Prompts and Multi-Select Picklists

Question

Hi all,
I'm trying to find a neat way of prompting and doing a "contains any" filter a report i have on a multi select picklist within accounts.
e.g. Field can have values A, B, C
Account 1: A
Account 2: A, B
Account 3: B, C
Account 4: A, C
Account 5: A, B
I wanted a report to give me anything with A or C in it... should bring back 1,3,4,5
I used a dashboard prompt as i like the look of the Multi-Select box used. The problem used was that when i first ran it the options I was given were:
A
A,B
B,C
A,C
Basically listing the different combinations possible... but i just want the list to say A, B,C. So i tried to put this SQL query on the values:
+'SELECT "- Custom MSP_1 (Account)".MSPICK_01 FROM "Account Analysis" WHERE "- Custom MSP_1 (Account)".MSPICK_01 NOT LIKE '%,%' '+
The problem is that it (correctly) only bring back the values that occur on their own... so only "A"!
Any way for me have it pull back just the values defined in the picklist under app customisation?
Feel like i rambled on but hopefully it makes sense!
Thanks,
Alex

Answer 1

I can see what you are trying to get at, but I wonder if it will work.
Even if you somehow get A,B,C as individual values in the prompt then how is it going to filter the report.
Lets say on the dashboard prompt you select B then as per your example your report should show Account 2,3,5.
But it wont because the field that you have used in your report doesn't contain B as a standalone. The values that it contain say A,B or B,C is one string or one entity.
So the multi-select prompt based on that field is going to show the values contained in that field which is what you are initially getting.
You will have to do something in the report itself to break it down so that you get A,B,C as single entity.
I have a vague idea but I wonder if it works. You can still try though :)
Assuming your report is a single criteria report, pull any field and edit its Fx as follows:
CASE WHEN - Custom MSP_1 (Account)".MSPICK_01 LIKE '%A%' THEN 'A' WHEN - Custom MSP_1 (Account)".MSPICK_01 LIKE '%B%' THEN 'B' WHEN ... ELSE NULL END
Assuming here that you only have values like A,B,C.
So what I am hoping is that the custom field that we created will have values like A,B,C as separate entities and in the table view for your example we will have 9 rows.
Account MSPICK Custom Field
Acc 1 A A
Acc 2 A,B A
Acc 2 A,B B
Acc 3 B,C B
Acc 3 B,C C
and so on
Finally in your prompt design, take any field and modify its Fx like the CASE WHEN condition described above and that should give you A,B,C as you want it.
Also you may hide the custom field in your final report.