formatting in businessobjects

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Formatting inBusinessObjects


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2 Formatting in BusinessObjects

Appropriate Use And Security Of Confidential AndSensitive Information

Due to the integrated nature of the various Human Resources, Finance and Studentmodules in Banner and the reporting information in the Enterprise Data Warehouse

(EDW), you may have access to information beyond what you need to perform yourassigned duties. Your access to Banner and the EDW has been granted based onbusiness need, and it is your responsibility to ensure the information you access is usedappropriately.

Here are some reminders of good data stewardship to help you carry out yourresponsibility:

Do not share your passwords or store them in an unsecured manner. Do not leaveyour workstation unattended while logged on to administrative informationsystems. You are responsible for any activity that occurs using your logon id.

Do not share confidential and sensitive information with anyone, including

colleagues, unless there is a business reason. Retrieve printed reports quickly, and do not leave the reports lying around in plain

view.

Secure reports containing confidential and sensitive information (e.g., FERPA,EEO or HIPAA protected data).

When disposing of reports containing confidential or sensitive information, shredthe documents in a timely manner.

Your responsibilities regarding the protection and security of administrativeinformation are outlined in the University of Illinois Information Security Policy postedat http://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/manual/central_p/sec19-5.htm. Any violation could

subject you to disciplinary action, which could include dismissal or, in those caseswhere laws have been broken, legal action. You should have signed a compliance formthat indicates you have read, understand and agree to comply with the University'sInformation Security Policy for Administrative Information. If you have not alreadysigned the compliance form, please see your Unit Security Contact, who is responsiblefor maintaining these forms.

File: e:\trainingdevelopment\businessobjects\businessobjects6 - formatting\formatting in businessobjects v5.docLast Printed: 4/21/2006 11:25 AM


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Formatting in BusinessObjects

Table of ContentsAppropriate Use And Security Of Confidential And Sensitive Information............... ........... .......... ........ 2

About this Course......................................................................................................................... 5Objective............................................................................................................................................ 5Instructor Led Course ........................................................................................................................ 5Training Data ..................................................................................................................................... 5Practice.............................................................................................................................................. 5Files................................................................................................................................................... 5Demos ............................................................................................................................................... 5

Chapter 1...................................................................................................................................... 7Cell Formatting..................................................................................................................................... 7

Create the report................................................................................................................................ 7Changing Column Headings.............................................................................................................. 8Text Wrapping ................................................................................................................................... 8Toolbars............................................................................................................................................10Using the Formatting toolbar.............................................................................................................10Custom Border..................................................................................................................................11Centering on the page ......................................................................................................................12

Margins.............................................................................................................................................13Copying Cell Formatting ...................................................................................................................13Number Formats...............................................................................................................................13

Exercise 1: Cell Formatting................................................................................................................15Chapter 2.................................................................................................................................... 17

Report Formatting ...............................................................................................................................17Inserting a column header on each page..........................................................................................17Multiple Line Titles............................................................................................................................18Adding a Logo...................................................................................................................................19Cell Positioning.................................................................................................................................20Inserting Page Numbers ...................................................................................................................20Aligning elements with the Grid ........................................................................................................20

Exercise 2: Report Formatting........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... ............ .23Chapter 3.................................................................................................................................... 25

Inserting Freestanding Cells ...............................................................................................................25Inserting the Last Refresh date.........................................................................................................25Add a Label ......................................................................................................................................26Align Elements using Alignment .......................................................................................................26Page background..............................................................................................................................27

Templates ...........................................................................................................................................28Saving a Report as a Template. .......................................................................................................28Choosing a template for a new document ........................................................................................28Appling a template to an existing report............................................................................................30

Exercise 3: Templates........................................................................................................................31Chapter 4.................................................................................................................................... 33

Alerters................................................................................................................................................33Adding an Alerter..............................................................................................................................33

Using Alerters to Format Reports........................................................................................................37Variable ............................................................................................................................................37Adding a Second Alerter ...................................................................................................................38Changing the Order of the Alerters...................................................................................................41

Exercise 4 Alerters ...........................................................................................................................42Chapter 5.................................................................................................................................... 43

Block Types ........................................................................................................................................43Table Block Type ................................................................................................................................44

Convert a Table to a Crosstab..........................................................................................................44Converting to a Chart........................................................................................................................46Renaming the Blocks........................................................................................................................47Relative Positioning ..........................................................................................................................48


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Documents with Multiple Reports........................................................................................................49Renaming Reports............................................................................................................................49Duplicate a Report............................................................................................................................49Deleting Blocks.................................................................................................................................49Adding row and column totals...........................................................................................................50

Exercise 5: Block Types.....................................................................................................................51Chapter 6 .................................................................................................................................... 53

Formatting Charts ...............................................................................................................................53Convert a Table to a Chart ...............................................................................................................53Resize the Chart...............................................................................................................................54Display Gridlines...............................................................................................................................54Change the Scale.............................................................................................................................55Set the Z-Axis...................................................................................................................................56Add a Title and a Legend..................................................................................................................56Resort the Chart ...............................................................................................................................56Change the Chart Title .....................................................................................................................57Changing the 3-D Options ................................................................................................................57

Exercise 6: Formatting Charts...... .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... .......... ........... ............. ......58Chapter 7 .................................................................................................................................... 59

Drilling.................................................................................................................................................59Hierarchies .......................................................................................................................................59Scope of Analysis .............................................................................................................................60Simple Drilling...................................................................................................................................60Drilling down.....................................................................................................................................62Drilling up..........................................................................................................................................63Drilling across...................................................................................................................................64Drilling through .................................................................................................................................65User Defined Hierarchies..................................................................................................................67Saving a Snapshot ...........................................................................................................................70Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode.........................................................................................70

Exercise 7 Drill Mode.......................................................................................................................72Appendix A Review Answers....................................................................................................73Appendix B - Number Formatting ............................................................................................... 75Appendix C Standard Report Style..........................................................................................77

Standard Report Style ......................................................................................................................77Saving the default settings................................................................................................................77

Changing the Standard Report Style................................................................................................77Resetting to the default settings .......................................................................................................78


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About this CourseObjectiveThe objective of this course is to teach different report formatting options availablewithin the BusinessObjects editor.

Instructor Led CourseThis course is presented in a computer lab with an instructor. The instructor presentsthe information by completing the examples in each chapter on the screen. Thestudents in the class follow by doing the same steps as the instructor. At the end ofeach chapter the students complete an exercise, which is similar to the example.

Training DataTwo generic universe/databases are used in the course. The eFashion universe is usedfor all the examples, and is very small and easy to use. The EDW R&A Traininguniverse is used for all the exercises. The data was used as test data for Recruiting and

Admissions. While this is still generic data, it is more like the production universes.

PracticeTo repeat the examples and exercises on your own, you can use play accounts whichhave access to the training data. These accounts have the same access as the accountsused during the class. The play accounts are: dsplay1, dsplay2, , dsplay10. Thepassword for all these accounts is 1234.

FilesCompleted versions of the examples an exercises are available in a zip file at thefollowing location: http://www.ds.uillinois.edu/training/formatting_files.zip

DemosFor a list of demos on a variety of topics related to using the BusinessObjects editorsee: http://www.ds.uillinois.edu/how_to.asp


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Chapter 1: 7

Chapter 1

Cell Formatting

You have complete control over the look of your report. You can move table columns,move freestanding cells, change fonts, colors, and other formatting to customize yourreport. We will start by looking at the formatting options for individual cells.

Create the report

1. Use the New Report Wizard to create a standard report using the eFashionuniverse.

2. Select the following objects:YearStateCityStore nameName of managerSales revenue

3. Add the This year predefined condition.

4. Run the query.

The report should look like this:

5. Double-click the right border of the City column to resize it.

6. Double-click the right border of the Store name column to resize it.

; Note: Dont resize the Name of manager column. We will handle it differently later.


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Changing Column HeadingsWhen a report is created, BusinessObjects uses the names of the objects as the defaultcolumn headings. These headings can easily be changed to something more appropriate.

1. Double-click the Store name column heading (not the data area).

The formula for the cell is displayed, =NameOf.

2. Type the new heading, Store, and press the Enter key.

; Note:Only the column heading has changed. The object for the column remains Storename.

3. Change the heading for the Sales revenue column to Sales.

Text WrappingIf the text within a column is exceeds the columns width, and you dont want to widenthe column to fit the content on one line, you can have the text wrap to multiple lineswithin the cell. This is especially useful when the name of an object is much longerthan the values for the object. For example, if an object has possible values of Y or N,the name of the object will be much wider than the values.

We will wrap the text in the column heading. You can wrap the text in the body oftable in the same way.

1. Move the cursor over the left edge of the header row.The mouse cursor will change to a black arrow pointing to the right.

2. Click to select the header row.

3. Right-click anywhere on the header row to display the pop-up menu.

4. Select Format Cell from the pop-up menu.


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Chapter 1: 9

5. Select the Alignment tab.

ttings portion of the dialog box.

7.

ach row to increase only if the text for that row has

8. e the Vertical setting to Bottom.

eading has wrapped to a second line.

6. Select Wrap Text in the Se

This will cause the text in the cell to wrap to a new line.

Select Row by row auto fit.

This will cause the height of emultiple lines. This way there is no wasted space if the text for a cell has only oneline.

Chang

9. ClickOK to close the dialog box.

Notice that theName of managerh


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10.Drag the right border of the Name of manager column to make the column justwide enough to display the text in the body.

ToolbarsThere are a total of eleven toolbars available. Which of these you display is a personalchoice. In this class we will use three of the most basic toolbars; Standard, Formatting,and Report.

1. Choose Toolbars on the View menu.

2. Select the Standard, Formatting, and Report toolbars.

3. ClickClose.

Using the Formatting toolbar

While the Cell Format dialog box gives you a comprehensive list of formattingoptions, many formatting functions are also available on the Formatting toolbar.

Font

Font Size

Bold , Italic, Underline

Align Left, Center, Align Right, Justify, Center Across Break

Currency Style, Percent Style, Million Style, Add a Decimal Place,Remove a Decimal Place

Decrease Indent, Increase Indent

Border

Font Color, Background Color, Border Color

1. Double-clickReport Title in the cell above the table.

2. Enter the new title, Sales by Store, and press the Enter key.


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Chapter 1: 11

3. Use the Formatting toolbar to make the following changes:

Font: Times New Roman,Font Size: 24Font Style: Bold offFont Color: Dark blue

The newly formatted title should look like this:

Custom Border

1. Click anywhere on the title to select it.2. ClickFormat Cell

3. Select the Border tab.

4. Select the thicker black solid line (second row, first column) under Style.

5. Apply this line style to the right and bottom edges of the table.

This will give the edge of the title a 3-D appearance.


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The title should look like this:

Centering on the pageWe will now center the title on the page. You could manually drag the title cell until itappeared to be centered. However, the following method makes sure the cell iscentered, even if the page margins change.

1. Right-click on the title cell to display the pop-up menu.


3. Select the Appearance tab.

4. Click the down arrow forHorizontal Position Relative to:.

5. Select Center across the Page.

at dialog box.

To see this more clearly we will

7.

;

6. ClickOK to close the Cell Form

The title cell is now centered across the report.change to Page Layout mode.

Select View Page Layout.

Note:The last button in the Report toolbar can be used to change to Page Layout mode.


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Chapter 1: 13

Page Layout mode shows the margins on the page as dotted lines. Page Layout alsoshows the current page number and the total number of pages for the report.

Marginske the margins smaller so that the table will fit on the page. You can change

File Page Setup.

e the Margins dialog box.

x.

opying Cell Formatting

ding.

atting toolbar.

ntents of the cell.

5. Click the Paste Format Only

We will mathe margins by dragging the lines displayed in Page Layout mode, or by using themenus.

1. Select

2. Click the Margins button.

3. Set all four margins to 0.5.

4. Click the OK button to clos

5. Click the OK button to close the Page Setup dialog bo

C

1. Click the Year column hea

2. Click the Italic button in the Form

3. ClickEdit Copy or press Ctrl+C to copy the co

4. Drag across the remaining cells of the header row to select them.

button or press Ctrl+Shift+V to copy the

umber Formatslayed in many different ways by choosing different formats. There

ck a value in the Sales column to select the column and display the pop-upmenu.

formatting of the Yearheading to the other column headings.

NNumbers can be dispcan be different format settings for positive and negative values as well as for zero andnull values.

1. Right-cli


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Click o3. n the Number tab if it isnt already displayed.

f the dialog box.

5.

;

4. Select the Currency category on the left side o

Select the top format option $#,##0.00.

This will add two decimal places to the sales values.

Note: See Appendix B - Number Formatting for an explanation of the formatting

characters.6. lickOK to close the dialog box.

The report should now

7.

C

look like this:

Save the document as Sales by Store.rep


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Chapter 1: 15

Exercise 1: Cell Formatting

Review

1. What effect does setting Wrap text and Row by Row Auto Fit have?

2. Is the Center across the page option on the Alignment or Appearance tab?

3. What view layout shows the page margins?

ExerciseCreate the report below using the EDW R&A Training universe.

Objects: First Name, Last Name, UIN, City, State, Zip Code, ACT Composite ScoreCondition: (Predefined) Urbana-Champaign

Save the document as Formatting Exercise 1.

Finished Report

Margins: .5

Wrap text

Change headers Double line bottom border

Times New Roman

Size 28No BoldCentered on the page


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Chapter 2: 17

Chapter 2

Report Formatting

In this chapter we will examine formatting options affecting the whole report.

Inserting a column header on each pageBy default, the column headings are only displayed on the first page. We are now goingto change the report to display the column headings on every page:

1. Create a new standard report using the New Report Wizard and the eFashionuniverse.

2. Select the following objects:Store name Lines Sales revenue

3. Use the This Year predefined condition:

4. Run the query.

5. Resize the Store name column to be wide enough for the values.

6. ClickFile Print Preview or click the Print Preview button in the Standardtoolbar.

7. Page through the report to see how it will look when printed.

Notice that the column headings are only printed on the first page. We will changethis to have the headings printed on every page.

8. Click the Close button or press Esc to close the print preview.

9. Click anywhere on the table to select it.

When the table is selected, a diagonal line border appears around it.

10.Select Format Table


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The Table Format dialog box is displayed.

11.Select the Page Layout tab.

12.Select Repeat header on every page.

Now the column headings will appear at the top of each page.

13.ClickOK.

14.Select File Print Preview and page through the report to see the change.

The column headings should now appear at the top of each page.

15.Close print preview.

Multiple Line TitlesWhen entering text in a cell, like the report title, you can move to a new line by pressingCtrl+Enter. The previous text will scroll up and may no longer be visible. When youpress Enter to end the text input, the complete text will be displayed.

1. Change the report title to:Sales Revenue

by Product Lines.2. Drag the right edge of the cell to make it slightly wider than the text.


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Chapter 2: 19

The top of the report should look like this:

Adding a LogoThere are different ways to add an image to your report. One way, Insert Picture,creates a link to the image file. The other way, Insert Object, imbeds the imageinto the BusinessObjects document. Unless you are sure the image file will beaccessible while the user is viewing the report and will not be moved or renamed, itsbetter to embed the image in the document.

1. Select View Page Layout.

2. Click on the background of the report to deselect the table.

This is an important step because if something is selected when a new object isinserted, the new object replaces the selected object.

3. ClickInsert Object.

4. Click in the upper-left corner of the report page underneath the wordHeadertoestablish the location of the image.

5. Select the Create from File radio button.

6. Click the Browse button to find the image file.

7. Move to the My Documents\My BusinessObjects Documents\Formatting folder.

8. Select the ds_logo.bmp file

9. Click the Open button

10.Click the OK button.

The logo is added to the report.

11.Turn off the border for the image by using the Border option in the FormattingToolbar.


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; Note: BusinessObjects only supports the TIFF or BMP graphic file formats.

Cell PositioningWe want the logo to be in the upper-left corner of the report.

1. Right-click the logo to display the pop-up menu.2. Select Format Cell.


4. Change theHorizontal Position Relative to: setting to Left Margin.

5. Change the Vertical Position Relative to: setting to Top Margin.

This places the logo in the upper-left corner of the report.

6. ClickOK to close the Cell Format dialog box.

Inserting Page NumbersBusinessObjects has predefined fields that can be inserted in your reports directly fromthe Insert menu. These fields are automatically updated when the information changes.

1. Scroll down until the bottom of the page is visible.

2. Click the page number at the bottom of the page to select it.

ew one.3.

atting of the text to:

number cell should now look like this:

ligning elements with the Gridlements on a page, is to use the Grid options.

We are going to overwrite the existing page number with a nClickInsert Special Field Page Numbers Page # of #.

4. Resize the cell to be large enough for the text.

5. Use the Formatting Toolbar to change the formSize 9No Bold

The page

AOne way to align the edges of several eThe Show Grid option displays a grid of lines on the background, and allows you todetermine the distance between the grid lines. The Snap to Grid option forces theupper-left corner of any elements you move to a grid line.


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Chapter 2: 21

We will change the size of the grid and turn on the Snap to Grid option.

. ClickTools Options.1

2. Select the Display tab.

3. Check the Show Grid and the Snap to Grid options.

and Width options to 2 to make the lines of the grid 1/8th of

5.

6.

ll so that the top is at the top margin and the left edge is two grid blocks

8.

9.

4. Change both the Heightan inch apart.

The Options dialog box should look like this:

ClickOK.

Click the cell with the title to select it.

7. Drag the ceto the right of the logo.

The report should look like this:

ClickTools Options.

Select the Display tab.


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10.Uncheck the Show Grid and the Snap to Grid options.

ogo Report.rep.11.Save the document as L


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Chapter 2: 23

Exercise 2: Report Formatting

Review

1. Embedding the image file in the document means the image will become a part ofthe document and will always be available. True or False?

2. What are two of three ways you can make sure the left edges of two elements arealigned?

ExerciseCreate the report below using the EDW R&A Training universe.

Objects: Campus desc, Decision desc, Term Desc, Count of ApplicationsConditions: none

Logo image file:

C:\My Documents\My Business Objects Documents\Formatting\uillinois.bmp

Save the document as Formatting Exercise 2.

Finished Report

Times New RomanSize 22

Margins: .5


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Chapter 3: 25

Chapter 3

Inserting Freestanding Cells

In this chapter we will add information to the report in freestanding cells. Afreestanding cell is a single cell that is not attached to any other report component. Itcan be moved and formatted independently. Freestanding cells can be used ascontainers for titles, page numbers, graphics, or descriptions.

Inserting the Last Refresh dateWe will now create a cell with the last refresh date.

1. Open the Logo Report document.

2. Click on the background of the report to make sure nothing is selected.

3. ClickInsert Special Field Date and Time Last Refresh.

The cursor changes to the Insert Cell cursor.

4. Click just under the report title to establish the location of the cell.

5. Right-click the cell with the refresh date.

6. Select Format Cell.

7. Select the Number tab.

8. Select the Date/Time category.

9. Click in the Date/Time input field under Properties.

10.Select mm/dd/yy for the format.


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11.ClickOK.

; Note: See Appendix B - Number Formatting for an explanation of the formattingcharacters.

;Note:

If #### is displayed after changing the format, it is because the cell contents arewider than the cells width. To display the contents again, you need to resize the cell. Youcan also auto-size the cell height by double-clicking the top or bottom border.

Add a Label

1. Click the background to remove any selection.

2. Select Insert Cell.

3. Click under the left edge of the title cell to establish the location of the new cell.

4. Enter the text for the cell: Data as of:.

5. Double-click the right edge of the cell to resize.

The top of the report should look somewhat like this:

Align Elements using AlignmentThe Alignment option also allows you to align the edges of cells. This option movesthe second element selected to the first element selected so that the specified edgesalign. The order of selecting the cells is very important. The first element selectedbecomes the anchor. The second element selected will be moved to match the locationof the first. We will align the left edges of the title and label cells.

1. Hold down the Alt key and click anywhere on the table to select it.

2. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the title cell.

3. ClickFormat Placement Alignment.

The Align Elements dialog box is displayed.

; Note: There is an Alignment toolbar that allows you to align elements with one click.


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Chapter 3: 27

4. Select Right to move the label cell to the left edge of the title cell.

5. Align the top edges of the text cell and the cell with the refresh date.

6. ClickOK.

The top of the report should look like this:

7. Save the document as Logo Report.rep.

Page background

1. ClickFormat Page Background.2. Click the New button.

3. Click the Browse button.

4. Select the watermark.bmp file from the Formatting folder.

5. ClickOK to close the Insert Object dialog box.

6. ClickOK to close the Page Background dialog box.

The finished report should look like this:

; Note: The page background is only seen in Page Layout mode.

7. Save the document.


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Templates

A template is a file with an extension of.ret. which contains the saved formattingsettings of a report. You can create a template from an existing document by saving itas a template. BusinessObjects documents are saved with an extension of.rep in the..\userDocs folder. Templates are saved with an extension of.ret in the\templates\en folder.

Saving a Report as a Template.

1. ClickFile Save As.

The Save As dialog box displays. By default you are taken to the folder:\My Documents\My Business Objects Documents\userDocs

2. Change the Save in: folder to\My Documents\My Business ObjectsDocuments\templates\en\.

3. From the Save as type: drop-down list, select BusinesObjects Templates (*.ret).

4. ClickSave.

You return to your report.

5. Select File Close to close the report.

Choosing a template for a new document

1. Click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar.

The New Report Wizard screen appears.

You have two choices: Generate a standard report. Select a template.

2. Click the Select a template radio button.

3. ClickBegin to display the available templates.


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Chapter 3: 29

The list includes templates provided with BusinessObjects in the Templates folder,as well as templates you saved in this folder. If you saved your template in adifferent folder, use the Browse button to locate it.

On the right side of the screen you can see a preview of the selected template. Ifyou plan to use this template as the basis for most future reports, you can check theSet as My Default Template option on the bottom of the screen.

4. Select Logo Report and clickNext.

5. Complete the query using the eFashion universe with the following objects:

Year State City Store name Quantity Sold

; Note: The set of columns that we are selecting for this new report is not the same as inthe original template.

6. Run the report.

Your report should look like this:


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; Note: You will not see the page background or the page numbers in the new report untilyou display it in Page Layout format.Appling a template to an existing report

1. ClickFormat Report.

2. Select Apply Template for a list of available templates.

3. Choose the Table Master Detail template.

4. Close the document without saving the changes.


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Chapter 3: 31

Exercise 3: Templates

Review

1. The standard report style cannot be changed. True or False?

2. Once set, the report template cannot be changed without deleting the report. Trueor False?

ExerciseOpen the Formatting Exercise 2.rep document saved in the previous exercise.

Add the text for the refresh date, the author, and the description.

Create a template from this report.

Save the document as Formatting Exercise 3.rep.

Finished Report

ArialSize 9


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Chapter 4: 33

Chapter 4

Alerters

Alerters can be created to highlight values that meet specific criteria. The cellformatting is changed if the specified condition is true. Lets take the report that wejust created and highlight the stores with Low sales.

Adding an Alerter

1. Open the Sales by Store document.

2. Select the Sales column.

3. Click the Alerters button on the Report toolbar (or select it from the Formatmenu).

The Alerters window will open.

4. Click the Add button to add an alerter.


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The Edit Alerters window will appear.

5. Enter the name Sales indicator.

6. Click the Conditions tab.

We now set the conditions for low, medium, and high sales in the Conditions tab.

Low sales < $1,000,000

Medium sales >= $1,000,000 and < $1,500,000

High sales > $1,500,000

Well start by specifying the conditions for low sales.

1. Click the Operator 1 drop down list and select


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Chapter 4: 35

; Note:You cannot include the $ or commas in the value.4. Click the down arrow for Result and select Format.

The standard Cell Format window will appear, permitting you to change theformatting of the selected cells.

5. On the Font tab, clickBold to display bold, red text if the value is less than1000000.

6. ClickOK to exit the Cell Format dialog box.

We now need to specify the conditions for medium sales, which are between$1,000,000 and $1,500,000.

1. Click the second field below the Operator 1 label and select >= from the list ofOperators.

2. Enter 1000000 for Value 1.

3. Click the Operator 2 drop down list and select


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We now need to specify the conditions for high sales.

1. Click the third field below the Operator 1 label, and select > from the list ofOperators.

2. Enter 1500000 for Value 1.

3. Select None in the Operator 2 field.

4. Change the font formatting to Bold..

5. ClickOK to close the Alerters dialog box.


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Chapter 4: 37

Now all sales are formatted according to the conditions we set in the alerter.

Using Alerters to Format Reports

Along with highlighting critical values within a report, alerters can be used inconjunction with calculations and variables to format reports. For example, you mightuse an alerter to hide sections of a report based on a value, such as college.

The following example uses an alerter to create a banded report where alternate rowshave a different background color in order to make the report more readable.We will create a variable which will alternate between 0 and 1 based on the linenumber. This variable will be used in the alerter to determine the background color.

Variable

1. ClickData Variables.

2. Click the Add button to add a new variable.

The Variable Editor window will appear.

3. Select the Definition tab.

4. Enter EvenLine as the name of the variable.


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5. Select Measure in the qualification section.

6. Select the Formula tab.

7. Enter the following formula: =Even(LineNumber())

The Even(number) function returns 1 for an even number and 0 for an odd number.

The LineNumber() function returns the number of the current line in a block,beginning at the header row for each section. Therefore, the value of LineNumberfor the first row of data under the header row would be 2.

8. ClickOK.

The EvenLine variable will become available.

9. Click the Close button.

Adding a Second AlerterWe will create an alerter that uses theEvenLine variable to change the formatting ofalternating lines.

1. Drag across all columns to select them all.

2. Click the Alerters button on the Report toolbar.

3. Click the Add button.

The Edit Alerters dialogue box will appear.

4. Select the Definition tab.


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Chapter 4: 39

5. Enter Alternate Row Shading as the name for the alerter, and add a description.

6. Select the Conditions tab.

7. Set the Variable to Compare to EvenLine.

e Format from the drop-down menu.

12.

8. For Operator 1 choose =.

9. For Value box, type 1.

10.In the Result box, choos

11.Click the Shading tab in the Cell Format dialog box.

Set the Foreground to light grey.

13.Select Solid (100%) in the Shading panel.


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This means that the color will include 100% of the foreground color and 0% of the

14.

15. lor to Automatic.

ault alerter setting of red text.

17.

background color.

Select the Font tab.

Change the font Co

This turns off the def

16.ClickOK.

The Edit Alerters window should resemble this:

ClickOK to close the Edit Alerters window.

The Alternate Row Shading alerter will be added to the Alerters window.


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Chapter 4: 41

; Note: Once an alerter is created, it can be turned on and off by checking/unchecking thecheck box to the left of the alerter on the Alerters screen.

18.

e alterersnging the background color, the Alternatecolor to the default black.

Sales column.

ClickOK to close the Alerters window.

The rows should have alternating backgrounds. Some of the low values in theales column will now be black instead of red. This happened because thS

are applied in order. In addition to chaRow Shading alterer changed the font

Changing the Order of the Alerters

1. Click on a value in the

2. Click on the Alerters button in the Report toolbar.

3. Uncheck both alerters.

4. pply button.

5.

6. Save the changes and close the document.

Check the Alternating Row Shading and then click the A

Check and apply the Low Sales alerter.

This should change all the low values back to red text.


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Exercise 4 Alerters

Review

1. The only thing you can change with an alerter is the color of the text or thebackground of the cell. True or False?

2. What determines the order in which alerters are applied?

Exercises

Edit report Formatting Exercise 2.

Create one Alerter with three conditions for the Count of Applications column.

Low Apps: < 5 Red backgroundMedium Apps: >= 5 and 10 Green background

Save the report as Formatting Exercise 4. This will be used in a later exercise.

Completed Exercise


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Chapter 5: 43

Chapter 5

Block Types

BusinessObjects files are saved as documents, not as reports. A document cancontain several reports, and a report can contain several blocks. So far we have onlyworked with one report per document and one block per report.

Below are three major block types that BusinessObjects supports: Table, Cross Tab,and Chart. There is an Insert icon located on the Report toolbar for each of theseblock types. You can also convert a block from one type to another.

Insert TableInsert Crosstab Insert Chart

The resulting blocks look like the following:

We will create a report with each type of block.


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Table Block Type

First we will create a table.

1. Create a new document using the eFashion universe

2. Add the following objects:

Year State Sales Revenue

3. Run the query.

The table and the BusinessObjects window looks like this:

Convert a Table to a CrosstabNow we will make a copy of the table and convert it to a crosstab The crosstab andtable blocks are both in the same report. In this case, the crosstab uses the same data asthe table. If we wanted different data in the crosstab, we would use the Insert Crosstab

button and select different objects in the query panel.1. Click anywhere on the table to select it.

2. While holding down the Ctrl key, drag and drop the border of the table to the right.

This will create a copy of the table.

3. Click the Format Block button in the Report toolbar.

4. Select the Pivot tab in the Table Format dialog box.


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Chapter 5: 45

The Pivot options are displayed.

If objects are moved from theBody folder into the Columns andRows folders, thetable is converted to a crosstab.

5. Drag and drop the State object to the Columns folder.

6. Drag and drop the Year object to the Rows folder.

The Used Variables panel should look like this:

7. Click the OK button.

The second table should now be a crosstab like the one below.


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; Note: BusinessObjects has a bug in the way Pivot options are displayed. Items placed inthe Rows folder display as columns, and vice-versa.

Converting to a ChartThe last block we will add to the current report is a chart. We will make a copy of thecrosstab and convert the copy to a bar chart..

1. Click anywhere on the crosstab to select it.

2. While holding down the Ctrl key, drag and drop the border of the crosstab to thebottom.

This will create a copy of the crosstab.

3. Click anywhere on the new crosstab to select it.

4. Click the down arrow on the Chart Type button in the Report toolbar.

5. Select the 3D Column button on the drop down menu of chart types.


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Chapter 5: 47

The crosstab is converted to a 3D Column chart which uses the same data as thetable and the crosstab.

6. Click just outside the right edge of the chart.

7. Drag the handle on the right side of the chart to increase the width to match the

width of the crosstab.

Renaming the BlocksBlocks are given names as they are created. Sometimes you may want to rename theblocks with a more descriptive name. For example, the three blocks in this report arenamed Table 1, Table 1.0, and Table 1.0.1. We will rename them so we can tell which

is which.1. Right-click the table.

2. Select Format Table.

3. Select the General tab.

4. Change the name to Table.

5. Use the same process to rename the other blocks to Crosstab and Chart.


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Relative PositioningRelative positioning allows you to specify the location of an element relative to a block.For example, a text cell can be positioned one half inch below the bottom of a table. Ifthe table changes size after a refresh, the text cell will still be one half inch below the

table. We will use relative positioning to make sure the blocks dont overlap.1. Right-click the crosstab.

2. Select Format Crosstab.


4. Change theHorizontal Position Relative to: setting to Table.

; Note: The reference point for a block for the relative positioning is the lower-right cornerof the block. For example, if the position is relative to a table and the settings for Left andTop are both 0, the location is the lower-right corner of the table.

5. Set the Left setting to 4.

This will move the crosstab so that the left edge is one quarter inch to the right ofthe table.

6. Right-click the chart.

7. Select Format Chart.

8. Change theHorizontal Position Relative to: setting to Table.

9. Set the Left setting to 4.

10.Change the Vertical Position Relative to: setting to Crosstab.

11.Set the Top setting to 4.


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Chapter 5: 49

This will move the chart so that the left edge is one quarter inch to the right of thetable and the top is one quarter inch below the crosstab.

12.ClickOK to close the Cell Format dialog box.

13.To see the advantage of relative positioning, resize the Year column in the table andthe height of the rows in the crosstab.

Documents with Multiple Reports

A document can contain multiple reports. In this example, we created a document withone report containing three blocks. Now we will create a second report with a modifiedversion of the crosstab block.

To create the second report,we will duplicate the existing report so that we dont haveto recreate the crosstab. We could also insert a report, but this would create a blankreport.

Renaming ReportsAt the bottom of the panel displaying the 3 blocks, there is a tab named Report1. A tabwill be displayed for each report in the document.

1. Right-click the Report1 tab.

2. Select Rename Report from the pop-up menu.

3. Enter All Blocks as the new name for the report, press Enter or clickOK.

Duplicate a Report

1. Right-clickagain on the All Blocks tab

2. Select Duplicate Report from the pop-up menu.

A new report tab is displayed with the name All Blocks (1).

3. Change the name of the new report to Crosstab.

Deleting Blocks

1. Click anywhere on the table to select it.

2. Move the cursor to the border.

3. Right-click to display the pop-up menu.

4. Select Delete from the menu to delete the table.

5. Delete the chart in the same way.


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Adding row and column totalsNow we want to add row and column totalsand row percentages. This can be

accomplished in a number of ways. One way is to use the Calculator button found

on the Slice and Dice panel. A second way is to use the Sum button on the Reporttoolbar.

1. Drag the border of the crosstab to move it closer to the left edge of the report.

2. Click on a value for Sales revenue.

3. Click on the Insert Sum button in the Report toolbar.

The sums are added to the crosstab in both directions.

4. Use Save As to save the document as Two Reports.

5. Close the document.

One advantage of using multiple report documents is that they facilitate the report

development process and the creation of report libraries in the following ways:

Report Development: By adding reports as you develop a document, you can savedifferent versions of the same report as it is being developed. When finallycompleted, keep the report containing the final version and delete the other reports.This makes it easy to go back to an earlier version.

Report Libraries: Having multiple reports makes it easy to run and distributereports that are meant to be seen together. You can eliminate the need to distributemultiple documents when one document can contain all the various reports. Anexample of this is end of the month status reports.


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Chapter 5: 51

Exercise 5: Block Types

Review

1. What tab is used in the Format Table dialog box to convert a table to a crosstab?

2. Which is the correct order from largest to smallest?Document Report BlockBlock Document ReportReport Document Block

3. ____________ postioning can be used to maintain a constant distance betweenelements even if the elements change size.

ExerciseCreate a document using the EDW R&A Training universe. The document shouldhave two reports named One and Two. Report One should have a table. Report Twoshould have a crosstab and a chart. All blocks with be based on the same data.

Objects: College desc, Term desc, College PGPAConditions: (Predefined) ChicagoTerm Code Entry Matches Pattern %8

Add an Average calculation for the College PGPA.

Finished Reports


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Chapter 6: 53

Chapter 6

Formatting Charts

BusinessObjects provides fifteen different styles of charts that can be added to reports.Each element of the chart can be edited to look just the way you want. As there are toomany combinations of charts and elements to cover completely in this chapter, we willfocus on the basic elements for a bar chart.

Convert a Table to a Chart

1. Create a standard report based on the eFashion universe.

2. Select the following objects:Year State Sales revenue

3. Run the query.

4. Hide the Report Manager to show more of the report.

5. Click anywhere on the table.

6. Click the down arrow of the Chart Type button.

7. Select the 3-D Column chart type.

The table will be changed to a bar chart.


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Resize the Chart

1. Click just outside the right edge of the chart.

2. Drag the middle box on the inner border to resize the chart. Make the chartapproximately four inches wide.

Display Gridlines

1. Right-click anywhere on the chart.

2. Select Display Axes/Gridlines from the pop-up menu.

The Axes and Gridlines dialog box is displayed. The Axes options will display orhide the labels. The Gridlines options will display or hide the gridlines on the wallsand floor of the chart.

3. Check the gridlines for the X, Y, and Z axes.

4. ClickOK.


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Chapter 6: 55

5. The chart should now look like:

Change the Scale

1. Click the labels for the Y axis to select them.

2. Right-click any of the values to display the pop-up menu.

3. Select Format Axis Label from the menu.

4. Select the Scale tab.

5. Enter the following values:Minimum: 0Maximum: 5,000,000Major Unit: 1,000,000

6. The Y axis labels should now look like this:


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Set the Z-Axis


2. Select Format Chart from the pop-up menu.

3. Select the Pivot tab.

4. Move the Year object to the Z-Axis folder.

dd a Title and a Legend

end options.

alog box.

1.

sort for the Year object.

A1. Select the General tab.

2. Check the Title and Leg

3. ClickOK to close the Chart Format di

The chart should now look like this:

Resort the Chart

Click the 2001 label for the Z Axis.

2. Add a descending

The chart should now look like this:


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Chapter 6: 57

3. Right-click any of the Yearvalues.

4. Select Delete from the pop-up menu to remove the labels.

; Note: The labels can be displayed again by selecting the Z-Axis option on the Generaltab of the Format Chart dialog box.

Change the Chart Title

1. Double-click the chart title and enter the new title: State Sales by Year.

2. Change the font size to 12.

3. Turn on the Bold option.

The updated title should look like this:

Changing the 3-D Options


2. Select Format Chart from the pop-up menu.

3. Select the Series tab.

4. Click the 3-D View button.5. Change the Elevation value to 10.

6. Change the Rotation value to 10.

7. Click the OK button to close the 3-D View Format dialog box.

8. Change the Chart Depth setting to 150.

9. Change the Gap Width to 75.

10.Click the OK button to close the dialog box.

The finished chart should look like this:


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Exercise 6: Formatting Charts

Review

1. How do you resize a chart?

2. The data in a chart can be sorted after the chart has been created. True or False?

ExerciseCreate the following report using the EDW R&A Training universe.

Objects: College Desc, Count(*)Conditions: (Predefined) Urbana-Champaign, Term Code Entry Equal to 120028

Chart SettingsChart Depth: 150Gap Width: 200

Gap Depth: 100Elevation: 15Rotation: 10

Finished Report


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Chapter 7: 59

Chapter 7

Drilling

BusinessObjects drill mode allows a user to analyze report data so that retrievedinformation can be viewed at different levels of detail. It is a very useful tool fordiscovering reasons for trends, and computing totals such as sums or counts for variouslevels of aggregation.

Analysis is performed by navigating up, down, or across one or several hierarchies ofdata. You drill down on data to examine underlying detail, and drill up to examine thetotals for that underlying detail.

Drilling on a BusinessObjects document is only available in the BusinessObjects editor.You cannot drill a BusinessObjects document while viewing the document inInfoView.

Drilling can be done only on dimension objects, not on detail or measure objects. Asyou drill to each new level, down or up, measure objects are recalculated for the newlevel of aggregation.

Drilling process consists of the following basic steps:

3. In the Query Panel, set the Scope of Analysis.

4. Runthe report.

5. Start the Drill Mode.

6. Drill.

HierarchiesIn order to drill, the objects in a universe must be organized into hierarchies, with themost general objects at the top and the most detailed objects at the bottom. A hierarchyhas a one to many relationship from the top level down to the next level.

The default hierarchies used for drilling are the order of the objects in the universeclasses. For example, the following classes are set up as hierarchies in the eFashionuniverse:Time period class: Year, Quarter, Month, Week, Holiday (y/n).Store class: State, City, Store name.Product class: Lines, Category, SKU description, color, Unit price MSRP.

A User defined hierarchy is a hierarchy created by a user when a need arises. It caninclude objects from several classes and is stored in the document where it was created.It is only available when editing that document. The order of dimensions that will bedrilled can also be changed. These modifications are only at the document level. Theoriginal hierarchy remains unchanged.


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Scope of AnalysisScope of Analysis determines the additional objects to be included in the query so thatthe data will be available in drill mode. Before you can drill, you must use Scope ofAnalysistoselect the objects to be retrieved in addition to those that were placed in the

Result Objects.

When the query is run, all objects (those listed in the Query Panel and those checkedon the Scope of Analysis screen) are retrieved from the database and stored in the dataprovider. The lower level objects that were checked in the Scope of Analysis do notappear until you start to drill.

Simple DrillingThe simplest drill consists of moving up or down on objects in the same class orhierarchy. In the following example we will analyze sales by state, city, and store.

1. Create a new report using the eFashion universe.

2. Select the following two objects:

State Sales revenue

3. Click on the Scope of Analysis button on the Query Panel tool bar.

The Scope of Analysis dialog box appears and shows the hierarchies available fordrilling.


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Chapter 7: 61

; Note: the State object is already checked and cannot be deselected.

. oxes for City and Store name. Or, alternatively, you can select thentire Store class by clicking the box next to Store.

t the Scope of Analysis drop down list has changed from Scope ofone to Custom Level.

nually, rather than

6.

4 Check the be

5. ClickOK.

Observe thaAnalysis: N

Custom Level indicates that we set up our Scope of Analysis maby using the drop down list which allows us to select by default only one, two orthree levels.

Run the query.


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The report appears.

7. Click the Drill button on the Standard Toolbar to start drill mode.

You can also activate drill mode by choosing AnalysisDrill, or right-clicking theReport1 tab and then choosing Drill.

Notice that:

A new report tab called Report1 (1) was created with a duplicate of our originalreport. The original remains untouched.

The new tab has a drill icon, which indicates that you are now in drill mode. A Sum calculation for the measure object, Sales revenue, was added to the

table.

8. Position the mouse over any row in State column.

Mouse pointer changes to a magnifying glass containing a plus (+) signindicating you can drill down on this value. A tool tip appears with the name of the

Dri

on the state ofTexas to drill to the next lower level.

object you will drill down to.

lling down

1. Double-click


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Chapter 7: 63

We have now drilled down to City level.

Notice:

A new drop down list is displayed and shows that the datawe are viewing is for the state of Texas.

The data in the report is filtered based on the value displayed in the drill toolbar. The sum total of the measure object Sales revenue has been recalculated for the

three Texas cities only.

2. Move your cursor to the row for Houston and double click.

We are now at the lowest level, since Store name is the last level in our hierarchy.

Notice that at the lowest level:

The magnifying glass cursor has changed to the normal arrow cursor, since weare now at the bottom of the drill hierarchy.

The tooltip message Right-click to explore displays when the cursor rests on a

store value and indicates that this is the lowest level that can be drilled.

Drilling upIn drilling up, you ascend the hierarchy and display data on a less detailed level at eachstep.

There are two ways of drilling up:

By using the Pop-up menu By double-clicking on the sum value at the bottom of the report.

3. Right-click on a Store name value.


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City is the next level up. The Texas cities (Austin, Dallas and Houston) aredisplayed, and the quantity sold sum total is recalculated.

Another way to drill up is by double-clicking on the sum value at the bottom of thereport. This will take you up the exact same path that you drilled down.

4. Rest your cursor over the cell with the value for the sum.

The cursor changes to a magnifying glass with a minus (-) sign , to indicate thatyou can drill up. A label appears with the name of the higher hierarchy level.

5. Double-click to drill up to the top level of the class hierarchy, State.

Drilling acrossWe can also display different data by choosing other values from the drop down menu.This is called drilling across. Drilling acrossshows totals foranother value on thesame level in thecurrent hierarchy.

1. Drill down one level on California.

The two California cities are displayed.

2. Click the down arrow on the drop down list.

Several additional features are available:

All States will display all Cities for all States in the report.


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Chapter 7: 65

(Move to block) will insert that column into the report block. For instance, inour report, it will move the State object from the drop down list and make it thefirst column in the report block.

(Remove) will remove that dimension as part of the drilling hierarchy.

3. ClickDC to drill across to the DC store.

4. Close and do not save the report.

Drilling throughIf you drilled down to the lowest level of data that was originally set up in the Scope ofAnalysis, but realized that you need an even lower level of detail for your report, youcan retrieve it from the database without editing the query or resetting the Scope ofAnalysis. You can extend the data provider to include one and only one additionalobject. This is called Drilling Through.

We will work with a new report with Productclass objects.

1. Create a new report based on the eFashion universe.

2. Include the following objects:

Year Sales revenue

3. Click the Scope of Analysis button and include additional objects:

Quarter Month

4. Run the query.

Your report should look like this:

5. Click the Drill Mode button to start drill mode.

6. Drill down on 2000.

7. Drill down on Q2.


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Your lowest level report should look like the example below:

At this point we need to know the revenue for the individual weeks. Weekis thenext dimension object in the Productclass, but we did not include it in our scope ofanalysis. We will now drill through to retrieve the Weekobject.

8. Right-click on the 6Month value to display the pop-up menu.

9. Choose Drill Through from the pop-up menu.

10.The Drill Through dialog box is displayed.


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Chapter 7: 67

Dimensions currently selected (Year, Quarter, Month) are grayed out.

11.ClickWeek to select it.

12.ClickOK.

The query to get the new Weekobject is sent to the database to retrieve the data.

Week values are displayed in the block you are analyzing as if you had drilleddown.

User Defined Hierarchies

Youmay findthat you would like to drill down in a different order than the order ofobjects in the class, or objects from several different classes need to be pulled togetherinto one drill path. In such a case, you can create a user defined hierarchy. You cancreate these custom hierarchies from user objects, variables, or any dimensions that arein a document.

The hierarchies are document specific and are saved in the document where they arecreated. They have no effect on the original universe from which the objects are drawn.


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; Note: You cannot combine dimensions from different data providers into a singlehierarchy.We will create a user defined hierarchy to analyze product sales by year, because theanalysis requires objects from two separate classes - Productand Time period.

1. Create a new document using the eFashion universe.

2. Include the following objects:

Lines Quantity sold

3. Bring up the Scope of Analysis screen.

4. CheckYear from Time periodclass and Category and SKU desc from Product

Run th

class.

5. e query.

ld look like this:The report shou


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Chapter 7: 69

We will now set up our new custom hierarchy.

6. Choose AnalysisHierarchies.

The Hierarchies Editor will be displayed with two available hierarchies: Timeperiodand Products.

We will now remove these existing hierarchies and create our own.

7. Remove both the Time period and Products hierarchies from the AvailableHierarchies panel on the right by selecting them and then clicking the Removebutton.

;Note:

Removing a hierarchy through the Hierarchies Editor panel removes it only fromthe current document, and not from the universe.8. Click the New button.

A new hierarchy called Hierarchy 3 is added to the Available Hierarchies panel.

9. Highlight Hierarchy 3 and rename it to Year/Product.

10.Open the Query 1 with eFashion folder in the Available Dimensions pane on theleft.

11.Double-click the following fields to move them to the Year/Product folder.

Lines Year Category SKU description

12.Move objects up or down to get them in the following order:


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13.ClickOK.

14.Start drill mode.

15.Drill the document and see how it follows the path within the custom hierarchy thatwe have just set up.

Saving a SnapshotAs your drilling progresses, you can keep copies of the different stages of drill outputunder separate report tabs.

To make a copy of a report showing the current drill level, click the Snapshotbutton on the Report toolbar while viewing a report in drill mode.

Setting Options for Working in Drill ModeSome of the options for drill mode can be customized on the Tools/Options Drill Tab.

1. ClickTools Options.

2. Click the Drill tab.


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Chapter 7: 71

; Note: We recommend that you do not reset the Drill Options before you have used thedrill mode and understand the process.


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Exercise 7 Drill Mode

Review1. Drilling can be done only on __________ objects.2. What are the two methods for creating a Scope of Analysis?3. Only the Universe designer can create a Hierarchy. True or False?4. Before a report can be drilled, the Scope of Analysis must be established. True or

False?

ExerciseCreate a drillable report using the EDW R&A Training universe.

Objects: Campus Desc, Last Name, First Name, Campus Pgpa.

Use the Scope of Analysis to allow drilling of the entire U of I Hierarchy.

Drill down on the Urbana-Champaign campus, Engineering college, and the Civiland Environmental Eng department.

Finished Report


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Appendix A: 73

Appendix A Review AnswersExercise 1: Cell Formatting

1. What effect does setting Wrap text and Row by Row Auto Fit have?

The text within the cell will wrap to the next line if its too wide for the cell and theheight of the cell will adjust to the height of the text.

2. Is the Center across the page option on the Alignment or Appearance tab?

Appearance

3. What view layout shows the page margins?

Page Layout

Exercise 2: Report Formatting

1. Embedding the image file in the document means the image will become a part of

the document and will always be available. True

2. What are two ways you can make sure the left edges of two elements are aligned?Snap to Grid, Format Placement Alignment

Exercise 3: Templates

1. The standard report style cannot be changed. False

2. Once set, the report template cannot be changed without deleting the report. False

Exercise 4 Alerters

1. The only thing you can change with an alerter is the color of the text or thebackground of the cell. False

2. What determines the order in which alerters are applied? The order in which theyare applied to the cell.

Exercise 5: Block Types

1. What tab is used in the Format Table dialog box to convert a table to a crosstab?Pivot

2. Which is the correct order from largest to smallest?Document Report Block

3. Relative postioning can be used to maintain a constant distance between elementseven if the elements change size.


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Exercise 6: Formatting Charts

1. How do you resize a chart? Click near the chart. Drag the boxs handles toresize the chart.

2. The data in a chart can be sorted after the chart has been created. True

Exercise 7 Drill Mode1. Drilling can be done only on dimension objects.2. What are the two methods for creating a Scope of Analysis? Setting the number

of levels and selecting the objects in the Custom Scope of Analysis3. Only the Universe designer can create a Hierarchy: False, a user can create a

custom hierarchy.4. Before a report can be drilled, the Scope of Analysis must be established: True


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Appendix B: 75

Appendix B - Number FormattingThis list explains the symbols used in default formats:

# Digit placeholder. If the number has more digits to the right of thedecimal point than there are #s in the format, BusinessObjects rounds

it off to the number of #s., (comma) Thousands separator.

0 (zero) Digit placeholder. Space reserved for a numeral. Follows the samerules as the # placeholder, except that 0 (zero) allows you to displayextra zeros. For example, if you want to display 4.6 as 4.60, you canuse the #.00 format.

. (decimal symbol) Specifies which symbol separates digits.

E+ E- Scientific notation. The number of 0s to the right of the E symbolindicates the number of decimals to the left (E-) or right (E+) of thedecimal point.

[color] Displays the characters in the cell in the designated color. White,Green, Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, Cyan, Gray, Purple, Magenta, Dark

Green, Dark Red, Dark Blue, Dark Cyanm Displays the month as a number without leading zeros (1 to 12). Ifyou use m directly after the h or the hh symbol, BusinessObjectsdisplays minutes instead of months.

mm Displays the month as a number with leading zeros (01 to 12). If youuse mm directly after the h or the hh symbol, BusinessObjectsdisplays minutes instead of months.

Mmm Displays the month as an abbreviation (Jan-Dec).

Mmmm Displays the month as a full name (January-December).

d Displays the day as a number without leading zeros (1 to 13).

dd Displays the day as a number with leading zeros (01 to 13).

Dddd Displays the day as a full name (Sunday-Saturday). If the first two

letters are capital letters the whole month is capitalized.yy or yyyy Displays the year as a two-digit number (00 to 99) or as a four-digit

number (1900 to 2078).

h or H Displays the hour as a number without leading zeros (0 to 23) or as anumber with leading zeros (00 to 23). If the format contains an AM orPM, the hour is based on the 12-hour clock.hh is the 12 hour cycle and HH a 24 hour cycle

m or mm Displays the minute as a number without leading zeros (0 to 59) or asa number with leading zeros (00 to 59). The m or mm must be useddirectly after h or hh, otherwise BusinessObjects displays it as themonth.

s or ss Displays the second as a number without leading zeros (0 to 59) or as

a number with leading zeros (00 to 59)./ The back slash is used to undo the effects of reserved characters such

as m, s or d


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Examples

To display Use this format code

1234.5 as 1234 0

6789 as 6 789.00 # ##0.00

6.3579 as 6.36 0.00

1235 and 1235.68 as 1 235 # ##0

5789.9 as 5789.90% and 23.566 as 23.57% 0.00%

3.289 as 3.29e+000 0.00e+000

34565.9 as $34,565.00 and -2345 as$2,345.00

$#,##0.00;$-#,##0.00[Red]

1 as Mr, -1 as Mrs, and 0 as Miss Mr;Mrs;Miss1 as True and -1 as False True;False


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Appendix C: 77

Appendix C Standard Report StyleStandard Report StyleWhen a new report is created with a Standard Report Style, the data is displayed withcertain pre-defined features. This default formatting is applied to new tables, crosstabs,

breaks, sections, pages, or freestanding cells.

A standard report has the following elements:

A title A table whose header has a dark blue background and whose body has a white

background

Default font settings of Arial, size 10 for body text and numbers. Page numbers in the footer

Saving the default settingsThe settings that define theStandard Report Styleare saved in a file in the My

Documents\My Business Objects Documents\Templates\En\$default$.ret folder. Its agood idea to make a copy of this file prior to making any changes so that you can resetthe options back to the defaults. This file could be copied to other users machines toensure the users have the same settings.

1. Right-click on the Window Start button.

2. Select Explore from the pop-up menu.

3. Go to the My Documents\My Business Objects Documents\templates\En\folder.

4. Copy file $default$.ret to Copy of $default$.ret in the same folder.

Changing the Standard Report StyleThe Standard Report Style can be customized using the Standard Report Styles dialogbox.

1. ClickTools Standard Report Styles.

The Standard Report Styles dialog box opens:


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The left side of the dialog box displays a list of report components.

The right side of the dialog box displays tabs with available formatting options.When you click an icon in the Report Components list, the tabs on the right handside display the formatting choices that can be set for the selected item.

2. Make the desired changes to the format of the report components.

3. ClickOK to close the Standard Report Styles dialog box.

Resetting to the default settingsIf you want to revert back to the default standard styles that came withBusinessObjects, copy the saved file back to the original name.

1. Right-click on the Window Start button.

2. Select Explore from the pop-up menu.

3. Go to the My Documents\My Business Objects Documents\templates\En\folder.

4. Delete or rename file $default$.ret.

This file contains your settings for the standard styles.

5. Copy file Copy of $default$.ret to $default$.ret in the same folder.