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Report Parameter Properties Dialog Box, General (Report Builder 3.0)

Select General on the Report Parameters dialog box to change parameter value options such as the parameter name, the text that appears at the prompt, and the type of data returned by the parameter. In addition, you can allow parameters to return blank, null or many values, and to display the parameter on the report toolbar.

Options

  • Name
    Type a case-sensitive name for the parameter. The name must begin with a letter and have letters, numbers, an underscore (_), and no spaces. For automatically-generated parameters, the name matches the query parameter in the dataset query. By default, manually-created parameters use names similar to ReportParameter1.

  • Prompt
    Type the text to display next to the parameter text box at the top of the report when the report runs.

  • Data type
    Select the data type of the parameter. The data type of the parameter affects how a parameter can be used in an expression. The parameter data type must match the data type of the field in the dataset.

    Data type determines how a user enters parameter values on the report viewer toolbar, as described in the following list:

    • Boolean. The user selects true or false from a radio button.

    • DateTime. The user selects a date from a calendar control.

    • Integer. The user types values in a text box.

    • Float. The user types values in a text box.

    • Text. The user types values in a text box.

    • When available values are defined for a parameter, the user chooses values from a drop-down list, even when the data type is DateTime.

  • Allow blank value
    Select this option if the value of the parameter can be an empty string.

  • Allow null value
    Select this option if the value of the parameter can be null.

  • Allow multiple values
    Select this option if the value for the parameter can be multiple values that are displayed in a drop-down list. Null values are not allowed. When this option is selected, check boxes are added to the list of available values in a parameter drop-down list. The top of the list includes a check box for Select All. Users can check the values that they want.

  • Select parameter visibility
    Choose options that control how the parameter is displayed in the published report and, therefore, how report readers interact with the parameter.

  • Visible
    Select this option to display the report parameter at the top of the report when it is run. This option allows users to select parameter values at run time.

  • Hidden
    Select this option to hide the report parameter in the report. The report parameter values can be set on a report URL, in a subscription definition, or on the report server using Report Manager.

  • Internal
    Select this option to hide the report parameter. The report parameter can only be viewed in the report definition.