You can create reports with parameters that the report reader can adjust, which is easier than creating multiple reports with the same basic layout and similar data. Simple parameterization involves changing data values. For example, report readers might want to filter data by product. You can provide report readers with the option to filter by the values in a drop-down list. In this case, you would parameterize the column that contains product names, so report readers can change for which product they want to see data.
While simple parameters are added after the data structure has been defined through a query, advanced parameters give readers the power to change the data structure itself. For example, you might offer an option to select among multiple columns in a given table. These parameters must be expressed as formulas and are executed with the query.