Define Custom Exception Highlighting

You determine what values are considered exceptional by defining custom exception highlighting rules.

Create a Custom Exception

A custom exception can contain up to five value ranges, with formatting attached to each range. For each value range there is a minimum value, a maximum value, a font color and a background color. Value ranges are inclusive. All data that falls within a value range appears with the defined formatting.

You define custom exceptions as part of a report. PowerPlay Web stores these definitions so that each time you open this report, the exceptions are available. Exceptions must be applied by the report user. You can define up to 20 custom exceptions, each with up to five value ranges.

Steps

1. On the PowerPlay Web toolbar, click the Custom Exception Highlighting button .
2. In the Exceptions dialog box, click Add.
3. In the Exception Name box, type a name for the custom exception.
4. In the From box, enter a minimum value for the first range.
5. In the To box, enter a maximum value for the first range.
6. From the Text color well, select a color for the text.
7. From the Cell color well, select a color for the background.
8. Define up to four additional value ranges for this exception.
9. Click OK.

The new definition appears in the Defined Exceptions list.

Tips

• You can also select Minimum from the From column drop-down list or Maximum from the To column drop-down list. Selecting Minimum as the From value defines the range as having no lower boundary. Similarly, Maximum creates a range with no upper boundary.
• To edit a custom exception definition, select it from the Defined Exceptions list and click Edit. You can make changes to the range values specified for the exception definition, their characteristics, or the name of the exception.
• To delete a custom exception definition, select it from the Defined Exceptions list and click Delete. When you delete a custom exception that is currently applied, your display refreshes dynamically.

Apply a Custom Exception

You must apply a defined custom exception before it appears in the report. PowerPlay can show only one custom exception definition for a particular cell at a time. When you apply an exception to a column, a row, or to the whole report, this application removes any exception that was previously applied to the same selection.

Where a cell lies at an intersection between two defined custom exceptions, only the most recently applied exception will be visible for that cell.

PowerPlay shows custom exceptions in crosstab view only. You can define custom exceptions in any view, but PowerPlay ignores them.

Custom exceptions apply to all cell types, including calculations, calculated categories, and measures.

Steps

1. On the PowerPlay Web toolbar, click the Custom Exception Highlighting button .
2. Select a row, column, or measure in the crosstab.

Tip: To select the entire crosstab, click the Measure cell in the crosstab. To clear the selection of the entire crosstab, click the Measure cell again.

3. In the Defined Exceptions list, select the custom exception you want to apply and click Apply.
4. Click OK.

Tips

• To remove the application of an exception, select the category where it is applied, select (none) from the Defined Exceptions list, and click Apply.
• You can apply one custom exception to a summary category and a different exception to its children. Apply the exception definition you want for the children to the summary total, expand the summary to show the children, and then apply the exception you want to the summary total only.