SAS Mobile BI tip #5: Employ the right prompt controls

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You’ll want to use the appropriate prompt controls while building reports as they impact run time performance in the web and mobile viewer. SAS Visual Analytics provides a collection of prompts that support most situations including report, section, and object-level prompts. Within the context of a report, authors can also use list, checkboxes, sliders and other controls.

Section-level prompts apply to all visuals within the section or page. Section prompt controls must be placed in the specific horizontal band at the top of each area reserved for this purpose. 

Report-level prompts are placed on the top area of the report. Report-level prompts allow users to filter all visual objects within a report across the sections. Prompt controls that should only filter specific visuals within a section must be placed in the report area with tables and graphs. These prompts controls can be set to filter different visual objects by using the interaction view and setting filter relationships between the prompt controls and the visuals. 

Prompt controls can be grouped together in a prompt container. Prompt containers save valuable screen real estate on a mobile viewer by collapsing the container when not used and making it visible when needed.  On mobile devices, prompt containers consume much less space when collapsed, and prompt containers still allow mobile users access to all of the prompts. 

Example of a prompt container:

 

Want more tips on creating mobile reports? Subscribe to the SAS Visual Analytics section (click Subscribe in the pink-shaded bar of the section) of the SAS Communities Library for future posts. Here’s a list of the posts in this series:

• • 10 tips for creating SAS Mobile BI data visualization reports
  • SAS Mobile BI tip #2: Build once and view everywhere
  • SAS Mobile BI tip #3: When to use tethered and offline modes
  • SAS Mobile BI tip #4: Maximize content by using containers
  • SAS Mobile BI tip #6: Improve report performance with predefined filter values
  • SAS Mobile BI tip #7: Use report parameters for “what-if” analyses