First, we need to create an account. The process is very straightforward and takes a few minutes. The user account will be created by default with only the free features enabled, so no charge will be applied.
MicroStrategy Express uses Adobe Flash technology so be sure to visit the Adobe page and update to the latest version of Flash. You will also need a supported web browser:
In the following recipes I will use Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome 28, you can download them from: http://at5.us/Ch13U1 and http://at5.us/Ch13U5 respectively.
Follow these steps:
- Open Internet Explorer and go to http://at5.us/Ch13U2
- Fill in the form with name and e-mail address and click on Submit.
- You will receive a message saying Please verify your email address. Open the e-mail and follow the instructions to activate your MicroStrategy Express account.
- Once your e-mail is verified, go to http://at5.us/Ch13U3, type your e-mail and password and click on Sign In.
- The Flash application will take a few seconds to load the first time, then after filling in a personal detail form, you'll see a welcome page.
Express is essentially a cloud version of the entire MicroStrategy platform. Premium users have access to documents and dashboards, while personal accounts can only use the Visual Insight data discovery.
If you look at the URL in your browser address bar, you'll see that we are actually connected to a J2EE MicroStrategy Web.
There is a button on the right below your name, labeled Help & Resources. Click on it and select Video Help.
You can watch some useful video training here, or come back as needed for reference. As of writing, this document http://at5.us/Ch13U8 is the most recent manual for Express. For details about the visualizations, you can also refer to Chapter 4 in Report Services Document Analysis Guide.