KB14330: Is it possible to have attribute forms included in the report SQL by default without displaying them on a report template by using OLAP Services in MicroStrategy Developer 9.x?

OLAP Services enables users to have additional attributes and metrics included in the SQL that is generated for a report, but not appear on the report template. To learn about these advantages, refer to the following Strategy Knowledge Base technical note:
 
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However, with individual attribute forms, users are unable to do this. There is no current functionality to have additional attribute forms be included in the SQL but not show up on the report template when an attribute is added to a report template. If this functionality was available, then users could add attributes to a report and have additional forms show up in the SQL to give them the option of deciding later that they want to show this attribute form(s) later on. They could then select the attribute form to display, and this will not cause the report to re-execute against the warehouse.
 
Currently there is an ongoing enhancement request for a new option to be developed that would be included alongside the attribute display options (Report Display Forms and Browse Forms) that would allow users to define the attribute forms there that would always be included in the SQL but not on the template. Contact Strategy Technical Support for an update regarding this issue.
 
There are a number of workarounds though to have the attribute forms included in the SQL but not display on the template, as follows:
 
WORKAROUND 1:
Any attribute form that is included in the 'Report Display Forms', as shown below, will always be included in the SQL. Therefore, users can add the attribute forms to 'Report Display Forms' and then after adding the attribute to the template, disable the attribute form from being displayed on the template.
 

 
 
WORKAROUND 2:
Instead of using these forms as part of the original attribute that users may want to hide, users can create individual attributes for these forms. To do this, follow the steps below:
 

• Create a new attribute with the ID form based off of the column that will need to be in the SQL.
• After doing so, go to the original attribute that this form was initially part of. Click on the Parent tab and for each of the additional attributes that were created, these attributes will need to be made a 'One to One' parent relationship to the original attribute, as shown below. This is important as it will ensure that the SQL joins are not done through these columns.
  

• Following, users will now need to add these attributes to the Report objects window and not to the report template. This will allow those additional attributes to now appear in the SQL for the report and available for users to add to the grid anytime that they choose.

WORKAROUND 3:
Users can define dummy HTML tags to be generated so that Strategy Web 9.x will not display those attribute forms. This is useful when users are customizing and require that the attribute forms be included in the SQL, but NEVER be included in report display. To do this, follow the steps below:
 

• Open up the attribute that contains the attribute forms that are to be hidden.
• Modify the attribute form(s) that are to be hidden.
• Once there, use an ApplySimple to come up with an HTML Tag that will be invalid and not display through Strategy Web 9.x, as shown below:
  

•  
  ApplySimple("<a ` & #0 & `></a>", )
  

• This will change the form that is displayed on the grid to now include the HTML Tags. Now in Strategy Developer 9.x, users will now see the elements as shown below with nothing being hidden:
  

•  
  <a ELEMENT1></a>
  <a ELEMENT2></a>
  ...
  .....
  .......
  
• However in Strategy Web 9.x, since <a ELEMENT1></a> is not a valid tag, then Strategy Web will just ignore it and display a blank space, as shown below:
  

This workaround would generally only be useful when the user never intends to show the attribute form on the report.