Cascading Dependencies in Report Prompts
This tip will demonstrate a method that can be used to create cascading dependencies between multiple control objects within a Report Prompt in SAS Visual Analytics.
Dependencies between control objects can be created using interactions when the control objects are within the Report Canvas. However, if multiple control objects are added to the Report Prompt or Section Prompt, interactions cannot then be used.
This results in the ability to choose conflicting filters when viewing the report. The following example demonstrates this; when Northern Ireland is selected in the first control, locations in England, Scotland and Wales can still be selected for the second control.
To create a cascading dependency between the controls, a parameter can be created and assigned the value of the selection in the first control. An advanced filter can then be created for the second control object. The filter will be set to only return values in the second control when the category from the first control is equal to the current value of the parameter.
The following example will demonstrate this by showing how to limit the options appearing in the Drop-Down List (the second control object) to only include the locations that are within the chosen country in the Button Bar (the first control object).
- Create a character parameter for Country by selecting Create Parameter on the menu which is displayed when right-clicking the Button Bar..
- Create an Advanced Filter for Location in the Filters tab. Set the expression to be (Country = Country Parameter)
- Select a Country in the Button Bar and expand the Drop Down list to view the effects
Note: Parameters cannot be created for Date, Time or Datetime categorical items.