MicroStrategy Mobile FAQs

MicroStrategy Mobile is an interactive interface to the MicroStrategy BI platform that lets mobile business users run reports and dashboards directly from their BlackBerry® mobile devices from Research in Motion. MicroStrategy Mobile allows business users to run the same reports on their BlackBerry smartphones as they do via MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Office, MicroStrategy Desktop, and enterprise portals, without the need for reformatting or retrofitting existing reports. The intuitive report analysis features available in MicroStrategy Mobile allow users to view even the largest reports within the compact screen size of their BlackBerry smartphones. Designed for all levels of users, MicroStrategy Mobile reports are displayed in an easy-to-view and easy-to-navigate format, enabling users to review, analyze, and interact with important data at their convenience. Users can also access reports while they are offline, or when their BlackBerry is not within connectivity range. Regardless of where users access their data, MicroStrategy Mobile leverages the same robust security features of the MicroStrategy platform as well as the security infrastructure provided by the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

2. On what devices does MicroStrategy Mobile work?

MicroStrategy Mobile works on BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry operating system v4.1, 4.2.1, and 6.0. Commonly available BlackBerry smartphones that run on BlackBerry operating systems 4.1,4.2.1, and 6.0 include 7100, 7200, 8700, 8100, 8300, 8800, and 9000 models. Consult an authorized MicroStrategy representative at info@microstrategy.com or the Readme files for the latest list of operating systems and devices supported.

3. How can I get MicroStrategy Mobile?

MicroStrategy Mobile, which was first released in MicroStrategy 8.1.1, can be purchased through your account manager or by contacting sales at info@microstrategy.com.

4. Can I run MicroStrategy Mobile against previous versions of MicroStrategy?

To fully benefit from the latest features and enhancements, MicroStrategy Mobile requires MicroStrategy 9 Release 1 (v9.0) products, and that the version of MicroStrategy Mobile match that of the MicroStrategy Web server. Although MicroStrategy Mobile can run against previous versions of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server, this configuration is not recommended, as the latest MicroStrategy Mobile features and enhancements will not be available.

5. Do I need a special authoring tool for MicroStrategy Mobile?

No, MicroStrategy Mobile does not require a special report-authoring tool. Report developers use their existing MicroStrategy authoring products — MicroStrategy Desktop or MicroStrategy Web professional to build reports and dashboards. The report definitions are stored in a unified metadata. MicroStrategy Mobile uses the report definitions in unified MicroStrategy metadata.

6. Do customers need to redefine reports specifically for display in MicroStrategy Mobile?

No. Organizations and business users use the same reports and documents available in their enterprise BI applications without the need for building separate mobile BI applications, or re-authoring existing reports for mobile devices. This removes the need to re-train users on using re-authored reports.

7. What types of reports and documents are supported in MicroStrategy Mobile?

MicroStrategy Mobile displays the following on wireless devices:

Grid reports. This includes cross-tabular grid reports that contain attributes in the columns or metrics in the rows.
Graph reports. These reports are displayed in graph mode. As with MicroStrategy Web, the graph is rendered as an image.
Dashboards. MicroStrategy Mobile displays documents through the innovative use of tabs. Each grid, graph, or grid and graph in the document is displayed as an interactive grid or graph of data, within a separate tab. All graphs are displayed as images.

8. How can I analyze and interact with data in reports and documents?

Users can modify report layouts for optimal BlackBerry viewing. Using intuitive manipulations, MicroStrategy Mobile can handle very large reports with hundreds of rows and dozens of columns. The following provide an example Business users can analyze and interact with reports in the following ways:

View existing thresholds to quickly gain insight into key metrics. MicroStrategy Mobile displays thresholds defined in reports, including font colors, text replacements, certain symbols, and background colors. Images and specific fonts not available on the BlackBerry devices are not supported.
Page by, or slice, report data by any number of business attributes or metrics.
Lock/unlock columns, hide, re-order columns to easily compare report data.
Sort report data.
Locate specific text using “Find” functionality.
Adjust the size of a report by modifying the width of the report to “fit to screen” or “fit to contents” of the data values.

The BlackBerry optimized view of the reports can be saved thereby saving valuable time and repetitive effort the next time the report is opened.

9. How does Mobile ensure that users always have the latest data available?

Individual reports, or all reports stored on the device, can be refreshed on demand. A user does not need to update reports manually to get the latest data. Report data is refreshed daily at a user specified time.

10. Can users save their view of a report on the BlackBerry?

Yes. If a user manipulates a report by adding fields to the page-by axis, hides/un-hides columns, adjusts column widths, locks/unlocks columns, or sorts data, MicroStrategy Mobile allows users to save and persist that view. The next time the report is opened, the saved view is displayed.

11. Does MicroStrategy Mobile allow off-line access to reports?

Yes. MicroStrategy Mobile was specifically designed to allow off-line analysis on BlackBerry smartphones. Reports and documents are cached and stored on the BlackBerry device in a compressed format. Report list and report data stored on the BlackBerry can be updated on a daily basis, or on demand.

12. Can report data be stored on media cards on devices that support extended memory?

Yes. MicroStrategy Mobile allows user to decide the report storage location. The reports can be stored in one of three locations:

Flash memory of the device
Media card (supported only on devices that support extended memory)
On the Mobile web server. Reports are downloaded only on-demand.

13. How does MicroStrategy Mobile ensure high performance and fast report access times?

MicroStrategy Mobile compresses the data before transmitting the data over the air. This compression results in compression ratios between 6:1 to 10:1, minimizing not only the amount of data being transmitted over the air, but also the time taken to transmit the data. The report data is stored compressed on the device, and uncompressed when a user opens the report.

14. How does MicroStrategy Mobile ensure that data is secure?

Report data is secured based on every MicroStrategy user’s security profile. Security profiles, access controls, and security filters defined in the MicroStrategy metadata are seamlessly transferred over to the MicroStrategy Mobile application on the BlackBerry, so business users see only the reports and data they are authorized to see. MicroStrategy Mobile leverages the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to encrypt data during over the air transmission.

15. Does MicroStrategy Mobile interfere with other Blackberry operations or applications?

MicroStrategy recognizes that Mobile professionals depend on their BlackBerry smartphones for their day-to-day activities, such as keeping up to date via e-mail, text messaging, or web browsing. MicroStrategy Mobile is optimized for minimal memory, processor, and bandwidth utilization consumption, ensuring that phones are always available for critical calls, e-mails, or text messages.

16. Is MicroStrategy Mobile available in other languages?

Yes. The MicroStrategy Mobile interface is available in multiple languages including Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish among others. Please review the product Readme files for the latest language support information.

17. Does MicroStrategy Mobile support silent, over-the-air deployments?

Yes. MicroStrategy Mobile can be installed silently, over the air using BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Administrators can remotely configure and control MicroStrategy Mobile settings by implementing IT policies on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

18. Can MicroStrategy Mobile installations be hosted on a Web site?

Yes. MicroStrategy Mobile can be installed from a corporate website. The Web-based installation automatically detects the operating system of the BlackBerry device and installs the appropriate application.

19. Can administrators subscribe reports for end users of MicroStrategy Mobile?

Yes. Administrators can use the Subscription Creation Wizard to subscribe to reports for one or more MicroStrategy Mobile users. This is the only way to subscribe reports for business users who use MicroStrategy Mobile as the only user interface to reports and documents from the MicroStrategy 9 BI platform. Users who have access to MicroStrategy Web and/or Desktop can subscribe to reports and documents themselves.

20. Is there an administrative overhead on report maintenance due to MicroStrategy Mobile?

No. Since all the BI reports consumed on BlackBerry devices leverage existing MicroStrategy metadata, administration efforts arising due to report management for mobile applications are minimized.

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MicroStrategy Mobile™ Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is MicroStrategy Mobile and what does it do?