a guide to oracle9i1 creating database reports chapter 7

A Guide to Oracle9i 1

Creating Database Reports

Chapter 7


Lesson A Objectives

• Understand Reports Builder report styles• Use the Report Wizard to create a report• Configure the appearance of a report• View a report in a Web browser• Create a master-detail report• Create a custom template• Apply a custom template to a report


Introduction to Reports Builder Database Reports

• Reports Builder allows developers to distribute reports as:– Web pages– .pdf files– Printed– And other formats

• Layout styles include:– Tabular– Form– Mailing Label– Form Letter– Matrix


Sample Matrix Report


Using the Report Wizard to Create a Report

• Basic steps using Report Wizard:– Specify the data that the report displays– Select the report style– Configure the report properties and layout


Paper Design Window


Modifying the Report Appearance

• Use Reports Builder environment to modify the report appearance and customize the report features

• Paper design window shows how report appears on paper

• To view as web page– preview paper design as web page

• Make sure form displays correct values before editing design

• Use the Paper Design window to change fonts, item sizes, etc.


Reports Builder Object Navigator


Viewing the Report as a Web Page

• To preview a report as a Web page:– Click the Run Web Layout button on the Reports

Builder toolbar– Creates the Web page source code for the report– Displays as Page Design view without any

formatting changes– To view formatting changes: preview the report

using either a Paginated HTML or a Paginated HTMLCSS format


Viewing a Report as a Web Page


Creating a Master-Detail Report

• Report can display master-detail data• SQL query must retrieve master and detail data• Use Groups page to define master and detail groups• Two report styles:

– Group left: master records appear on the left side of the report; detail records appear in columns to the right of the master records

– Group above: detail records appear below the master records

• Place column names in Levels on Available Columns page


Example Grouped Report


Creating Groups/Levels


Report Templates

• Custom templates store common formatting information such as:– Font– Background color– Graphics

• Stored in .tdf file• Use Paper Layout Template Editor to edit


Paper Layout Template Editor


Applying Custom Templates to Reports

• Templates are applied to reports using Reports Wizard Template page

• Use Template file specification option button to select a custom template

• Or register template as a predefined template:– Modify the Developer user preferences file, so the custom

template appears in the Predefined Templates list– Copy the template file to the Reports Builder templates

folder


Lesson B Objectives

• Understand the components of a report• Modify report components• Modify the format of master-detail reports• Create parameters to allow the user to customize

report data


Report Components

• Data Model– Specifies the data that the report displays

• Paper Layout view– Displays the report components as symbolic

objects

• Report frames– Group related report objects


Data Model Window


Data Model Window

• Modify data model properties using Property Inspector

• Can modify the report’s SQL query• Create a group filter to limit the number of

records that a report query retrieves– Assign a value to the Filter Type property in the

report record group’s Property Inspector– Faster to limit retrieved values with SQL query

where clause


Paper Layout Window


Report Display

• Reports have a header, main section and footer

• Frames– Containers for grouping related report objects – Use to set specific properties for a group of

objects

• Record group– Have corresponding group frame– Encloses a repeating frame and an optional

header frame


Components of a Master-Detail Report

• Master-detail reports:– Display master-detail data– Multiple record groups: master in one, detail in

another– Multiple group frames


Master-Detail Data Model


Master-Detail Report Layout


Master-Detail Group Frame Relationships


Report Parameters

• Specifies how a report appears• Specifies the report’s behavior when it runs• System parameters

– Specify properties that control how the report appears in the user display and how the report application environment behaves

– Examples: currency symbol, whether the print dialog box opens when the user prints the report

• User parameters – Allow the user to select values that specify the data that the report

displays– Example: allow the user to select a specific term ID value from a

list, and the report would then display class lists for that term only


System Parameters


User Parameters

• User selects from parameter list• Inserted into search condition• To create:

– Create the user parameter– Create the parameter list– Modify the report query so it uses the parameter

as a search condition


Lesson C Objectives

• Display image data in a report• Manually create queries and data links• Create summary columns• Create formula columns• Create reports that display formatted data in a Web

browser window


Displaying Image Data In Reports

• Retrieve and display LOB image data on reports• Use Property Inspector to change File Format to

Image to display image data


Report with Images from the Database


Creating Report Queries and Data Links Manually

• To create a query manually:– Open the Data Model window– Select the SQL Query tool on the Data Model tool palette – Click in the painting region, and type the SQL query

• To create a data link:– Select the Data Link tool on the Data Model tool palette– Draw a link between linked objects

• Types of data links:– Query to Query– Group to Group– Column to Column


Manually Creating a Query and Data Link


Creating Reports that Display Calculated Values

• Formula columns– Display values that PL/SQL functions calculate

using report data field values as input parameters

• Summary columns– Perform summary functions (such as SUM,AVG,

or MAX) on report data fields


Example of Calculated Values


Creating Formula Columns

• Formula columns:– Display a value that a user-defined function returns as a

result of performing computations on report data values

• To create:– Create the formula column in the report Data Model– Write the user-defined function that returns the calculated

value for the formula column– Create a layout field in the report to display the formula

column value


Syntax for Formula Column


Creating Summary Columns

• Summary columns:– Return a summary value, such as the sum or

average, of a series of data fields in a repeating frame

• Create summary columns for any report data field using the Totals page in the Report Wizard

• Can also create summary columns manually


Creating Summary Columns with Reports Wizard


Displaying Formatted Reports as Web Pages

• Use Oracle9i Application Server to generate reports dynamically• See Figure 7-70


Summary

• Reports Builder creates formatted reports using database data

• Reports are drawn using the Paper Design Window

• Templates can be created to format reports

• Reports can be created to display master-detail data

• Report columns can be set to display calculations, formulas and summary information

• Reports can be generated in paper, pdf, or html format

• Dynamic reports are generated using Oracle9i Application Server

a guide to oracle9i1 creating database reports chapter 7

Documents

report report

report master

report data slide

report layout slide

report wizard

report properties

report user parameters

reports builder report