When you create a report, you build a data set and typically specify filter criteria to display a certain set of data in the report. When a user views the report, the user sees the information that you selected. As users become familiar with the report and recognize its potential as an analytical tool, they may want to view the data in different ways. For example, in a sales report, a user may want to view only sales in a particular region, or sales over a certain amount, or sales that closed in the last 30 days.

The solution for this type of ad hoc reporting requirement is for the report to prompt the user to provide information that determines what data to display. You make this solution available by creating report parameters.