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Working with the Report Viewer

About Report Definitions

Purpose

When you run a report definition, the Report Viewer displays its results in a separate window. The Report Viewer offers many options for manipulating the displayed report, such as printing it and exporting it to Excel.

From the Report Viewer, you can open a report for editing in the Report Editor.

Viewing Reports

In the Report Viewer, the report's title displays at the top of the window. When the report is being run, there is a search box that lets you search for specific text within the report. When searching for text, click the search icon repeatedly to move the cursor from instance to instance of the search term where it appears in the report.

When viewing a list report in which paging is enabled, you usually only see a single page of results (typically, 50 rows) at a time. Page links at the top of the report allow you to move to other pages.

When vieiwing a summarized report, you usually see results grouped by one or more columns' values. Each group section will show one or more subtotals, sub-averages, or other values for that group.

Each group is expandable and collapsible for easier viewing: click the arrows to the left of the group headings. The Expand all group headings and Collapse all group headings links at the top of the report let you expand or collapse all group headings with a single click.

You can drill down by clicking on a row or cell of a summarized report to view detailed information about that row or cell. When you drill down to a detailed view, a breadcrumb trail at the top of the report lets you return to the original, summarized report.

Command Ribbon and Search

Toolbar

If the report developer has enabled it, a toolbar appears at the top of the Report Viewer, with one or more of the commands described below.

Command

Description


Edit Report

Click to open the report in the Report Editor to make changes to the report.


Summarize

Click to open the Summarize form. The form allows you to:

  • Specify whether and how each column's values will be summarized. For each column you can select one of the possible options. Depending on the column data type, the options include some or all of the following:
    • Do Not Include - the column is dropped from the report.
    • GROUP BY - Summarized values in the report will be shown grouped by the values in columns using this option.
    • COUNT - Displays a count of the number of rows with a non-null value in this column for each group.
    • COUNT DISTINCT - Displays a count of the number of unique values in this column for each group.
    • SUM - Values in the column are totaled for each group.
    • MAX - Displays the highest value in each group.
    • MIN - Displays the lowest value in each group.
  • Change the sort type for columns: For each column you can select one of the possible sorting options:
    • No Sorting
    • Lowest to Highest
    • Highest to Lowest
  • Change the sort order for columns: If you are sorting results by more than one column, click and hold the drag icon to the left of the column name, and drag the column row higher or lower in the list of columns to change the column order in which sorting is applied.
  • Include a column of row counts - Check the checkbox to add a column of row counts to the report.
  • Expand all group sections by default in initial display - Check the checkbox to expand all group sections by default when the report first appears in the Report Viewer. If this box is unchecked, group sections will all be collapsed when the report first appears.
  • Do not display group headings - Check the checkbox to not show group headings in the report display. This results in a spreadsheet-style display with no subtotals, subaverages, or similar values. In this view, you can sort the results in any way you want. When results are grouped there are restrictions on how results can be sorted: the first n-1 GROUP BY columns must also be the first columns in the sort order.

Click Apply Changes to apply the changes you made in this form to this report, or click Cancel to abandon your selections and close the form.

For a list report, using this command and summarizing the values in one or more columns, or clicking the Include a column of row counts checkbox, converts the report from list to summarized.

List

Displays for a summarized report. Click to convert the report to a list report.

Print

Click to display your system's normal print dialog and then print the report.

Export to PDF

Click to export the formatted report into a PDF document.

Export to Excel

Click to export the report's data into an Excel workbook.

Save

Click to save changes you have made to the report.

Save As

Click to save this report, with any changes you have made, as a new report. In the form that appears, enter the new report's name, title, and description; and select the category type (Public or Private) and category in which to save the new report.

Click OK to save the copy of the report; click Cancel to close the form without saving a copy.

Filter conditions

Filter conditions restrict which rows of data are included in a report (such as "only orders from these customers"; "only open cases"). Filter conditions appear at the top of the report, below the toolbar. However, filter conditions can be defined in the rule form and not appear on the report.

You can add new filter conditions only in the Report Editor or directly in the Report Definition that supports the report.

The developer can opt to let the report user:

Editing filter conditions:

Filter conditions that you can edit appear as hyperlinks. Click a filter link to see the Edit filter form. This form shows the following information and options for the selected filter:

Click Apply to accept your changes, or click Cancel to close the form without changing the filter.

Column command menu

Right-click any column header to edit, reformat, or delete that column. The command available vary depending on whether you are working with a list report or summarized report.

Option Description
Heading...

Click to display the Heading form, and enter the desired column changes.

Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the column heading unchanged.

Format...

Click to display the Format form, then select a valid format for the data values in the column. Some formats permit or require parameters: specify parameters by clicking the icon next to the AutoComplete box.

Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the format unchanged.

Width...

Click to display the Width form, then enter the desired column width as a numeric value followed by a selected unit (pixels, or as a percentage of overall report width).

Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the column width unchanged.

Delete

Click to delete the current column.

Note: if you delete a group-by column, any chart included in the report is deleted.

If the report has only one column, you cannot delete it.

Sort

Click to resort the rows of the report based on just the values of this column, then select whether to sort values from lowest to highest or highest to lowest.

Summarize this column...

Click to display the Summarize column form, which changes a list report to a summarized report that displays row counts grouped by the values in this and any other columns of the report that are selected on the form.

Check the Expand all group sections by default checkbox to display all group sections fully expanded when the report initially appears in the Report Viewer. If this is not selected, only the Overall Total group heading and the group headings for the first Group By column display when the report first appears.

Check the Do not display group headings checkbox to suppress all group headings in a summarized report. When this is selected, no subtotals, sub-averages, or similar values appear in the report; the report displays in "spreadsheet style", with the values for each Group By column repeated on each row.

When this option is selected, you can sort results using any combination of columns. If it is not selected, sorting options are limited since displaying group headings requires that the results be sorted first by the Group By columns, in their group order, to keep detailed rows in the correct group section.

Click OK to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form without making any changes.

Display Values Across Column / Display Values Vertically

Available for summarized reports only.

When the data values for a column display vertically within a single column, click Display Values Across Columns to display the column's values horizontally. This creates a pivot table.

When the data values for a column display horizontally across columns, click Display Values Vertically to display the column's values vertically within a single column.

Related topics Report Definitions — Working with the Chart Editor
Report Definition form — Completing the Chart tab
Using the Report Browser

UpTools — Reporting
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