Metric expression prompts

Available since 2021 Update 1

The metric expression element prompt is one of the most commonly used prompt types. It allows the caller to provide an expression to filter the date in a report or dashboard. For example, you can define a prompt as Get data when Avg Revenue per Customer is greater than 10.

Use REST APIs to perform the following actions on metric expression prompts:

Get information about a metric expression prompt
Get the metric expression prompt's available answer
Answer a metric expression prompt

Get information about a metric expression prompt

Use the following REST API endpoints to get information about metric expression prompts applied to dashboard, document, and report objects in the metadata, as well as instances of those objects:

GET /api/documents/{id}/prompts
GET /api/documents/{id}/instances/{instanceId}/prompts
GET /api/reports/{reportId}/prompts
GET /api/reports/{reportId}/instances/{instanceId}/prompts

Provide the ID of the document, dashboard, or report in the path of the request. You also need to provide the instance ID if you are getting information about a prompt applied to an instance of a document, dashboard, or report. The response contains the prompt information. All available parameters for the prompt definition are shown below.

Name	Description	Data Type
id	The ID of the prompt	string
key	The unique key of the prompt. Including the key helps avoid issues when the same prompt is present multiple times on a dashboard, document, or report.	string
name	The name of the prompt	string
title	The title of the prompt	string
type	The type of prompt; Enum: [ VALUE, ELEMENTS, EXPRESSION, OBJECTS, LEVEL ]	string
required	An indicator that specifies if a prompt is required	boolean
closed	An indicator that specifies if a prompt is closed	boolean

The sample code below contains a metric expression prompt definition in a format that is supported by the API.

{
  "key": "12FF3D5D43A6A17E8847FB9304FEA1E1@0@10",
  "name": "test prompt",
  "title": "test prompt",
  "type": "EXPRESSION",
  "required": true,
  "closed": false,
  "max": 2,
  "min": 1,
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
    "expression": {
      "level": {
        "type": "attribute",
        "objects": [
          {
            "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
            "name": "day"
          }
        ]
      },
      "operator": "Greater",
      "operands": [
        {
          "type": "metric",
          "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
          "name": "Revenue"
        },
        {
          "type": "constant",
          "dataType": "Real",
          "value": "10"
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "answers": {
    "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
    "expression": {
      "level": {
        "type": "attribute",
        "objects": [
          {
            "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
            "name": "day"
          }
        ]
      },
      "operator": "Greater",
      "operands": [
        {
          "type": "metric",
          "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
          "name": "Revenue"
        },
        {
          "type": "constant",
          "dataType": "Real",
          "value": "10"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

The sample code below contains a metric expression prompt definition in a format that is not supported by the API.

{
    "key": "12FF3D5D43A6A17E8847FB9304FEA1E1@0@10",
    "name": "test prompt",
    "title": "test prompt",
    "type": "EXPRESSION",
    "required": true,
    "max": 2,
    "min": 1,
    "defaultAnswer": {
      "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
        "xml": "xml": "<exp nc="3">{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10 <nd et="10" nt="4" dmt="7" ddt="-1" is_indp_csi="1" cc="2"><nd et="1" nt="5" dmt="1" ddt="-1" is_indp_csi="1" cc="0"><mt rfd="9">Avg Revenue per Customer</mt></nd><nd et="1" nt="3" dmt="1" ddt="3" is_indp_csi="1" cc="0"><cst ddt="5">10</cst></nd><op fnt="8" fg="0" apply_order="0" node="0"/></nd></exp>"
    },
    "answers":{
      "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
        "xml": "xml": "<exp nc="3">{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10 <nd et="10" nt="4" dmt="7" ddt="-1" is_indp_csi="1" cc="2"><nd et="1" nt="5" dmt="1" ddt="-1" is_indp_csi="1" cc="0"><mt rfd="9">Avg Revenue per Customer</mt></nd><nd et="1" nt="3" dmt="1" ddt="3" is_indp_csi="1" cc="0"><cst ddt="5">10</cst></nd><op fnt="8" fg="0" apply_order="0" node="0"/></nd></exp>"
    }
  }

Besides the commonly-used fields, the metric expression prompt also contains the fields shown below.

Field	Section	Description
min		The minimum number of qualifications that must be supplied to answer the prompt. The qualification here has the same meaning as operator.
max		The maximum number of qualifications that can be supplied to answer the prompt.
defaultAnswer	content	Describes the default answer expression's content.
	expression	Reuse the JSON Data API view filter's format. This field appears when the prompt's expression is supported by the prompt.
	xml	The xml that represents the prompt's expression. This field appears when the prompt's expression is not supported.
answers	content	Describes the answer expression's content.
	expression	Reuse the JSON Data API view filter's format. This field appears when the prompt's expression is supported by the prompt.
	xml	The xml that represents the prompt's expression. This field appears when the prompt's expression is not supported.

Get the metric expression prompt's available answer

Use the following REST API endpoint to get a metric expression prompt's available answer:

GET /api/reports/{reportId}/instances/{instanceId}/prompts/{promptIdentifier}/objects

The metric this endpoint returns can be used when you generate the expression to answer the prompt. The operator should work on metrics.

The sample code below contains a metric expression prompt's available answer.

{
  "objects": [
    {
      "name": "Profit",
      "id": "4C051DB611D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
      "type": "metric"
    }
  ]
}

Answer a metric expression prompt

Use the following REST API endpoints to answer a metric expression prompt applied to a dashboard, document, or report:

PUT /api/documents/{id}/instances/{instanceId}/prompts/answers
PUT /api/reports/{reportId}/instances/{instanceId}/prompts/answers

Provide specific prompt answers

:::

All available parameters for the prompt answer are shown below.

Name	Description	Data Type	Required?
key	The unique key of the prompt. Including the key helps avoid issues when the same prompt is present multiple times on a dashboard, document, or report.	string
id	The object ID of the prompt	string
name	The name of the prompt	string
type	The type of prompt; Enum: [ VALUE, ELEMENTS, EXPRESSION, OBJECTS, LEVEL ]	string	yes
useDefault	An indicator that specifies if the default answer should be used. If this is set to true, the values are ignored.	boolean

The sample code below answers a metric expression prompt.

{
  "prompts": [
    {
      "id": "753C65EB402C44D3A991F285D3CB7F6D",
      "key": "753C65EB402C44D3A991F285D3CB7F6D@0@10",
      "name": "test",
      "useDefault": false,
      "type": "EXPRESSION",
      "answers": {
        "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
        "expression": {
          "level": {
            "type": "attribute",
            "objects": [
              {
                "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
                "name": "day"
              }
            ]
          },
          "operator": "Greater",
          "operands": [
            {
              "type": "metric",
              "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
              "name": "Revenue"
            },
            {
              "type": "constant",
              "dataType": "Real",
              "value": "10"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

info

Since some operations are not supported in the JSON Data API view filter, we provide a way for you to use XML to answer the prompt, as shown in the code sample below.

{
  "prompts": [
    {
      "id": "753C65EB402C44D3A991F285D3CB7F6D",
      "key": "753C65EB402C44D3A991F285D3CB7F6D@0@10",
      "name": "test",
      "useDefault": false,
      "type": "EXPRESSION",
      "answers": {
        "content": "{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10",
        "xml": "<exp nc='3'>{Avg Revenue per Customer} > 10 <nd et='10' nt='4' dmt='7' ddt='-1' is_indp_csi='1' cc='2'><nd et='1' nt='5' dmt='1' ddt='-1' is_indp_csi='1' cc='0'><mt rfd='9'>Avg Revenue per Customer</mt></nd><nd et='1' nt='3' dmt='1' ddt='3' is_indp_csi='1' cc='0'><cst ddt='5'>10</cst></nd><op fnt='8' fg='0' apply_order='0' node='0'/></nd></exp>"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Some things to keep in mind:

You only need to provide one id, key, or name. Key is preferred.
The useDefault field is optional, since the default value is false.
Content in the answer is optional. Its values do not affect the resulting answer. The default value is "".

A lighter version of the sample code is provided below.

{
  "prompts": [
    {
      "key": "753C65EB402C44D3A991F285D3CB7F6D@0@10",
      "type": "EXPRESSION",
      "answers": {
        "expression": {
          "level": {
            "type": "attribute",
            "objects": [
              {
                "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
                "name": "day"
              }
            ]
          },
          "operator": "Greater",
          "operands": [
            {
              "type": "metric",
              "id": "4C05177011D3E877C000B3B2D86C964F",
              "name": "Revenue"
            },
            {
              "type": "constant",
              "dataType": "Real",
              "value": "10"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Get information about a metric expression prompt​

Get the metric expression prompt's available answer​

Answer a metric expression prompt​

Provide specific prompt answers​

Get information about a metric expression prompt

Get the metric expression prompt's available answer

Answer a metric expression prompt

Provide specific prompt answers