Burst sets#

A burst set is one row on the Bursting step, and it produces its own output. Each row carries a value for each burst parameter plus an optional recipient contact. Burst sets are the tool for per-output control: they let individual outputs differ from each other in ways a single replicating parameter cannot express.

When a burst set is worth it#

Reach for a burst set when the outputs are not all built the same way:

• Individual outputs need different values. One output takes a hand-picked value, another takes a different query, and the rest take the standard one.
• The list is fixed and curated, with no home in a source system, such as a roster of stores or an external distribution list.
• The list is easiest to maintain outside Reportworq, in a spreadsheet the business already keeps or a standalone query.
• Each output goes to its own recipient and you want that pairing recorded alongside the values.

If instead every output is built identically and differs only by one value that already lives in your source system, a burst set is more work than you need. Set that parameter's replication mode on the Parameters step and it fans the output out on its own, with no Bursting step and no Burstable flag. See Replicate output from your source system.

Before you start#

• The job has at least one parameter, and each parameter you want to control per output has a type that can carry the values you intend to give it. See Parameterize a report.
• For an Excel-sourced list, an accessible workbook in a configured report provider. For a SQL-sourced list, a configured SQL datasource connection.
• Recipients are optional. If you want them, see Assign recipients to bursts.

Unlock the Bursting step#

The Bursting step is hidden until at least one parameter is flagged Burstable. Revealing that step is the only thing the flag does, and building burst sets is the only reason to turn it on.

1. Open the job and go to the Parameters step.
2. Find the parameter you want a column for and open its Edit sidebar.
3. In Parameter Options, turn on Enable this parameter to be used in burst sets.
4. Select Save & Close.

The parameter row now shows a Burstable chip and the Bursting step is available.

Save matters. The Edit Parameters sidebar commits only on Save & Close. If you close it with Escape or the X, the flag is discarded and the Bursting step stays disabled.

Repeat for each parameter you want to control per set. The Bursting grid shows one column per Burstable parameter.

Choose where the sets come from#

On the Bursting step, the Source toggle offers three modes, with Static first:

• Static builds the sets by hand in a grid. The count is known at edit time, so the step shows an "N output(s) will be produced" pill.
• Excel Source reads the sets from a workbook.
• SQL Source generates the sets from a query.

Source here means only where the list of burst sets comes from. It has nothing to do with where the report gets its data. A job whose report reads Planning Analytics can take its burst sets from a SQL query, from a workbook, or from the hand-built grid, whichever is easiest to maintain.

Excel Source and SQL Source regenerate their sets on every run, so they have no output count at edit time. A Planning Analytics subset is not a fourth mode: it is a parameter type. In the Static grid, a cell for a subset-typed parameter opens the subset tree picker. In the Excel and SQL modes the preview cells are read-only, because the values come from the file or the query.

Build sets by hand#

1. On the Bursting step, keep Source on Static.
2. Select Add a set. Each set is one numbered row, and each column is a Burstable parameter.
3. Select a cell to open the Edit {parameter} sidebar. It is the same editor the Parameters step uses, so the cell offers whatever the parameter's type offers: a text list, a subset tree, an MDX or SQL query, a dimension picker.
4. Optionally set the Contact (optional) column to route the set's output. See Assign recipients to bursts.
5. Repeat Add a set for each output. To remove a set, use its row delete action and confirm.

Let a default carry, and override only what differs#

Every cell starts by inheriting the value already set on the Parameters step. A cell shows one of three states:

• Override, the set's own explicit value, marked with a teal override bar.
• Default followed by the inherited value, meaning the set carries nothing of its own and falls through to the job parameter.
• not specified..., meaning neither a per-set value nor a job-level value exists.

This is what keeps a large grid manageable when a burst parameter is query-driven. If the parameter is a Planning Analytics MDX query or a SQL query, the query you write once on the Parameters step becomes the default across every burst set. A grid of 30 sets needs that query entered once, and you override only the handful of sets that need a different query or a fixed value.

The same holds with several burst parameters. Each column inherits its own parameter's value independently, so one column can sit entirely on a shared default query while another carries a different hand-set value in every row.

At run time each set applies only the values it actually carries. A set with every cell left at Default still produces an output, built from the job's own parameter values rather than an empty file.

Read sets from an Excel workbook#

1. Set Source to Excel Source.
2. In the Excel File row, select Edit... and choose a workbook from a configured report provider. Row 1 must hold the parameter names, and each following row is one burst set. Include a Contact column if you want each output routed from the file.
3. Choosing a file runs the preview automatically. Use Refresh Preview to re-read the file after it changes.
4. If a cell should carry several values, set Value List Delimiter to the single character that separates them.

The preview grid is read-only because the values come from the file. If you see the warning "Some parameters could not be found in the file," align the row 1 headers to the parameter names. Because the sets are re-read on every run, editing the workbook changes the roster without touching the job.

Generate sets from a SQL query#

1. Set Source to SQL Source.
2. Choose a Connection from your configured SQL datasource connections.
3. Enter the Query. Each result row is one burst set, and each result column maps to a Burstable parameter by name. Return a contact column if you want each output routed from the result.
4. Optionally set Value List Delimiter for multi-value cells.
5. Select Refresh Preview to run the query and fill the grid.

The preview is read-only. If you see "Some parameters could not be found in the query," make the result column names match the parameter names. The query re-runs on every run, so the roster always reflects the database.

Import and export static sets#

Static mode can round-trip its sets through an Excel file named burstsets.xlsx. This is for bulk-editing many sets or copying a list between jobs, and it is offered in Static mode only.

• Export downloads burstsets.xlsx. Row 1 holds the burst parameter names plus a Contact heading, each following row is a set, and the contact is written by name.
• Import... uploads a burst-set workbook and replaces the current static sets with its rows. It reads the first visible worksheet, treats row 1 as headers, splits multi-value cells on a comma, and resolves contacts by name against the address book.

Import overwrites rather than merges, so export first if you want to keep the current sets. For a list that should stay live, use Excel Source or SQL Source instead, which regenerate on every run rather than snapshotting into static sets.

Use cases#

• Curated store roster. Twelve flagship stores, entered as static sets, produce the same twelve packets every run regardless of how many stores exist in the source system.
• One exception in a standard set. Thirty regional packs all inherit the same MDX query as their default, and two regions that need a restated hierarchy carry their own query as an override.
• A distribution list the business maintains. An FP&A team keeps a workbook of departments and their recipients, and Excel Source turns each row into a personalized output with no re-keying in Reportworq.
• A roster driven by a system of record. A SQL query against the HR database returns each department and its manager, so the roster tracks reorganizations automatically.
• Cloning a burst list. Export the sets from a working P&L job and import them into a new variance job that covers the same departments.

Notes and limits#

• Static sets are stored on the job, so the count is known at edit time. Excel and SQL sets are re-resolved on every run and have no count until the run happens.
• Row 1 headers (Excel) and result column names (SQL) must match the burst parameter names, or those values are missed.
• A Planning Analytics subset or MDX value inside a set is resolved live. Its members are known only at run time, and the run needs Planning Analytics connectivity.
• Burst sets and replication compose. Reportworq works through the sets first, applies each set's values on top of the job's parameters, then replicates within that set. If a parameter still replicates inside a set, that set produces more than one output and the "N output(s) will be produced" pill undercounts.
• A contact is optional on every set. A set with no contact still produces its output and is delivered by the job's own destinations.

Going deeper. The Repository Metadata Report includes a Static Burst Sets worksheet, so an administrator can audit every job's static sets in one place. See Repository Metadata Report.