Creating Database Reports
Chapter 7
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Lesson A Objectives
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Understand Reports Builder report styles
Use the Report Wizard to create a report
Configure the appearance of a report
View a report in a Web browser
Create a master-detail report
Create a custom template
Apply a custom template to a report
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Introduction to Reports Builder
Database Reports
• Reports Builder allows developers to distribute
reports as:
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Web pages
.pdf files
Printed
And other formats
• Layout styles include:
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Tabular
Form
Mailing Label
Form Letter
Matrix
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Sample Matrix Report
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Using the Report Wizard
to Create a Report
• Basic steps using Report Wizard:
– Specify the data that the report displays
– Select the report style
– Configure the report properties and layout
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Paper Design Window
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Modifying the Report Appearance
• Use Reports Builder environment to modify the report
appearance and customize the report features
• Paper design window shows how report appears on
paper
• To view as web page
– preview paper design as web page
• Make sure form displays correct values before editing
design
• Use the Paper Design window to change fonts, item
sizes, etc.
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Reports Builder Object Navigator
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Viewing the Report as a Web Page
• To preview a report as a Web page:
– Click the Run Web Layout button on the Reports
Builder toolbar
– Creates the Web page source code for the report
– Displays as Page Design view without any
formatting changes
– To view formatting changes: preview the report
using either a Paginated HTML or a Paginated
HTMLCSS format
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Viewing a Report as a Web Page
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Creating a Master-Detail Report
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Report can display master-detail data
SQL query must retrieve master and detail data
Use Groups page to define master and detail groups
Two report styles:
– Group left: master records appear on the left side of the
report; detail records appear in columns to the right of the
master records
– Group above: detail records appear below the master
records
• Place column names in Levels on Available Columns
page
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Example Grouped Report
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Creating Groups/Levels
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Report Templates
• Custom templates store common formatting
information such as:
– Font
– Background color
– Graphics
• Stored in .tdf file
• Use Paper Layout Template Editor to edit
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Paper Layout Template Editor
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Applying Custom Templates to
Reports
• Templates are applied to reports using Reports
Wizard Template page
• Use Template file specification option button to select
a custom template
• Or register template as a predefined template:
– Modify the Developer user preferences file, so the custom
template appears in the Predefined Templates list
– Copy the template file to the Reports Builder templates
folder
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Lesson B Objectives
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•
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Understand the components of a report
Modify report components
Modify the format of master-detail reports
Create parameters to allow the user to customize
report data
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Report Components
• Data Model
– Specifies the data that the report displays
• Paper Layout view
– Displays the report components as symbolic
objects
• Report frames
– Group related report objects
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Data Model Window
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Data Model Window
• Modify data model properties using Property
Inspector
• Can modify the report’s SQL query
• Create a group filter to limit the number of
records that a report query retrieves
– Assign a value to the Filter Type property in the
report record group’s Property Inspector
– Faster to limit retrieved values with SQL query
where clause
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Paper Layout Window
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Report Display
• Reports have a header, main section and
footer
• Frames
– Containers for grouping related report objects
– Use to set specific properties for a group of
objects
• Record group
– Have corresponding group frame
– Encloses a repeating frame and an optional
header frame
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Components of a Master-Detail
Report
• Master-detail reports:
– Display master-detail data
– Multiple record groups: master in one, detail in
another
– Multiple group frames
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Master-Detail Data Model
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Master-Detail Report Layout
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Master-Detail Group Frame
Relationships
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Report Parameters
• Specifies how a report appears
• Specifies the report’s behavior when it runs
• System parameters
– Specify properties that control how the report appears in the
user display and how the report application environment
behaves
– Examples: currency symbol, whether the print dialog box
opens when the user prints the report
• User parameters
– Allow the user to select values that specify the data that the
report displays
– Example: allow the user to select a specific term ID value
from a list, and the report would then display class lists for
that term only
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System Parameters
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User Parameters
• User selects from parameter list
• Inserted into search condition
• To create:
– Create the user parameter
– Create the parameter list
– Modify the report query so it uses the parameter
as a search condition
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Lesson C Objectives
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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
• Retrieve and display LOB image data on reports
• Use Property Inspector to change File Format to
Image to display image data
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Report with Images from the
Database
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Creating Report Queries
and Data Links Manually
• To create a query manually:
– Open the Data Model window
– Select the SQL Query tool on the Data Model tool palette
– Click in the painting region, and type the SQL query
• To create a data link:
– Select the Data Link tool on the Data Model tool palette
– Draw a link between linked objects
• Types of data links:
– Query to Query
– Group to Group
– Column to Column
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Manually Creating a Query
and Data Link
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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 (such as SUM,AVG,
or MAX) on report data fields
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Example of Calculated Values
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Creating Formula Columns
• Formula columns:
– Display a value that a user-defined function returns as a
result of performing computations on report data values
• To create:
– Create the formula column in the report Data Model
– Write the user-defined function that returns the calculated
value for the formula column
– Create a layout field in the report to display the formula
column value
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Syntax for Formula Column
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Creating Summary Columns
• Summary columns:
– Return a summary value, such as the sum or
average, of a series of data fields in a repeating
frame
• Create summary columns for any report data
field using the Totals page in the Report
Wizard
• Can also create summary columns manually
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Creating Summary Columns with
Reports Wizard
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Displaying Formatted Reports as
Web Pages
• Use Oracle9i Application Server to generate
reports dynamically
• See Figure 7-70
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Summary
• Reports Builder creates formatted reports using
database data
• Reports are drawn using the Paper Design Window
• Templates can be created to format reports
• Reports can be created to display master-detail data
• Report columns can be set to display calculations,
formulas and summary information
• Reports can be generated in paper, pdf, or html
format
• Dynamic reports are generated using Oracle9i
Application Server
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