Drop Down list with many elements

Hello,

I am using SSRS 2005 SP2 and I need to allow my users to select the products they want in the report.
I created a data set to get the list of the products and then used it in a multivalue parameter to generate a drop down list.
My problem is that the list is too long (more than 2000 elements) and thus, it takes 10 sec to collapse the drop down list after tickinging the products.

Does anyone have an miraculous solution?
Thanks in advance for your answers.

Zoz

Did you create the drop down list using visual studio 2005?

You may want to divide this HUGE dropdownlist into maybe 26 dropdown lists -- categorize them by first letter in the product.

Only populate the A dropdown list with products that start with A, etc.

Then, handle each dropdown list's selection changed event separately. (I would imagine that each event would have the same code though)

Or maybe 26 is too many. Just do one dropdown for the first half of the alphabet and then another for the second half.

You get the idea though: divide and conquer.

|||I like the idea of conquering :-)
Your idea is good but I alreday have many drop down lists because I use cascading parameters (8!). Then it would become too heavy visually...

Any other solution?
Thanks.

PS: Yes, I used Visual Studio 2005.
|||

You can have a muti-page report.

The idea is to create a parameter called "Search Product" which takes string as an argument.

Then output products based on the value of the parameter.

Then click on the product which will take you to your current report.

Thanks,

-Rohit

|||Hi,

Can you detail a little bit more? I am not sure to understand what you mean...
Do you mean that I should create a search field?

Thanks.
Zoz
|||

See what I am trying to say is:

1. Create a summary page where you have a parameter which will search for productName (say we call it @.searchProduct) and generate a list of products related to that name. In SQL you can do (where productName like '% + @.searchProduct + %')

2. Then if the user click on a product it will take you to another report where you have all other parameters.

But the good thing is you don't have to worry about the product because you already selected your product and passed the productID from report1 to report2. Report2 is basically the same report you are working on but without the parameter for productID. You can make it hidden.

Feel free to ask me more questions...

|||

I really like your idea and I'm very curious to see how to implement it. Would you mind sending me an example by email (an rdl file for example)? I' ve tried something like that in the past, but I've never succeeded to do it... :-(

For the problem I popsted previously, your solution doesn't meet the requirements because users need to choose several products...

I tried to implement cascading parameters although it is not the best one in terms of performance... So I'm still looking for a better idea.

Thanks

|||

It is very simple....

For exmple if you are using table to output the products then right click on the detail textbox and go to properties and then click on navigation. There you can select jump to a report, select the report you want to jump to and pass productId as a parameter. Now when you run the report you will be able to click on the products and it will take you to the next report that you specified in the properties.

-Rohit

|||

Thanks for your answer! Looks like it is a great idea! I'll try it!

And is there any way to have a "select all" ? ( it is also requiered by my users...)

Thanks

Zoz