Parameter Support Objects, Pt II: Support OLAP Parameter Defaults with Datasets

(William Pearson) In the first half of this article, Customize Automatically Created Parameter Support Objects Pt. I, we reviewed type-in and picklist parameters in general, and then concentrated our focus, once again, upon picklist parameters, which we noted to be a frequent choice among information consumers for user-friendly operation within reports. Picklist parameters add value in several ways, including the inherent elimination of typing errors, as well as the enforcement of standard selections for report execution. We noted that the design of the picklist is important in making runtime selections easy, and that picklists that present long scrolling processes or other cumbersome methods can negatively affect consumer perceptions, particularly when they are components within commonly requested reports.