Because reports can contain different query items from one or more objects in the model, query item properties control many aspects of the final report. When you create a model dimension or model query subject, the query items inherit the properties of the data source query items on which they are based.

The properties for query items or measures include the following.

You can rename a query item in the Calculation Definition dialog box. Renaming the query item updates references to this query item.

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You can change how some query items and measures are aggregated in reports. Framework Manager applies aggregate rules when your users create a report that summarizes a query item or measure.

Framework Manager uses the following rules to set the Usage and Regular Aggregate properties.

The Usage property identifies the intended use for the data represented by each query item. During importing, the Usage property is set according to the type of data that the query items represent in the data source.

You need to verify that this property is set correctly. For example, if you import a numeric column that participates in a relationship, the Usage property is set to identifier. You can change the property.

For relational query items, the value of the Usage property depends on the type of database object the query item is based on.

The Regular Aggregate property identifies the type of aggregation for the query item or calculation when you publish it. Your users can either use this default setting to perform calculations on groups of data, or apply a different type of aggregation.

For example, if the Regular Aggregate property value of the Quantity query item is sum, and it is grouped by Product Name in a report, the Quantity column in the report shows the total quantity of each product.

The following aggregation types are supported for relational data sources:

• automatic

• average

• calculated

• count

• count distinct

• maximum

• minimum

• sum

If the value is set to unsupported in Framework Manager, the semi-aggregate behavior is ignored in the Cognos 8 studios.

The Semi-Aggregate property will not be supported in future releases. Instead, use the Aggregate Rules property for semi-additive measures.

When you use the Determine Usage and Determine Aggregation Rules commands in Framework Manager, you are resetting the values of the Usage and Regular Aggregate back to their default values. This overwrites all changes you have made to these properties.

When generating aggregation values, Framework Manager assigns a value that is based on the Usage property value and the type of object it is.

You can specify how query item values appear in reports. Use the Format property to choose a format type, such as text, date, and currency. Each format type contains properties that further specify how the data appears.

For example, you can assign the Currency format type to a numeric query item, and then use the No. of Decimal Places property in the Data Format dialog box to specify how many decimal places appear in reports.

Some characters are language-sensitive and appear properly only when your locale supports the applicable font. For example, for Japanese currency symbols to appear correctly, your locale must be set to Japanese.

If Framework Manager does not show the currency you require, you must ensure that you install the appropriate language packs to support the currency symbols. For example, to have the Indian currency symbol (rupee) appear, you must run an operating system or install a language pack that can show this symbol. The Japanese operating system or Japanese language is one that can show the Indian currency symbol.

You can define properties for several query items at the same time. However, if the query items have different format types, all properties that were previously specified are overridden and the default values from the data source are used. If the original format types of the selected query items are the same, all the properties for the selected query items are set identically.

For example, to use the same decimal separator for two query items and to keep the number of decimals different, each query item must be changed individually. If both are selected and changed at the same time, all properties including the number of decimals are set identically for both query items.

Prompts help your users quickly find the information they need in a report. Prompts are generally defined in reports. However, you can change the definition of the dimension or query subject in the model so that a prompt appears automatically when your users create filters. This is useful for query items, such as ProductTypeCode, whose values are not shown in a report but are useful for filtering data.

In general, it is better to define type-in prompts in the reports to make use of the additional prompt features. However, your users cannot modify some variables. For these variables, you can use Framework Manager to define type-in prompts.

The syntax for using a prompt as a value is

?<PromptName>?

You can use prompts in

• parameter maps

• session parameters

• stored procedure arguments

• expressions, including filters, calculations, and relationships

For example, a stored procedure returns all rows with a specific product number. Instead of using the product number as the argument for the stored procedure, you can use a prompt, such as ?Product_Number?.