Chapter 7:
Creating Database Reports
Guide to Oracle 10g
Lesson A Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
• Use the 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
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Lesson A Objectives (continued)
• Create a custom template
• Apply a custom template to a report
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Introduction to Reports Builder
Database Reports
• Reports Builder
– Allows application developers to create reports that
display data from Oracle 10g database
• Developer10g
– Reports Builder allows developers to preview and
distribute reports in variety of different formats
including:
• Web pages
• Portable document format (.pdf) files
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Introduction to Reports Builder
Database Reports (continued)
• Layout styles:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tabular
Form
Mailing label
Form letter
Group left group above
Matrix
Matrix with group
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Using the Report Wizard to Create a
Report
• Steps:
– Specify data that report displays
– Select report style
– Configure report properties and layout
• Report Wizard pages:
–
–
–
–
Welcome
Report type
Style
Data source
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Using the Report Wizard to Create a
Report (continued)
• Report Wizard pages (continued):
– Data
– Fields
• Shows data fields that SQL query returns
–
–
–
–
Totals
Labels
Template
Finish
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Configuring the Report Appearance
• Use Reports Builder environment to:
– Modify report appearance
– Customize report features
• Paper Design window
–
–
–
–
Default editing environment
Refine appearance of reports
Shows how report will appear on paper
Can preview as Web page
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Configuring the Report Appearance
(continued)
• Data Model button
– Modify report data
• Web Source button
– Displays underlying HTML code
• Defines how report will appear in Web browser
• Paper Layout button
– Opens report in Paper Layout view
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Configuring the Report Appearance
(continued)
• Paper Parameter Form button
– View parameter form
– Parameter form
• User selects input parameter values to customize
form appearance and functionality at runtime
• Save report design specification using variety of
formats
– Reports Builder design files
• Rdf extension
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Using the Report Wizard in Reentrant
Mode
• Reentrant mode
– Modify SQL query
• To use ORDER BY clause
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The Reports Builder Object Navigator
Window
• Reports Builder object navigator
– View report components in hierarchical tree
structure
– Access different components in Reports Builder
environment
– Access components of individual report
• Reports
– Top-level node
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The Reports Builder Object Navigator
Window (continued)
• Other objects:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Templates
PL/SQL libraries
Debug actions
Stack
Built-in packages
Database objects
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Reports Builder Object Navigator
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Modifying the Report Appearance in
the Paper Design Window
• Report title appears in report margin
– Area on page beyond where report data appears
• Adjust column’s width
– Select column
– Drag to make it wider or narrower
• Specify format masks for fields that display
number and date data
• Property Inspector
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Modifying the Report Appearance in
the Paper Design Window (continued)
• Import graphic images into reports
– Same as importing graphic images into forms
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Closing and Reopening Reports
• To close report:
– Click File on menu bar
– Click Close
• To open report:
– On Welcome to Reports Builder dialog
• Click Open an existing report option button
• Click OK
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Viewing the Report as a Web Page
• Preview report as Web page
– Click Run Web Layout button
• Web page source code
– File with .htm extension
– Contains HTML commands and text to represent
report content and formatting
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Viewing the Report as a Web Page
(continued)
• View formatting changes in Web page output
– Preview report using either:
• Paginated HTML
• Paginated HTMLCSS format
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Creating a Master-Detail Report
• One record has many associated detail records
– Through foreign key relationship
• Use Report Wizard to specify report style and data
values
– Report’s SQL query must retrieve all master and
detail values
– Report Wizard displays groups page
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Specifying the Style and Data
• Create new report in object navigator
– Select Reports node
– Click Create button
• Styles for creating master-detail reports
– Group left
– Group above
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Using the Groups Page to Specify
Master-Detail Relationships
• Data in master-detail report has multiple levels
• Each data level represents group
– Top-level (master) group is level 1
• Specify report groups
– Move fields for each group from available fields
list to group fields list
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Report Templates
• Many reports that have similar appearance
– Useful to create custom template to specify report
appearance
– Avoid performing same formatting tasks over and
over again
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Creating a Custom Template
• Custom template defines:
– Font sizes and styles for report’s
• Title
• Column headings
• Data values
– Text and background colors
– Boilerplate objects
• Store template definition in template definition file
that has .tdf extension
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The Paper Layout Template Editor
Window
• Environment within Paper Layout window
– Used for editing templates
• Similar to forms builder layout editor
• Areas within painting region in report template
– Margin
– Body
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Paper Layout Template Editor
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Editing Template Margins
• Open margins for editing
– Click Margin button
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Editing the Template Body
• Report body has two types of attributes:
– Default
– Override
• Frame
– Object that encloses similar objects within report
• Parent frame
– Frame that directly encloses object
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Applying Custom Templates to
Reports
• Modify existing report’s template by
– Opening Report Wizard in reentrant mode
– Changing template specification
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Applying Templates by Specifying the
Template Filename
• Select Template file specification option button on
Report Wizard template page
– Enter full folder path and filename of template file
• Including drive letter
• Quick and easy way to apply custom templates
• Disadvantage
– Template file must be available at specified file
location whenever report file opened
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Registering Custom Templates in
Reports Builder
• Appears in predefined templates list on template
page
• Advantage
– Don’t have to specify path to template file
– File does not always have to be available
• Two-step process:
– Modify developer user preferences file
– Copy template file to Reports Builder templates
folder
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Registering Custom Templates in
Reports Builder (continued)
•
•
•
•
User preferences file
Template description
Template filename
Template page displays thumbnail images of
predefined templates
– Create thumbnail image of custom template
– Save screenshot as Bmp file
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Lesson A Summary
• Report
– Summary view of database data that users can view
on screen or print on paper
• Create report
– Specify data to appear in report
– Select report style
– Configure report properties and layout
• Paper design window
• The Reports Builder Object Navigator
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Lesson A Summary (continued)
• Create master-detail report using Report Wizard
• Report template
– Defines report appearance
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Lesson B Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
• Describe 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
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Report Components
• Data Model
– Specifies data that report displays
• Paper Layout view
– Displays report components as symbolic objects
• Report frames
– Group related report objects
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The Data Model Window
• Shows report’s SQL query and associated record
groups
• Report record group
– Set of records represents data fields that query
retrieves
• Simple tabular report has single record group
• Master-detail report has multiple record groups
• Components in report Data Model have properties
– Inspect using Property Inspector
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Report Record Group Column Types
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The Data Model Window (continued)
• Group filter
– Uses some criteria to limit number of records that
report query retrieves
– To create:
• Assign value to filter type property
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Understanding Report Objects
• Repeating rows
– Each row shows same data fields with different
data values
• Report sections:
– Header
– Main
– Trailer
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Report Frames
• Frames
– Containers for grouping related report objects
– Set specific properties for group of objects
• Rather than having to set property for each item
• Group frame
– Encloses repeating frame and optional header
frame
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Report Frames (continued)
• Repeating frame
– Encloses repeating data rows
– Has variable sizing
• Header frame
– Encloses all column headings for record group
• Move object outside enclosing frame
– Error message appears in Reports Builder
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Report Frames (continued)
• Report Wizard derives frame names from names
of associated record groups
• Select specific report frame in Paper Layout
window
– Select item that in frame
– Select item’s parent frame by clicking Select Parent
Frame button
• Change frame properties on frame Property
Inspector
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Components of a Master-Detail
Report
• Multiple record groups
• Multiple group frames
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Master-Detail Data Model
• More complex than Data Model for single-table
report
– Contains multiple record groups
• Data Model groups report record groups according
to master-detail relationships
– Each data link between two record groups
represents master-detail relationship
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Master-Detail Data Model
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Master-Detail Report Frames
• Each record group has associated group frame
– Group frames for more detailed record groups
nested inside group frames for less detailed record
groups
• Frame relationships can be hard to see
– Many frames appear directly on top of each other
– Open frame Property Inspector immediately after
selecting frame
• To check frame name
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Modifying Master-Detail Report
Properties
• Page break between sets of repeating records
– Open Property Inspector for repeating frame
– Change Maximum Records per Page property to 1
• Confine mode
– Determines objects can be moved outside enclosing
frames
– Always safest to leave enabled
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Modifying Master-Detail Report
Properties (continued)
• Flex mode
– Enclosing frame automatically becomes larger
– When enclosed object moved beyond enclosing
frame’s boundary
– Overrides confine mode
– When moving report layout field
• Automatically resizes all surrounding frames
– Works well when to make a frame longer
• But not wider
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Modifying Master-Detail Report
Properties (continued)
• Elasticity
– Determines whether field’s size fixed
– Or whether field can expand or contract
automatically
• Depending on height and width of retrieved data
value
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Report Field Elasticity Indicators
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Report Parameters
• Specifies how report appears
• Specifies report’s behavior when it runs
• Types:
– System
– User
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System Parameters
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User Parameters
• User selects user parameter value from parameter
list
• Parameter list
– Shows possible values
• Modify report to include user parameter
– Create user parameter
– Create parameter list
– Modify report query to use parameter as search
condition
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User Parameters (continued)
• Parameter object name
• Parameter data type
• Configure list of values property in user parameter
Property Inspector
• Syntax:
– :parameter_name
• Parameter form
– Displays title and hint line list of one or more
parameters with associated prompts.
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Customizing the Report Parameter
Form
•
•
•
•
•
Change text that appears in title and hint line
Reposition form items
Add additional text and graphics
Use parameter form builder utility
Also lists all of system parameters
– User can modify at runtime
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Lesson B Summary
• Data Model window shows:
– Report query
– Record groups it generates
– Data links between query and record group
• Create group filter
– To limit number of records report query retrieves
• Paper Layout window displays layout field for
each Data Model column
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Lesson B Summary (continued)
• Frames
– Containers for grouping report record group data
items and column headings
• Report parameters
– System
– User
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Lesson C Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
• 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
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Displaying Image Data in Reports
• Store image data with LOB data type
• Create report based on table that has field with
BLOB data type
– And contains image data
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Creating and Configuring the Report
Image Layout Fields
• Use Report Wizard to create report
– All data fields automatically appear as text
– If column contains multimedia data
• Data appears as text characters “MM”
• Modify field by:
– Opening Property Inspector
– Changing File Format property to image
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Creating Report Queries and Data
Links Manually
• Create query manually
–
–
–
–
Retrieve master records
Create query manually that retrieves detail records
Create data link between two queries,
Create layout fields to display query data
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Creating Queries and Data Links
Manually (continued)
• Create query manually (continued)
–
–
–
–
Open Data Model window
Select SQL query tool
Click in painting region
Type SQL query
• Manually create data links to represent masterdetail relationships between queries
– Master = parent
– Detail = child
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Creating Queries and Data Links
Manually (continued)
• Types of data links
– Query to Query
– Group to Group
– Column to Column
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Manually Linked Queries
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Creating the Label, Repeating Frame,
and Layout Fields
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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
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Creating Formula Columns
• Function
– Self-contained program block
– Returns single value
• User-defined functions
– Use PL/SQL commands to calculate return value
• Formula column
– Displays value that user-defined function returns
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Creating Formula Columns
(continued)
• Create and display formula column
– Create formula column in report Data Model
– Write user-defined function
– Create layout field in report
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Creating a Formula Column in the
Report Data Model
• Click Formula Column tool
• Be careful to place formula column in same record
group as columns that formula function uses in
calculations
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Creating the Formula Column
Function
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Creating a Layout Field to Display the
Formula Column
• Display formula column on report
– Open Paper Layout window
– Use Field tool to create new report layout field
– Place layout field in same repeating frame as
source values for formula
– Set new field’s Source property to name of formula
column
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Creating Summary Columns
• Summary column
– Returns summary value of series of data fields in
repeating frame
• Create
– Using totals page in Report Wizard
– Manually
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Creating a Summary Column Using
the Report Wizard
• Select field to be summarized and summary
function on Report Wizard totals page
• Wizard automatically:
– Modifies report Data Model
– Creates fields to display summary column on
report layout
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Creating a Summary Column
Manually
• Using Report Wizard
– Eliminates all custom formatting
– Deletes custom objects
• Create summary column manually
– Control summary column placement and frequency
– Retain other custom objects
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Creating a Summary Column
Manually (continued)
• Tasks:
– Create summary column in report Data Model
• Using summary column tool
– Modify summary column properties
– Create layout field
• Place layout field in repeating frame that
corresponds to record group that contains summary
column
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Displaying Formatted Reports as Web
Pages
• View report in Paginated HTML or Paginated
HTMLCSS format
– Reports Builder translates report into static Web
page
– Content fixed at time developer generates page
– Not updated with database changes
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Using the Oracle 10g Application
Server to Generate Reports
Dynamically
• Oracle 10g Application Server (OAS)
– Web server Oracle corporation uses to deliver Webbased Oracle 10g database applications to users
• Report Server process
– Queries database when user requests report
– Generates dynamic Web page
– Displays current database data
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Creating a Dynamic Web Page that
Displays Database Data
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Creating Reports that Appear as
Dynamic Web Pages
• Create report using techniques learned in this
chapter
• Save report in either:
– Report definition file (RDF)
– Java server page ( JSP) format
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Creating Reports that Appear as
Dynamic Web Pages (continued)
• Techniques for modifying appearance of Web
reports:
– Use Web source window to modify default
formatting
– Open existing HTML file in Reports Builder that
contains formatting for report
• Use Reports Builder to add commands to retrieve
and display report data
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Overview of HTML Documents
• Text file with .htm or .html extension
• Contains formatting symbols called tags
–
–
–
–
Define how Web page appears in Web browser
Enclose in angle brackets
Opening tag
Closing tag
• Elements
– Represent content that appears on Web page such
as text and graphic images
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Basic HTML Document Structure
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Viewing the Report Web Source File
• Web source file contains
– HTML tags that define report appearance
– Program commands that create dynamic report
elements
• Web report embeds program commands using tags
– Similar to html tags
– Prefaced by rw:
– Same for reports in either format
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Viewing the Report Web Source File
(continued)
• Java commands appear enclosed in the <% and
%> command delimiters
• Data area
– Contains commands that dynamically retrieve and
display report data
– Follow html comment with text <!--Data Area
Generated by Reports Developer -->
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Modifying the Default Appearance of
a Web Report
• Techniques for modifying appearance of Web
reports:
– Use Web Source window to modify default
formatting
– Open existing HTML file in Reports Builder that
contains formatting for report
• Use Reports Builder to add commands to retrieve
and display report data
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Modifying the Default Appearance of
a Web Report (continued)
• Report Block Wizard pages:
–
–
–
–
–
Style page
Groups page
Fields page
Labels page
Template page
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Lesson C Summary
• Create report displays LOB data field
• Manually create queries and data links in Data
Model view
– Create layout fields to display values that queries
retrieve
• Create formula and summary columns
• Oracle 10g Application Server (OAS)
– Display dynamic reports
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Summary
• Report
– Summary view of database data that users can view
on screen or print on paper
•
•
•
•
•
Report template
Data Model window
Paper Layout window
Frames
Oracle 10g Application Server (OAS)
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