Reports

Reports are static forms generated from a database query, provided in html or pdf format at the user's preference.

See Also

Report Templates

Adding Blocks to Reports

Modifying Blocks on Reports

Report Parameter Forms

Automatic Total Blocks

Complex Queries and Automatic Totaling Blocks

Chart Blocks

Report Fields

Property Definitions

Creating Reports

1. In the Explorer Tree, expand and select the Group Information object in which you wish to create the report.

2. There are options in creating a report at this point.

• Right-click on the Group to which you wish to add a report, hold your cursor over the Create option, and when the sub-menu is displayed, left-click on the Entity option.  

• Left-click on the [Wizard] button in the Main Toolbar.

• Left-click on the File Menu.  Left-click on the New option.  Left-click on the Wizard option.

• Press Alt+W on the keyboard.

3. The Creating an Entity screen will be displayed.

4. Select the Report entity type by left-clicking on the Report radio button.

5. Click on the Next button on the bottom right of the screen.

6. In the Entity Name field, enter the desired name for the report.

7. In the Datasource pop-list, select the desired datasource or (use default).  Selecting (use default) will allow the report to be used with any datasource, and data brought in will be determined by the user's datasource.

8. In the Based On pop-list, select the report template on which the new report will be based.  Any mutable blocks that are assigned to the report template will be attached to the new report when the report is saved.

9. In the Default Mode pop-list, select the view type that will be displayed by default for this report.  Choices include Run Report and Parameter Form.

10. In the Body Style pop-list, select the body style to be applied to the report.  The default is (from parent) allowing the style to be determined from the selected template.

11. In the Editable Field Style pop-list, select the field style to be applied to the editable fields on the report.  The default is (from parent) allowing the style to be determined from the selected template.

12. In the Non- Editable Field Style pop-list, select the field style to be applied to the label and display only fields on the report.  The default is (from parent) allowing the style to be determined from the selected template.

13. In the Link Style pop-list, select the link style to be applied to the report.  The default is (from parent) allowing the style to be determined from the selected template.

14. In the Document Security pop-list, select the security level for the pdf file for this report.  Choices are:

• None: The pdf file will not be secured and can be viewed by anyone.

• Standard Encryption: The pdf file will be secured using 40 bit encryption.  The User Password, Owner Password, Allow Print, Allow Degraded Print, Allow Modify, Allow Annotation, Allow Copy, Allow Readers, and Allow Assembly properties will be displayed when this setting is selected.

• Strong Encryption: The pdf file will be secured using 128 bit encryption.  The User Password, Owner Password, Allow Print, Allow Degraded Print, Allow Modify, Allow Annotation, Allow Copy, Allow Readers, and Allow Assembly properties will be displayed when this setting is selected.

15. Click on the Next button on the bottom right of the screen to continue.

16. The Adding New Block screen will be displayed.

17. See the Adding Blocks to Reports section for more information.

Modifying Reports

1. In the Explorer Tree, expand the Group Information object and any sub-groups until you can select the report that you wish to modify.

1. Display the report properties.  These will either be displayed in Alphabetical or Logically, depending on the setting of the [Sort Alphabetically/Logically] button.  The following instructions are assuming that the properties are sorted logically.

2. In the Name property, the name that you entered when creating the report will be displayed.  It can be changed, if desired.

3. In the Description property, enter a user-defined description for this report.  The default is the object type followed by the name. (i.e. Report:NEW)

4. In the Title property, enter the title for the report.

5. In the Datasource pop-list, the datasource that you selected when creating the report will be displayed.  It can be changed, if desired.

• If set to (default), the default for the user's log in will be used when this report is run.

7. In the Allow Anonymous pop-list, select true if anonymous users should have access to this report.  Select false if anonymous users should not have access to this report.

8. The Inherits From pop-list displays the template from which this report was created, grayed out.  This value cannot be changed.

9. In the Default Mode pop-list, select the view type that will be displayed by default for this report.  Choices include Run Report and Parameter Form.

10. In the Body Style pop-list, select the style that will be used as the body style for this report.  When set to (from parent), the style is determined from the selected template.

11. In the Editable Field Style pop-list, select the style that will be used for editable fields for this report.  When set to (from parent), the style is determined from the selected template.

12. In the Non-Editable Field Style pop-list, select the style that will be used for label and display only fields for this report.  When set to (from parent), the style is determined from the selected template.

13. In the Link Style pop-list, select the link style to be applied to the report.  When set to (from parent), the style is determined from the selected template.

14. In the Reports Layout Measurements In pop-list, select the measurement units for this report.  Choices are Inches, Millimeters, or Points.

15. In the Paper Size pop-list, the paper size for this report is displayed from the report template and cannot be changed.  Paper sizes are defined within the Paper Size object in the Explorer Tree.

16. In the Orientation pop-list, the orientation of the report is displayed from the report template and cannot be changed..  Choices are Portrait or Landscape.  

17. In the Secure Document pop-list, select the security level for the pdf file for this report.  Choices are:

• None: The pdf file will not be secured and can be viewed by anyone.

• Standard Encryption: The pdf file will be secured using 40 bit encryption.  The User Password, Owner Password, Allow Print, Allow Degraded Print, Allow Modify, Allow Annotation, Allow Copy, Allow Readers, and Allow Assembly properties will be displayed when this setting is selected.

• Strong Encryption: The pdf file will be secured using 128 bit encryption.  The User Password, Owner Password, Allow Print, Allow Degraded Print, Allow Modify, Allow Annotation, Allow Copy, Allow Readers, and Allow Assembly properties will be displayed when this setting is selected.

18. In the Parameter Screen Width property, enter the width in the report's defined measurement units for the parameter form created for this report.

19. In the Parameter Screen Height field, enter the height in the report's defined measurement units for the parameter form created for this report.

20. In the User Password property, enter the password necessary for the pdf file to be opened.  If no entry is made, then no password is necessary to view the pdf file.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption.

21. In the Owner Password property, enter the password necessary to obtain full access to the pdf file.  If no entry is made, a random password will be used to generate the pdf file.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption.  Full access means that the owner's abilities are not restricted by the settings of the Allow flags described below.

22. Set the Allow Print pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, the pdf file can be printed exactly by the user.  When set to false, the pdf file cannot be printed exactly by the user.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

23. Set the Allow Degraded Print pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, the pdf file can be printed in degraded mode (i.e. as an image) by the user.  When set to false, the pdf file cannot be printed in degraded mode (i.e. as an image) by the user.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

24. Set the Allow Annotation pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, the pdf file can be annotated by the user.  When set to false, the pdf file cannot be annotated by the user.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

25. Set the Allow Copy pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, the pdf file supports the Copy function (Ctrl+C) from within the pdf file.  When set to false, the pdf file does not support the Copy function.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

26. Set the Allow Readers pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, Accessibility Readers can be used to view the pdf file.  When set to false, Accessibility Readers cannot be used to view the pdf file.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

27. Set the Allow Assembly pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, the pdf file can be assembled by the user (insert/delete/rotate pages, make bookmarks, thumbnails, etc).  When set to false, the pdf file cannot be assembled by the user.  This property is only available for reports with the Secure Documents property set to Standard Encryption or Strong Encryption, and only applies to the user setting.  The user setting is when the user password has been entered to open the pdf.  

28. In the Left Margin property, enter the size of the left margin in the defined measurement unit for this report.  For instance, if the Reports Layout Measurements In pop-list was set to Inches, this value would be the left margin in inches.

29. In the Right Margin property, enter the size of the right margin in the defined measurement unit for this report.  For instance, if the Reports Layout Measurements In pop-list was set to Inches, this value would be the right margin in inches.

30. In the Top Margin property, enter the size of the top margin in the defined measurement unit for this report.  For instance, if the Reports Layout Measurements In pop-list was set to Inches, this value would be the top margin in inches.

31. In the Bottom Margin property, enter the size of the bottom margin in the defined measurement unit for this report.  For instance, if the Reports Layout Measurements In pop-list was set to Inches, this value would be the bottom margin in inches.

32. Set the Suppress Duplicate Totals pop-list to the desired setting.  When set to true, if the report has an automatic totalling block, and multiple totals are defined for the automatic totalling block, if all of the totals are the same, all but the last total will be suppressed.  For example, if the automatic totalling block is for customer and item, and a customer has only ordered one item with a quantity of 10, instead of showing two totals, one for the item quantity of 10 and one for the customer with a quantity of 10, you will only see one total for the customer with a quantity of 10.  When set to false, duplicate totals will not be suppressed.

33. In the Before Save property, enter any code that should be run before any queries are executed on this report.  The code entered here should be written in SQL.

34. In the After Save property, enter any code that should be run immediately after all queries are executed on this report.  The code entered here should be written in SQL.

35. In the Required Roles property, select the roles that are required to run the entity.  When running this entity, the user must have at least one of the roles entered here, or the entity will not run, and the user will be returned to the log in screen.
    
    When you click on this field, a pop-up will be displayed with the available roles in the left side of the pop-up and the roles assigned to the entity on the right side.  
    
    To assign a role to the entity, select the desired role on the left side, and then click on the >> button to move it to the right side.  
    
    To unassign a role, select the desired role on the right side and then click on the << button to move it to the left side.  
    
    When all desired roles have been assigned, click on the Apply button.
    
    The Invalid Access Redirects To property will be displayed to allow you to define the entity that should be displayed for the user if the user does not have one of the required roles entered here.

36. In the Required Globals property, list the global variables that are required to be set in order for the entity to run properly, separated by a line break.  If the entity is run, and some or all of these globals are missing, the entity will not be run.  The format is GLOBAL or, if desired, GLOBAL = VALUE.  
    
    For example, if the global variables ORG_UNIT_ID and EMPNO must be set for the page to run correctly, you would enter
    ORG_UNIT_ID
    EMPNO
    
    If the global variable ORG_UNIT_ID needed to have the value 100, but it didn't matter what the EMPNO value needed to be, you would enter
    ORG_UNIT_ID = 100
    EMPNO

37. In the Accessed via property, enter the entity from which this report is generated.  This is an optional property.  For example, if the report has certain conditions that must be met on a screen entity before it can be run, the name of the screen entity should be entered here.  This prevents the report from being improperly accessed.  

38. In the Invalid Access Redirects To property, enter the entity to which the user will be redirected if this report is improperly accessed.  This property is only displayed when the Accessed via property or Required Roles property is entered.  
    
    If a user accesses this report from an entity other than the one entered in the Accessed via property, instead of opening the report, the entity entered in this property will be opened.
    
    If a user that does not have one of the required roles accesses the entity, instead of opening the report, the entity defined here is opened.

39. In the Results Disposition property, select Return to Caller, FTP, EMail, Store as File, or Print.  
    
    When Return to Caller is selected the results to the query will be returned to the calling browser.  
    
    When FTP is selected, the results to the query are sent as a file to a defined FTP server.  Additional properties are displayed when FTP is selected.
    
    When EMail is selected, the results to the query are sent as a file to the defined email addresses.  Additional properties are displayed when EMail is selected.
    
    When Store as File is selected, the results to the query are sent as a file to the defined location.  Additional properties are displayed when Store as File is selected.
    
    When Print is selected, the results to the query will be sent to the default printer.  Additional properties are displayed when Print is selected.  *At this time, printing a report automatically is only available for the Microsoft Windows platform and requires that Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8.x be installed on the Xephr server.
    
    Note: ADOBE ACROBAT VERSIONS OTHER THAN 8.x WILL NOT WORK.
    
    Additionally, to make use of this experimental feature it is necessary to manually configure the Xephr service to be able to interact with the desktop. Failure to do this will result in the inability to automatically direct generated reports to a printer.
    
    If you want to print to a shared network printer, you will need to run the Xephr service as a user with the rights to access the shared printer.  

40. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP Host property, enter the FTP host to which the file will be uploaded.

41. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP User property, enter the FTP user name for logging into the FTP server.

42. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP Password property, enter the FTP password for logging into the FTP Server.

43. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP Binary property, select true or false.  When set to true, the file will be uploaded using binary transfer mode.  When set to false, the file will be uploaded using ASCII transfer mode.

44. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP Directory property, enter the directory on the FTP server to which the file will be uploaded.

45. If the Results Disposition property is set to FTP, in the FTP Passive property, select true or false.  When set to true, the file will be uploaded to the FTP server using passive mode.

46. If the Results Disposition property is set to EMail, in the EMail From property, enter the email address that will be placed in the From field when the file is emailed.  Global variable references can be entered in this field.

47. If the Results Disposition property is set to EMail, in the EMail Subject property, enter the subject line for the email that will contain the results.   Global variable references can be entered in this field.

48. If the Results Disposition property is set to EMail, in the EMail Message property, enter the message for the email that will contain the results.   Global variable references can be entered in this field.

49. If the Results Disposition property is set to EMail, in the EMail Query property, enter the query that will return the list of email addresses to which the email will be sent.   Global variable references can be entered in this field.

50. If the Results Disposition property is set to Store to File, in the Target Filename property, enter the directory and file name for the file.

51. If the Results Disposition property is set to Print, in the Default Printer property, enter the default printer to which the results will be sent.  The printer name entered must be the exact printer name on the machine on which the report is run.  For shared network printers, it should be entered as the network path to the printer, such as //server/printer_name.
    
    The Xephr global variable XEPHR_PRINTER will override the Default Printer entered here if it is set in the session before the report is run.
    
    *At this time, printing a report automatically is only available for the Microsoft Windows platform and requires that Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8.x be installed on the Xephr server.
    
    Note: ADOBE ACROBAT VERSIONS OTHER THAN 8.x WILL NOT WORK.
    
    Additionally, to make use of this experimental feature it is necessary to manually configure the Xephr service to be able to interact with the desktop. Failure to do this will result in the inability to automatically direct generated reports to a printer.
    
    If you want to print to a shared network printer, you will need to run the Xephr service as a user with the rights to access the shared printer.

52. The Created on property displays the date and time on which the report was created and cannot be changed.

53. The Modified on property displays the date and time on which the report was last changed and cannot be modified.

54. Press the [Save] button in the Main Toolbar to save the changes.  

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