Trouble with Parameter Option - Show Value or Description

[nscheaffer]

First off we are on BI 4.1 SP01 Patch 6.  I have a Crystal Reports 2013 report with a lot of optional parameters some of which are based on dynamic lists of values which I created using Business View Manager.

My hope would be that whatever values I select would be shown in the Prompt Panel on the left side of the screen.

Rather than displaying the value of "Limited Liability Company" for the Organization Type I get the code of "06".

That is the correct code and it works from a functional perspective, but I want to see the description.  To get to this point in my Crystal Report I created a parameter based on a Dynamic List of Values created in Business View Manager called OrganizationType with the following settings...

That in turn creates something in Business View Manager called "OrganizationType - Prompt Group".  If I edit my Organization Type paramter in Crystal Reports I see that it is now based on that OrganizationType - Prompt Group and not Organization Type LOV I had just selected.  When I look at the OrganizationType - Prompt Group in Business View Manager the Show on (Viewer) Panel and Show Value or Description options are not what I set them to be in Crystal Reports.

My expectation when choosing the "Show Description" setting for the Show Value or Description option would cause the Description to be shown in the prompt panel.  Is that correct?  If so, then why isn't this setting sticking.  If not, how do I do that?

I realize that I could create my LOVs based on just the Description rather than the ID and Description and filter on the Description rather than the ID, but I shouldn't have to.  This should work shouldn't it?  What I am doing wrong?

Thanks,

Noel

[abhilash_kumar · Accepted solution]

Hi Noel,

The 'Show Value or Description' option was introduced in CR 2008 SP5 (I think) and the purpose of this, as you might have thought, is Not to show the description on the 'Parameter Panel' on the left.

When you drag and drop a prompt on a section of the report with this option turned ON, it replaces the prompts 'value' with its 'description'. Now, you do not need to use a Subreport as a workaround to show what the user selects in say, a multi-value prompt.

The other option called 'Prompt with description only' is the one that should be controlling this. Do you see the same behaviour in the CR designer?

-Abhilash

[nscheaffer · Accepted solution]

I now understand that the "Show Value or Description" option will have no impact on my situation.

As you can see in my screenshots I have the "Prompt With Description Only" option set to "True".  Within Crystal Report I am seeing the Description as expected in the Parameters panel...

However, when I run the report from the BI Launchpad I see the code ("06") rather than the description ("Limited Liability Company")...

Is this a bug?

Noel

[abhilash_kumar · Accepted solution]

Yes, looks like a Bug to me!

-Abhilash

[nscheaffer · Accepted solution]

SAP Support confirmed this is a bug in SP1, but has already been fixed in SP2.

Noel

[abhilash_kumar · Accepted solution]

Thanks for posting back, Noel!

-Abhilash

[Former Member]

Hi Noel,

where did you create the dynamic parameter? in crystal reports or in Business View manger?

if you use the Parameter from Business view manager then you need to change parameter property in BVM.

In Business view manager also we have an option for LOV to display Description.You just open the List of values(LOV) in Business View manager and change the property to display description.

Hope the above information will help you...

--Naga.

[nscheaffer]

I created the parameter in Crystal Reports and based it on dynamic LOV created in Business View Manager as shown here...

As far as displaying the description when I am prompted is working fine (see screenshots in my response to Abhilash) in the parameter prompt.  This issue is that the code rather than the description is showing in the parameter prompt panel just when running the report from the BI Launchpad.  It is fine within the Crystal Reports designer.

Noel