
For example, if you drill down on the Years folder, select Relative Time, and then select YTD
Grouped, you can see the options for drilling down and drilling up (flyout menu). In this case,
there are several drill-down choices for Years, and YTD Grouped has alternate drill-up paths.
Use Dimension Folders to Filter Information

You can use the dimension folders to filter information in the report. Click on a dimension folder
not associated with the rows or columns in the report, and select another category. The data in the
report changes to reflect the new filter.
For example, if you click the Locations dimension folder, you can change the filter to San
Francisco. Select the dimension folder again, and you see that you can filter the information
further under San Francisco, or change the filter by selecting another city under the United States.
Explore Using the Dimension Viewer

The dimension viewer contains a hierarchical organization of the dimensions and categories in the
cube you are using. You can resize or close the dimension viewer at any time.
Tip: By default, the dimension viewer does not appear when you open PowerPlay. To view the
dimension viewer, select the Dimension Viewer command (View menu), or click the Dimension
Viewer button.
Using the Toolbox

The dimension viewer contains a toolbox that includes buttons which you can use to add rows,
columns and layers to a report, and create subsets. There are more buttons available for a
Reporter report. If you right-click the toolbox, you can select Location to move the toolbox, or
you can select Customize to add or remove buttons from the toolbox.
Try This
To open a report and look for information in the dimension viewer:
1. From the File menu, click Preferences.
The Preferences dialog box appears.
2. Click the Startup tab.
3. Select the Create an Explorer Report by Default check box and click OK.
5. Select Local to complete this tutorial.
For information about accessing a remote cube, see "Access Remote Cubes" (p. 14).
6. Select installation location\samples\PowerPlay\Cubes and Reports.
A new Explorer report appears.
8. From the View menu, click Dimension Viewer.
9. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icon beside Years.
The next level of categories for Years appears.
10. Click the expand icon beside 2004.
The next level of categories for 2004 appears.
11. Click the expand icon beside 2004 Q1.
The next level of categories for 2004 Q1 appears.
12. Click the collapse icon for Years.
This button returns the hierarchical structure to the Years level.
Change Performance Indicators

The final folder in the dimension line contains categories that describe the quantitative aspects of
the cube: the values that demonstrate success or failure in a given situation. These categories
typically include measurable business indicators, such as revenue, expenses, inventory levels, and
quotas.
You can change these performance indicators, or measures, in a report. For example, you can
examine your information using the revenue measure and then look at this same information from
another perspective, such as profit margin percentage.
Try This
To change the performance indicator in the Great Outdoors cube:
1. At the end of the dimension line, click the Revenue folder.
A dimension menu appears for the folder.
2. Click Measures.
The arrow beside Measures indicates that there are child categories.
3. In the Measures folder, click Profit Margin %.
The measure in the report is now Profit Margin %.
4. In the Profit Margin % folder, click Measures.
The measure in the report shows Revenue because it is the first measure in the list.
Drill Into Information

Drilling lets you quickly move from one level of detail to another to explore different aspects of
your business. For example, you can examine the inventory levels for a country. Then you can drill
down to see inventory levels for each branch. When you are finished, you can drill back up to the
country level. Drilling down moves you down in the hierarchy; drilling up moves you up in the
hierarchy.
You can directly manipulate report information by double-clicking whenever the pointer changes
to a plus sign.
Try This
To drill down on a column or row label:
1. Position the pointer over the Outdoor Protection column label.
Note the shape of the pointer.
2. Double-click the Outdoor Protection column label.
Lower-level categories replace the categories that were in the columns. The dimension folder
appears open and the name on the dimension folder changes to Outdoor Protection.
You can drill back up by double-clicking the same row or column label.
Try This
To drill up:
1. Position the pointer on the Outdoor Protection summary column label at the right of the
report.
2. Double-click the Outdoor Protection summary column label.
The dimension line folder resets to Products and closes. The report values change to reflect the
change in the dimension line.
You can also drill down or drill up on a value. When you drill on a value, you are drilling on both
the row category and the column category that correspond to the value.
Try This
To drill down and then drill up on a value:
1. Double-click the value in the Outdoor Protection column and the 2004 row.
The next lower level of categories for Outdoor Protection and 2004 replaces the higher-level
columns and rows.
When you read the dimension line, you see that this report shows the 2004 revenue for
Outdoor Protection in all locations, and margin ranges.
2. Position the pointer on the summary total at the bottom right value of the report.
The pointer shape indicates you can drill up.
3. Double-click the summary total.
Double-clicking on the summary total drills back up on both the rows and columns.
Try This
To undo your actions:
1. Double-click the 2004 row label.
The next level of categories for 2004 appears.
2. From the Edit menu, click Undo Drill Down.
The drill down action is reversed.
Tips
As you drill down to lower levels of detail, you may want to back up a level or two. You can
either drill up or reverse your actions with the Undo command (Edit menu).
In addition to using the plus sign to drill into visible categories, you can use the Drill Up and
Drill Down commands. These commands are available in a pop-up menu that appears when
you right-click in the report.
Filter Information
You can explore information at any level in any dimension. For example, a report may have years
as rows and products as columns. To see this information for the Americas only, you can filter out
unnecessary information, such as Europe and the Asia Pacific. Only the information that you
require appears in the report. The filtering process creates focused reports that show the exact
level of information you want in each dimension.

As you change the level of categories in a report, the folders in the dimension line reflect the
changes, helping you keep track of where you are. For example, if you filter the Locations
dimension to a lower-level category called Americas, the name on the folder shows the new
category level, and the folder opens to indicate that it is not at its highest level.
Dimension menus from the dimension folders are a quick way to get the level of detail you want.
Try This
To filter report information:
1. Click the Locations dimension folder.
The associated dimension menu appears.
2. Click Americas.
The name of the dimension folder changes to show that you are filtering the report to include
only the information for the Americas.
3. Click the Years dimension folder and then click 2004.
4. Click the Products dimension folder and then click Outdoor Protection.
5. Click the Americas dimension folder, and click United States.

The name of the dimension folder changes to show that you are filtering the report to show
only the information for the United States.
6. Click the United States dimension folder, and click Boston.
The dimension line shows that you are filtering the report to show only the information for
Boston sales representatives.
Isolate a Category
You can start with the big picture of how your business is doing, and then focus on a single
category at the lowest level. By isolating a category, you can examine the impact of a single aspect
of your business on the whole. For example, you can select a sales representative and investigate
the relationship between this person and other information.
Try This
To drill down to a category at the lowest level:
1. Click the Boston dimension folder, and click Eric Carson.
2. Drill up to the Years level in the rows.
Notice that Eric Carsons sales for 2004 are highest in Insect Repellents.
The shape of the dimension folder indicates that Eric Carson is a single category at the lowest
level of detail.
Drill Up by Resetting Dimensions

You can remove a filter one level at a time by using the dimension menus. However, the quick way
to remove all filters from a report is to click the Reset Dimensions button, or click the Reset
Dimensions command (Explore menu).
Try This
To remove filters in all dimensions at once:
Click the Reset Dimensions button on the toolbar.
Slice and Dice Information

While you can drill to look at information at any level, you can slice and dice to select the exact
information you want in your report. If the report shows the revenue for each product line over
the last two months, you can slice and dice the cube information to show inventory levels for each
branch at the end of the last quarter.
Slicing and dicing includes any of the following actions:
dragging information into the report
choosing new categories
swapping rows and columns
Drag Information Into a Report

One way to change a report is to drag a dimension folder into it. Valid drop zones are highlighted
to show you where you can place categories. When you want to add nested categories, there are
short bar drop zones (add to one row or column) and long bar drop zones (add to all rows or
columns). Short bar drop zones are only for Reporter reports.
Try This
To change the report by dragging in new categories:
1. Drag the Locations dimension folder to the row label area of the report and drop it between
any two rows.
The pointer changes to indicate the drag action and the acceptable drop zones.
Note that the Locations categories replace the Years categories in the row area.
2. Drag the Retailers dimension folder to the column label area of the report and drop it between
any two columns.
The Retailers categories replace the information that previously appeared in the columns.
Choose Categories
In the dimension viewer, you can select the categories you want to show in a report. After you
select a category, you can click one of the buttons in the toolbox to change what is currently in the
report.
Try This
To change a Reporter report by using the dimension viewer:
1. In the dimension viewer, select Products.
2. Click the Add as Rows button.
Notice that the Products category is added to the categories in the row area.
Try This
To change an Explorer report by using the dimension viewer:
2. Click the Replace Rows button.
Notice that the Products category and its next level of children replace what was in the row
area.
Swap Report Information

You can swap the categories that currently appear in one area, such as the column area, with those
in another area, such as the row area. For example, you may want products, which appear in the
row area, to appear in the column area instead. Swap products and retailers to compare retailers
by products, instead of products by retailer.
Try This
To rearrange the report information:
From the Explore menu, click Swap, and click Rows and Columns.
When you choose Rows and Columns, the columns become the rows, and vice versa.
Tip: You can also click the Swap Rows and Columns button.
Add Nested Categories

You can create Explorer reports that show nested data in one multiple chart display. There are
different ways to nest categories in a report. You can
drag a folder from the dimension line.
drag a category from the dimension viewer. You can Ctrl+click to select more than one
category to nest in a Reporter report.
drag a category already in the report. For example, you may want the information in one of
the columns nested with the rows.
drag a category from another open report.
In all cases, you must drag the category you want to nest to a valid drop zone. These zones are
indicated by a thick black line that shows where the categories will be nested. You can nest
categories above or below existing columns, or to the left or right of existing rows. There are long
bar drop zones and short bar drop zones. Short bar drop zones are only available in Reporter
reports.
Long bar drop zones indicate that the categories to be nested will be nested with all the rows or
columns. This graphic shows a long bar drop zone to the right of the rows.
Short bar drop zones indicate that the categories will be nested only with the row or column that
is marked. This graphic shows a short bar drop zone to the right of a row.
Differences Between Explorer and Reporter

When you create a new report, you must choose which type of report to create: Explorer or
Reporter. While Explorer and Reporter reports are similar in many respects, they have basic
differences. When you understand the differences, you can select the appropriate report type for
the task.
Explorer Reports
In an Explorer report, categories from the first two dimensions in the dimension line appear when
you create a new report. For example, the categories from the top level of the Years dimension
appear in the row area; the categories from the top level of the Products dimension appear in the
column area.
Explorer reports are dynamic; that is, you can change the categories that appear in them.
However, the row and column areas always contain categories from a single level of a single
dimension. For example, 1996 and 1997 are categories at the same level, and they belong to the
dimension called Years.
A summary row and a summary column are included in all Explorer reports. The summary row in
this report is Years and the summary column is Products.
Reporter Reports
Reporter reports dont need to have a uniform structure. You have complete control over the
information in a report. You start with a blank report, to which you add the categories that you
want to see. Unless you create subsets, Reporter reports are static; that is, they are not updated
from the cube during exploration.
Try This
To create a Reporter report:
3. Clear the Create an Explorer Report by Default check box and click OK.
A blank Reporter report appears.
The row or column area can hold more than one level of categories and more than one dimension
can appear. You can add only the categories you want to see. If you dont want certain categories
in a report, you can remove them. For example, you can report the sales for the United States,
Boston, and individual sales representatives in the Boston branch for particular product lines.
Try This
To add categories to a Reporter report:
The dimension viewer appears.
2. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icon beside Locations.
3. Click the expand icon beside Americas.
4. Click the expand icon beside United States.
5. Click the expand icon beside Boston.

6. Ctrl+click to select:
United States
Boston
Rhonda Cummings
Eric Carson
8. Click the expand icon beside Products.
9. Click the expand icon beside Outdoor Protection.
10. Ctrl+click to select:
Outdoor Protection
Sunscreen
First Aid
11. Click the Add as Columns button.
Tip: You can remove a row or column that you dont want by selecting it and pressing Delete.
Observe that your customized report now contains just those categories (rows and columns)
that your users need to see.
Drill Into Information

In Explorer
In Explorer mode, you can drill down on a rank or a calculation. When you drill down or drill up
on report categories, a new level of categories replaces the existing categories. For example, if you
drill down on 2004, the four quarters of 2004 replace the existing rows, and the summary row
changes from Years to 2004.
The name on the dimension folder changes when you drill down or drill up because the drilling
action filters the information in an Explorer report.
In Reporter
When you drill down in Reporter reports, you add new categories to the report. Because drilling
down adds, rather than replaces categories, drilling does not filter information and the name on
the dimension folder does not change.
When you drill up, you remove categories. For example, if you drill up on 2004, the four quarters
disappear from the report.
Try This
To drill into information in a Reporter report:
1. Double-click the Outdoor Protection column label.
The next level of categories appears.

2. Double-click the Outdoor Protection column label again to drill up.
The columns you previously added are gone.
Slice and Dice

In Explorer
When you drag a dimension folder to the row or column area in Explorer reports, or when you
choose a new row or column in the dimension viewer, you replace the current content in this area
with the next level of categories for the chosen category. For example, if you drag the Locations
dimension folder to the row area, the next level of categories, the Americas, Central Europe, Asia
Pacific, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe replaces what currently appears in the row area.
In Reporter
When you drag a dimension folder to the row or column area, you add it to the current categories.
For example, if you drag Margin Ranges to the row area, Margin Ranges is added to the existing
rows. To see the next level of categories, you must drill down.
Try This
To slice and dice in a Reporter report:
1. Drag the Retailers dimension folder to the row label area of the report.
Retailers appears between the rows where you dropped it.
2. Double-click the Retailers row label.

The next level of categories appears.
3. Press Escape to remove the highlighting for the selection.
4. Select the Warehouse Store row, and press Delete.

The Warehouse Store row disappears from the report.
Tip: Swapping rows and columns works the same way in both Reporter and Explorer reports.
Return to the Top Level

In Explorer
When you click the Reset Dimensions button, all filters are removed and the dimension line resets
to the top level. The report changes to show the top-level categories. For example, if the
lowest-level categories for the Locations dimension appear in the report, the top-level categories,
Americas, Central Europe, Asia Pacific, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe replace the
lowest-level categories.
In Reporter
When you click the Reset Dimensions button in a Reporter report, all filters are removed and the
dimension line resets to the top level. However, the categories that you added to the report do not
change.
Add New Categories

You can add calculated categories to your reports by having your administrator set them up in
Transformer, or by creating them yourself, in Reporter. You can also add basic calculations in
Explorer. The position of the calculation is automatically determined based on the operands.
In Explorer reports, the label and values of the calculation are italicized. The italic formatting is
removed when you switch to a Reporter report.
For information about adding calculations in Reporter, see "Create a Top Ten Report" (p. 41).
Show Percentages in Explorer

In Explorer, you can show values as percentages of the row or column totals, or of the whole
report. PowerPlay automatically performs these calculations when you choose one of the Show
Values As commands from the Explore menu. These percentages change dynamically as you drill
down and drill up.
For information about showing values as percentages, see "Create a Business Mix
Report" (p. 33).
Try This
To view values as percentages:
1. Close all existing reports without saving them.
2. Create a new Explorer report by using Great Outdoors.mdc.
3. From the Explore menu, click Show Values As, and click % of Column Total.
When the values are calculated as a percentage of the column summary, the role played by
Outdoor Protection in 2004 becomes evident.
Move Between Explorer and Reporter

Having different report types provides you with a flexible reporting environment. You can explore
your information and view the values as percentages in an Explorer report. Then you can create a
customized Reporter report and show both reports at the same time.
Switch Report Types

You can switch the report type from Explorer to Reporter and back again, by using the Change to
Explorer or Change to Reporter command from the Explore menu. For example, you might start
with an Explorer report to look at new monthly information, and switch to a Reporter report to
add information from another month or quarter.
Duplicate Reports
If you want to retain both an Explorer and a Reporter version of a report, you can duplicate the
Explorer report as a Reporter report, or the Reporter report as an Explorer report, by using the
Duplicate As command (File menu).
Share Dimension Lines

When you make a change that affects the dimension line in one report, this change is reflected
automatically in all open reports that share the same multidimensional cube. With shared
dimension lines, you can show more information simultaneously. For example, one report can
show the trend in sales over the past two years for all products, and another can show the sales by
retailer in each location. When you drill down on one of the reports to a specific product, such as
tents, one report shows the trend in tent sales over the past two years, while the other report
shows the tent sales by retailer in each location.
Try This
To show information from many dimensions at once:
1. From the File menu, click Duplicate As, and click New Reporter Report.
The Explorer report is copied as a Reporter report.
2. From the Window menu, click Tile Horizontally.
3. Click the title bar of the Explorer report to make it active.
4. Drag the Locations dimension folder to the row label area of the active report and drop it
between any two rows.
The next level of Locations categories appears in the row area.
5. Drag the Retailers dimension folder to the column label area of the active report and drop it
between any two columns.
The next level of Retailers categories appears in the column area.
6. Click the title bar of the Reporter report to make it active.
7. Click the Products dimension folder, and click Outdoor Protection from the dimension menu.
8. Click the Outdoor Protection dimension folder, and click Sunscreen from the dimension
menu.
Compare the dimension lines for the two reports.
The Reporter report shows sunscreen sales in 2004, and the Explorer report shows that most
sunscreen has been sold in the Americas and Central Europe.
Tip: If the dimension lines in the reports are not the same, from the File menu, click Shared
Dimensions.
9. Click the Reset Dimensions button.
Notice the change to the dimension line in both reports.
Switch Displays
The default display type in PowerPlay is the crosstab. When you begin creating your report in
Explorer, the crosstab shows only one level in the rows and one in the columns. If you are creating
a Reporter report, it is empty by default. You can expand the crosstab so that it shows several
levels of categories nested together in the rows and columns.
After building your report, you can take advantage of the different display types. Changing the
display type can reveal new information about your business, because various types of displays
show information differently. To draw attention to relationships, trends, or variances, select the
appropriate display type.

The first step in choosing the appropriate type of display is to define the purpose of the report.
Pie Display
Pie displays are useful for illustrating the relationship of a part to the whole. For example, a pie
display can effectively show the contribution of each retailer.
Try This
To switch to another display type:
In the Explorer report, click the Pie button, and review the report results.
Tip: Some displays, such as the pie display, show information from only one row at a time.
Use the scroll arrows in the status line to control which row appears.
Bar Display
You can show differences between categories with a bar display. For example, a clustered bar
display clearly compares retailers in each location.
Try This
To switch to another display type:
In the Explorer report, click the Clustered Bar button, and review the report results.
Turn Off the Totals

An Explorer report includes a summary row and column for the visible categories. By turning off
the summary row and column, you can focus on the categories you want to compare.
Try This
To turn off the summary values:
1. From the Format menu, click Display Options.
2. Click the Display tab.
3. Clear the Show the Summary Bar check box and the Show the Summary Cluster check box.
4. Click OK.
The Locations summary bar and the Retailers summary cluster disappear.
Nested Charts Display

You can create Explorer reports that show nested data in one multiple chart display. You can
simultaneously view revenues for several products, by retailer and by location, for example.
When you have nested charts selected in an Explorer report, and switch to Reporter mode, the
display changes to a single chart because nested charts are not available in Reporter mode.
Try This
To compare performance across several different dimensions or layers at once:
2. Double-click Outdoor Protection to drill down to the next level.
3. Drag the Retailers folder from the dimension line to the row area.
The crosstab shows the revenue generated by Insect Repellents, Sunscreen, and First Aid, in
each of the retailers.
4. Drag the Locations folder from the dimension line to the long bar drop zone to the right of the
retailers rows.
Central Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Asia Pacific, and Americas revenues, as
well as the totals for all locations, appear in the crosstab in nested format.
5. Click the Clustered Bar (Depth) button to change display types.
6. From the Explore menu, select the Nested Charts option.
7. From the Explore menu, select Swap, and then Rows and Columns.

8. In the resulting report, scroll across the column widths so you can see all the revenues for
Outdoor Protection by retailers and locations.
Tip: You can change your report to show percent-of-total values and multiple pie charts, if
this better meets your reporting needs.
Line Display
The significance of trends is more apparent in a multiline display than in a crosstab, especially
when you are comparing values year over year. For example, seeing the revenue for each location
over the last four quarters shows how you have progressed and where your strengths lie.
For information about multiline displays, see "Create a Trend Over Time Report" (p. 47).
Try This
To switch to, and explore your data in, a multiline display:
2. Drag the Locations dimension folder to the row area.
3. Click the Multiline button.
4. Drag the Years dimension folder to the bottom axis of the display.
5. From the Explore menu, click Show Values As and select % of Column Total.
Percentage revenue by location appears, for every Years category.
6. Double-click the 2004 label.

The next level of categories for 2004 replaces the Years categories.
The Display Options dialog box appears.
8. In the Display tab, clear the Show the Summary Line(s) and Show the Summary Column(s)
check boxes.
This multiline display shows that while revenue remained relatively constant in Central
Europe and Asia Pacific, revenue fell in the second quarter for the Americas, and then rose
again. Revenue rose slightly in Northern Europe and Southern Europe and then declined over
the next two quarters.
9. Close all reports without saving them.
Chapter 3: Create a Business Mix Report

The business mix report gives you a picture of where your business is going. By examining each
area of your business, you obtain strategic information you can use to modify business decisions.
Create the Report

A business mix report compares products, programs, Internet usage, or any other aspect of your
business. You can compare them by using measures, such as revenue, head count, or cost.
Examining the business mix for the categories in each dimension folder quickly uncovers what is
driving your business.
For information about essential skills you need to use PowerPlay effectively, see "Essential
Skills" (p. 13).
Try This
To create an Explorer business mix report:
8. Double-click the 2004 row label.
The next level of categories for 2004 appears in the row area.

9. From the Explore menu, click Swap, and click Rows and Columns.
The time periods appear in the column area and the business mix that you want to compare
appears in the row area.
10. From the Explore menu, click Show Values As, and click % of Column Total.
Values are automatically replaced by percentages of the column totals.
When you compare the first quarter results for Camping Equipment to the results averaged
over the whole year, you see that Camping Equipment had a similar share of the product mix,
despite a drop that occurred in the second quarter.
Add Layers for a New Perspective

A business mix report focuses on a single area of the business over a period of time. You can
provide more details with layers, which are a third set of dimension categories you can add to a
report. Details from another dimension provide a new perspective on the report.
If your report shows the revenue generated by each product line over the last year and you want to
know which locations are most responsible for this revenue, you can add locations as layers. Each
layer then shows the revenue for each product line over the last year in a particular location.
Depending on your business, you can use layers to compare the number of members in your
organization over time by location, the number of support calls over time by call type, the use of
employee benefits over time in each branch, and so on.
Layers are similar to report pages. Use the scroll arrows on the layer bar to move from one layer
to another.
Layer scroll buttons
In an Explorer report, both a summary layer and the next level of categories are added as layers.
In a Reporter report, a single category is added as a layer. You can drill down on this layer to add
lower-level categories.
Try This
To add additional perspective with layers:
1. Drag the Locations dimension folder to the layer target on the dimension line.
2. Use the scroll arrows on the right side of the layer bar to compare the product lines in each
location to the overall trend.
The business mix seems fairly consistent across locations, except for Outdoor Protection,
which is proportionately higher in Asia Pacific than in other locations.
Add a Title
You can enter as much text as you want into the title area for the report. You can control title
alignment, font size, style, and color. You can insert graphics into the title area, cut and paste
objects from the clipboard, and drag objects from other applications.
You can also include variables in the title. For example, the CurrentColumn variable shows the
name of the currently selected column. If you add this variable to the title, the name changes
automatically as you drill down and drill up on the column.
Try This
To add a title with a graphic:
1. From the Format menu, click Title, Header and Footer, and click Title.
The Title dialog box appears.
2. Position the pointer in the text area.

3. Click the Insert button, select Variable, and select Current Row.

Current Row appears in the text area.
4. In the text area after Current Row, enter a single space, and then type by Location.
"Current Row by Location" now appears in the text area.
5. Click the Insert button, and select Picture Object.
6. Using the Select Picture File dialog box, select the image you want to insert, and click Open.
You can select the GreatOut.bmp in the Cubes and Reports folder of your PowerPlay
installation directory.
7. Move the picture object to a suitable location in the Title dialog box, and click OK.
The title <None> by Location appears in the report, with an image beside it. <None> is a
placeholder for the name of the current row.
8. Click the Outdoor Protection row label to activate this variable.

Outdoor Protection replaces <None> in the report title.
Examine Other Dimensions

In the business mix report, examining other folders from the dimension line provides additional
perspectives on the business.
Try This
To examine other aspects of your business:
1. Drag the Retailers dimension folder to the row label area.
2. Click the Retailers label in the summary row to activate the variable in the title.

When you compare retailers for all of Asia Pacific, you see the Sport Store and Golf Shop
retailers are responsible for about 70% of the companys revenue in 2004.
3. Use the scroll arrows on the layer bar to see which retailer leads in the Americas, and in
Central Europe, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe.
4. Drag the Margin Ranges dimension folder to the row label area.
Sales in the 20% - 65% margin range in Asia Pacific were relatively consistent in each
quarter.
5. Use the scroll arrows on the layer bar to find where there were sales in the Under 20% margin
range.
6. Drag the Products dimension folder to the row label area.
When you compare the quarterly results for Outdoor Protection for each location, you see
that second quarter results were highest for Outdoor Protection in all locations except
Southern Europe.
Show the Business Mix in a Clustered Bar Display

A clustered bar display more clearly demonstrates the impact that Camping Equipment products
have on the business.
Try This
To switch to a clustered bar display:
1. Click the Clustered Bar button.
Tip: You can add the Display Options toolbar button to the toolbar, and click it to show the
Display Options dialog box.
3. Click the Display tab.

4. Clear the Show the Summary Bar(s) check box and the Show the Summary Cluster(s) check
box.
5. Click OK.
Move and Size the Legend

A legend describes what is in a display. Legends are available for displays that need explanation
and can be shown by using the Legend command from the View menu. When a legend isnt
required, the Legend command is unavailable.
If a legend covers essential information in a report, you can move the legend or make it smaller.
Try This
To adjust the legend:
1. Position the pointer anywhere on the border of the legend, and when the pointer changes
shape, drag the borders of the legend until the window is the size you want.
2. Click the title bar of the legend window and drag it to a location where it doesnt cover the
bars in the display.
Note: To print the display with the legend in a new location, you must move the legend in
page layout view; otherwise, it will print in the original place.
Print Only Selected Layers

When you are ready to print, you can set printing options such as
which layers to print
which rows to print
which selected displays to print when showing more than one display
which parts of the display to print
the page layout view
colors as patterns
which pages to print
the maximum number of pages to print
the number of copies to print
Try This
To print the Americas layer:
1. From the File menu, click Print, and click Options.
2. Click the Rows and Layers tab.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
If the Rows and Layers tab is not available, you must first click Page layout view or Selected
display(s) on the Print tab.
Select Print the Specified Rows and Layers.
In the Layers box, select Americas and ensure that the other layers are cleared of any check
marks.
Select all the rows.
Click OK to close the Print Options dialog box, and click OK.
The Americas layer prints.
In the Save As dialog box, type Business Mix and click Save to save the report.
From the File menu, click Close to close the report.
Chapter 4: Create a Top Ten Report

The most popular report in business is the top ten report. This report is the simplest way to find
out what is influencing the business. In seconds, you can rank your top products, programs,
clients, sales representatives, and so on.
Knowing what or who is at the top is key to analyzing your success factors. Likewise, knowing
what or who is at the bottom lets you focus on areas that need attention.
Focus on the Most Detailed Level

Instead of drilling down through multiple levels of categories to report the lowest level of detail,
you can use the dimension viewer to immediately include the lowest-level categories from the cube
in the report.
Skills" (p. 13).
Try This
To create a Reporter top ten report:
A new Reporter report appears.
9. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icons beside Years and Relative Time.
10. Select YTD, and Ctrl+click to select Prior YTD.

YTD land Prior YTD appear in the column area.
13. Click the Lowest Level Children button.
The lowest-level categories for the Products category appear in the row area.
Note: The columns in your report may not appear in the same order.
Rank and Sort Data

You can rank or sort data in either Explorer or Reporter. You can sort rows and columns by label
or value, and you can sort layers by label. You can also choose to have no sorting, or to
automatically re-sort when new data is added. Sorting is available in ascending or descending
order. You can select these options by using the Sort command (Explore menu).
When you rank data, PowerPlay adds a ranking category to the report that shows the rank
position, in italics, for each value being ranked. You can sort the categories by their rank positions
in ascending or descending order. You can specify that you want to report on a certain number of
rows or columns from the top or bottom. You can also decide whether you want it to be
automatically re-ranked when you drill down to show new levels of detail, or when the data in the
cube changes.
Try This
To rank the top ten products for YTD in ascending order:
1. From the Explore menu, click Rank.
2. Click the Row(s) button.
This selection declares your intention to rank the rows.
3. In the By Column box, select YTD.
Note: If YTD is not showing, click the ellipsis button to open the By Column box.
4. In the Show Ordinals box, select the Top button.
5. In the Top box, type 10.
This entry sets the number of rows to show.
6. In the Which Value is Ordinal 1 box, select Highest.
7. In the Sort Ordinals box, select Ascending.
8. Click OK, and press Escape to remove the highlighting for the selection from the report.
The Rank dialog box closes and a new Rank (YTD) column appears in the report. (In
Explorer reports, the rank values appear in italics, to distinguish them from data values
derived from the cube.)
Notice that the Star Dome is the number one selling product for the year to date.
Add Growth and Percentage Growth Calculations

You can expand the power of your Reporter report by adding new, calculated categories based on
existing categories.
You can use calculations to report information not included in the cube. For example, you can
create a calculation to determine the difference between sales this year and last. Or you can
calculate the growth in sales as a percentage of sales at the starting time.
Try This
To calculate the growth and the percentage growth for products:
1. Ctrl+click to select the YTD and Prior YTD columns.
2. From the Calculate menu, click Subtract.
3. In the Subtract dialog box, select YTD - Prior YTD from the Order box.
4. In the Label box, type Growth, and click OK.
A new column called Growth appears.
5. Ctrl+click YTD and Prior YTD once again.
6. From the Calculate menu, click Percent Growth.
7. In the Percent Growth dialog box, select % growth (Prior YTD, YTD).
8. In the Label box, type Percent Growth, and click OK.
A new column called Percent Growth appears.
9. Select the Growth column and press Delete, so you can focus on Percent Growth.
Revenues for Canyon Mule Extreme Backpack (ranked as number eight) have the highest
growth rate.
Note: Your administrator may have already included these two calculations under the special
relative time categories YTD Change and YTD Growth.
Rank and Sort the Data on Percentage Growth

You can rank and sort a report on a calculated category.
Try This
To rank and sort the products by percentage growth:
1. Select the Rank (YTD) column and press Delete, so you can focus on Percent Growth.
The lowest-level categories for the Products category appear in the row area.
2. Click the Percent Growth column label to select the column.
3. From the Explore menu, click Rank.
4. Click the Row(s) button.
5. In the Show Ordinals box, select the Top button.
6. In the Top box, type 10.
This entry sets the number of ordinals to show.
7. In the Which Value is Ordinal 1 box, select Highest.
8. In the Sort Ordinals box, select Ascending.
9. Click OK.
The Rank dialog box closes and a new Rank (Percent Growth) column appears in the report.
When products are ranked on percentage growth over the last two years, Seeker Extreme is
clearly the fastest growing product.
Move Columns and Rows

You can change the position of columns and rows in a report so information is more readable. For
example, you can move a rank column beside the column on which the ranking is based.
You can also move columns to the left of the row labels. For example, you may want to position
the rank column to the left of the product row labels to emphasize why the products appear in a
particular order.
Try This
To move columns:
Click the label for Rank (Percent Growth) and drag the column, releasing it to the left of the
Percent Growth column.
Observe the pointer as it moves to the insertion location.
Note: Releasing a dragged column on the left edge of the row label border inserts the column
to the left of the row label area. If this result is not what you intended, you can use the Undo
command (Edit menu) to reverse your action.
Resize Rows
You can change the width of columns or the height of rows to improve the readability and
appearance of a report. For example, if you see ### in the rows, you can increase the height or
width of each row to make the data visible.
Try This
To resize rows so that all rows appear in the report window:
1. Position the pointer on the border of any row label.
2. Drag the border to resize the height of the row.
Note: When you select several rows and resize one of them, all selected rows become the same
size.
Format the Report

You can add a title to identify a report.
Try This
To add a title:
1. From the Format menu, click Title, Header, and Footer, and click Title.
2. In the text area, type Top Ten Products and press Enter.
3. In the text area, type Ranked on Percent Growth.

4. Highlight the text, and click the center alignment button.
5. Highlight the first line of text, and increase the font size by two.
6. Click OK to close the Title dialog box.
The title is added to the report.
7. From the File menu, click Save.

8. In the Save As dialog box, type Top Ten and click Save to save the report.
9. From the File menu, click Close to close the report.
Chapter 5: Create a Trend Over Time Report

Most business departments produce a trend over time report. By tracking performance (such as
profit margin) over a specific time period, you can identify developing trends and quickly react to
them.
What Is a Trend Over Time Report?

In a trend over time report, you can track various aspects of your business. As you compare last
months numbers to the same month last year, or any time period to a corresponding time period,
you can quickly spot developing trends and keep your business on target.
For example, you can compare margin ranges over a specific time period to check whether the
profits on products are increasing or decreasing, and then examine these trends in specific
locations.
For information about essential skills you need to use PowerPlay, see "Essential Skills" (p. 13).
Add Special Categories

Special categories are alternate organizations of the data your administrator adds to a cube. These
categories may come from different levels or dimensions. You add, remove, and drill down on a
special category in the same way as other categories. The existence of special categories becomes
apparent when you use the Drill Up command, because the command offers a choice of paths to
take.
For example, your time dimensions can include special categories so you can compare this fiscal
quarter (for example, March, April, and May) to the last fiscal quarter (Prior QTD.)
You can ask your administrator to add other special categories that make sense to your business.
For example, your cube could include a special category for newly hired employees.
Try This
To start a trend over time report:
9. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icons beside Years and Relative Time.
10. Select 2004.
11. Click the Next Level Children button.
2004 Q1, 2004 Q2, 2004 Q3, and 2004 Q4 appear as columns.
Add an Exception Dimension

Your cube may also include a special measure dimension called an exception dimension. An
exception dimension contains ranges for a measure critical to your business. For example, if your
most important measure is Gross Margin %, your administrator can add a dimension with
categories such as Greater than 50%, and 50% or Less.
Try This
To add the exception dimension categories you want to compare:
1. In the dimension viewer, select Margin Ranges.
This selection indicates you want to show the next level of categories for Margin Ranges.

The next level of categories for Margin Ranges appears in the row area.
4. Select Locations.
5. Click the Add as Layers button.
6. Double-click the Locations layer label to drill down to the next level of detail.
7. Scroll through the layers to see how much revenue each margin range generated.
Switch the Display to Show Trend Over Time

You can switch to a multiline display that clearly illustrates the trends in the revenue margins.
Try This
To switch the display and see trend lines:
1. Click the Multiline button on the Displays toolbar.
2. Scroll through the layers again.

Notice that sales in the 20% - 65% margin range led in 2004 Q2 and 2004 Q4.
Add Nested Categories for More Detail

In a crosstab report, nested categories are groups of information that appear above or below each
other in the columns, or beside each other in the rows.
In both Reporter and Explorer reports, you can nest categories from the same dimension, from
different dimensions, or from categories and measures together. For example, you can create a
report that shows the revenue and product cost for each product line over several months.
While adding nested categories can reveal important information about your business on a single
page, too many nested categories can make report results a challenge to understand. Limiting the
focus to the margin range performance for each location shows the trends most clearly.
Try This
To remove the Locations categories from the layers and add them as a nested level to the rows:
1. Right-click the layer bar, and click Delete All Layers.
2. Click the Crosstab button.
3. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icon beside Locations.
4. Ctrl+click to select Locations, Americas, Central Europe, Asia Pacific, Northern Europe, and
Southern Europe.
5. Drag the categories and drop them to the right of the first column.
Note: A thick black line appears when you reach the long bar drop zone, as shown below.

Valid drop zone
6. Select and delete the Under 20% and 20% - 65% categories.
Note: You can only delete categories in a Reporter report.
7. Move the Over 65% category to the right of the Locations, Americas, Central Europe, Asia
Pacific, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe column.
Notice that Locations and the Over 65% margin range are nested together, producing groups
of information.
Change Report Labels

You can rename a category label to make it more meaningful.
Try This
To rename a label:
1. Click the Crosstab button.
2. Right-click the Locations label, and click Rename Label.
3. Type All, and click OK.
Format the Values

You can format the values in a report. You can also format each measure separately, or format
values in specific rows or columns.
For example, in a financial report, you may want to round the values up to thousands or millions,
or insert single overlines, single underlines, or double underlines. PowerPlay provides several
preset formats that add currency symbols, percentage signs, symbols for thousands and millions,
such as K and M, decimal symbols, and thousand separators, alone and in combination.
Try This
To format the report values:
1. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icon beside the Measures folder.
2. Select Revenue.
3. Click the Format Measure button.
The Number Format dialog box appears.
4. From the Format Option box, select $#,##0, and click OK.
Notice the change to the format of the Revenue measure.
Format the Report for Readability

PowerPlay provides many options that can improve the readability and usability of a display. For
example, if the lines in a multiline display are difficult to distinguish, you can change the shape of
the markers for the lines or increase their size. You can also add a title to identify the report and
describe its contents.
Try This
To format the report:
3. In the Display tab, select the Show check box.
4. In the Size box, type 20.

5. In the Shape box, select Diamond, and click OK.
Drill Down on Year to Date

You can drill down in the multiline display in the same way you drill down in a crosstab display.
For example, to see which months contributed most significantly to the increase in the Over 65%
margin range, drill down on 2004/Q1.
Try This
To uncover new information:
1. Double-click the 2004 Q1 label on the X-axis in the display.
The next level is added to the report.
2. Press Escape to remove the highlighting for the selection from the report.
3. Ctrl+click to select the 2004 Q1, 2004 Q2, 2004 Q3, and 2004 Q4 labels.
4. Press Delete to remove the selected categories.
Americas
When you remove the 2004 Q1, 2004 Q2, 2004 Q3, and 2004 Q4 categories, you see the
Americas reaches its highest profit margins in March.
6. In the Save As dialog box, type Trend Over Time and click Save.
Chapter 6: Create a Variance Report

A variance report examines the difference between actual results and expected results. While the
variance values are important, the upward or downward direction the variance takes over time
can be just as critical.
What Is a Variance Report?

A variance report focuses on the gap between any two items. The variance might be the difference
between this years accounts receivable and last years, or between planned revenue and actual
revenue. Looking at whether the gap is growing or narrowing over time offers new information
about your business.
Unusually high variances could indicate lost opportunities, such as inventory levels insufficient to
meet unexpectedly high demand. Negative variances might lead to further investigation into why
results were not as good as expected, and prompt suggestions about how to change the results in
the next quarter.
Skills" (p. 13).
Show Revenue and Product Plan Measures

To compare actual revenue to planned revenue, or costs to budgeted expenses, you have to report
more than one measure at a time. PowerPlay makes it easy: you simply use measures as rows or
columns or layers. You can also add them as nested categories. For example, you can compare the
variance between the actual and planned revenue for 2004 by adding Revenue and Product Plan
as categories.
Try This
To create a Reporter report with two measures:

9. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icon beside Years.
10. Select 2004.
11. Click the Lowest Level Children button.
The months for 2004 appear in the column area.
13. Click the expand icon beside Measures.
14. Click to select Revenue, and then Ctrl+click to select Product Plan.
The report shows the actual revenue and the planned revenue for each month in 2004 for all
Products, Locations, Retailers, and Margin Ranges.
Create a Variance Calculation

To uncover the variance between actual revenue and planned revenue, you can create a
calculation.
Try This
To create a variance calculation:
1. Ctrl+click to select the Revenue and Product Plan rows.
2. From the Calculate menu, click Subtract.
The Subtract dialog box appears.
3. In the Order box, select Revenue - Product Plan.
4. In the Label box, type Variance and click OK.
A new row named Variance appears.
Switch the Display to Show the Variance Trend

Switching to a clustered bar display clearly demonstrates the trend in variance between actual
revenue and planned revenue.
Try This
To switch to a clustered bar display:
Click the Clustered Bar button.
This display shows that Revenue exceeded the Product Plan.
Get More Information by Adding Layers

Your report currently shows the variance between actual revenue and planned revenue for 2004
for all products. You can see how each product line is doing by adding layers.
Try This
To add an additional perspective with layers:
1. Drag the Products dimension folder to the layer target.
The report now has a single layer called Products.
2. Drill down by double-clicking the Products label in the layer area.
The next level of Products categories is added to the report, which now has four layers.
3. Scroll through the layers by using the scroll arrows.
Products label
Layer scroll buttons
Compare the variance between revenue and product plan for the different product lines. The
product plan for Outdoor Protection shows the least amount of variance.
Hide Selected Information

You can focus on just the important data by hiding categories. When you want to see all the data,
it is a simple matter to reveal hidden categories.
Try This
To view only the variances:
1. In the legend, select Revenue and Product Plan.
2. From the Format menu, click Hide, and click Selected Categories.
Note: You can resize and move the legend window so it doesnt cover the bars in the display.
3. Use the scroll arrows to scroll through the layers.

You can focus on the variances by month for each of the product lines.
5. In the Save As dialog box, type Variance and click Save to save the report.
Chapter 7: Create an Exception Report

An exception report quickly brings critical information to the forefront. Values that match
established criteria are automatically highlighted in a way that is meaningful to you.
What Is an Exception Report?

An exception report delivers good and bad news in any way you choose. To highlight exceptional
data, you can use either automatic exception highlighting or custom exceptions.
To apply automatic exception highlighting, you must be working in an Explorer report. Click the
Automatic Exceptions, and select the Highlight command (Explore menu); exceptionally low
values appear in a red, bold font and exceptionally high values appear in a green, bold font.
PowerPlay determines that values are exceptional if they deviate from both the row and column
average. To set the sensitivity of the automatic highlighting, use the Automatic Exceptions, Set
Sensitivity command (Explore menu). Use the slider to change the range of acceptable values to
control when a value is flagged as an exception. The default sensitivity is set to 1.5 standard
deviations from the row and column average.
Note: Automatic Exception Highlighting is not available if the report contains a time dimension.
To use a custom exception definition, specify the set of rules to be applied to selected information.
For example, you can declare that product revenue above $100,000 should be highlighted with a
pattern to make it stand out in a report.
Skills" (p. 13).
Show the Revenue per Employee

An exception report may include measures in the rows or columns. You can add a measure to a
report in the same way you add any other category.
While most measures apply to all dimensions, some do not. Depending on how your
administrator sets up the cube, a measure may not apply in every dimension, or may not apply at
every level within a dimension. When you use a measure together with non-pertinent categories,
some cells in the report show zeros.

You can suppress unnecessary information, such as zeros and missing values, or Other values
(80/20 Suppression) that are not significant contributors to your Explorer reports. For more
information, see the "Suppress Unnecessary Information" topic in the PowerPlay online Help.
A cube that includes measures for revenue, quantity sold, and revenue per employee provides an
example. While revenue and quantity sold apply to all dimensions, the revenue-per-employee
measure doesnt. It applies only to the Years and Locations dimensions and, in Locations, appears
only at the Branch Level and above. When revenue per employee is shown against sales
representatives, zeros appear in the report.
Try This
To add the Revenue/Employee measure and other categories to the report:
9. In the dimension viewer, click the expand icons beside Locations and Americas.
10. Select United States.
The names of cities with branch offices appear in the column area.
13. Click the expand icon beside Measures.
14. Click Revenue/Employee.
15. Click the Format Measure button.
The Number Format dialog box appears.
16. In the Format Option box, select $#,##0, and click OK.
Revenue/Employee appears in the row area.
18. From the Edit menu, click Select, and click Columns.
19. Position the pointer on the border of one of the columns, and drag the border to reduce the
column width.
All selected columns shrink to the same width.
20. Press Escape to remove the highlighting for the selection from the report.
The report shows the revenue per employee for each city.
Define a Rule to Handle Exceptional Information

Defining an exception is similar to defining a style. After the exception is defined, you can reuse it.
And you can create any number of exception definitions to highlight information in reports.
To set up exception highlighting, you can define from one to five ranges of values and then select
the associated formatting. For example, you can specify that any value that falls between the
minimum value in the report and 1,000 is to have a style called Poor Results applied to it. Then
you can specify that any value that falls between 12,000 and the maximum value is to have a style
called Great Results applied to it.
You can choose to have all report values checked for exceptions, or just those in a single category.
For example, if you choose to check the %Growth column, and one of the values in this column is
within the specified range, the row in which the value exists is formatted by using the associated
style.
An exception definition can also run a macro that performs a set of actions. Macros are useful
when you want to apply formatting to information that doesnt fall within a range, or perform a
special action.
Try This
To create an exception definition that highlights good and bad news:
1. From the Explore menu, click Custom Exceptions.
The Custom Exceptions dialog box appears.
2. In the Exception Name box, type Employee Revenue.

3. In the Apply To box, click All.
This selection specifies that you want to apply highlighting to all values that meet the criteria
specified in the exception definition.
4. In the first row of the Value or Style Ranges column, type 2000000 in the From box, click
Maximum in the To box, and click Good News in the Style box.
This entry declares that all report values equal to or greater than 2,000,000 are to have the
style called Good News applied to them.
5. In the second row of the Value or Style Ranges column, click Minimum in the From box, type
1000000 in the To box, and click Bad News in the Style box.
This entry declares that all report values equal to or less than 1,000,000 are to have the style
called Bad News applied to them.
6. Click the Shared check box to select it.
7. Click Apply, and click Close.
Note: You may need to expand the height of the rows to see the numbers.
It is easy to spot the city (Miami) that is doing poorly, and the top revenue producer (Seattle)
is also clearly visible.
Describe the Exception Highlighting

It can be helpful to use a title to explain exception highlighting.
Try This
To add a title that explains exception highlighting:
The Title dialog box appears.
2. In the text area box, type Revenue per Employee.
3. To change the default font color, select the text and choose a color from the Color box.
4. To center the text, select it, and click the Center button.
5. Press Enter, and type Greater than $2,000,000 Is Italic.
6. Adjust the text color (green) and the alignment (center).
7. Press Enter, and type Less than $1,000,000 Has a Pattern.
8. Adjust the text color (red) and the alignment (center).
9. Click OK to close the Title dialog box.
Add Another Display

To see both the values and how the values compare, you can add
a clustered bar display that groups product information for each quarter
a crosstab display to show the values
a multiline display to show trends over time
Changes you make in one display are reflected in the other displays.
Try This
To add another display:
Ctrl+click the Simple Bar button.
A second display appears.

The simple bar display effectively highlights the cities with the highest revenue per employee,
while the crosstab display provides the exact values for each city.
Arrange the Displays

While you can add another display in any view, you can only arrange and size displays for printing
in page layout or page width view.
Page layout shows the whole page at a reduced size. Page width shows part of the page at its
actual size.
Try This
To arrange the display:
1. From the View menu, click Page Layout.
2. Select the crosstab display and drag the upper border to reduce its size.
3. Select the simple bar display and drag the lower border to increase its size.
The simple bar display is now more prominent.

5. In the Save As dialog box, type Revenue per Employee, and click Save to save the report.
Chapter 8: Create a Quarterly Revenue Statement

The quarterly revenue statement gives you important information about your business and is
presented in a professional and readable format.
Can You Create Custom Revenue Statements?

With PowerPlay you can create professional-looking balance sheets, profit-and-loss statements,
and other financial reports that conform to standard accounting principles.
For example, you can create a quarterly revenue statement that summarizes your income in a
simple table with totals. You can select the PowerPlay format that best meets the needs of your
board of directors, shareholders, investors, or other important decision-makers.
Skills" (p. 13).
Try This
To create a quarterly revenue statement:

8. From the Explore menu, click Swap, and click Rows and Columns.
9. Drill down on 2004, and drill down on 2004 Q1.
Notice that Golf Equipment revenue fell in February, then rose again in March.
Add Nested Categories

You can add nested rows and columns together to create groups of information that provide you
with increased perspective. In both Reporter and Explorer reports, you can add nested categories
from the same dimension, from different dimensions, or from categories and measures together.
The quarterly revenue report focuses on how product lines performed over the first quarter of
2004. You can add regions as nested categories to the rows to show how each product line
performed in each region over the first quarter of 2004.
Try This
To add more perspective with nested categories:
From the dimension line, drag the Locations dimension folder to the left of the row label area.
The pointer changes to a vertical line to indicate where you can drop the category to nest it
with existing categories.
When you drop a category, its child categories appear as nested categories in the rows.
You can see that in January, Camping Equipment was the best-selling line in the Americas and
Central Europe regions, while Personal Accessories was a better performer in Asia Pacific.
Format the Report

You can use the display options to format your report so it looks professional. You can specify:
whether to show totals for groups of categories
what the totals are named
how groups of categories are indented
how gridlines are used
You can also insert blank rows and columns in Reporter reports.
Try This
To change your report to a professional format:
1. From the Format menu, click Crosstab Layout, and click Indented 2.
The report is shown in a professional layout with totals.
3. In the text area, type Quarterly Revenue by Location and Product Line and click OK.
Tip: You can also show the Crosstab Layout toolbar (Toolbars command, View menu) and
use the toolbar buttons to change the crosstab layout.
Save and Publish the Report

PowerPlay gives you several options for saving and publishing your reports. To present a static
view of your data, you can use either an HTML table (for a crosstab), an HTML graphic image
(for other display types), or a PDF document. To support dynamic exploration of your data, you
can use the PowerPlay Report (.ppr) format or a PowerPlay Portable Report (.ppx) format that
lets you access the data in PowerPlay for Excel or PowerPlay Web Explorer. To distribute your
data, you have a publishing option in PowerPlay: Upfront, designed for users who are accessing
data from the Internet or the organizations intranet.
Most of these options allow you to customize what the user sees. If you have layers in an HTML
report, for example, you can specify whether to publish all the layers or just the layer currently
showing. When you publish to Upfront, you can build in special prompts so your users see only
that portion of a multidimensional report that is relevant to them.
This tutorial explains how to publish your report as an HTML document, a procedure that
typically creates several files, especially if several layers are included. To keep track of all these
files, create a separate folder on your personal computer for each HTML report. If you upload the
HTML report to a server, load all the files, and put them in the same directory.
Try This
To publish your crosstab report as an HTML document and view it (statically) using a Web
browser:
1. From the File menu, select Publish as HTML.
2. In the Publish as HTML dialog box, click the Create New Folder button.
3. Type Q1 Revenue and press Enter.
4. Double-click the Q1 Revenue folder.
5. In the Prefix box, type Q1 Revenue.
6. In the Report Format box, click HTML Table.
7. Click OK.

8. Ensure that a Web browser is installed on your computer.
9. In Windows Explorer, open the Q1 Revenue folder that you created in Step 2.
10. Double-click Q1 Revenue.htm.
The HTML report opens using the default Web browser installed on your computer.
Appendix A: Product Samples

The following tables show the samples shipped with PowerPlay. They are all based on the Great
Outdoors.mdc cube. Many of the reports are available in both .ppr and .ppx format. You can find
them in the Cubes and Reports folder of your PowerPlay installation directory. For information
about the macros included with PowerPlay, see the PowerPlay Macros online documentation.
Filename
Description
Advanced Subset
Reporter report with an advanced subset definition and

find-in-cube subset definition. The advanced subset definition
is used as rows for the report.
Charting Options
PowerPlay report showing charting options.
Currency (Explorer)
Explorer report showing currency conversion.
Currency (Reporter)
Reporter report showing currency conversion.
External Rollup
PowerPlay report highlighting the effects on totals of

externally rolled up measures.
Forecasting
Nested Crosstab 3.ppr report showing the addition of a trend

forecast calculation.
Nested Crosstab 1
Reporter nested crosstab report showing Indented 1 Layout,

zero values as blanks, and blank rows and columns.
Nested Crosstab 2
Reporter nested crosstab report showing categories from

alternate drill-down path nested with categories from primary
drill-down path. Also shows multiple measure intersections.
Nested Crosstab 3
Explorer nested crosstab report showing Indented 2 Layout

and ranking.
Nested Crosstab 4
Explorer nested crosstab report showing indented summaries,

hidden gridlines, and row summary labels.
Parentage Subset
Reporter crosstab report with a parentage subset definition

added as rows.
Percentage Sales
Report showing the 80/20 Suppression feature using an

italicized Other label.
Ranking 1
Crosstab report showing two ranked columns, one sorted, and

the other unsorted, as well as ranked ties.
Ranking 2
Crosstab report showing ranking a report calculation.
Ranking 3
Simple example of ranking within a nested crosstab.
Top Sales Staff
Report in PowerPlay Portable Report format.
Appendix A: Product Samples
Index
Top Level, 21, 24
Symbols
.cub formats
opening reports in, 13
saving reports in, 12
.ppx formats
publishing reports, 12
Numerics
80/20 suppression
using to remove unnecessary information, 57
A
accessing
user-class protected cubes, 13, 14
Add as Columns button, 24, 41, 48, 53, 58
Add as Layers button, 48
Add as Rows button, 24, 41, 48, 53, 58
adding
calculated categories, 27
calculations, 43
categories, 24, 47
displays, 60
layers, 34, 55
margin range categories, 48
nested categories, 49, 64
titles, 35, 45, 60
variables to titles, 35
arranging displays, 61
authentication source
using to access protected cubes, 13, 14
B
bar displays, 29, 37
Business Mix report, 37
creating, 33, 38
description, 33
buttons
Add as Columns, 24, 41, 48, 53, 58
Add as Layers, 48
Add as Rows, 24, 41, 48, 53, 58
Clustered Bar display, 29, 30, 37, 55
Crosstab display, 49, 50
Dimension Viewer, 16
Format Measure, 51, 58
Lowest Level Children of, 41, 53
Multiline display, 31, 49, 51
Next Level Children of, 48, 58
Pie display, 29
Replace Rows, 22
Reset Dimensions, 21, 27
Simple Bar display, 60
C
calculating
growth, 43
percentage growth, 44
variance, 54
calculations, 12
adding, 43
growth, 43
percentage growth, 43
categories
adding, 24, 27, 47
adding margin ranges, 48
adding nested, 49, 64
calculating, 27
changing, 24
choosing, 22
deleting, 24
dragging, 21
drilling down, 8, 18, 25, 52
isolating, 20
nesting, 23
selecting multiple, 24, 41, 49
slicing and dicing, 9, 22, 26
swapping, 22
top level, 24
Categories dialog box, 22
changing
categories, 24
displays, 10, 31, 55
measures, 8, 18
performance indicators, 8, 18
report labels, 50
choosing categories, 22
Clustered Bar display, 29, 37, 55
Clustered Bar display button, 29, 30, 37, 55
collapse icon, 17
columns
deleting, 24
dragging, 21
drilling down, 18
drilling up, 18
hiding, 56
moving, 45
removing, 24
swapping with rows, 22
configuring
authentication source for protected cubes, 13, 14
copying reports, 28
copyright, 2
creating
Index
Business Mix report, 33, 38
Exception report, 61
Top Ten report, 41, 42, 45
Trend Over Time report, 52
Variance report, 56
Crosstab display button, 49, 50
crosstab layout
formatting, 65
D
data
filtering, 19
hiding, 56
ranking, 42, 44
sorting, 42, 44
deleting
layers, 49
rows and columns, 24
summary categories, 29
details, lowest level, 41
dimension folders, 7, 15, 16, 36
drilling down and up, 15
filtering, 16
dimension line, 15, 64
description, 7
menus, 19
sharing, 28
dimension menu, 19
dimension viewer, 16, 24, 41
toolbox, 17
Dimension Viewer button, 16
dimensions
examining, 36
displays
adding, 60
arranging, 61
bar, 29, 37
changing, 10, 31, 55
Clustered Bar, 29, 37
line, 31
nested charts, 30
switching, 28, 54
dragging
categories, 21
columns and rows, 21
dimension folder, 21
drill down, 19
pointer, 18
drill up, 19, 47
pointer, 19
Reset Dimensions button, 21
drilling
dimension folders, 15
down, 8, 18, 52
drill-down pointer, 18
drill-up pointer, 18
Explorer and Reporter, 24, 25
labels, 18
through to Impromptu, 12
up, 18, 21
values, 19
drop zones, 21
long bar, 21, 23, 49
short bar, 21, 23
duplicating reports, 28
E
exception dimensions, 48
exception highlighting, 11, 59
describing, 60
Exception report, creating, 61
exceptions, highlighting, 57
expand icon, 17
Explorer
description, 24
differences from Reporter, 27
drilling, 25
slicing and dicing, 26
F
filtering, 9, 21
categories, 20
data, 19
description, 19
dimension folders, 16
removing, 21
flyout menu, 19
folders, dimension, 7, 15, 36
Format Measure button, 51, 58
format options, 51
formatting
crosstab layout, 65
labels, 50
numbers, 51
reports, 45, 65
titles, 51
values, 51
G
growth calculations, 43
H
hiding
data, 56
unhiding hidden categories, 56
highlight exceptions, 57
Highlight Exceptions command, 59
highlighting
describing, 60
exceptions, 11, 59
Home, See Reset Dimensions
I
information, hiding, 56
isolating categories, 20
L
labels
changing in reports, 50
Index
formatting, 51
renaming, 50
layer scroll buttons, 34
layers
adding, 34, 55
deleting, 49
printing, 38
target, 34
legends, 38
moving and sizing, 38
resizing, 38
line displays, 31
long bar drop zone, 21, 23, 49
Lowest Level Children of button, 41, 53
lowest level of detail, 41
M
margin ranges, adding as categories, 48
markers, 51
measures, 57
changing, 8, 18
description, 7, 8
product plan, 53
revenue, 53
showing more than one, 53
minus sign icon, 17
moving, columns and rows, 45
MS SSOS client application
Multiline display button, 31, 49, 51
N
nested categories, adding, 49, 64
nested charts, 30
nesting categories, 23
Next Level Children of button, 48, 58
number formats, 51
O
opening
reports in .cub format, 13
reports in .mdc format, 13
Other categories
80/20 suppression rule, 57
P
page layout, 61
page width, 61
PDF
publishing reports, 12
percent command, 43
percentage growth calculation, 43, 44
percentages
determining percent of business, 10
showing, 27
performance indicators
changing, 8, 18
description, 7
Pie display button, 29

Pivot Table Services
plus sign icon, 17
pointers
dragging columns and row, 21
drill down, 18
drill up, 18, 19
legend, 38
moving columns and rows, 45
resizing columns and rows, 45
previewing reports, 38
printing layers, 38
product plan measures, 53
publishing
reports in PDF format, 12
reports in portable format, 12
Q
Quarterly Revenue Statement, creating, 63
Quick Tour
introduction to PowerPlay, 5
R
Rank dialog box, 44
ranking, 11
data, 42, 44
removing
categories, 56
layers, 49
rows and columns, 24
summary categories, 29
renaming labels, 50
Replace Rows button, 22
report types, switching, 28
Reporter
description, 24
differences from Explorer, 27, 28
drilling down, 25
slicing and dicing, 26
reports
adding titles, 35
adding variables to titles, 35
Business Mix, 38
choosing types, 28
copying, 28
creating, 17, 24, 48, 53, 58
differences between Explorer and Reporter, 28
duplicating, 28
Exception, 61
formatting, 45, 65
highlight exceptions, 57
labels, 50
moving between Explorer and Reporter, 27
opening in .cub format, 13
publishing in PDF format, 12
publishing in portable format, 12
Quarterly Revenue Statement, 63
ranking, 44
saving in .cub format, 12
Index
saving in portable format, 12
sharing dimension lines, 28
switching report types, 28
Top Ten, 45
Trend Over Time, 52
Variance, 53, 56
Reset Dimensions button, 21, 27
resizing the legend, 38
revenue measures, 53
revenue per employee, 57
roadmap
documentation list for PowerPlay, 5
rows
deleting, 24
drilling down or up, 18
hiding, 56
moving, 45
removing, 24
swapping with columns, 22
rules, highlighting exceptions, 59
S
saving
reports in .cub format, 12
reports in .mdc format, 12
selecting multiple categories, 24, 41, 49
shapes, markers, 51
sharing dimension lines, 28
short bar drop zone, 21, 23
showing percentages, 27
Simple Bar display button, 60
slicing and dicing, 9, 26
choosing new categories, 22
description, 21
dragging information into the report, 21
Explorer and Reporter, 26
swapping rows and columns, 22
sorting data, 42, 44
special categories
adding, 47
subtract command, 43
summary categories, removing, 29
suppressing
unnecessary information, 57
swapping categories, 22
switching
displays, 28, 54
Explorer to Reporter, 27
report types, 28
T
titles
adding, 35, 36, 45, 60
adding report variables, 35
Titles dialog box, 35
toolbox, 16, 17
top level categories, 24
Top Level, See Reset Dimensions
Top Ten Report, creating, 42, 45
Trend Over Time Report
creating, 52
description, 47
trends, variance, 54
Try, 34, 41
U
undoing changes, 19
unhiding hidden categories, 56
V
values, formatting, 51
variables, adding to titles, 35
variance
calculating, 54
trends, 54
Variance report, 53
creating, 56
description, 53
version of document, 2
views
page layout, 61
page width, 61

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COGNOS(R) Business Intelligence Series

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THE NEXT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE

Chapter 3: Create a Business Mix Report 33

4 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

What You Need to Know to Use This Tutorial Effectively

6 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Explore Performance Indicators

Investigate Business Impacts

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Analyze and Report on Your Data

Change Performance Indicators

8 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Slice and Dice

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Determine Percent of Business

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Chapter 1: PowerPlay at a Glance

Drill Through to Impromptu

Select a Distribution Option

12 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Access Local Cubes

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Access Remote Cubes

14 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Explore Using the Dimension Folders

Use Dimension Folders to Drill Down

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Use Dimension Folders to Filter Information

Explore Using the Dimension Viewer

16 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Using the Toolbox

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Change Performance Indicators

Drill Into Information

18 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

5. Click the Americas dimension folder, and click United States.

20 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Drill Up by Resetting Dimensions

Slice and Dice Information

Drag Information Into a Report

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Swap Report Information

22 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Add Nested Categories

Differences Between Explorer and Reporter

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Drill Into Information

Chapter 2: Essential Skills

Slice and Dice

2. Double-click the Retailers row label.

4. Select the Warehouse Store row, and press Delete.

26 Cognos PowerPlay(R) for Windows