Running WebFocus 534 on Win/NT. Using the browser based Report Assistant tool from within Managed Reporting, you have the ability to construct "Where" statements from the "Selection Criteria" tab.

For each "Where" statement there is a hipertext link called "Select values". When you click on this link you get a pop-up window with 4 radio buttons:

1) Constant
2) Parameter
3) Field
4) Values

Thru trial and error we have discovered that when the "Values" radio buttion is selected, WebFocus builds a dynamic query that is executed immediately to retrieve the unique values from the table.

Although this is a very powerful and unique function, we have found an issue that concerns us and we are wondering what others have found regarding this feature.

Normally, if the table is small in size the unique values will appear in short order. But, if the table is really a DB2 view, and the view is a join of several tables that are very large.... Well, we have seen where clicking on the "Values" radio button can launch a query that can run for hours.

When this happens, the user is unaware what is happening behind the scenes. So we've seen where they will click the radio button again, thus launching another query.

Has anybody else seen this behavior. If so, how are you dealing with it?

Bryan Klimek
Mayo Clinic

Brian - I have seen this at several sites. The best suggestion is to get a small test dataset that has all the values you wish to include in the launch page. For example, have the database staff isolate one or two months of claims data that is representative of all values. The alternative would be a statistical sample.

bryan, yes, we too find that to be the case.
so, we just train our users to know whats going on, and be prepared to enter the value they want, and train them how to hand enter a multi select.
Not a cool answer, but its what we have to do.

Sandy,

I don't quite understand your comment about using a small test dataset. From within ReportAssist how would it find this small test dataset? Isn't the association to the table done at Reporting Object creation time?

Susannah,

So you train your users to avoid using this feature. That sounds a little counter productive. I guess that is the point we are at right now too. Have you given any thought about approaching IB and asking for a design change in the tool?

Also, I've heard rumor that when a user clicks on the "Values" radio button they should receive the hour-glass icon for the mouse telling them that the computer is busy doing work for them and to be patient. We don't see that behavior. What does everybody else see?

Bryan

You build your data pointing to a smaller dataset thereby allowing the pertinent column values to appear. When you move the focexec to production you point the focexec to the full table or view.

A simple approach would be to create test version of the master file description coupled with an access table pointing to the sample table or view.

Bryan, i know what you mean, but no, i'ld rather teach my users to 'retrieve values' for a high-level dimension, so i teach them to use the 'tree' view, and explain the database structure to them.
My users are 'end' users, really 'end' users, but i'm so surprised that they 'get it', they actually do.
We could ask IBI for a field-specific option, but there's stuff we want thats more valuable....like color-coded fieldnames in the database view, so my users would know which fields were dimensions and which were measures.