Select a Query Template

A query template is a set of screens that you complete to answer a typical business question, which is a question formulated to organize and analyze the data in your data source.

Use this screen to learn about available query templates and select one to base your query upon. The set of templates available depends on whether you have selected a relational or OLAP system on the previous screen (Select a System). After you select a template, you proceed to the first screen specific to configuring your query (if applicable). Subsequent steps in the wizard's navigation trail update based on the template you have chosen.

Note that although a sample business question is provided for each query template, a given template can address many different questions. For example, you can configure the Top N query template to address any of the questions below:

What are my top five customers based on sales?
What are my bottom ten products based on margin?
What products make up the top 10% of sales?

Structure

The main sections of this screen are listed in the following table:

Section	Description
Available Templates	Displays the list of available query templates. OLAP templates are grouped into categories. See below for the complete list of available templates.
Description	Displays a description of the selected query template.
Sample Business Question	Displays the sample business question associated with the selected query template.

The following query templates are available for OLAP systems:

Category / Name	Description	Sample Business Question	Parameters / Example
Grand Totals	Aggregates all measures to the highest level. Returns one column of data with the total for each measure.	What is the total revenue of all sales transactions?	Not applicable.
Freeform	Walks you through defining a query without the constraint of a particular business question.	Not applicable.	See Design a Layout.
Aggregation
Count	For a selected level, counts members contributing to a specific measure.	Sales returns for MyCompany equal $25,000. How many product lines does this represent?	See Count Parameters.
Percentage Share	Calculates the share that selected members represent within the sum of the level members, and expresses this as a percentage.	What percentages do Canada and Mexico represent of my total sales?	See Percentage Share Parameters.
Dynamic Calculation
Cumulative Total	Cumulates the value of a measure over a specific date range.	What is my monthly year-to-date expense total?	See Cumulative Total Parameters.
Moving Average	Calculates the average values of selected measures based on specified time periods	What are the average manufacturing costs of products A and B for Q2 and Q3, based on the previous four months?	See Moving Average Parameters.
Rank
Rank Change	Based on a specific measure, calculates the change in rank of members of a particular level compared with their rank from a previous period.	What is the change in rank for my top ten customers between last year and this year?	See Rank Change Parameters.
Top N	Calculates the rank of a level based on a specific measure.	Who are my top ten or bottom ten customers?	See Top N Parameters.
Trend
Trend Over Time	Displays the trend of a specific measure for a selected member over time.	What is the trend in my gross margin over the past few years?	See Trend Over Time Parameters.
Variance
Percentage Growth	Calculates the percentage by which a specific measure has increased or decreased for a selected member in comparison to the same period of time previously or subsequently.	By what percentage did my sales increase this year compared to last year?	See Percentage Growth Parameters.
Planned vs. Actual	Calculates the values of a measure defined as actual and a measure defined as planned, illustrating the difference between actual and expected results.	How do my actual costs compare to the planned costs?	See Planned vs. Actual Parameters.
Zero Activity	Identifies members of a selected level that have had sales in the past, but which have had no sales in a specified time period.	Which products didn't sell last year?	See Zero Activity Parameters.

The following query templates are available for relational systems:

Name	Description	Sample Business Question	Parameters / Example
All Data	Selects all records and all fields as the final result, without any filters or joins.	What are all the available grade levels and their details?	Not applicable.
Count (not available for SAP Query systems)	Counts all occurrences of a certain type of data in a group or groups within a table.	How many employees is each different manager responsible for?	See Select Fields for an example.
Freeform	Walks you through defining a query without the constraint of a particular business question.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.
Heatmap	Aggregates values of a selected primary group and compares them with values of a secondary group by displaying the results in boxes of differing sizes and colors.	What is the relative distribution of sales among certain divisions and companies?	Heatmap Parameters
Minimum/Maximum	Finds the minimum or maximum value of a field, and provides details from the row that holds that value.	Which store has the smallest revenue; where is that store and who is the manager?	See Minimum/Maximum Parameters.